Category: Daily Report

For the first time since mid-April, Sean Bass of The Ticket, Michael Tepid and I talked Rangers: the state of the big-league club, a rundown of top-30 prospects, deeper discussion of Jack Leiter, and more. Links here.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 3, @ Oklahoma City (LAD) 5
Round Rock: 6 hits, 6 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 31-29, 7.5 GB

SP Owen White: 4.1 IP, 6 H (2 HR), 4 R, 4 BB, 6 SO, 86 P / 52 S, 5.04 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.95 ERA

Cole Winn pitched well for the third time in four AAA outings. In Surprise, rehabbing Justin Foscue manned first base and homered in two at-bats.

AA: Frisco 8, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 0
Frisco: 10 hits, 5 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 2 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 36-19, 4 G up

SP Nick Krauth: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 6 SO, 82 P / 57 S, 5.14 ERA
SS Frainyer Chavez: 3-5, 2B, .265/.362/.358
C Liam Hicks: 3-5, 2 HR (3), .278/.385/.381
3B Keyber Rodriguez: 2-5, HR (3), .295/.347/.500

Liam Hicks isn’t a power hitter and Corpus isn’t a hitter’s park, but here he is with two of his three homers on the season. Hicks is batting .550/.625/1.000in June. If I were manager, I’d tell him to keep doing that.

Frisco has the best record in AA and a season-high four-game lead with 14 games remaining in the first half.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, Greenville (BOS) 2
Hickory: 7 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 1 walk, 16 strikeouts
Record: 24-31, 7 GB

SP Joseph Montalvo: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 SO, 86 P / 62 S, 2.14 ERA
RP DJ Peters: 2 IP, 1 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 11.12 ERA
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, .296/.327/.418

Pitchers with 30+ innings and a SO-to-BB/HBP ratio of at least 4:
Jose Gonzalez: 7.4 (see below)
Alejandro Rosario: 7.0 (should pitch tonight)
Ryan Lobus: 4.6
Joseph Montalvo: 4.0

Montalvo was 19 when drafted and will be eligible for the Rule 5 draft if unprotected. If the decision had to be made today, my feeling would be no because I don’t think he’d survive the massive jump to MLB, but if I were publishing a report on potential players to protect today, he’d be featured.

DJ Peters threw strikes in abundance for the first time at Hickory.

Lo-A: Down East 2, @ Salem (BOS) 6
Down East: 8 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 29-25, 4.5 GB

SP Kyle Larsen: 0 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 6 R, 4 BB, 0 SO, 26 P / 9 S, 10.18 ERA
RP Luke Savage: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.44 ERA
RP Jose Gonzalez: 6 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 SO, 1.16 ERA
C Jesus Lopez: 2-4, 3B, .299/.353/.441
DH Julian Brock: 2-4, 2B, .237/.302/.331

Larsen’s up-and-down season reached a nadir last night, as he faced seven batters without recording an out (one reached via error) and added a balk and wild to his line. Tandem starter Jose Gonzalez remains as hot as anyone in the system, fanning a career-best 11 of 20 batters and raising his season total to 52 versus just seven walks in 38.2 innings. In nine at-bats off the IL, Jesus Lopez has hit for the cycle.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Solomon
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: TBA (Rosario’s turn)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Whoops. The Josh Jung and Ryan Garcia College World Series notes from yesterday should have run today. The most interesting note from the day before actually involved Houston-affiliated Round Rock, which defeated Las Vegas 26-11 behind a 13-run 7th. Round Rock allowed catcher Oscar Campos to pitch the 9th with a 19-run lead, and he held the Aviators to four runs.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, @ Oklahoma City (LAD) 6 (7)
Round Rock: 4 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts

SP Jack Leiter: 3 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 4 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 72 P / 46 S, 4.63 ERA

AAA: Round Rock 11, @ Oklahoma City (LAD) 10 (7)
Round Rock: 12 hits, 9 walks, 5 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 4 walks, 13 strikeouts
Record: 31-28, 6.5 GB

SP Johnny Cueto: 1.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 7 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 52 P / 29 S, 6.06 ERA
RP Chasen Shreve: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1.42 ERA
CF Dustin Harris: 1-3, HR (6), .251/.351/.390
DH Davis Wendzel: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, .286/.394/.519
RF Sandro Fabian: 2-3, HR (7), 2 BB, .318/.376/.536
2B Jax Biggers: 2-3, 3B, BB, .268/.408/.341

Three Jack Leiters pitched yesterday afternoon. Leiter One barely escaped the 1st, allowing four runs on six hits. His fastball tended to drift lower within the zone, an often dangerous area for him. Four hits (including one over the fence) came after 1B Davis Wendzel couldn’t quite snare a sharp two-out liner, but I wouldn’t pin anything on him. Although the bullpen was active, Leiter was permitted to face another batter with 31 pitches on his ledger, a point at which I think most in the system would be pulled. Leiter Two finished the 2nd on just eight pitches, fanning one and misses three bats (and for the evening, Leiter had six swinging strikes out of nine swings with his slider). Leiter Three needed 29 pitches in the 3rd and walked the bases loaded before inducing a final popup.

Consecutive iffy outings should scotch the idea of returning to the Majors for the time being. Obviously, I don’t want him to fail, but some level stability might suit him. Rediscover the early season success, build on that, then see what if any role might be available to him on a big league club that (I hope) will be contending for the postseason with several currently IL’ed pitchers back on the mound.

Johnny Cueto decided not to take free agency at the beginning of the month, giving Texas a few more chances to decide whether to bring him up. Last night won’t help. Three walks preceded a Trey Sweeney slam in the 1st, and three of four batters reached safely in the 2nd.

