Soddies by Morning: Amarillo Sweeps the Weekend in Midland
Never more appropriate to bring this back, “That’s what we call a winning streak.” It has happened before, but this is the first time this season. The Amarillo starting pitchers stepped up this weekend, and paired that with some timely timely hitting turned into a trifecta of wins.
Following a heartbreaking 2-0 loss despite another great Roman Angelo road start on Thursday, the Sod Poodles starter Jose Cabrera picked up where Angelo had left off. Cabrera took the mound after picking up his first win in his previous outing against San Antonio and delivered his best start of 2025, something that would become a trend on the weekend. The Sod Poodles fast working right hander tossed 6.2 innings, on 7 hits, striking out a Amarillo season high 9 Rockhounds, and only walked 1 batter all night. It was the third time in his last 4 starts that he went at least 6 innings. Cabrera allowed 3 earned runs 2 of which came on a pair of solo shots from Euribiel Angeles on a 2-2 Pitch in the second inning to make it 1-0, and Henry Bolte leading off the home fourth inning, by striping a 1-1 pitch to right field that sliced through the wind. Midland would pickup another run in the seventh when Gerardo Gutierrez would allow Cabrera’s runner to score after Colina made the switch, before the reliever would work himself out of his own bases loaded jam, getting Colby Halter to fly out on the first pitch to escape with a 6-3 lead.
Jose Fernandez continued his tear as he drove in the Sod Poodles first run in the fourth after one of Gavin Conticello‘s 8 walks in the series and the outfielder stealing his first base of the season. Fernandez would follow Conticello’s lead and steal his first base of the year, a recent change in the game plan for Amarillo that we will talk about later. Following a single by recent addition catcher David Martin, Tommy Troy smoked a double to tie the game at 2-2, and chase the Athletics #20 prospect Will Johnston. That was one of Troy’s the four times that Troy would reach base on the night, with 3 hits and a walk to go with 2 RBI. Conticello would break the tie with a single, but Ivan Melendez sent a 2-run shot to right center field, giving Cabrera a little breathing room with a 5-2 lead. The Sod Poodles offense wasn’t quite done, they threatened to do more damage in the sixth, loading the bases after a Weber walk, Martin was hit by a pitch, and Kristian Robinson picked recoreded another multi-hit game with a single. Tommy Troy blooped a single into center field inbetween all of the Rockhounds, adding another run making it 6-3.
The bullpen combination of Gutierrez, Zane Russell, and Jhosmer Alvarez would finish off the game for Amarillo. Russell put up a clean inning while Gutierrez and Alvarez had to work out of jams that they created for themselves but got the job done.
After getting shutout on Thursday night Amarillo returned the favor to Midland on Saturday. Dylan Ray like Cabrera delivered his best appearance of 2025. Ray cruised through the first three innings, but in the fourth he allowed the first two batters to reach after a Brennan Milone single and Ray hit Bolte. The Sod Poodles starter buckled down and proceeded to sit down the next three Rockhounds in order. It wouldn’t end in the fourth, Ray would rip off 9 straight batters retired before being replaced after the sixth with a line of 6 innings pitched, on just 2 hits, striking out 8 batters with out a walk. The Amarillo right hander had lot of life on the breaking balls late in the game,demonstrated perfectly by back-to-back strikeouts in the sixth inning of Junior Perez and Brennan Milone to end his outing and pass the torch to the Zach Barnes who was part of three man crew (Barnes, Sims, Morillo) to seal Amarillo’s first shut out of the year and at least a series split for the Soddies.
The Soddies would threaten to score multiple times against the Athletics #15 prospect Kade Morris early but couldn’t cash in until the fifth inning after Jack Hurley who put together easily his best series of the year ripped a triple, getting on before Kristian Robinson drove him in with a double. Robinson would post back to back multi-hit games on Friday and Saturday continuing the tear his own torrid pace. Morris would pitch an impressive night of his own before exiting like Ray after the sixth with a line of: 6.0 innings pitched, on 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 4 strikeouts and 1 walk. For the second night in a row Melendez delivered some breathing room when he pulled another 2-run shot in the eigth inning off of left hander David Leal to double the Amarillo lead and make it 4-0 where it would go final.
