Hernandez cruises, Crouse struggles, Alexy is hurt

Jonathan Hernandez was hammered the last time he took the mound for Frisco, failing to get out of the first inning, but if you were worried that that drubbing would carry over, fear not — Hernandez was back on the mound today for Frisco, and did work.

Going up against the Arkansas Travelers, Hernandez allowed just 1 run on 79 pitches in 5 innings of work, walking two and striking out 4. Hernandez’s ERA is still a less-than-ideal 5.91 on the year, owing in large part to his blowup start, but he’s continuing to make progress and positioning himself for an appearance in Arlington later this year.

Speaking of people who are pushing for Arlington appearances later this year, Emmanuel Clase took the mound for Frisco in the 9th and did his usual freak show bit. 15 pitches, 10 for strikes, 1 K, 0 walks and 0 hits in an inning of work. Here’s Tepid on Clase:

Clase is Rule 5 eligible after the season, so don’t be surprised if he also makes it to Arlington this year.

For Hickory, Hans Crouse scuffled a bit, needing 74 pitches to go 4 innings. He struck out 4 and didn’t walk anyone, but allowed 3 runs on 7 hits, and looking at the box score and seeing the reports, it sounds like he was throwing strikes but leaving pitches in the zone to be hit. His ERA on the year is now 2.22.

Oh, and ho-hum, Sam Huff hit a grand slam, his 13th homer of the season for Hickory. Pedro Gonzalez continued his recent hot streak with 3 hits and 2 walks, and Jonathan Ornelas had three hits and a walk. Interestingly, Ornelas also moved to center field mid-game, his first appearance in the outfield as a pro. While he’s primarily played 2B and 3B this season, there’s been talk he might profile well in center.

Now for the bad news...A.J. Alexy was pulled after 2+ innings for Down East today with an apparent injury. Alexy was struggling — he walked 4 and gave up 3 hits — but as of now, there’s no indication as to what the injury was, or how severe it might be. Fingers crossed its not anything major, as Alexy, who just turned 21 ten days ago, has one of the better arms in the system.

Down East hitters, on the other hand, had a great time today, with Leody Taveras getting 4 hits, including a triple, Anderson Tejeda broke out of his recent slump with 2 hits and a walk, and Diosbel Arias had 3 hits.