Opponents are batting .069/.191/.13 against 33-year-old Chasen Shreve. He’s yet to allow a hit on a grounder. He has the team’s best first-strike rate at an amazing 78%, but he’s walked nine batters in 19 innings. Best as I can tell, he hadn’t thrown a pitch harder than 91.7 MPH until last night, when he threw six exceeding that speed and topping at 93.3. Shreve had taken free agency at the end of April but re-signed two weeks later. I have no idea what any of this means.

AA: Frisco 3, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 0
Frisco: 6 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 35-19, 3 G up

SP Ben Anderson: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 78 P / 52 S, 4.15 ERA
RP Steven Jennings: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.89 ERA
RP Tyler Owens: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 3.18 ERA
DH Liam Hicks: 0-2, BB, 2 HBP, SB (1), .269/.380/.339
2B Max Acosta: 2-3, BB, SB (10), .248/.311/.321

Ben Anderson and friends combined on a four-hit shutout. Liam Hicks didn’t have another multi-hit game but managed to get plunked twice. That’s a decent part of his on-base repertoire, but the Rangers don’t have anyone in the top 100 in the minors in HBP. San Antonio’s Ripken Reyes is second in the minors with 16 following last year’s unearthly 49.

Hi-A: Hickory 9, Greenville (BOS) 4
Hickory: 10 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 23-31, 8 GB

SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 3 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 83 P / 52 S, 5.18 ERA
RP Luis Ramirez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 6.12 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 2-4, HR (2), .192/.242/.292
C Konnor Piotto: 2-3, BB, SB (5), .247/.308/.381
RF Anthony Gutierrez: 3-4, 3B, .287/.320/.415

Cam Cauley drilled his second homer, and Anthony Gutierrez tripled to the right-center gap for the second time in three days (if not quite so hard, and with some assistance from the CF).

Texas released righty Yohanse Morel, acquired in 2022 for reliever Albert Abreu. He’d spent his entire time with the Rangers at Hickory, showing improvement last year and even garnering some ink from Baseball America for his “breakout slider.” Control problems persisted, however, and two years after the trade he seemed no closer to promotion to AA. Morel would have been able to declare free agency after the season. He’s been replaced in Hickory by 2019 32nd-rounder Michael Brewer, who split between Frisco and Hickory last year.

Lo-A: Down East 3, @ Salem (BOS) 7
Down East: 7 hits, 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 5 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 29-24, 3.5 GB

SP Paul Bonzagni: 3.2 IP, 6 H (1 HR), 6 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 75 P / 50 S, 4.32 ERA
RP Kohl Drake: 4 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 1 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 2.25 ERA
C Julian Brock: 2-4, 2B, .230/.297/.321

Only half of the Bonzagni/Drake tandem found success last night, as the former allowed more than three runs for the first time. Last year’s 12th-rounder pitched mostly in relief for Southern Illinois and Weatherford College. Drake has 51 strikeouts and just seven walks in 32 innings. He’s a 2022 11th-rounder from Walters State Community College in Tennessee, where Brett Martin and Chad Bell are fellow alumni.

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Montalvo
Lo-A: TBA (Gonzalez / Larsen due up)

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas Tech SS Josh Jung was 2-5 with a solo homer in an 8-6 win over Oklahoma State. 2nd-rounder Ryan Garcia of top-ranked UCLA allowed three runs in a surprising 3-2 loss to Michigan. In the old days (2019), the college season didn’t end until after the draft.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 4, @ Oklahoma City (LAD) 3
Round Rock: 6 hits, 5 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 3 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 30-27, 6 GB

SP Adrian Sampson: 5 IP, 5 H (2 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 5 SO, 93 P / 56 S, 4.37 ERA
RP Brock Burke: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 3.86 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.89 ERA
RP Grant Wolfram: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 4.79 ERA
LF Dustin Harris: 1-4, BB, SB (14), .256/.358/.383
SS Jonathan Ornelas: 1-3, BB, SB (4), .264/.310/.358

Sampson was Sampson, and three relievers combined to no-hit the Baseball Club* and maintain the one-run lead. Technically, this was the completion of Tuesday’s suspended game, and as the announced starter, Jack Leiter appears in the box first with a bunch of zeros trailing after his name. I suppose that since he completed his pre-game warmup at least once, maybe twice, Texas decided not to send him out the next day. What was supposed be a doubleheader was truncated to a single game, and they’ll play two today, headlined by Leiter.

IF Justin Foscue (oblique) returned to action with the rookies in Surprise, collecting a single and walk in five trips to the plate.

* That’s the name. Oklahoma City Baseball Club.

AA: Frisco 4, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 8
Frisco: 9 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 34-19, 3 G up

SP Ryan Garcia: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 BB, 3 SO, 93 P / 51 S, 4.81 ERA
C Liam Hicks: 3-4, 2B, BB, .272/.374/.343
SS Frainyer Chavez: 2-3, BB, 2 SB (11), .253/.355/.342

Frisco lost again to the mighty Hooks, but second-place Midland lost as well. Liam Hicks has four multi-hit games in his last seven. Hicks began the season with five straight two-hit games, but between those hot stretches he batted .194/.313/.242. Still, he’s the answer to a question perhaps only I would ask: What if Hanser Alberto could draw walks? Hicks doesn’t smash the ball but has a .272 average built on a remarkable 10% strikeout rate, and he’s walked or been hit in 15% of his plate appearances.

