River Ryan Touches 100.9 MPH
River Ryan and Jakob Wright looked electric, Kike Hernandez, Alex Freeland, and James Tibbs III had big nights, and Kellon Lindsey hit his 1st home run since coming off the IL, and it was to the opposite field. AAA OKC pounded out 17 runs on 19 hits.
River Ryan touched 100.9 MPH. Jerming Rosario, Nick Frasso, and Jordan Weems all went scoreless, while Christian Suarez, Jakob Wright, Accimias Morales, and Alex Makarewich all had very good outings in different roles.
Kiké Hernández HUGE Night with OKC
After a sluggish start to his stint with Oklahoma City, Kiké Hernández is getting hot, at least he was last night.
Hernández had three hits Friday Night, walked twice, and scored three runs. Entering the game, Hernández was just 2-for-15 with OKC and had gone hitless in his previous nine at-bats.
Hernandez raised his average to .263 with a.649 OPS.
Jack Suwinski’s “Hitterish” Approach Paying Off
Jack Suwinski had three hits, a home run, and four RBIs, and he did it by being “hitterish”.
In his first at-bat, Suwinski drove the ball through the middle of the field, then he hit a low line drive into center field, and then came his home run.
TAwesome approach where process met results1
Suwinski has always possessed power, but Friday showed his approach to becoming more bat-to-ball oriented is catching up. When he stays short, he makes more contact, and the power comes pretty naturally from there. It was one of the best overall offensive performances of his season and another reminder of the offensive upside he still possesses.
Alex Freeland Continues Offensive Surge
Alex Freeland knocked out three hits, including a towering home run from the right side that left the bat at 97.5 MPH and traveled 403 feet. The homer was particularly great to see because it came from the right side, which is his weakest side.
Since rejoining OKC, Freeland is now hitting .357 with a 1.009 OPS.
James Tibbs III Keeps Raking
Few hitters anywhere in Minor League Baseball are producing like James Tibbs III right now.
Tibbs delivered another three-hit game Friday night, and he now already has seven games this season with at least three hits and has had an elite trade-off between slug and swing and miss, although his K% is a touch elevated.
Tibbs is hitting .303 with a .303 ISO, which is 5 points higher than his 25.6% K%, which is elite, and so is his 154 wRC+.
Zach Ehrhard Heating Back Up
Ehrhard recorded two hits and drew four walks, and has back-to-back multi-hit games.
He’s now hitting .247 with a .717 OPS.
River Ryan Dominates With Triple-Digit Velocity
River Ryan was ELECTRIC!
Ryan allowed just one run over four innings and touched 100.9 MPH and reached triple digits six different times, while still sitting 98 MPH deep into the fourth inning.
Ryan averaged 98.6 MPH on his four-seam fastball and generated 20 called strikes and whiffs on just 53 total pitches. His fastball spin rate peaked at 2532 RPM, giving the pitch big ride.
His secondary pitches were very good too.
Ryan’s slider averaged 92 MPH and produced a 50% whiff rate, while his sinker generated a 75% called strike plus whiff rate. His curveball reached nearly 2800 RPM in spin rate.
Ryan now has 14 strikeouts against just three walks over 11 innings since returning to Oklahoma City.
Jerming Rosario Continues Throwing Gas
Jerming Rosario delivered a 2-inning scoreless outing Friday, allowing just two hits and striking out one.
Rosario leaned heavily on his four-seam and slider. His fastball averaged 96.9 MPH and touched 98.5 while carrying an average spin rate of 2424 RPM.
The biggest development was his strike-throwing.
Rosario threw five of six first-pitch fastballs for strikes and kept more than a 75% zone rate with the heater. Combined with a 67% overall strike rate between his fastball and slider, he consistently controlled counts, and when he does that, it’s curtains.
Nick Frasso Showing Encouraging Signs
Nick Frasso threw a scoreless inning on just nine pitches, allowing one hit while striking out one. His fastball averaged 96 MPH, and perhaps more importantly, he showed excellent control by throwing all four of his fastballs for strikes.
While the sample remains small, just 7.2 innings this season, the swing-and-miss ability is clearly present. Frasso now has 14 strikeouts in those innings while lowering his ERA to 3.52.
He also mixed in a couple of sliders around 88 MPH and a changeup at 84..
Christian Suarez Pitched Well
Suarez threw two shutout innings while allowing three hits and striking out three without issuing a walk. He has now gone scoreless in six of his last seven outings and, as we always say about him, when the balls are in the zone, he puts up zeroes.
On the season, Suarez has a 4.57 ERA in 21.2 innings and has struck out 24.
Jakob Wright Impresses for Great Lakes
Jakob Wright turned in one of his best outings of the season Friday night for Great Lakes.
He allowed just one run over five innings while striking out four against West Michigan. Wright’s slider was VERY good, especially stealing strikes to the back door of righties early in counts.
That ability allowed him to control counts and open up the rest of his arsenal. Wright then used his fastball effectively on the inner half while also elevating above swings late in counts.
Although the overall ERA remains at 5.25, this outing showed that the raw stuff is clearly there, and when the command shows up, he has a LOT of success.
Eduardo Guerrero and Eduardo Quintero Stay Hot
Eduardo Guerrero went 3-for-4 while Eduardo Quintero recorded another multi-hit game, going 2-3. Quintero is now 10-for-20 over his last five games with four doubles and four RBIs after a slow start to the season.
He’s now hitting .254 overall and batting .389 during May.
Accimias Morales knocked down 2 scoreless innings, and then Alex Makarewich finished things up in the ninth.
Makarewich’s challenge has always been command, but when he throws strikes, his arsenal can overwhelm hitters at any level. Friday night was another reminder of just how dominant he can be when the ball stays in the zone.
***Cover photo courtesy of OKC Comets X ***
