Road To Arlington: Rangers Minor League Report (6/5)

He started off with four perfect innings. He finished with six scoreless frames, having allowed just two singles. He did not walk anyone, hit anyone or unleash a wild pitch. Though he fanned just three, bringing his K/9 below 9.00 for the first time this year — barely — an impressive 68% of his 90 offerings were strikes.

Given the fact that command and control have been his weaknesses so far this year, you have to be more impressed with his efficiency yesterday than disappointed in the uncharacteristic inability to miss bats.

He just turned 21 a month ago and he’s not only the youngest starting pitcher in the Pacific Coast League, he’s the circuit’s youngest player period. His 3.45 ERA is 15th best among all starters in the 16-team league. He’s held PCL hitters to a .226 batting average, gotten 1.41 ground ball outs for every out in the air and surrendered just one dinger in 44.1 innings, all while averaging just about a strikeout per inning.

He’s Neftali Feliz and he’s pretty good.

Triple-A: @ Oklahoma City 8, Memphis 0

The RedHawks staked Neftali Feliz (3-3; 3.45) to a four-run lead after one as CF Julio Borbon (.283 / .346 / .352) and 2B Jose Vallejo (.293 / .354 / .373) led off the home half of the first with a pair of walks and then scored on a RF Greg Golson (.284 / .339 / .387) single. SS Casey Benjamin then doubled home 3B Steve German and Golson.

Borbon finished 1-for-4 with a walk, as did Vallejo. Golson went 2-for-3 with a walk to drive in three. Borbon now has seven walks and six strikeouts in his last ten games.

Double-A: Tulsa 4 @ Frisco 2

LHP Mike Kirkman (1-1; 4.24) battled through seven, limiting the Drillers to three runs while scattering nine hits, including a pair of long balls, fanning just one without issuing a walk. He averaged 12.86 pitches per inning and 70% of his 90 pitches were strikes.

The RoughRiders lineup managed just five hits including two from CF Craig Gentry (.271 / .325 / .415) who led off the Frisco first with a solo shot and later doubled. SS Marcus Lemon (.287 / .367 / .362) went 1-for-3 and added an RBI sac fly.

Slumping C Manny Pina (.295 / .344 / .438) — who is hitting .111 in his last 10 games — tripled for his only hit in four trips and LF Tim Smith went 0-for-4 in his Double-A debut.

Advanced-A: @ San Jose 4, Bakersfield 3 (13 Innings)

LHP Zach Phillips (1-2; 1.76) was saddled with the loss in spite of delivering yet another strong outing for Bakersfield, allowing one hit — a solo homer — while fanning four in three innings of relief. The 2004 draft-and-follow from Sacramento City College has held the Cal League to a .145 batting average this year and lefties have no chance. He’s held them to a .085 average.

RHP Kennil Gomez (4.61 ERA) didn’t take his best stuff to the mound as he surrendered seven hits and walked four while striking out just one in 5.1 frames, but he somehow kept the Blaze in the game by surrendering just two runs. 2B Matt Lawson (.305 / .357 / .435) went 3-for-6 from the top of the order while 3B Jonathan Greene (.223 / .312 / .374) doubled in a 2-for-4 outing to drive in one.

Class-A: @ Greensboro 5, Hickory 3

Big Wilmer Font scuffled, surrendering five runs on three hits, two walks and an HBP in just two-thirds of an inning.

RHP Fabio Castillo (1.56 ERA) picked it up from there and delivered his strongest outing of the year. He stranded the one runner he inherited from Font to get out of the first and then went on to post four more shutout innings on two hits and two walks, punching out three.

RF Mike Bianucci (.349 / .404 / .654) asked the question why Eric Fry was sent across the country instead of him by going 3-for-5 with his ninth homer of the year. The Auburn alum now leads the Sally League in both batting average and OPS.