Hi-A: Hickory 4, Greenville (BOS) 0
Hickory: 7 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 22-31, 7.5 GB

SP Ryan Lobus: 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 80 P / 56 S, 1.99 ERA
RP Gavin Collyer: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 4 SO, 3.74 ERA
SS Sebastian Walcott: 2-3, HR (4), .208/.333/.346
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 1-2, 2B, HBP, 2 SB (13), .267/.302/.378

Sebastian Walcott banged his fourth homer and improved his OBP to an even .333, above the league rate of .327. Quite impressive for someone who won’t turn 19 until next March. Five years older but also impressive is Ryan Lobus, who has struck out 55 and walked 10 in 40 innings amongst Hickory and Down East.

Hickory played as the Llamas last night, part of MiLB’s “Copa de la Diversión,” described as “a season-long event series specifically designed to embrace the culture and values that resonate most with Minor League Baseball teams’ local U.S. Hispanic communities.” I’d say it’s as much about selling more merchandise as anything, but some of the designs (including Hickory’s) are glorious, and I own a Llama shirt, so who am I to judge. I have a Llama logo for you today as a little treat, because you’ve been so polite and picked up after yourself.

Lo-A: Down East 11, @ Salem (BOS) 2
Down East: 15 hits, 5 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 29-23, 3.5 GB

SP Brayan Mendoza: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 7 SO, 77 P / 48 S, 2.61 ERA
RP Josh Trentadue: 3 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 4.46 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 3-4, BB, .239/.352/.483
DH Jesus Lopez: 2-5, 2B,, HR (3), .293/.348/.423
C Beycker Barroso: 4-4, 3B, HR (1), BB, SB (1), .353/.500/.647
2B Chandler Pollard: 3-4, 2B, 2 SB (19), .241/.291/.276

Gleider Figuereo posted his first three-hit game of the year. Fresh off the IL, Jesus Lopez knocked his third homer and doubled. Chandler Pollard is hitting .308/.352/.354 since the end of April. His power and walks remain down from last season in the complex league, but he’s resumed his contact.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter / Cueto
AA: B. Anderson
Hi-A: Bratt
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas announced lefty Joe Palumbo would make his MLB debut in a doubleheader against Oakland. My thoughts at the time: “Palumbo isn’t what I’d call fully ready, but he’s probably the best choice… He’s a work in progress, incorporating a new changeup grip and occasionally struggling with his control. Still, he’s had the best season of Texas’s top-four rotation prospects. At times, he’s been dominant. If he can give four or five innings and keep the Rangers in the game, I’ll be happy.” He did that, more or less, giving up four runs in his fourth and final inning after three zeros. Texas led 6-4 and would go on to win 10-5.

More recently, Palumbo had been out of baseball for nearly a year after the Rangers released him in May 2023. He signed with indy Hagerstown in April but was released yesterday, having walked 17 and allowed 13 runs in 15.1 innings. 1B Curtis Terry and RHP Nick Gardewine are also with Hagerstown.

Box Scores

AAA: wet

Round Rock and Oklahoma City waited over an hour because of light rain, but heavier rain fell within five minutes of the first pitch. Blaine Crim splashed an RBI double to left before the umps suspended the proceedings in the middle of the 1st at OKC. They’ll finish this one today and add a seven-inning contest afterwards. We’ll see if originally scheduled starter Jack Leiter takes the mound or is pushed back.

AA: Frisco 1, @ Corpus Christi (HOU) 7
Frisco: 5 hits, 2 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 4 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 34-18, 3 G up

SP Josh Stephan: 4.2 IP, 7 H (1 HR), 6 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 82 P / 52 S, 5.79 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 3.1 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 1 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 5.25 ERA

Break up the Hooks. Corpus Christi was 15-30 eight days ago but took five of six at then-division-leading Midland and stopped Frisco’s nine-game winning streak last night. Josh Stephan allowed three runners and faced two over the minimum through the 4th on just 52 pitches, but he couldn’t escape the 5th.

Hi-A: Hickory 5, Greenville (BOS) 3
Hickory: 9 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 4 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 21-31, 8.5 GB

SP DJ McCarty: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 85 P / 51 S, 4.18 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 1-3, BB, 2 SB (5), .188/.242/.268
3B Sebastian Walcott: 3-4, 2B, .199/.328/.321

On an 0-2 count, Anthony Gutierrez (1-4) gapped center and right perfectly for a two-run triple in the 8th to regain the lead. Earlier, Sebastian Walcott doubled in Cam Cauley, and Alejandro Osuna and Yosy Galan executed a delayed double steal with Galan sliding home.

Cauley has a six-game hitting streak with a .320/.393/.440 line. Like several of his teammates, he’s been hitting better lately. Hickory has a solid .271/.334/.412 line over the last two-plus weeks.

Lo-A: Down East 5, @ Salem (BOS) 6
Down East: 11 hits, 4 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 28-23, 4.5 GB

SP David Davallilo: 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 78 P / 48 S, 1.88 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 2-5, 2B, 2 SB (8), .242/.304/.355
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-5, 2B, 3B, .227/.343/.477
C Julian Brock: 2-4, BB, SB (3), .224/.293/.311

Down East scored single runs in each of the last five innings, but Salem scored in four of those innings and walked off victorious with an RBI single against a drawn-in infield. The Woodies stole six bases against various pitchers and catcher Brooks Brannon, making his first full-season appearance of 2024.

