And there’s a good chance you’re going to be treated to some pretty good baseball.
The Sod Poodles open their longest homestand of the season starting Friday at 7:05 p.m. when the Frisco RoughRiders come to Hodgetown for a rare three-game series. That will be the first of nine games in a 10-day span at home, as the Soddies will host Wichita for the usual six-game series starting next Tuesday.
Right now, the Sod Poodles are playing as well as anybody in the Texas League coming off a four-game break to accommodate the Major League All-Star Game. They’re 8-4 to start the second half of the Texas League season and tied with Midland for the Texas League South lead.
The Soddies opened the second half of the season with their most successful homestand of the season, winning five of six over Tulsa. That didn’t immediately carry over on the road, as they lost the first three games of their series at Springfield, but they rallied by winning the next three and earned a tough series road split.
“We have a lot of people contributing,” Sod Poodles manager Shawn Roof said. “One through nine we’re a very deep team. When you can sit guys like Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Bliss and still have a chance to score a lot of runs you’re doing well. We’ve had a really, really good last month of the season.”
That momentum built late in the first half when the Sod Poodles closed strong to finish second in the TL South, three games behind San Antonio. Now, they have to feel good about their chances of making the postseason as the second half gets underway.
The Sod Poodles are leading the league by averaging almost six runs a game, so get ready for plenty of offense if you’re headed to Hodgetown any time over the next two weeks. However, they’ve also given up 499 runs and have a 5.83 staff ERA, both of which are last in the Texas League, numbers which in part reflect the hitter-friendly nature of Hodgetown.
In case you missed or weren’t paying attention to the first half of the season, here’s a look at some of the highlights and how they might apply to the action at Hodgetown over 10 days.
The Futures so bright …
Lawlar and Bliss are coming back to Hodgetown after a longer layoff from the Sod Poodles than anybody else. The duo, who hit Nos. 1-2 in the Sod Poodles lineup, weren’t present in the last three games at Springfield due to their commitment to represent the Sod Poodles parent organization Arizona Diamondbacks at the Sirius XM All-Star Futures game in Seattle last Saturday.
Bliss, a second baseman who hits leadoff for the Soddies, leads the Texas League with a .358 average and 67 runs, and is second in stolen bases with 30. Lawlar, the shortstop who hits No. 2 and is the Diamondbacks No. 1 rated prospect, is hitting .245 with 12 homers, 36 RBIs and 26 steals after a slow start.
It wasn’t an especially memorable game statistically for either player, as Bliss was 0-for-1 with a walk and Lawlar was 0-for-2 with two strikeouts. But it was a positive experience as far as competing against high level professional talent.
“For the two of them to be able to play in the Futures Game is a great experience,” Roof said. “Any time you get to compete with the best players in the minor leagues it brings great value. I know we as the Diamondbacks are proud of them getting to represent us, and we are excited about the rest of the year.”
It might be a testimony to the Sod Poodles depth that they’re 4-0 in games where both Bliss and Lawlar have sat out of the lineup to start the game.
They dig the long ball
By now, the reputation of Hodgetown as a hitter-friendly park isn’t rumor, it’s provable fact. That’s reflected in the power numbers of more than one Soddie this season.
The Soddies have five players who are in double digits in home runs so far this season. A.J. Vukovich leads the way with 15 round trippers (he tied a franchise record with three in one game against Tulsa at Hodgetown on July 3), followed by Tim Tawa with 13 and Bliss, Lawlar and Adrian Del Castillo with 12 each. Caleb Roberts with nine is likely to join that club during the upcoming homestand.
Tulsa is the only other team in the Texas League who also has five players in double digits in homers.
Hey now, they’re All-Stars
This week was also a good one for some former Sod Poodles as well, as two former Soddies suited up for the National League representing the Diamondbacks at the Major League All-Star Game in Seattle.
Most prominently, Diamondbacks left fielder Corbin Carroll was voted to start for the NL in his first All-Star game, played in his hometown. Carroll, who a year ago was a regular for the Sod Poodles before he was promoted to Class AAA Reno, was 0-for-2.
That hardly negates a regular season in which Carroll has established himself as a frontrunner for the NL Rookie of the Year (and maybe even an MVP candidate) for the National League West leading Diamondbacks. Carroll is hitting .289 with 18 homers, 48 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.
“He had all the tool sets,” said Roof of Carroll, whom he managed in 2022 in Amarillo. “He’s a special human being, he’s a special baseball player and you knew an All-Star Game was something that was in his future. You can’t predict that as a rookie, but he hit the ground running and looked like he was playing at Hodgetown. He can beat you in so many different ways with his bat, with his legs and he plays defense.”
Another former Sod Poodle, Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo, also played in the All-Star Game. Perdomo, who played in Amarillo in 2021, was 0-for-1 with a walk.
Another ex-Soddie called up to big club
The contingent of former Sod Poodles being called up to the Diamondbacks just keeps growing. On Saturday outfielder Dominic Canzone, who played in Amarillo in parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons, finally got his call to join the crew in Phoenix.
Canzone, who was batting .354 with 16 homers and 71 RBIs at Triple-A Reno, made his debut Saturday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at designated hitter, and was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. He was one of five former Sod Poodles in the lineup that night.
What’s happening at Hodgetown
Baseball isn’t the only attraction when the Sod Poodles are home. There’s plenty for the family to enjoy at Hodgetown which doesn’t involve winning or losing.
Postgame fireworks are always scheduled for Fridays and Saturdays, and the theme for Friday’s series opener is Elvis Presley Fireworks presented by Amarillo National Bank. Saturday is Luau Night, with Hawaiian shirts given to the first 1,500 fans through the gates along with a specialty jersey auction.
Sunday, the Soddies will honor their most successful player to date with a Corbin Carroll “Corbin Barrels” Bobblehead giveaway presented by Toon N’ Totum, as the first 1,500 fans age 12 and up will receive a Carroll bobblehead doll. Veterans, military and first responders will also be admitted for half price.