The Newberg Report surpassed 9,000 subscribers yesterday. Thanks for reading. I’m assuming I still have a job despite the loss of so many minor leaguers. I can expand my focus if things get slow. Real estate trends. Russian history. How to properly saute Brussels sprouts.
Stars of the Day
AAA: Omar Beltre, Tanner Scheppers, Pedro Strop / Craig Gentry, Brandon Boggs
AA: Richard Bleier / Johnny Whittleman, Joey Butler
High-A: Cody Podraza, Jake Kaase, Mike Bianucci
Low-A: Jake Brigham, Ovispo de los Santos / Jared Bolden
Short-A: Andrew Doyle, Tim Stanford
Rookie: ugh
Stars of the Day
AAA: Omar Beltre, Tanner Scheppers, Pedro Strop / Craig Gentry, Brandon Boggs
AA: Richard Bleier / Johnny Whittleman, Joey Butler
High-A: Cody Podraza, Jake Kaase, Mike Bianucci
Low-A: Jake Brigham, Ovispo de los Santos / Jared Bolden
Short-A: Andrew Doyle, Tim Stanford
Rookie: ugh
AAA: at Oklahoma City 4, Round Rock 1
Record: 57-48, +3.5
Record: 57-48, +3.5
Texas didn’t trade its whole system; its AAA squad featured three pitchers who could help in September (or sooner). Omar Beltre (2.50 ERA) worked six innings on just 75 pitches and limited the Express to a run on two hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Tanner Scheppers threw 16 of 21 pitches for strikes in a two-innings, two-strikeout appearances. Pedro Strop fanned two in a clean 9th.
Brandon Boggs (pictured) was 2-3 with a double and walk. Craig Gentry reached on two HBPs and a walk.
AA: at Frisco 4, San Antonio 7
Record: 19-15, -1.0
To the disappointment of my attending sister and nephew, Frisco coughed up its 4-1 lead in the 8th.
Frisco suited up ten pitchers and 10 position players. CF Engel Beltre departed after hitting the outfield wall in the 1st, leaving the Riders with no bench. Reliever Tim Murphy can play an outfield corner (and did so in Bakersfield a while back), but if MIFs Marcus Lemon or Renny Osuna goes down, the alternatives are… interesting. Elio Sarmiento, second baseman?
Given the overuse of the bullpen lately, Richard Bleier (4.76 ERA) was the ideal starter, and he lasted 7.1 innings. A walk and hit batter ended his evening. Both would score, giving him three earned runs in total on eight hits, a walk, and four strikeouts. Tim Murphy allowed four runs on four hits including a three-run homer with two out after an Emerson Frostad error.
DH Johnny Whittleman drove in three on a single and double. He’s batting .233/.333/.383 since rejoining Frisco. Joey Butler singled and tripled.
Marcus Lemon has started 16 consecutive games at second base after spending most of the season in left or at DH. He’s batting 300/.347/.371 during that span but has committed five errors.
Frisco did in fact receive reliever Mark Hamburger yesterday. Texas acquired Hamburger for Eddie Guardado in 2008, and the 23-year-old has pitched very well in Bakersfield, compiling 49 strikeouts in 45.2 innings and a 1.77 ERA. Elizardo Ramirez also dropped down from AAA.
Kasey Kiker was shipped to Arizona and placed on the DL with shoulder fatigue.
High-A: Bakersfield 10, at Lancaster 5
Record: 23-12, +4.0
Thanks to an extremely unbalanced schedule, Bakersfield rarely visits Lancaster, one of the most hitter-friendly parks on the planet. Often, the wind blows out to center at 25 MPH or higher. In 2007, Lancaster and its opponents averaged 16.2 runs per game at home. That figure has fallen to 12.4 this season (in part because Lancaster’s offense is awful), but the park is still inflating scoring by 18%. I would rather Texas keep its affiliation with Bakersfield than play in Lancaster or High Desert. If you’ve wondered how Bakersfield can play offense-neutral despite a center-field wall a modest 356 feet from home plate, look to Lancaster.
The goal for pitchers is survival, and Wilfredo Boscan (4.13 ERA) survived last night. In seven innings, Boscan walked none, struck out eight, and allowed five runs on 11 hits.
DH Mike Bianucci (.249/.302/.407) went 3-5 with two doubles. LF Cody Podraza (.636 in three high-A games) collected two singles and a walk.
Low-A: at Hickory 3, Kannapolis 2
Record: 19-14, -3.0
Vin DiFazio singled home Jared Bolden in the 9th for the victory. Bolden’s two-run homer in the 6th had erased a 2-0 deficit. SS Jonathan Roof (.282/.317/.282) was 2-3.
Jake Brigham (4.21 ERA) fanned three in a seven-inning, 97-pitch outing. He allowed two runs on five this and a walk. Ovispo de los Santos threw two perfect frames with three strikeouts.
Short-A: Spokane 1, at Eugene 2
Record: 1-2
Spokane four-hit the Emeralds to no avail. Starter Andrew Doyle yielded an unearned run in four innings on two hits and two strikeouts. Tim Stanford fanned two in two innings. Colby Killian (2.63 ERA) allowed one hit and struck out three in two innings, but his two-error 7th helped to pushed Eugene’s go-ahead run across in the 7th.
CF Jake Skole (.281/.350/.360) went 2-4 and scored Spokane’s run.