Catcher Julian Brock, a fairly advanced college hitter out of Louisiana Lafayette in 2023’s 8th round, is hitting .254/.342/.409 over the last 30 days after a slower start. He also snared an extremely wild pitch in the 9th that would have scored the winning run for Salem, although his heroics ultimately only delayed defeat.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter? / Sampson
AA: Garcia
Hi-A: Lobus
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Both the parent club and AAA Nashville lost 12-11. The Rangers were down 8-2 early and scored six in the 9th to close the gap against Baltimore, while Nashville’s Josh Fields allowed four 9th-inning homers in Reno to relinquish an 11-7 lead. Fields, a May free-agent pickup, was actually decent more often than not, but the bad days were epic. He would be released and out of pro ball by the end of the month.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 0, El Paso (SDP) 7
Round Rock: 5 hits, 0 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 12 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 29-27, 5.5 GB

SP Peter Solomon: 4.1 IP, 8 H (3 HR), 7 R, 2 BB, 5 SO, 88 P / 56 S, 6.00 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 4.26 ERA
CF Jose Barrero: 2-3, .163/.247/.349

The Express were 2-4 against the Chihuahuas including three losses by at least seven runs. After two weeks averaging 3.2 runs per game, Round Rock has fallen to last in the league in runs scored, a ranking that holds even after adjusting for park effects. Honestly, the offense isn’t that bad, certainly better than Salt Lake and roughly equal to three or four others in terms of underlying numbers, but the partial or total absences of JP Martinez, Justin Foscue, Elier Hernandez, and Davis Wendzel from the 2023 squad have made a large difference. Cole Winn was quietly effective again.

Incidentally, after a three-game acclimation to Japan with the farm club, Hernandez is hitting .375/.423/.542 in six games with Yomiuri. The Central League is batting a miserly .235/.298/.324 and scoring 2.96 runs per game, so Hernandez might already be the league MVP.

Johnny Cueto was named the PCL Pitcher of the Week for last Thursday’s six scoreless innings. Not quite on par with his complete game in the 2015 World Series, but close. Cueto had a June 1 opt-out but per local media has given the Rangers another three days to decide whether to call him up. I don’t have a strong opinion. The statcast data underlying his swell top-line numbers (2.40 ERA, 2 BB, 11 SO in 15 innings) is just okay. He could probably replace a couple of pitchers on the roster without any harm, but it’s hard to see him making a sizable difference in the club’s future.

AA: Frisco 5, @ San Antonio (SDP) 2
Frisco: 11 hits, 6 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 6 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 34-17, 4 G up

SP Emiliano Teodo: 5 IP, 3 H (1 HR), 2 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 4 SO, 76 P / 46 S, 2.06 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2.73 ERA
RF Josh Hatcher: 3-5, .315/.354/.470
SS Keyber Rodriguez: 2-4, .299/.353/.494
C Cooper Johnson: 2-2, 2 BB, .265/.367/.485

The Riders cannot be stopped, contained, impeded, hindered, forestalled, or fettered. An eighth straight victory placed them four up with 18 to play in the first half. During this stretch, they haven’t allowed more than three runs. Next, Frisco visits Corpus Christi, which holds the league’s worst record but did just take five of six on the road from formerly division-leading Midland.

Emiliano Teodo walked three and hit two, tying for his most free passes issued this season, but managed to complete five inning on an efficient count.

Hi-A: Hickory 7, @ Winston-Salem (CHW) 9
Hickory: 9 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 20-31, 9 GB

SP Aidan Curry: 4 IP, 4 H (1 HR), 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 77 P / 51 S, 9.27 ERA
LF Yosy Galan: 1-3, BB, SB (12), .179/.282/.366
C Konnor Piotto: 2-3, HR (2), HBP, .234/.333/.372

Hickory averaged 5.7 runs and 10.8 hits per game last week, easily the season highs in any series, but could only effect a split with the Dash. True, Hickory’s outburst came against the league’s worst pitching, but let’s not quibble. Unlike Teodo, Aidan Curry has struggled with efficiency. He’s averaged 20.8 pitches per inning, resulting in only one start of more than four innings.

Lo-A: Down East 9, Fredericksburg (WAS) 6
Down East: 13 hits, 1 walk, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 28-22, 4.5 GB

SP Kolton Curtis: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 69 P / 47 S, 1.95 ERA
RP Victor Simeon: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 5.14 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-5, .222/.342/.461
1B Arturo Disla: 3-4, 2B, .281/.378/.444
2B Chandler Pollard: 2-4, 2B, SB (17), .223/.279/.250

Down East took four of six from second-place Fredericksburg but lost two games in the standings to Carolina, which swept lowly Delmarva. Kolton Curtis isn’t striking out everyone in sight (21%) but has held the opposition in check quite well. He’s undrafted and at 19 (now 20) was the youngest pitcher on the staff entering the season.

I’d mentioned the high error counts of Echedry Vargas and Gleider Figuereo, and in re-running the league numbers I do find the Wood Ducks slightly worse than average in errors, but they compensate in terms of turning balls in play into outs, turning double players, and avoiding an excess of stolen bases and passed balls. On the whole, it’s an average defense. Figuereo has maintained his much-improved power this season.

Five Years Ago Yesterday
I wrote a draft preview. Here’s a quick summary of everyone linked to the Rangers at the time. Quicker summary: Texas did just fine.

SS CJ Abrams (6th, Padres, 4.6 WAR) — Rushed to the Majors, took a while to get his feet under him but was able to stick at short, lacking OBP but plenty of power and speed.

LHP Nick Lodolo (7th, Reds, 3.9 WAR) — The former Horned Frog undermines a decent walk rate with a slew of hit batters, and he can be homer-prone, but he’s not why Cincy is in last. He’s looking like a fine pick.

