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Game Notes, June 9 vs. Midland

June 9, 2012 - Texas League (TL) Corpus Christi Hooks

Midland (31-28) @ Corpus Christi (29-30)

Corpus Christi's bullpen, led by Erick Abreu, took center stage in last night's 8-5 win over the RockHounds. Summoned in the fifth after seven consecutive hits by Midland, Abreu allowed a single by Jeremy Barfield but then struck out Josh Horton to halt the visitor's five-run outburst. Abreu (6-2) retired six in a row after that to earn his 19th career win in a Hooks uniform, a new franchise record. Josh Zeid and Jason Stoffel extended the string of consecutive outs to 13 to end the game, with Stoffel picking up his ninth save of the year.

The Hooks featured a balanced attack on offense, scoring eight runs on eight hits in innings two through four. Jacob Goebbert had three hits while Kody Hinze and Chris Wallace knocked in two runs each. Jose Martinez had a 2-for-5 night with two runs and an RBI to extend his hitting streak to seven games. Tonight's game marks the final meeting between these two sides in the first half.

Tonight's Matchup:

RHP Gary Daley (6-3, 5.30) vs. RHP Jarred Cosart (3-3, 4.09)

Daley, signed by the A's as a free agent in August of 2010, makes his 12th start this season and his third against the Hooks. Sunday at Citibank Ballpark, Daley got roughed up to the tune of six earned runs allowed on nine hits and three walks over 4.2 innings in an 11-2 loss to the Drillers. The loss was Daley's first since May 12 at San Antonio. While he is 2-2 in his last five starts, Daley's ERA in that span is 7.61. Originally a third-round selection of the Cardinals in 2006 out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Daley spent most of last season with the RockHounds, going 6-7 with a 5.18 ERA in 20 games and 19 starts. He also pitched with Stockton (3-0, 3.21) and AAA Sacramento (1-1, 8.00). Daley spent the bulk of the 2010 season with Springfield and was released by the Cardinals in late July that year.

- Has a 1.55 GO/AO ratio after 11 starts

- In 2 starts against the Hooks is 1-0 with a 5.23 ERA

- Teammate of both Bud Norris and Jimmy VanOstrand at Cal Poly - all 3 drafted in 2006

Cosart, acquired by the Astros in the Hunter Pence deal with Philadelphia last July, makes his ninth start for the Hooks and his third against the RockHounds. Last Sunday at Springfield, Cosart was perfect through the first three innings and had allowed just one run through five. But he gave up three runs on four hits in the sixth, including a killer two-out, two-run single by Xavier Scruggs. Cosart and the Hooks were saddled with an 8-3 loss. Cosart has allowed exactly four earned runs in each of his last three starts, and in that time is 1-1 with a 5.79 ERA. Selected by Baseball America as the second-best prospect in the organization, Cosart is also ranked by the periodical as the No. 50 prospect in the game, with the "Best Fastball" and "Best Curveball" in the system. His final seven starts last year came with the Hooks (1-2, 4.71 ERA). A graduate of Clear Creek High School in League City, Texas, Cosart was the winning pitcher in the XM All-Star Futures Game last July in Phoenix.

- Has a 1.68 GO/AO ratio in 8 starts with the Hooks

- In 2 starts against the RockHounds is 0-1 with a 3.97 ERA

- Has been much better at home (3-0, 2.38 ERA, 4 starts) than on the road (0-3, 5.91 ERA, 4 starts)

- Made his AAA debut with OKC May 8 vs. Las Vegas (6.0-10-4-4-2-5, L)

Locke returns; Goebbert to AAA

The man who holds the record for the highest batting average in Hooks history - both single-season and career - returns to Corpus Christi tonight. Drew Locke, who led the Hooks and the Texas League with his .338 average in 2009, has been signed by the Astros to a free-agent contract and assigned here to Corpus Christi. He is in the starting lineup tonight, playing in center field and batting fifth in the order.

