TEXAS RANGERS MINOR LEAGUE HIGHLIGHTS AND NOTES
AUGUST 21, 2014
TOP OF THE CROP: The Rangers six U.S.-based affiliates and Dominican Summer League entries have combined for the highest composite winning percentage in the minor leagues…Texas has already qualified five clubs for postseason play, as the DSL Rangers 1 clinched a division title on August 16…DSL Manager Aaron Levin has guided the Rangers summer league entry to a 2nd straight postseason berth, where the club will look to defend its 2013 Dominican Summer League championship…Frisco, Myrtle Beach, Spokane, and the AZL Rangers also clinched playoff spots with first half titles in their leagues…Hickory is currently 5.0 games back of division-leading Hagerstown, while Round Rock trails first place Nashville by 6.5 games in the PCL American South…the Rangers have had at least three affiliates qualify for postseason play in four of the last five seasons.
ROUND ROCK EXPRESS Pacific Coast League (AAA) 65-66 3rd Place 6.5 GB
RYAN RUA: The 24-year-old has hit safely in 7 straight at .385 (10-26) to raise his average with the Express to .298…Rua has reached via hit or walk in 15 straight games dating back to game 2 of a doubleheader on August 4 vs. Memphis, batting .388 (19-49) with 8 walks over that span…the Ohio native’s .483 on-base percentage during the streak is the 5th-highest in the PCL since August 4…he has combined to bat .299 (131-438) with 24 doubles, 2 triples, 17 home runs, and 67 RBI over 121 games between Frisco and Round Rock, while logging time at first base, second base, third base, and left field…Rua was selected in the 17th round of the 2011 June draft out of Lake Erie (OH) College and signed by Roger Coryell.
NEWS AND NOTES: C Tomas Telis has hit safely in 24 of 33 games at .341 (44-129) since a promotion to Round Rock on July 23 and has combined to bat .316 (125-396) over 103 games between Frisco and Round Rock…SS Luis Sardinas has hit safely in 8 straight at .316 (12-38)…OF Jared Hoying extended a career high with his 23rd home run of the season last night at Salt Lake…Hoying, who has homered in 3 of his last 8 games, entered 2014 with a career best of 13 home runs between Frisco and Round Rock in 2013…RHP Lisalverto Bonilla has compiled a 3.38 ERA (5 ER/13.1 IP) with 18 strikeouts and a .184 opponent average over his first 4 starts of the season…RHP Spencer Patton has allowed just one run over 12.0 innings of work (0.75 ERA) with 19 strikeouts since joining the Express on July 19…LHP Robbie Ross allowed just 2 runs over 8.0 innings of work last night at Salt Lake and has completed at least 7.0 innings and allowed 2 ER-or-less in 3 of his last 4 starts with the Express…Matt West has compiled a 3.14 ERA (5 ER/14.1 IP) with 19 strikeouts in 9 appearances with Round Rock since July 23…LHP Michael Kirkman has multiple strikeouts in 9 straight relief appearances… Kirkman has allowed runs in just one of his last 6 outings, posting an 11.57 SO/9.0 IP rate in that span.
FRISCO ROUGHRIDERS* Texas League (AA) 34-24/74-53 1st Place/2nd Half 1.5 GA
WILL LAMB: The 23-year-old lefty has compiled a 0.79 ERA (2 ER/22.2 IP) with 21 strikeouts over his last 17 relief appearances with the RoughRiders…opponents are batting just .149 (11-74) over that stretch, including 2-for-27 (.074) with 10 strikeouts over his last 7 games…the southpaw has combined to hold left-handed batters to a .146 average this season, including 3-for-26 (.115) with no extra base hits since a promotion to Frisco on June 17…overall, Lamb has gone 5-2 with a 1.57 ERA (8 ER/46.0 IP) over 36 relief appearances with Myrtle Beach and Frisco…the Clemson product was selected in the 2nd round of the 2011 June draft and signed by Chris Kemp.
NEWS AND NOTES: OF Nomar Mazara, who was named the Texas League Player of the Week on Monday, is batting .351 (13-37) with 4 doubles, 2 home runs, 9 RBI, and 5 walks over his last 10 games with the ‘Riders…the 19-year-old Mazara is currently the youngest player in the Texas League…OF Teodoro Martinez is batting .408 (20-49) with 5 doubles and 13 RBI over his first 12 games in August…INF Odubel Herrera is batting .417 (10-24) over his last 6 games to raise his Frisco average to .338, highest in the Texas League and 38 points higher than the next closest batter…3B Joey Gallo hit his 40th home run of the season on Sunday at Tulsa and is now one home run shy of matching Tom Robson (Spokane, 1974) for the franchise single-season minor league home run record…C Jorge Alfaro is batting .292 (14-48) over his last 11 games with the ‘Riders and has thrown out 4 of 10 attempted basestealers…RHP Alec Asher has allowed just one unearned run in 12.0 innings and recorded 10 strikeouts over his last 2 starts…Asher has held opponents to a .143 average (6-42) in those starts…RHP Jerad Eickhoff has completed 7.0 innings in each of his last 2 starts, compiling a 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14.0 IP) with 11 strikeouts…Eickhoff leads the Texas League with 133 strikeouts, while Asher is tied for 6th with 111…RHP Chi Chi Gonzalez has won 4 straight starts, compiling a 0.75 ERA (2 ER/24.0 IP) with 23 strikeouts over that span…RHP Keone Kela has not allowed a run in his last 12 appearances, a span of 12.0 IP…Kela has tallied 20 strikeouts and held opponents to a .077 average (3-39) during the streak…RHP Jake Thompson has gone 2-0 with a 2.29 ERA (5 ER/19.2 IP) and 26 strikeouts over his first 4 starts with Frisco.