A rematch of the first matchup of the series that the Soddies dropped 10-3, Avery Short looked much better against the Rockhounds the second time around. After a Colby Halter second inning triple (who would eventually score and give Midland an early lead on a sacrifice fly) Short would retire nine of the next ten batters he faced, even striking out the side for the first time all season in the third inning. The only runner that would reach in that span was when Bolte reached on an error in the fourth. The streak would be broken by a Drew Swift double in the fifth. Midland would deliver one last punch before Short’s night was over, Euribiel Angeles took the lefty deep to give Midland back the lead at 2-1 before Short would finish the sixth to end his evening with a line of 6 innings pitched, on 5 hits, two runs/earned, 5 strikeouts and 0 walks.
James Gonzalez brought his A game once again for Midland, coming into the game with a 2.59 ERA including a 5.1 inning performance in his first outing of the series in which he only allowed 1 run, Jose Fernandez first home run of the season. Gonzalez would put up a similar performance against Amarillo in the series finale on Sunday tossing 5 innings of 1 run baseball (0 earned), on 5 strikeouts and 1 walk. The only run would come from a Tommy Troy groundout in the fifth inning. Even after Gonzalez departure the Sod Poodles wouldn’t break through until the seventh inning, when once again a fielders choice, this time from Robinson, would tie the game. Tommy Troy wouldn’t let it stay tied for long, lining his only hit of the night to center with the bases loaded to score another take the lead at 3-2. Manuel Pena picked up his third hit of the game driving in two more to push the score to 5-2 off of the Rockhounds usual closer Edgar Sanchez. Manuel Pena recorded his fifth multi-hit game since making his debut in Double-A against San Antonio, and has hit safely in all but one. The Sod Poodles are now 5-3 in games that the 21 year old infielder starts so far in his tenure against some of the best arms in the Texas League. Pena since setting foot in bomb city has hit .394 and driven in 5 runs in those eight games. Ivan Melendez knocked two singles of his own making he and Pena two of the four Soddies to have a multi-hit game on Sunday, along with Kristian Robinson (three straight) and Jack Hurley.
April showers have brought May flowers so far as the winning streak improved the Sod Poodles record to 3-1 in May after going starting the season 9-14 in April. Amarillo starting pitchers struggled in in April went 6-9 with a 6.33 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, and a 1.69 K/BB only averaging 4 strikeouts per game. The last time through the rotation (one game in April that if left out would actually improve all of the numbers except stirkeouts) the Sod Poodles rotation was unbelievable going 3-0 averaging 6 innings a start, while delivering with a 2.46 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 5.83 K/BB, and 7 strikeouts per game. Amarillo starters have for the moment fixed what had been their biggest weakness this season (not counting home runs because playing your home games at Hodgetown would hurt any arm) their walk problem. The rotation had been allowing 2.39 walks per game in the first month of the season, but have dropped that in the last five starts to just 1.20.
Kristian Robinson might not want to leave Midland. The outfielder looked like he was seeing the ball well in the series, slashing .381/.458/.429 and a .615 BAPIP. After walking only 5 times in the Frisco and San Antonio series and hitting .186 in those 11 games, Tommy Troy has got his groove back, posting a pair of 3 hit games and 8 hits total and walking 4 times in the 5 games that he played. Troy also drove in 5 runs and a double in the series, putting up a slash of .421/.522/.474/.995 and a .533 BABIP in the set. Coming into series hitting .145 Jack Hurley needed a spark and finally got it against Midland. The Sod Poodles outfielder knocked five hits, including a triple raising his season average .031 points to .175 and slashing .333/.444/.467/.911 with a team high .714 BAPIP in his five games in the series
There seems to have been a shift in strategy on the basepaths for Amarillo in the series. After only 10 steal attempts in April (6/10 60%) the Sod Poodles are using their wheels early in the month of May, having alrady attempted 8 stolen bases in just the four games so far (7/8 88%). Robinson specifically went 2/4 on stolen bases in the series, while Fernandez and Conticello picked up their first of the season.
Get excited Diamondbacks fans the Dodgers affilate is coming to town. The Sod Poodles will be taking on the Tulsa Drillers before they hit a historically long road trip next Sunday. Amarillo will have to travel to Springfield and Corpus Christi for back to back series following the six set with Tulsa so make sure you get your baseball in before they head out!
