Minor League Roundup - 5/2

The organization's outfielders enjoyed a great deal of success in a perfect night for the Rangers' minor league affiliates. Lone Star Dugout takes a look at all of Friday's minor league action.

AAA: Oklahoma 6 – (@) Tacoma 0
W – Nippert (1-0)
HR – Cruz (10, 11), Mench (3)
19-10, 2.5 GU

Cruz has been minor league baseball's best hitter.

Left fielder John Mayberry was a ridiculous 5-for-5 with a double and a triple on Friday evening. The former first-round pick has 10 hits in his first 16 Triple-A at-bats. He has struck out just one time over that span.

Nelson Cruz (.371/.517/.798) was 3-for-5 with two more home runs, giving him 11 on the season. Cruz now leads all of Minor League Baseball in home runs, surpassing Albuquerque third baseman Dallas McPherson, who has 10.

Dustin Nippert was excellent in his rehab outing, tossing five scoreless innings on 60 pitches. He allowed two hits, walked none, and struck out five.

Catcher Taylor Teagarden singled, walked twice, and reached on a hit-by-pitch. He drive in a pair of runs.

Relievers Steven Rowe and Kazuo Fukumori each tossed two scoreless innings to complete Oklahoma’s first shutout of the season.

Player of the Game: LF John Mayberry

AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
5	1	5	1	0	0	0	0	.625

AA: Frisco 14 – (@) San Antonio 10
W – Schlact (1-1)
HR – Davis (8), Murphy (3, 4), Frostad (3)
20-7, 4.5 GU

The Riders finished up a four-game sweep of the Missions by plating 14 runs on 17 hits. They scored at least 11 runs in three of the series’ games.

Ramirez is hitting nearly .380.

Left fielder Steve Murphy (.357/.409/.612) was the star of the night, as he knocked in seven runs. The Kansas State product was 3-for-6 with a pair of round-trippers.

Catcher Max Ramirez raised his batting average to .376 with three hits – including a double – in five at-bats.

Chris Davis (1/5) and Emerson Frostad (1/4, BB) each hit solo home runs. Davis’ was an opposite field shot to left-center while Frostad crushed a ball over the fence in right-center field.

Outfielders Ben Harrison (2/5, 2B, BB) and Dustin Majewski (2/5) had two hits apiece.

Starting pitcher Michael Schlact got his first victory of the season despite allowing six runs on 10 hits in 5.2 innings. He walked four and struck out two.

Player of the Game: LF Steve Murphy

AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
6	3	3	0	2	7	0	0	.357

A+: Bakersfield 8 – (@) Visalia 6
W – Hyatt (2-0)
HR – Gerrard (3)
16-13, 5.0 GB

Grant Gerrard (.310/.368/.496) extended his hitting streak to 11 games with two hits – including a home run – in four at-bats. He also drew a walk and stole his third base of the season.

Whittleman appears to be heating up.

Centerfielder Julio Borbon was 1-for-3 with two walks. He has walked twice in each of his past two games.

Jose Vallejo (1/4, BB), John Whittleman (1/4, 2B, BB), Truan Mehl (0/3, 2 BB), Mauro Gomez (2/5) and Davis Stoneburner (2/5, 2B) also reached base multiple times.

Starter Jared Hyatt (4.09 ERA/.238 BAA) yielded four runs – three earned – on four hits in five innings. He struck out eight while walking three.

Clayton Hamilton, 25, fanned four in three hitless innings. He has surrendered three runs in 15 innings for the Blaze this season.

Player of the Game: DH Grant Gerrard

AB	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	BB	K	AVG
4	1	2	0	1	2	1	1	.310

A: Clinton 6 – (@) Kane County 2 (10 innings)
W – Dennis (1-0)
HR – Moreland (1), Smith (1)
19-5, 3.0 GU

Pitching on his 20th birthday, Neftali Feliz (3.76 ERA/.226 BAA) allowed just an unearned run in five innings of work on Friday. The hard-throwing Dominican scattered six hits, walked one, and struck out eight. He has 34 punchouts in 26.1 innings on the season.

Beltre added three hits.

With the game knotted at two in the top of the 10th inning, outfielder Tim Smith (1/5) crushed a two-run shot for his first homer of the season. The next batter, Mitch Moreland, followed with a solo homer. Moreland also doubled in the game.

Although Moreland was a first baseman at Mississippi State and with Spokane last season, he has spent some time in right field with the L-Kings this year. Moreland gunned down Kane County first baseman Greg Dowling at home plate during the game.

Leadoff hitter Engel Beltre went 3-for-5 with his third triple of the season.

Slumping slugger Cristian Santana struck out four times in an 0-for-5 evening. In addition to his batting average dropping all the way to .256, Santana has struck out an alarming 36 times in 78 at-bats this season. He has whiffed 22 times in his last 10 games, spanning 41 at-bats.

Player of the Game: RHP Neftali Feliz

IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	HR	ERA
5.0	6	1	0	1	8	0	3.76

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