Locke had been playing this season with the independent Sugar Land Skeeters, where in 40 games he was batting .285 (47x165) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 24 RBIs. He also had 4 stolen bases. Locke last played organized ball last season with AAA Oklahoma City, where he hit .264-11-58 in 125 games for the RedHawks.

In seven seasons of play in organized minor league baseball, Locke is a career .297 hitter with 94 HRs and 476 RBIs in 763 games. In 129 games with the Hooks in 2009, Locke hit .338 (170x503) with 31 doubles, 3 triples, 20 HRs and 109 RBIs. His RBI total that season is also a single-season Hooks record.

Originally a 19th-round selection of the Dodgers in the 2005 draft out of Boston College, Locke was first acquired by the Astros in December of 2008 in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft.

In an unrelated move, outfielder Jacob Goebbert has been reassigned to AAA Oklahoma City. Goebbert received the call after Matt Downs was recalled by the Astros in the wake of outfielder Fernando Martinez being placed on the disabled list.

Goebbert, who went 3-for-4 here last night with a double, a run and an RBI, was batting .279 (56x201) in 56 games with the Hooks, with 12 doubles, 4 triples, 4 HRs and 29 RBIs.

The addition of Locke and the subtraction of Goebbert leaves the Hooks with 24 players on the active roster. Tonight marks the sixth consecutive game that the Hooks have gone to battle with one less player than allowed by the league.

Helpin' out

Outfielder Adam Bailey assisted on an out at third base last night in the fifth inning. The assist was Bailey's fourth already in just eight games since joining the Hooks. Adding in the five assists he had this season with Lancaster, Bailey now has nine outfield assists this season in only 53 games.

Pitching Rotation vs. San Antonio

Sunday: RHP Josh Geer (1-1, 3.70) vs. RHP Ross Seaton (4-3, 3.90)

Monday: LHP Tom Layne (0-1, 6.00) vs. RHP Jose Cisnero (2-6, 4.58)

Tuesday: RHP Keyvius Sampson (2-6, 6.19) vs. LHP Brett Oberholtzer (4-3, 4.83)

Wednesday: LHP Andrew Werner (1-7, 3.88) vs. RHP Jake Buchanan (3-4, 5.32)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Adam Bailey

- Added to roster May 30 from Advanced-A Lancaster

- Has 4-game hit streak, 5-14 with 1 double, 2 runs and 1 RBI

- In 47 games with the JetHawks was batting .279 (50x179) with 13 doubles, 8 HRs and 25 RBIs (also with 2 SBs)

- Broke camp with the Hooks and homered in exhibition loss to Houston April 2

- In 23 games at the end of last season with the Hooks hit .323 with 7 doubles, 3 HRs and 15 RBIs

Jay Fernandez

- Hits in 5 of his last 7 games, 6-23 with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 1 run and 4 RBIs

- Has a career caught-stealing percentage of 40.1 (166 of 414)

- In 8 seasons in the Mariners and Twins systems hit .244-16-162 in 439 games

Kody Hinze

- Has 5-game hit streak, 7-15 with 1 double, 2 HRs, 3 runs and 6 RBIs

- Hitting .438(7-16) in June with 1 double, 2 HRs, 2 runs and 5 RBIs

- Batting .256(22-86) at home; .183(13-71) on the road

- Batting .214(25-117) vs. RHP; .250(10-40) vs. LHP; .176(9-51) w/RISP

- Ranked 4th last year in the minors in walks (94) and 15th in OPS (.961)

Jordan Kreke

- Is 2-10 this series

- Batting .227(10-44) at home; .190(8-42) on road

- Batting .225(16-71) vs. RHP; .133(2-15) vs. LHP; .083(2-24) w/RISP

- Played 1B May 1 for the first time in his career (replaced Singleton)

