Texas League all-stars not offensive

Spent last night at the Texas League all-star game. It seemed more like the Eastern League all-star game because pitching dominated in the North’s 2-1 victory.

A number of factors contributed to the low score.

1. It was a still, 96-degree night, with a negligible breeze of 1 mph. Until this season, the prevailing west wind was capable of carrying almost any fly ball over the right field fence.

2. There are more outstanding pitching prospects than top batters in the league this season. The three best, in my estimation, were impressive. RHP Mat Latos of San Antonio (Padres) gave up a leadoff double to the game’s MVP, Northwest Arkansas (Royals) 3B Corey Smith. Then Latos retired the next six batters – three on strikeouts, including DH Mark Trumbo of Arkansas (Angels) with two out and Smith at third. RHP Jhoulys Chacin of Tulsa (Rockies) gave up only a two-out single in his scoreless inning, and LHP Pohlin Trinidad of Corpus Christi (Astros) needed just nine pitches in his inning even though a runner reached base on an error.

3. Home plate umpire Brian Sinclair had a generous strike zone, which contributed to no walks in the game.

There were no walks, but for much of the game it appeared that the only run would score on a bases-loaded hit by pitch, with RHP Jason Fernandez of Midland (Athletics) plunking Trumbo in the second inning. Fernandez did a good job escaping a big inning by starting a double play, fielding a grounder to his left and throwing back to his right toward home plate, and striking out Tulsa SS Daniel Mayora.

Each team scored an eighth-inning run. Arkansas’ Nate Sutton stole second and scored on a two-out single by Northwest Arkansas” Kurt Mertins to give the North a 2-0 lead. The South finally scored on Midland C Josh Donaldson’s single, a hit-and-run groundout and teammate Josh Horton’s double.

Smith played the whole game on a roster depleted by injuries and players promoted. He went 2-for-3, scored a run, was hit by a pitch and showed surprising agility in the field for a guy in the 240-pound range. But don’t look for the 27-year-old in a major league stadium, at least not for long.

Providing a more lasting impression was San Antonio left fielder Luis Durango. On his grounder, Arkansas LHP Trevor Reckling committed an error by lobbing a throw toward Tulsa 1B Jeff Kindel. The ball came at him through a sliver of sunlight caused by the odd configuration of buildings at Frisco’s Dr. Pepper Ballpark. Kindel flinched, and the ball sailed past him. It didn’t take long for Springfield (Cardinals) RF Tyler Henley to get to the ball, but his strong throw to third base was too late to get the speedy Durango.

There were plenty of scouts at the game. Don’t be surprised if you see some of these names coming up in major league trades near the deadline, or at least in the scuttlebutt preceding that deadline.