MYRTLE BEACH PELICANS* Carolina League (High-A) 30-28/74-52 1st Place/2nd Half 1.0 GA
NEWS AND NOTES: OF Ryan Cordell went 4-for-5 with a double, home run, and 4 RBI in his Myrtle Beach debut on Saturday at Salem…Cordell has combined to bat .318 (92-289) with 19 doubles, 4 triples, 9 home runs, and 45 RBI over 77 games with Hickory and Myrtle Beach…RHP Abel De Los Santos has allowed runs in just 2 of his last 13 appearances, posting a 0.93 ERA (2 ER/19.1 IP) with 20 strikeouts in that span…De Los Santos is averaging 10.5 SO/9.0 IP over 49.2 innings of work with Hickory and Myrtle Beach this season…LHP Chad James has allowed 2 ER-or-less in 5 of 6 starts, going 4-2 with a 3.13 ERA (11 ER/31.2 IP) since joining the Texas organization from the independent Frontier League…LHP Victor Payano has compiled a 1.80 ERA (2 ER/10.0 IP) with 8 strikeouts against 2 walks over his last 4 games/3 starts…RHP Sam Wolff has gone 1-1 with a 2.41 ERA (5 ER/18.2 IP) and 16 strikeouts against 3 walks over 5 starts since returning from the disabled list on July 26…LHP Cody Ege has held left-handed batters to a .179 average (10-56) with just 2 extra base hits (2B, 3B) this season.
HICKORY CRAWDADS South Atlantic League (A) 33-26/74-54 3rd Place/2nd Half 5.0 GB
NEWS AND NOTES: OF Jairo Beras is batting .295 (57-193) with 11 doubles, 7 home runs, 23 RBI, and 12 walks over 51 games since June 13…OF Zach Cone has multiple hits in 3 of his last 5 games at .389 (7-18) with 2 doubles, a home run, and 2 RBI…19-year-old Travis Demeritte leads the South Atlantic League with 24 home runs…RHP Luis Ortiz has allowed one run over 7.0 IP in his first 3 games/one start with the Crawdads…Ortiz has combined to go 1-1 with a 1.77 ERA (4 ER/20.1 IP) and 19 strikeouts over 9 games/6 starts with the AZL Rangers and Hickory…RHP Collin Wiles has allowed one-or-zero runs in 3 of his last 4 starts with the Crawdads, going 1-0 with a 3.10 ERA (7 ER/20.1 IP) and 13 strikeouts against 4 walks in that span…RHP Jose Valdespina has allowed just one unearned run over 12 relief appearances since July 17, a span of 12.1 IP…opponents have gone 4-for-39 (.103) with 14 strikeouts vs. Valdespina in that stretch…LHP Frank Lopez has tossed 11.0 scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts over his last 2 starts.
SPOKANE INDIANS* Northwest League (SS) 10-16/35-29 4th Place/2nd Half 3.0 GB
NEWS AND NOTES: The Indians feature 3 of the top 6 hitters in the Northwest League with Eduard Pinto (1st, .340), Seth Spivey (3rd, .332), and Marcus Greene (6th, .318)…Pinto had an 11-game hit streak from August 7-18, during which he batted .373 (19-51)…OF Luke Tendler and INF Jose Trevino are 2 of 4 players in the NWL with a league-leading 9 home runs…Tendler is also 3rd in the NWL with 47 RBI, while Trevino ranks 4th with 46…OF Diego Cedeno is batting .420 (21-50) over 13 games in August…INF Josh Morgan has batted .314 (16-56) over his first 13 games with the Indians…LHP Shane McCain has allowed just 1 ER in 28.2 IP (0.31 ERA) over 15 relief appearances this season…McCain has registered 39 strikeouts and issued just one walk…RHP Richelson Pena has recorded back-to-back quality starts, going 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/12.0 IP) and 10 strikeouts…LHP Derek Thompson has 11.0 scoreless innings with 13 strikeouts over his last 2 outings…RHP Nick Gardewine recorded 8 strikeouts over 7.0 scoreless innings in Spokane’s 2-1, 14-inning loss on Wednesday night in Hillsboro…Gardewine is 1-0 with a 1.00 ERA (2 ER/18.0 IP) and 17 strikeouts over his last 3 starts.
AZL RANGERS* Arizona League (R) 5-15/23-25 4th Place/2nd Half 10.0 GB
NEWS AND NOTES: INF Yeison Yrizarri is batting .313 (20-64) over his last 16 games…RHP Nick Green has gone 1-1 with a 1.69 ERA (3 ER/16.0 IP) and 9 strikeouts over his last 4 games/2 starts…RHP Luke Lanphere is 2-1 with a 1.08 ERA (2 ER/16.2 IP) and one save over his last 4 games/2 starts…RHP Emerson Martinez has compiled a 2.12 ERA (4 ER/17.0 IP) with 19 strikeouts against just one walk over his last 5 games/2 starts…Martinez has not issued a walk in his last 4 games/one start, a span of 14.0 innings…LHP Joe Palumbo is 1-1 with a 1.64 ERA (2 ER/11.0 IP) and 15 strikeouts against 2 walks over his last 4 games/2 starts.
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Josh McElwee promoted to Frisco from Myrtle Beach.
RHP Ricardo Rodriguez reinstated from disabled list at Hickory.