- Has 137 career games at 3B, 127 at 2B and 49 at SS

Drew Locke

- Joins club today as a free-agent signee by the Astros

- Had played 40 games this season for the independent Sugar Land Skeeters where he was batting .285(47x165) with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 HRs, 28 runs and 24 RBIs

- Was the Texas League's batting champion with the Hooks in 2009 (.338)

- Holds franchise single-season records for average (.338) and RBIs (109)

- Holds franchise career record for average (.338)

- In 7 seasons of affiliated minor league ball has hit .297-94-476 in 763 games

Jose Martinez

- Has 7-game hit streak, 10-30 with 2 doubles, 3 runs and 6 RBIs

- Hits in 19 of his last 20 games, 29-85 with 3 walks, 5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 13 runs and 13 RBIs

- Has 13 RBIs in his last 15 games

- Reached base safely in 23 consecutive games (May 4-28) w/.352 avg. and .402 OBP

- CC's defensive player of the month in April (47 PO, 56 A, 0 E)

- Batting .306(48-157) vs. RHP; .340(17-50) vs. LHP; .333(21-63) w/RISP

Ryan McCurdy

- Is 2-9 in his last 3 games with 1 run

- Grand slam May 25 his first pro HR (in portions of 3 seasons had played in 72 games)

- Batting .283(15-53) vs. RHP; 0-9 vs. LHP; .278(5-18) w/RISP

- Had played just 2 games w/ Lancaster this season, was 2-3 with 1 HBP

Jon Singleton

- Is 1-6 this series with 2 walks, 1 run and 1 RBI

- Tied for the league lead in runs (41) and ranks fourth in RBIs (39)

- Named the Texas League's Player of the Week (May 21-27), hit .500-4-12

- CC's offensive player of the month in May (.281-7-24, .931 OPS)

- Batting .333(46-138) vs. RHP; .203(12-59) vs. LHP; .351(20-57) w/RISP

- Hitting .321(45-140) when he starts at 1B; .188(9-48) when he starts in LF

- Has started 39 games at 1B; 13 games in LF

- Ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Astros system

Jonathan Villar

- Is 2-9 this series with 4 walks, 1 sac bunt, 1 sac fly, 4 runs and 1 RBI

- Is 21-64(.328) in his last 15 games with 3 HRs, 15 runs and 13 RBIs

- Leads the league with 24 stolen bases

- Batting .252(39-155) vs. RHP; .276(16-58) vs. LHP; .288(17-59) w/RISP

- Ranked by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in the Astros system

Chris Wallace

- Is 1-7 this series with 1 HBP and 2 RBIs

- Has 3 walks and 7 Ks in his last 6 games

- Batting .217(15-69) vs. RHP; .179(5-28) vs. LHP; .188(6-32) w/RISP

- His HR (20) and RBI (78) totals ranked third among Houston farmhands last year

Austin Wates

- Hits in 8 of his last 9 games, 12-34 with 4 walks, 1 double, 5 runs and 3 RBIs

- Hits in 14 of his last 16 games, 20-64 with 4 walks, 3 doubles, 10 runs and 5 RBIs

- Third in the league with 68 hits

- His last 15 RBIs have all come on the road (last RBI at home April 26 vs. Mid)

- Batting .316(54-171) vs. RHP; .269(14-52) vs. LHP; .313(15-48) w/RISP

- Named Lancaster's MVP in 2011, led the JetHawks in 8 statistical categories

Brandon Wikoff

- Joined club May 28 from extended spring, where he'd been recuperating from a wrist injury (left wrist)

- Is 7-15 in 4 games at home with 2 doubles, 3 runs and 1 RBI

- In 103 games last year with the Hooks batted .308 w/ 6 doubles, 3 HRs and 26 RBIs

- Was the Texas League's Player of the Week (April 25-May 1, 2011), hit .600

- Maintained an average of .400 or better from April 25 thru June 6 last year

- Finished last season with four September games w/ OKC (.154-0-0)