3B Josh Jung (8th, Rangers, 3.0 WAR) — The consensus pick, and obviously Texas’s selection. The injuries are annoying, but he’s developed the hope-for power and defended perhaps more ably than expected. A solid selection.

OF Hunter Bishop (10th, Giants) — This poor guy is living the worst timeline. Lost 2020 to covid (along with everyone else), then several months to a shoulder injury in 2021, then all of 2023 to elbow surgery. He’s in AAA now but is batting .242/.325/.394 on a corner and turns 26 this month. 

LHP Alek Manoah (11th, Blue Jays, 7.4 WAR) — The standard-setter for a while. Lights-out in 2021-2022, then a 2023 so poor he returned to the minors. He’d seemed to regain most of his former effectiveness but is now dealing with elbow trouble.

3B Brett Baty (Mets, 12th, -0.8 WAR) — Recently demoted to AAA. Baty managed to stick at third (and in fact has never spent a minute at first base) but hasn’t hit well enough to carry any position. Imagine being a Mets fan.

OF Corbin Carroll (16th, Dbacks, 6.5 WAR) — Monster rookie season, pre-emptive contract extension, sub-replacement WAR so far in 2024. Surely he’ll recover.

RHP Jackson Rutledge (17th, Nationals, -0.2 WAR) — Rutledge has advanced steadily and made his MLB debut last September but didn’t crack the Washington rotation in March and isn’t hastening a promotion with his AAA performance.

3B Kody Hoese (25th, Dodgers) — Hoese has a .244/.301/.367 line in 333 minor league games. Now 26, he’s hitting better in AAA (.289/.344/.440) but would appear to need that and more to revive his former status.

RHP Matthew Allan (89th, Mets) — And you thought Cole Ragans had a trying trek through the minors. Multiple injuries (and the covid season) have kept Allan off the mound since 2019.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 5, El Paso (SDP) 6
Round Rock: 8 hits, 8 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 10 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 29-26, 5.5 GB

SP Owen White: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 6 BB, 3 SO, 99 P / 55 S, 4.69 ERA
CF Jonathan Ornelas: 3-5, 2B, BB, .263/.307/.355
SS Davis Wendzel: 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, .292/.397/.538

Six walks from Owen White are a career-high, as are the 99 pitches. On the upside, nearly everything hit hard was grounded, and the soft shots were airborne. Davis Wendzel is hitting .267/.371/.400 since rejoining Round Rock.

AA: Frisco 5, @ San Antonio (SDP) 3
Frisco: 13 hits, 3 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 4 walks, 8 strikeouts
Record: 33-17, 3 G up

SP Dane Acker: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 36 P / 23 S, 3.16 ERA
RP Steven Jennings: 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.12 ERA
RP Seth Clark: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO, 3.06 ERA
RP Reid Birlingmair: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 4.09 ERA
LF Kellen Strahm: 1-3, 2B, 2 BB, SB (9), .292/.386/.405
C Liam Hicks: 4-5, 2B, .261/.366/.323
2B Frainyer Chavez: 3-4, 3B, SB (9), .245/.348/.338

Dane Acker’s line doesn’t seem poor enough for an early removal, but he needed 36 pitches to face just six batters, the last of which reached on an error by CF Daniel Mateo (a soft fly that was no gimme but catchable). The bullpen held firm as the offense mounted a gradual comeback. Tied at three in the 9th, Frainyer Chavez singled and stole second, Kellen Strahm was intentionally walked, and Liam Hicks and Aaron Zavala hit RBI singles.

Hi-A: Hickory 6, @ Winston-Salem (CHW) 9
Hickory: 16 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 11 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 20-30, 9 GB

SP Winston Santos: 3.2 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 80 P / 56 S, 2.33 ERA
DH Alejandro Osuna: 3-5, HR (5), .263/.321/.444
LF Yosy Galan: 2-5, 3B, .175/.275/.367
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 3-5, 2B, .272/.306/.358

The Crawdads have reached double-digit hits in four straight games after four in their first 46. They’ve lost two of them, but I’ll make that trade. Winston Santos suffered his worst night of the season, really just a worst inning, as he worked three scoreless before allowing four runs in a 31-pitch 4th.

Lo-A: Down East 3, Fredericksburg (WAS) 0
Down East: 7 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 1 walk, 12 strikeouts
Record: 27-22, 4.5 GB

SP Alejandro Rosario: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 SO, 66 P / 47 S, 1.44 ERA
RP Kai Wynyard: 3 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.80 ERA
1B Erick Alvarez: 2-4, HR (1), .235/.301/.345

Goodness. Alejandro Rosario decided his five scoreless innings and nine strikeouts last week were the appetizer. For the season, Rosario has a 40% strikeout rate, second-best in the Carolina League behind Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, who has moved on to high-A. Rosario will as well at some point, barring something unfortunate. His upper-90s fastball with a slider and change are beyond the ability of most low-A hitters.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Solomon
AA: Teodo
Hi-A: Curry
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Jacob Latz threw seven innings for Down East, one-and-one-third fewer than the entirety of his college career. The Wood Ducks won 7-0 to improve to 39-17.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 1, El Paso (SDP) 9
Round Rock: 4 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Opponent: 13 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 29-25, 5.5 GB

SP Kyle Barraclough: 4 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 5 BB, 2 SO, 84 P / 45 S, 4.43 ERA
C Sam Huff: 2-4, 2B, .261/.364/.479

A virtual repeat of Wednesday’s 8-0 loss plus no internet in the media booth, leaving voice Rylan Kobre to wonder if he was talking to himself. (He wasn’t; MiLB.tv had the feed, not that he had much positive to describe.) The repeat included Antoine Kelly failing to complete an inning because of wildness (two walks) and hard-hit balls (two at 103+ off the bat). The upside is Kelly did rediscover his velocity, throwing 94-98 instead of Wednesday’s 87-94.