Rookie: Rangers 0, Brewers 14
Record: 15-16, -6.5
Yipes. Shawn Blackwell couldn’t escape the 1st (0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R), and Korean import Tae-Kyung Ahn can’t find the plate (0.2 IP, 4 BB, 11 walks in 4 IP this season). Edward Alfonzo made a successful professional debut as a pitcher (1 IP, 0 R) after converting from the outfield. Richard Alvarez (1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB) pitched for the first time in three weeks.
DH Drew Robinson (.286/.415/.364) had two of the team’s five hits.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Mike Ballard
AA: Maybe Elizardo Ramirez, who threw two innings three days ago. Or, as I tweeted yesterday, Frisco will have three folks throw ceremonial first pitches, and the one with the best velocity joins the rotation.
High-A: Carlos Pimentel
Low-A: Braden Tullis
Short-A: Randol Rojas
Rookie: Ezequiel Rijo
-Scott Lucas
Brandon Boggs (pictured) was 2-3 with a double and walk. Craig Gentry reached on two HBPs and a walk.
AA: at Frisco 4, San Antonio 7
Record: 19-15, -1.0
To the disappointment of my attending sister and nephew, Frisco coughed up its 4-1 lead in the 8th.
Frisco suited up ten pitchers and 10 position players. CF Engel Beltre departed after hitting the outfield wall in the 1st, leaving the Riders with no bench. Reliever Tim Murphy can play an outfield corner (and did so in Bakersfield a while back), but if MIFs Marcus Lemon or Renny Osuna goes down, the alternatives are… interesting. Elio Sarmiento, second baseman?
Given the overuse of the bullpen lately, Richard Bleier (4.76 ERA) was the ideal starter, and he lasted 7.1 innings. A walk and hit batter ended his evening. Both would score, giving him three earned runs in total on eight hits, a walk, and four strikeouts. Tim Murphy allowed four runs on four hits including a three-run homer with two out after an Emerson Frostad error.
DH Johnny Whittleman drove in three on a single and double. He’s batting .233/.333/.383 since rejoining Frisco. Joey Butler singled and tripled.
Marcus Lemon has started 16 consecutive games at second base after spending most of the season in left or at DH. He’s batting 300/.347/.371 during that span but has committed five errors.
Frisco did in fact receive reliever Mark Hamburger yesterday. Texas acquired Hamburger for Eddie Guardado in 2008, and the 23-year-old has pitched very well in Bakersfield, compiling 49 strikeouts in 45.2 innings and a 1.77 ERA. Elizardo Ramirez also dropped down from AAA.
Kasey Kiker was shipped to Arizona and placed on the DL with shoulder fatigue.
High-A: Bakersfield 10, at Lancaster 5
Record: 23-12, +4.0
Thanks to an extremely unbalanced schedule, Bakersfield rarely visits Lancaster, one of the most hitter-friendly parks on the planet. Often, the wind blows out to center at 25 MPH or higher. In 2007, Lancaster and its opponents averaged 16.2 runs per game at home. That figure has fallen to 12.4 this season (in part because Lancaster’s offense is awful), but the park is still inflating scoring by 18%. I would rather Texas keep its affiliation with Bakersfield than play in Lancaster or High Desert. If you’ve wondered how Bakersfield can play offense-neutral despite a center-field wall a modest 356 feet from home plate, look to Lancaster.
The goal for pitchers is survival, and Wilfredo Boscan (4.13 ERA) survived last night. In seven innings, Boscan walked none, struck out eight, and allowed five runs on 11 hits.
DH Mike Bianucci (.249/.302/.407) went 3-5 with two doubles. LF Cody Podraza (.636 in three high-A games) collected two singles and a walk.
Low-A: at Hickory 3, Kannapolis 2
Record: 19-14, -3.0
Vin DiFazio singled home Jared Bolden in the 9th for the victory. Bolden’s two-run homer in the 6th had erased a 2-0 deficit. SS Jonathan Roof (.282/.317/.282) was 2-3.
Jake Brigham (4.21 ERA) fanned three in a seven-inning, 97-pitch outing. He allowed two runs on five this and a walk. Ovispo de los Santos threw two perfect frames with three strikeouts.
Short-A: Spokane 1, at Eugene 2
Record: 1-2
Spokane four-hit the Emeralds to no avail. Starter Andrew Doyle yielded an unearned run in four innings on two hits and two strikeouts. Tim Stanford fanned two in two innings. Colby Killian (2.63 ERA) allowed one hit and struck out three in two innings, but his two-error 7th helped to pushed Eugene’s go-ahead run across in the 7th.
CF Jake Skole (.281/.350/.360) went 2-4 and scored Spokane’s run.
Rookie: Rangers 0, Brewers 14
Record: 15-16, -6.5
Yipes. Shawn Blackwell couldn’t escape the 1st (0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R), and Korean import Tae-Kyung Ahn can’t find the plate (0.2 IP, 4 BB, 11 walks in 4 IP this season). Edward Alfonzo made a successful professional debut as a pitcher (1 IP, 0 R) after converting from the outfield. Richard Alvarez (1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB) pitched for the first time in three weeks.
DH Drew Robinson (.286/.415/.364) had two of the team’s five hits.
Today’s Starters
AAA: Mike Ballard
AA: Maybe Elizardo Ramirez, who threw two innings three days ago. Or, as I tweeted yesterday, Frisco will have three folks throw ceremonial first pitches, and the one with the best velocity joins the rotation.
High-A: Carlos Pimentel
Low-A: Braden Tullis
Short-A: Randol Rojas
Rookie: Ezequiel Rijo
-Scott Lucas
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