Feb 21, 2014; Peoria, AZ, USA; San Diego Padres starting pitcher Matthew Wisler (75) poses for a photo during photo day at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
The team making the most noise in the Texas League this week was San Diego Padres affiliate, the San Antonio Missions. On Friday, the Missions had shortstop Jace Peterson called up to the big leagues, which I wrote about yesterday, then had two of their top prospects working in perfect harmony that evening.
In a battery that Padres fans are sure to get used to hearing, Matt Wisler took to the mound with Austin Hedges behind the dish Friday against Oakland A’s affiliate, Midland RockHounds. Wisler went out and proceeded to pitch seven scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out ten. Hedges was saddled with an 0-4, as were most of his teammates, as the Missions lost 2-0 in 11 innings.
Wisler was certainly not the only highly touted pitching prospect to look good this week, as Colorado Rockies future ace, and current Tulsa Drillers pitcher Jon Gray, pitched arguably the best game of his professional career on Wednesday. Gray retired the first 17 batters he faced, but allowed a single run and three hits in his sixth and final inning. He wound up with eight strikeouts and did not walk a single batter.
On Monday, Luke Jackson put in seven scoreless innings, striking out eight and allowing just three base runners on a pair of singles and a double against the Missions. Jackson looked very good when I saw him this spring, and he has continued that into the Double-A season. In four starts, he has an ERA under 3 and is holding opponents to under a .200 batting average, and is doing more of the same as I am typing this as he is taking on Corpus Christi.
James Ramsey‘s reign of dominance over the Texas League has finally come to an end, as he has just three hits and a single home run over the past seven days after leading the league in almost every category over the first two weeks.
Frisco finishes a four game road trip in Corpus Christi on Monday before going to San Antonio for four more after hosting back-to-back four game sets just last week, making the RoughRiders the team to watch this coming week.