AA: Frisco 4, @ San Antonio (SDP) 1
Frisco: 7 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 32-17, 3 G up

SP Nick Krauth: 7 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 SO, 75 P / 54 S, 5.86 ERA
RP Robby Ahlstrom: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 2.31 ERA
C Cooper Johnson: 1-3, HR (4), BB, .242/.333/.470
LF Geisel Cepeda: 2-3, BB, SB (5), .213/.295/.298

Frisco won a seventh straight while trailing Midland lost both ends of a doubleheader to Corpus Christi, the worst team in the league. Former Tiger Cooper Johnson is the second catcher but ranks third on the team in homers behind Cody Freeman (6) and Josh Hatcher (5).

Hi-A: Hickory 4, @ Winston-Salem (CHW) 1
Hickory: 10 hits, 3 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 20-29, 8 GB

SP Joseph Montalvo: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 62 P / 45 S, 2.50 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1.55 ERA
C Ian Moller: 2-2, 2 BB, SB (6), .212/.325/.288
LF Yosy Galan: 2-3, BB, .165/.271/.348
3B Ben Blackwell: 3-4, 2B, .185/.287/.235

For the first time, Hickory record dougle-digit hits in three consecutive games. I can’t perform any statistical trickery to get you to believe Ian Moller’s line is good, but he is hitting about the same as last year but at a higher level, and he had a nice May (.254/.360/.349).

After fanning 11 last week, Joseph Montalvo showed he can be effective without them, too. Montalvo is very fly-prone and not immune to homers, but plenty of strikeouts and few walks have more than compensated for that.

Lo-A: Down East 2, Fredericksburg (WAS) 6
Down East: 4 hits, 2 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 26-22, 4.5 GB

SP Jose Gonzalez: 6 IP, 5 H (1 HR), 1 R, 0 BB, 7 SO, 63 P / 50 S, 1.38 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 1-3, BB, .222/.347/.462

Gonzalez tossed a career-high six innings on only 63 pitches, of which the Nationals swung at an absurd 70%. He’s struck out 41 against just seven walks in 32.2 innings. The 22-year-old out of Venezuela had a fairly generic career leading into 2024 and certainly has the system’s most generic name, so I’m not an expert on his background. Here’s an older highlight video.

2023 7th-round righty Izack Tiger made his belated debut for the rookies last night, allowing a run on three hits in two innings. Last year, Tiger made enough of an impression to join to Down East roster for the playoffs after a handful of complex-league outings.

Today’s Starters
AAA: White
AA: Acker
Hi-A: Santos
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Jonathan Hernandez had his best AA start, striking out ten and walking none in seven scoreless innings. “Something to build on, I hope.” Well, hmm, about that: Hernandez’s next six starts would produce a 6.25 ERA and matching peripherals, and by August he’d move into a relief role.

Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 6, El Paso (SDP) 3
Round Rock: 5 hits, 6 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 5 walks, 10 strikeouts
Record: 29-24, 5.5 GB

SP Johnny Cueto: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 89 P / 57 S, 2.40 ERA
RP Yerry Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 4.00 ERA
2B Jonathan Ornelas: 2-4, 3B, .259/.301/.350
CF Dustin Harris: 1-3, 2B, BB, .262/.364/.395

Johnny Cueto held the opponent scoreless for the second time in three starts and pulled his opposing line down to .257/.274/.386, excellent for the PCL. Underlying data on contact and exit velo isn’t as promising, but he’s at least giving the idea he isn’t done and might be able to pitch for someone, if not necessarily Texas.

AA: Frisco 5, @ San Antonio (SDP) 2
Frisco: 9 hits, 2 walks, 8 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 4 strikeouts
Record: 31-17, 1.5 G up

SP Ben Anderson: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 82 P / 54 S, 4.82 ERA
RP Andy Rodriguez: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2.96 ERA
RP Bryan Chi: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 6.23 ERA
C Liam Hicks: 2-3, BB, .248/.357/.307
3B Frainyer Chavez: 3-4, .221/.333/.305

Frisco took advantage of San Antonio wildness in a tied 5th. Daniel Mateo and Aaron Zavala were hit by pitches after a Frainyer Chavez single, and Liam Hicks then drew a bases-loaded walk. Additional runs scored on a Cody Freeman GIDP and Josh Hatcher double.

SS Max Acosta (0-4) is back from s a short IL visit.

Hi-A: Hickory 2, @ Winston-Salem (CHW) 5
Hickory: 11 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 7 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Record: 19-29, 8 GB

SP Mitch Bratt: 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, 81 P / 52 S, 5.14 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 SO, 5.30 ERA
SS Cam Cauley: 3-5, SB (2), .179/.228/.263
3B Sebastian Walcott: 2-4, 2B, .201/.335/.326
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 2-4, 2B, .250/.288/.329

Cauley and Walcott  in the summary for a second straight day. These are the days. Walcott actually lost his bat in the follow-through on his double, a soft liner just over the third baseman’s glove. He brought his batting average over .200 for the first time this season.

Mitch Bratt surrendered seven runs in his first start of the season but not more than two since (plus a one-inning, three-run relief appearance).

Lo-A: Down East 6, Fredericksburg (WAS) 3
Down East: 8 hits, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 26-21, 3.5 GB

SP Kohl Drake: 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 67 P / 46 S, 2.25 ERA
RP Paul Bonzagni: 4 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 3 BB, 6 SO, 3.03 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 1-3, 2B, BB, .252/.315/.369

The Drake/Bonzagni tandem has appeared six times, combining for 47 innings, 18 runs (16 earned), 3.06 ERA, 10 walks, and 58 strikeouts. Elder by nearly two years, Drake has the better peripherals.

