LONG BEACH, CA—Thursday at the 2018 Area Code Games was packed with five contests, making for a 13-hour day at Blair Field. Most arms were recycled from earlier in the week, but a few guys got their first outing. Things kicked off with the Nationals and Rangers. RHP Josh Wolf (St. Thomas HS, TX) started for the Rangers and went three innings, allowing a run on two hits, two walks and a hit batter while striking out five. He was 90-92 mph early before settling into the high 80s. He pitches from a high slot with some stiffness and mixes in a slider with late 10/4 break, flashing sharpness and the potential to be an average or better pitch down the road. All but one of his strikeouts came on the slider.

Closing the game for the Rangers with two innings of work was RHP Blake Mayfield (Marcus HS, TX). He struck out two and didn’t allow a baserunner. His fastball was 90-91 and he mixed in a curveball at 72-76. He stands at 6-foot-1, 163 pounds with long limbs and gets exceptional extension, consistently reaching seven feet or more.

Opposite Wolf was RHP Antoine Harris (Chalmette HS, LA). He allowed two runs on a hit and two walks while striking out four. His fastball was up to 93, sitting 89-91. He has long legs and a projectable frame at 6-foot-3, 174 pounds. His curveball had soft break at 72-74 and he also mixed in a slurvy slider at 75-77, though it flashed sharpness. His best secondary offering was a changeup with arm-side sink, which he showed good feel for, at 84-86.

Here are some more highlights from Thursday’s action…