Frisco 6, at Corpus Christi 3

By Scott Lucas

AA: Frisco 6, at Corpus Christi 3
Record: 5-0, +2.0

I needn’t bother looking at the box score when Blake Beavan starts. Hereafter, every five days, I can post his actual line from Sunday – 7 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 3 SO – and you’d have no reason to believe otherwise. The machine-like Beavan (2.50 ERA) has ten consecutive quality starts. I’m inclined to say that when you’ve thrown 104 innings and allowed 104 baserunners, you’re ready for the next level.

Matt Lawson (0-5) is anxiously awaiting the end of June. In April and May, Lawson batted .317/.412/.470, and his combined walks and HBPs matched his strikeouts. Since then, he’s hitting .212/.287/.412 with a 29% strikeout rate. He’s hitting for more pure power in June, but every other aspect of his offense is in steep decline.

Marcus Lemon (2-4, walk) is Bizarro Lawson, batting a miserable .242/.263/.342 with a paltry 2% walk rate in April and May, followed by a .319/.383/.415 and 10% walk rate in June. His Opening Day oblique injury certainly did him no favors, but Lemon has to see more pitches to be effective. In June, he’s doing just that.

Backup catcher Elio Sarmiento drove in three on a double and triple and was also hit by a pitch. The Riders have won six straight.

Frisco 0, at Corpus Christi 2

By Scott Lucas

AA: Frisco 0, at Corpus Christi 2
Record: 36-28, +3.5, Magic Number 2

Blake Beavan pitched to expectations but received no support. In six innings, he allowed two runs on eight hits, a walk and strikeouts. On the season, opponents are batting a meager 229/.256/.342 against Beavan. In 14 starts, he’s surrendered more than three runs only twice.

LF Marcus Lemon (.240/.279/.340) doubled twice. Twice, Frisco hit into a double play with two out and one out.

at Frisco 8, Corpus Christi 0

By Scott Lucas

AA: at Frisco 8, Corpus Christi 0
Record: 20-15, +2.0

Blake Beavan didn’t set any personal statistical records but might have thrown his most meaningful start to date. In eight innings, Beavan shut out the Hooks on four hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. Beavan (2.98 ERA, 0.95 WHIP) threw 75 of his 105 pitches for strikes.

The box scores shows five groundouts versus ten flyouts, but Beavan’s actual ground/fly ratio was more favorable: only nine of 20 balls put into play reached the outfield airborne. Three of those “flyouts” were infield popups. The “groundout/flyout” stat is often deceptive.

RF Joey Butler (.313/.388/.478) extended his hitting streak to 16 with a two-run homer (his 4th) and a double. He also walked. 2B Matt Lawson (.295/.373/.447) went 4-5 with two doubles. Taylor Teagarden swung at six of 24 pitches offered. He went 0-2 with three walks and a strikeout.

Reliever Cody Eppley and his 0.00 ERA have joined Frisco.

at Frisco 2, Corpus Christi 9

By Scott Lucas

AA: at Frisco 2, Corpus Christi 9
Record: 7-8, -1.0

The folks in Frisco were gracious hosts, as always, but this game was a dud. Unfortunately, I caught Blake Beavan (4.18 ERA) on what was easily his worst night of the young season.

The early going was nearly spotless; Beavan allowed a leadoff single but needed only 14 pitches to complete two innings. In the third, Beavan walked two – an eclipse-rare event for him – and gave up a couple of liners gapped to right center. RF Joey Butler nailed one runner attempting to stretch his hit to two bases, but the Hooks still scored three. The 4th inning was like the first two: over barely after it began. Corpus Christi scored twice more in the 5th, and a hard triple, sac fly and walk ended Beavan’s night with two out in the 6th. All told, on 84 pitches (55 strikes) Beavan allowed six runs on eight hits and three walks. Per usual, he flashed a terrific pickoff move (especially for a righty) and fielded his position well, but that would carry him only so far last night.

No one pitch type of Beavan’s stood out, for better or worse. He lost his fastball command in the 3rd. His slider bit hard in the 4th and was tattooed in the 5th. His one strikeout came on a nice changeup. Beavan’s fastball ran anywhere from 87 to 93 MPH, mostly 91, and his change and slider were usually 81-83.

