Blake Update

July 3rd
AA: Frisco 1, at Springfield 2
Loss: Beavan (0-2, 5.32)
Record: 3-5, -3.0 (36-42 overall)

Blake Beavan was Beavan-esque, walking and striking out one in seven innings and allowing two runs on six hits. 2B Marcus Lemon singled and doubled. The Moreland/Smith/Smoak troika was hitless.

July 9th

AA: at Frisco 10, Springfield 4

Win: Beavan (1-2, 5.65)

Record: 8-5, -1.0

Blake Beavan was democratic to a fault, letting his fielders do all the work by neither walking nor striking out a single batter in five innings. Beavan allowed four runs on eight hits. Lefty Zach Phillips fanned three in two perfect frames.

The entire lineup had at least one hit. 3B Adam Fox walked, singled and belted two solo homers, his 4th and 5th in Frisco. 1B Chad Tracy (.252/.305/.425) hit a two-run shot, his 13th. CF Craig Gentry went 2-4 with a double, walk, and his Texas League-leading 32nd steal.

July 14th

AA: at Frisco 10, Arkansas 7

Win: Diaz (3-0, 3.48)

Record: 12-6, +3.0

Hitless in four previous at-bats, Johnny Whittleman belted the first walk-off grand slam in Frisco history. Whittleman (.230/.362/.374) has six homers in his last nine games after hitting none in his first 64. The results of his plate appearances during that span are astounding: 11 walks, 6 homers, only 2 other hits, a line of .258/.452/.871. Whittleman carried a .305 slugging percentage into his surge.

DH Craig Gentry (.312/.382/.444) walked twice and doubled twice. RF Mitch Moreland went 3-4 with a double and walk, and CF Dustin Majewski had four hits.

Arkansas touched Blake Beavan for 11 hits (though only one extra-base hit, a double) and five runs in six innings. Beavan (5.97 ERA in Frisco) didn’t walk anyone and struck out one.

July 20th

AA: at Frisco 1, San Antonio 2

Loss: Beavan (1-3, 5.49)

Record: 14-9, -2.0

Blake Beavan yielded two runs on eight hits in six innings. He walked none and struck out one, giving him a total of three walks and five strikeouts in his last five starts (28.2 IP, 127 batters). The former is fantastic; the latter helps to explain his opponents’ .320 batting average.

Zach Phillips (1.1 IP) and Thomas Diamond (1.1 IP, 2 SO) kept it close, but the offense was dormant.

Matt Harrison:

According to multiple local reports, lefthander Matt Harrison has been diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome in his left shoulder and is expected to miss the remainder of the season. Thoracic outlet syndrome, which Kenny Rogers had in 2001 and Hank Blalock had in 2007, occurs when a rib compresses on a nerve, causing pain and numbness.

Vicente Padilla:

The Rangers have disclosed that righthander Vicente Padilla has tested positive for the Type A/H1N1 influenza strain, commonly referred to as "swine flu." He's the only Rangers player to test positive for the condition and has been sent back to the team hotel in Kansas City. At the moment he's still slated to start Tuesday in Arlington against Detroit.

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