Echedry Vargas’s two-run double in the 5th was a grounder to right that deflected off the pitcher. I wish I had video. I mentioned Vargas’s errors yesterday and noticed Gleider Figuero has 13 at third base, also a high figure. That might lead a belief that Down East has the worst fielding in the league, but in fact they’re middle-of-the-pack in errors with 65. The distinction is a concentration at a few positions. The difference between Down East and league-worst Augusta:

Down East: 46 errors at second, third, and short, 19 at other positions.
Augusta: 45 errors at second, third, and short, 33 at other positions (including 17 at catcher!)

Today’s Starters
AAA: Barraclough
AA: Krauth
Hi-A: Montalvo
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Frisco received scoreless innings from Emmanuel Clase, Joe Barlow, and Demarcus Evans but scored only one run and lost both ends of a doubleheader and two-thirds of a three-game division lead. The Riders began the first half 17-9 but finished on a 16-27 skid and a tie for third after leading the division much of the way.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Wednesday 29 May
Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 0, El Paso (SDP) 8
Round Rock: 7 hits, 2 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 10 hits, 9 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 28-24, 5.5 GB

SP Jack Leiter: 1.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 4 BB, 1 SO, 59 P / 31 S, 3.94 ERA
RP Daniel Robert: 2.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3.31 ERA
RP Cole Winn: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 5.06 ERA
RF Sandro Fabian: 3-4, 2 2B, .329/.378/.555

A closed Highway 130 delayed my arrival to the game until the 2nd inning, so I missed most of Jack Leiter’s first poor AAA outing. In six starts, he hadn’t allowed more than three runs or walked more than he struck out. No longer. Leiter had a 30% zone rate with the fastball, and the Chihuahuas weren’t biting. He missed four bats with the slider, but El Paso also had a good grasp on how to square them up. Nothing to do but hope the next start makes last night a blip instead of a trend.

Antoine Kelly missed on 16 of 23 pitches, walked two, allowed two hits and recorded only one out. Unfortunately, his situation is definitely a trend. Two weeks ago, Kelly departed with what appeared to be a scary elbow or forearm injury but instead was only a cramp per local media. He returned after a week, but his success hasn’t, and his fastball velocity continues to decline. Before last night, his slowest fastball was 89.7 MPH, the last pitch he threw before exiting hurt. Wednesday, he threw five fastballs slower than that, bottoming out at 87. Statcast described them as cutters, and I suppose that’s possible, but they’d be the first cutters he’s ever thrown in AAA, and they had the same tail as his fastball.

More promising was Cole Winn. Winn was erratic and blew a save last weekend in his first appearance back in AAA, but he was on point last night, not blowing everyone away but solid enough to retire big-league hitters, I’d venture.

AA: Frisco 6, @ San Antonio (SDP) 3 (7)
Frisco: 8 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts

SP Ryan Garcia: 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 4 SO, 92 P / 58 S, 4.46 ERA
DH Liam Hicks: 2-4, 2B, .240/.348/.300
3B Cody Freeman: 1-2, 2 BB, SB (6), .298/.359/.490
1B Josh Hatcher: 1-3, HR (5), BB, SB (6), .316/.358/.478

AA: Frisco 6, San Antonio (SDP) 4 (7)
Frisco: 6 hits, 4 walks, 3 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 7 walks, 7 strikeouts
Record: 30-17, 1 G up

SP Florencio Serrano: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 SO, 53 P / 33 S, 3.97 ERA
CF Kellen Strahm: 2-3, BB, SB (8), .300/.390/.413

Meet your first-place Frisco RoughRiders. Frisco played as the home team in the nightcap to make up a mid-May DFW rainout. Kellen Strahm was the hero, singling in the tying and go-ahead runs in the bottom of the 6th, then stealing second and scampering all the way home on an offline throw by the catcher and failed bare-hand grab by the CF. 27 as of last month, Strahm was a 5th-round senior sign out of San Jose State. He had a good season in Frisco in 2022 but backslid some last year, preventing a possible promotion to AAA. This year, he’s resumed his better pace.

Frisco has the league’s best record and second-best in AA behind Birmingham (31-16).

Hi-A: Hickory 9, @ Winston-Salem (CHW) 2
Hickory: 11 hits, 4 walks, 11 strikeouts
Opponent: 4 hits, 3 walks, 9 strikeouts
Record: 19-28,

SP Ryan Lobus: 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 7 SO, 85 P / 56 S, 2.87 ERA
RP DJ Peters: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 1 SO, 13.50 ERA
RF Alejandro Osuna: 2-4, BB, .267/.333/.442
2B Cam Cauley: 1-3, 3B, BB, .156/.208/.244
SS Sebastian Walcott: 3-4, 2B, .193/.331/.314

Nearly two months into the season, we have the first appearance from both Cam Cauley and Sebastian Walcott in a recap. Cauley did miss nearly a month to injury but also has been mouse-quiet for the most part, collecting only one multi-hit game and one homer outside the complex all season. He has a 34% strikeout rate off the IL, which is nothing new, but he’s also not accounting for much on contact, which is an unwelcome change. Walcott is actually slugging less in May than April but has been better in all respects otherwise. The Rangers have his highlights from last night.