He didn’t get much help, as the RoughRiders managed only four hits against Sergio Perez, Henry Villar, and former Ranger Matt Nevarez. 2B Matt Lawson walked twice and was hit by a pitch. Wes Bankston also walked twice and had a couple of possible hits robbed by the right side of the infield. Johnny Whittleman’s double down the right field line off Nevarez was the only extra-base hit and the only hard-hit ball that comes to mind.

Catching Up

So, I have some catching up to do... I blame work for my lack of posting. Dog gone work. Still, it's good to have a job.

6/21 Farm Report:
AA: at Frisco 2, Corpus Christi 1
Win: Torres (1-1, 3.54)

Before 10,830 adoring onlookers, Blake Beavan squelched the Hooks for seven innings, allowing a lone run on six hits and a walk. Beavan struck out four and threw 73 of his 99 pitches for strikes.

Adam Fox singled home Manny Pina (who had reached on an error) in the bottom of the 9th. Pina drove in Marcus Lemon (3-3) in the 6th for Frisco’s other run.

6/27 Farm Report:

AA: at Frisco 3, Corpus Christi 10
Loss: Beavan (0-1, 6.48)
Record: 0-3, -3.0 (2nd half)

The Hooks avenged last weekend’s lost to Blake Beavan, who permitted nine runs (six earned) in 4.1 innings, walking and striking out two. Congrats to Zach Phillips, who was promoted from Bakersfield and immediately thrown into the fire. Phillips replaced Beavan with one out and the bases loaded in the 5th; he allowed all three to score, then held the Hooks scoreless for three more innings. The 22-year-old Phillips posted a 1.23 ERA and 27% strikeout rate in 44 Bakersfield innings.

LF Mitch Moreland (.309/.348/.455 in Frisco) tripled and walked. In his last four games, Johnny Whittleman (.217/.342/.297) is 1-for-7 with nine walks.

Coming into the season, would you take the Rangers six games over 500 and a game and a half back at the end of June? I'm pretty sure anybody would, but also knowing that we had a four game lead at one point and dropping from that lead to where we are, well, it's takes the sweetness out of the whole thing. Still, this is a team geared up for the future. It would be especially tempting to want to do a trade or two to gear up for the rest of this season, but let's be honest... we have to be wise about this situation and stay the course of the plan. Let's not win now to lose in the future, which this club has been accustomed to in the past. Right now... it would be hard to have that mindset, but I am fully convinced that this team can win next year and in the years to come if we exercise patience now.

Home Plate

Roughriders vs. Hooks

Yes, the Texas League All-Star game is in Frisco this year. Nice.

Frisco is last in their division with a record of 27-35 and seven games behind Midland, while the Hooks stand in 3rd with a record of 30-32 and four games behind Midland. This is Beavan's second start for Frisco, his first at home.

Trinidad has a record of 6-4 with a 3.53 ERA. He's currently tied for the club lead in innings, has ten starts, with a complete game, and has a save. He gives up one HR in nine innings (actually, it is one in 9.48 innings, which works out to be one in 9.1 innings), so he has pretty good control and keeps the ball down, or so his statistics would suggest.

Beavan's first start was not good, really. He gave up six runs (five earned) in 5.1 innings while walking none, but giving up eight hits and striking out six. His ERA is 8.44 and he has no record. They say the transitition from A ball to AA baseball is one of the toughest for a player. The other is the transition to the Majors. If Beavan does well in Frisco, which I think he will, he will be set up for success for when he starts for the Texas Rangers. I think he is several starts away from figuring things out in Frisco. That won't really help him tonight, but maybe he will make some adjustments now... hard to say. I guess a strong plus in his first start is the zero walks. If he keeps that consistency up, things should fall into place fairly quickly. And you know, there is no place like home.

Forecast: Beavan could pull it off today. Or at least do enough to grab a win. And that is what I am going to go with... I think he will not necessarily pitch like the Ace he will become, but he will pitch enough to win. Look for him to give up three runs over five and a partial innings as the Rider's win this one, 6-4.

Home Plate