Stars of the Day: AAA: Luis Hernandez
AA: Tim Murphy / Jurickson Profar, Chris McGuiness, Jared Prince, Engel Beltre
Hi-A: Kyle Hendricks, Zach Osborne / Teodoro Martinez, Santiago Chirino
Lo-A: Rougned Odor, Kellin Deglan, Jeremy Williams
AAA: Round Rock 5, at Okla. City 11 Record: 9-12, -5.0
Last April, Michael Kirkman posted a 9.37 ERA, and opponents reached base at a .489 clip against him.
I would have taken the "under" against those numbers this April without a second thought, and I would have lost.
A much-improved Oklahoma City squad touched Kirkman for eight runs on seven hits and three walks in just 2.1 innings.
Kirkman finishes April with an 11.45 ERA and .517 opposing OBP.
Were Robbie Ross struggling, Texas would be in a bind, as the in-house left-handed replacement options are very limited.
Kirkman, you see above.
The others are Martin Perez, who isn't ready and should be starting anyway, and Ben Snyder, who is off to a good start but isn't a dominant type and has been weirdly hittable by lefties so far.
Beyond them, Texas is reaching into AA.
Hitless yesterday, Julio Borbon is 4-42 with six walks since a four-hit day against Iowa on the 14th.
SS Luis Hernandez (.214/.278/.300), who lost the infield battle to Alberto Gonzalez, was 3-5 with his first homer.
AA: at Frisco 6, San Antonio 5 (13) Record: 12-8, +1.0
Guilder Rodriguez singled home 1B Chris McGuiness with one out in the 13th.
SS Jurickson Profar (.240/.306/.480) doubled twice and walked.
10 of his 18 hits have been for extra bases.
RF Jared Prince was 3-4 with a double and sac bunt, and McGuiness homered for the fourth time, singled and walked.
Both Ryan Strausborger and Engel Beltre singled twice.
Strausborger stole his sixth base; Beltre his seventh and eighth.
In his best post-surgery outing by a fair margin, Tim Murphy (6.60 ERA) limited the Missions to a hit, walk and HBP in five scoreless innings while fanning four.
San Antonio would rebound against Trevor Hurley (1 IP, 4 R) and Joe Ortiz (2 IP, 1 R) to force extra innings.
Fabio Castillo (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 3 BB) and Wilfredo Boscan (3 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 3 SO) were ultimately effective, if not efficient.
San Antonio's Reymond Fuentes led off the 11th with a shot to the fence but was gunned down at third on a Beltre-to-Profar-to-Olt sequence.
High-A: at Myrtle Beach 3, Frederick 2 (10) Record: 11-8, tied for 1st
More late heroics from the Pelicans.
Down a run with none on and two out in the 9th, Vin DiFazio was hit by a pitch.
Substitute Odubel Herrera advanced to second on a passed ball and scored on a Santiago Chirino single.
The next inning, Jake Skole singled home Edwin Garcia, who had doubled.
Myrtle Beach's other run came on a Chirino homer, his second.
LF Teodoro Martinez (.308/.413/.436) reached on two singles and two walks.
Kyle Hendricks (3.09 ERA) lasted an uncommonly long eight innings, walked none, struck out six, and allowed two runs on seven hits.
Hendricks has walked one and fanned 18 in his last 19.2 innings.
Zach Osborne (1.46 ERA) retired six in order, two by strikeout.
Low-A: at Hickory 5, Greensboro 4 Record: 14-6, +1.0
Some good and bad for Will Lamb (3.07 ERA), who struck out the side in order in the 1st but allowed his first two homers of the season.
Lamb lasted three innings, walked two and gave up two runs on two hits.
Andrew Faulkner's exceptional rookie-league control has vanished.
In 2.2 innings, the 19-year-old walked four (and allowed two runs), giving him 13 in just 10.1 innings.
Like Frisco's relievers, Phil Klein (2.1 IP 2 H, 2 BB, 2 SO) and Jose Monegro (1 IP, 3 H, 2 SO) pitched around a lot of baserunners.
Monegro struck out his final two batters after loading the bases.
Rougned Odor (.284/.341/.473) singled and hit his third homer, surpassing last year's total in 39 fewer games.
Kellin Deglan (.245/.288/.449) clubbed his second homer, and outfielder Jeremy Williams (.214/.262/.411) hit his third.
Since doubling in Hickory's extra-inning win last weekend, Zach Cone is 0-20 with nine strikeouts.
Five Years Ago Yesterday Marlon Byrd and Jason Botts had three hits in an 11-3 rout of New Orleans.
OF Anthony Webster homered for Frisco.
Webster was acquired with pitchers Frank Francisco and Josh Rupe for OF Carl Everett in a 2003 deadline deal.
OF John Mayberry raised his slugging percentage 130 points in the span of 90 minutes by homering in three consecutive at-bats.
Danny Ray Herrera made his first appearance of the season with Bakersfield.
Herrera departed with Edinson Volquez that December for one Josh Hamilton.
I wrote that low-A Clinton would likely avoid a Los Angeles prospect named Clayton Kershaw during its series against Great Lakes.
Today's Starters AAA: Martin Perez
AA: Justin Grimm
Hi-A: Wilmer Font
Lo-A: Luke Jackson
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Scott Lucas
Newberg Report (newbergreport.com)
rangers.scottlucas.com
twitter: @scottrlucas