Ryan Lobus settled for 14 missed bats after last week’s 21 plus a career-high 12 strikeouts. His slider is menacing, and everything he throws seems to have an extra little squiggle, even his four-seamer at times. In his second full-season outing, DJ Peters had a 57% strike rate, not good overall but with enough good stretches to record two scoreless innings.

Lo-A: Down East 3, Fredericksburg (WAS) 5
Down East: 8 hits, 3 walks, 12 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 3 walks, 14 strikeouts
Record: 25-21, 3.5 GB

SP Josh Trentadue: 4 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 6 SO, 65 P / 41 S, 4.60 ERA
RP Brayan Mendoza: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 SO, 3.06 ERA
SS Echedry Vargas: 3-5, 2B, 2 SB (6), .250/.308/.361

With two errors last night, Echedry Vargas has 16 in 24 games at shortstop. Errors are an overrated  but not useless stat, and having that many in that few games is a problem. I’m reminded of Odubel Herrera, who in 2012 had 28 errors in 60 games at short by mid-June. There would be no 29th. He switched to second and eventually the outfield, and other than a couple of innings as a mid-game replacement the next season, he’d never play short again. I’m not suggesting the 19-year-old Vargas could be banished from the position in a few weeks, but the situation is worth watching. On the flip side, Vargas is having a nice May at the plate: .270/.333/.348 with a 15% K rate.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Cueto
AA: B. Anderson
Hi-A: Bratt
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Sam Huff knocked his organization-leading 18th homer in a 7-2 win for Down East, 36-17 and leading the division by 6.5 games. Teammate Leody Taveras singled, walked, and stole his 14th base.

Rangers Farm Report: Games of Tuesday 28 May
Box Scores

AAA: Round Rock 10, El Paso (SDP) 5
Round Rock: 11 hits, 4 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 9 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts
Record: 28-23, 4.5 GB

SP Adrian Sampson: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 SO, 89 P / 59 S, 4.27 ERA
RP Brock Burke: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO, 2.70 ERA
RF Sandro Fabian: 2-5, HR (5), .320/.370/.538
3B Davis Wendzel: 2-5, HR (4), .309/.400/.582
CF Jose Barrero: 2-4, HR (4), .154/.230/.359

Jose Barrero’s late three-run homer quashed whatever idea El Paso might have had about a comeback. He’s hitting well when he makes contact, but he sports a 39% strikeout and is coming up empty on over half his swings against non-fastballs, although the homer was lasered against a sweeper.

AA: Frisco 3, @ San Antonio (SDP) 2
Frisco: 7 hits, 2 walks, 7 strikeouts
Opponent: 8 hits, 5 walks, 6 strikeouts
Record: 28-17, 0.5 GB

SP Josh Stephan: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 SO, 84 P / 56 S, 4.82 ERA
LF Kellen Strahm: 2-4, 3B, .292/.380/.403

Josh Stephan resumed with the expected quality after a couple of five-run outings. Against Robby Ahlstrom in the 9th, San Antonio loaded the bases with one out but watched consecutive third strikes. The Missions stranded eight in the final four innings and had another picked off.

Hi-A: Hickory 6, @ Winston-Salem (CHW) 4
Hickory: 8 hits, 7 walks, 10 strikeouts
Opponent: 6 hits, 5 walks, 12 strikeouts
Record: 18-28, 7 GB

SP DJ McCarthy: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 0 BB, 2 HBP, 0 SO, 33 P / 21 S, 5.09 ERA
RP Jackson Kelley: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1.67 ERA
RP Adrian Rodriguez: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1.45 ERA
RP Skylar Hales: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 SO, 5.82 ERA
DH Alejandro Osuna: 1-3, BB, SB (3), .256/.319/.439
CF Anthony Gutierrez: 1-3, BB, SB (10), .246/.278/.319

This game actually occurred on Memorial Day, and the teams took yesterday off instead. I’d intended to publish a review of Texas’s top prospects yesterday but didn’t complete it because I was distracted by a better AAA data set. I’ll have it next week.

DJ McCarty couldn’t escape the 1st but was bailed out by the steadfast Jackson Kelley. Adrian Rodriguez continues to be highly effective despite the usual alarming walk/HBP rate (currently 24%). Those who don’t get a free pass have a 50/50 chance of striking out. OF Anthony Gutierrez is back from a month-long IL stint.

Lo-A: Down East 7, Fredericksburg (WAS) 2
Down East: 9 hits, 9 walks, 6 strikeouts
Opponent: 5 hits, 1 walk, 9 strikeouts
Record: 25-20, 2.5 GB

SP David Davallilo: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 SO, P / S, 1.89 ERA
3B Gleider Figuereo: 2-3, 2 BB, .219/.346/.464
1B Arturo Disla: 2-5, HR (4), .275/.372/.451
LF Marcos Torres: 1-3, BB, .181/.278/.293

The league’s best offense was no match for David Davallilo, whose only poor outing of the season came against these same Nationals a month ago.

Gleider Figuereo and Arturo Disla are eighth and 12th in slugging, respectively, among league hitters with at least 100 strikeouts.

Today’s Starters
AAA: Leiter
AA: Garcia / Serrano
Hi-A: Lobus
Lo-A: TBA

Five Years Ago Yesterday
Texas promoted relievers Demarcus Evans and Joe Barlow to AA Frisco and Pete Fairbanks to AAA Nashville. AAA OF Hunter Cole exited with an ankle injury. The player to be named in the 2017 Sam Dyson trade with the Giants, Cole had been hitting well and perhaps had a shot at a utility role or at least a cup of coffee with the Rangers. After nearly a month out, he’d suffer another injury after just three games. Although he would be under contract with Texas through 2020, he never took the field again.