TEXAS RANGERS MINOR LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS AND NOTES
APRIL 24, 2014
ROUND ROCK EXPRESS Pacific Coast League (AAA) 10-9 T1st Place 0.0 GA
NICK TEPESCH: The 25-year-old right-hander tossed 6.0 shutout innings in his last start for the Express on Sunday in Iowa…Tepesch has completed at least 6.0 innings in each of his first 4 starts and held PCL batters to a .223 average (21-94) with just 5 extra-base hits (4 2B, 1 HR)…the right-hander allowed 6 runs over 6.2 innings in a loss on April 15 at Omaha, but has gone 3-0 with a 0.47 ERA (1 ER/19.0 IP) in his other 3 outings…overall, Tepesch is 3-1, 2.45 (7 ER/25.2 IP in 4 starts and ranks among the PCL leaders in wins (T1st), ERA (10th), and WHIP (11th, 1.05)…Tepesch is slated to start for the Express on Saturday night vs. Memphis.
NEWS AND NOTES: The Express are tied for first place in the American South Division with Memphis…OF Bryan Petersen collected 15 RBI in his first 8 games of the season and is currently tied for 3rd in the PCL with 19 RBI overall…C Brett Nicholas is batting .359 (14-39) with a double, 2 home runs, 12 RBI, 5 walks, and 5 runs over his last 10 games…RHP Scott Baker has completed at least 6.0 innings in each of his first 4 starts and is 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA (3 ER/14.0 IP) and 11 strikeouts against 2 walks in his last 2 outings.
FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS Texas League (AA) 13-6 1st Place 1.5 GA
RYAN RUA: The 24-year-old infielder started the season 0-for-8 in his first 3 games before going 21-for-48 (.438) over his next 14 contests…Rua has reached base safely via hit or walk in 16 straight games and his .462 on-base percentage leads the Texas League and ranks 4th among all Double-A players…the 17th round selection out of Lake Erie (OH) College also leads the Texas League in batting (.375), while ranking among the leaders in SLG (2nd, .625), home runs (T4th, 3), total bases (T4th, 35), hits (T5th, 21), and doubles (T7th, 5).
NEWS AND NOTES: The RoughRiders own the best record in the 8-team Texas League…RHP Luke Jackson, the reigning Texas League Pitcher of the Week, carried a perfect game into the 6th inning of his last start on Monday vs. San Antonio…Jackson allowed 7 runs over 3.1 innings in his 2nd start of the year on 4/10 at Northwest Arkansas, but has tossed 18.0 scoreless innings with 19 strikeouts in his other 3 outings combined…OF Jake Skole delivered his 2nd walk-off hit of the season with a home run on Tuesday vs. San Antonio…Skole has hit safely in 6 of his last 7 games at .320 (8-25) with 2 home runs, 6 RBI and 2 walks…after starting the season 5-for-29, 2B Rougned Odor is batting .304 (14-46) over his last 11 games…RHP Matt West has totaled 9.2 scoreless innings over his first 6 relief appearances…RHP Phil Klein has allowed just one run and registered 15 strikeouts over 6 relief outings…C Pat Cantwell has thrown out 9 of 16 (56.3%) attempted basestealers, highest percentage in the Texas League.
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS Carolina League (A) 13-6 1st Place 2.0 GA
JOEY GALLO: The Myrtle Beach slugger belted 3 home runs in the Pelicans’ 21-8 victory at Frederick last night to raise his season total to 9 in his first 19 games…last night was his 2nd multi-home run game in 2014 (also 4/10 at WIL, 2) and 10th of his career…after leading all of the minor leagues in home runs last season, Gallo currently ranks 2nd behind Toledo’s J.D. Martinez (10)…the Las Vegas native also tallied 3 walks in the contest to raise his season total to 15 against 21 strikeouts…Gallo leads all minor league players in SLG (.891) and also ranks among the overall minor league leaders in total bases (1st, 57), extra-base hits (T2nd, 14), RBI (T3rd, 22), and walks (T17th, 15).
NEWS AND NOTES: The Pelicans have the top record in the 8-team Carolina League…Myrtle Beach won a club-record 8th straight road contest last night with a 21-6 victory in Frederick…after the 21-run outburst last night, Myrtle Beach leads the CL in batting (.288), runs (108), home runs (17), OBP (.361), and SLG (.448)…OF Royce Bolinger is batting .500 (14-28) with 5 doubles, 2 home runs, 11 RBI, and 6 runs over his last 8 games to raise his season average to .383, 2nd-highest in the CL…OF Odubel Herrera ranks 5th on the circuit with a .351 average…INF Christopher Bostick has multiple hits in 4 of his last 6 games at .440 (11-25) with 3 doubles, a home run, 6 RBI, and 9 runs…OF Zach Cone had a career-best 6 RBI last night at Frederick…RHP Sam Wolff is tied for the league lead in wins (3) and ranks among the leaders in strikeouts (T8th, 19) and ERA (10th, 2.70)…RHP Keone Kela has gone 4-for-4 in save chances.
HICKORY CRAWDADS South Atlantic League (A) 9-10 T4th Place 5.0 GB
YOHANDER MENDEZ: The 19-year-old southpaw has gone 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA (2 ER/15.1 IP) and 16 strikeouts against one walk in his first 4 games/3 starts with Hickory…Mendez picked up South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday following 6.0 shutout innings and 10 strikeouts in his last outing on April 18 at Asheville…he faced the minimum in his 6.0 innings, as the only 2 hits allowed were erased on double plays…the Venezuelan ranks among the early SAL leaders in WHIP (2nd, 0.91) and ERA (4th)…he is slated to return to the mound on Friday night vs. Greensboro.
CRAWDADS OWNERSHIP HONORED: Hickory minority owners Charles Young and Luther Beaver were announced as part of the 2014 South Atlantic League Hall of Fame class on Thursday…they will be honored as part of the festivities surrounding the South Atlantic League All-Star Game on June 17 at L.P. Frans Stadium in Hickory…Young and Beaver join Crawdads majority owner Don Beaver, who was inducted in 2003.
NEWS AND NOTES: OF Lewis Brinson has multiple hits in 8 of his last 14 games at .345 (19-55) to raise his season average to .311…INF Nick Vickerson is batting .372 (16-43) with 6 walks over his last 12 games and his .322 season average ranks 11th in the South Atlantic League…RHP Kelvin Vasquez has recorded 16 strikeouts in 13.2 innings over his 4 relief appearances…RHP Cole Wiper has allowed 2 runs-or-less in each of his last 3 starts, totaling 19 strikeouts over 17.0 innings in 4 starts overall.
EXTENDED SPRING TRAINING
A pair of rehabbing minor leaguers made their first appearances on the mound this week in Arizona…LHP Kevin Matthews tossed 1.0 inning for the AZL Rangers on Tuesday…LHP Chad Bell recorded 6 strikeouts over 3.0 innings in an extended spring training game yesterday.