BULLPEN REPORT

Starters: 16-23, 4.75 ERA, 316.2 IP, 36 HR, 107 BB, 253 K, .288 AVG

Relievers: 13-7, 4.41 ERA, 201.1 IP, 19 HR, 98 BB, 181 K, .253 AVG

Erick Abreu

- Worked 2.1 scoreless IP last night to earn the win, allowing 1 hit while fanning 4

- Took the loss Monday night...allowed 3 R on 2 H and 2 BB in 1.0 IP

- Tossed 5 shutout frames last Thursday night in ARK to record the victory in relief

- Is 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA in 2 starts / 6-1 with a 4.93 ERA in 17 G out of the pen

- His 9 HR allowed are tied for fifth in the Texas League

- Ranked among TL leaders in WHIP (1.22, 4th) and ERA (4.29, 9th) last season

- Captured P-o-W award for 2nd straight year: 10 K, 1 BB, 2 H, 1 UR in 8 IP Aug. 17

- CC's P-o-M in August 2010: 3-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 7 games and 4 starts

- Holds club record for Ws (19), Ks (266) & APP (110) & ranks 2nd in IP (300.2)

Kevin Chapman

- Walked one and recorded one out Monday night in SPR...runner did not score

- Allowed 2 IR to score while notching just one out last Saturday in SPR

- Has not been charged with a run in last 5 appearances (4.2 IP)

- 17 of his 23 outings have been of the scoreless variety...5 of 9 IR have scored

- Holding lefties to a .195 batting average (8x41), 2 RBIs, 10 BB, 16 K

- K/9 IP ratio of 9.91 ranks 4th among Texas League relievers

- A top-20 KC prospect by BA last year: 1-4, 10 SV, 4.94 ERA in Wilmington & NWA

- Struck out 90 & walked 28 over 62.0 IP...save total ranked 3rd in the Royals system

- Entered '12 with a career BB-to-K ratio of 1-to-3.06 & is averaging 12.38 K per 9 IP

Arcenio Leon

- Perfect in two frames of work Wednesday night

- Yielded 4 runs on 2 H and 2 BB in 1 IP Sunday in SPR...2 IR also scored

- 0-0 with a 2.21 ERA and 1 SV in 10 G at home / 0-0 with a 5.84 ERA in 9 G on road

- Posted a 2.45 ERA in April (7 G), holding the opposition to a .224 batting average

- Led the Texas League last season in SO/9 IP ratio (10.16) for relievers

- Paced the Hooks with 47 app., the third-highest single-season total in team history

- Placed on 40-man in Nov. '10, going 2-4 w/ 4 SV & a 3.97 ERA in Lex. and CC

- Over seven seasons has a career SO/9 IP ratio of 7.82

Alex Sogard

- Touched for 1 R on 2 H in the seventh Thursday night

- Threw 1 frame Sunday night in SPR, permitting 2 R on 2 H

- Has surrendered a run in 10 of his 11 appearances with the Hooks

- Was 0-2 with a 2.81 ERA in 6 outings at Lancaster to start the season

- Held the California League to a .197 average, 0 HR, 8 BB & 17 K in 16.0 IP

- 3-4 w/ a 4.14 ERA in 31 G (10 starts) for Lex. last year (4-for-6 in SV chances)

- Notched 148 strikeouts against 37 walks (4-to-1 ratio) in first 2 seasons as a pro

- Teammate of Buchanan at NC State: 10-6 w/ a 5.16 ERA, 73 BB, 96 K over 3 years

Jason Stoffel

- Notched 9th save (T-3rd in TL) in as many chances last night with a perfect ninth

- Has recorded 3 saves in a row while facing 1 over the minimum (3.0 IP)

- Has not been charged with a run in 13 of last 14 app (15.2 IP)...1 of 6 IR has scored

- 19 of his 23 outings have been of the scoreless variety

- 2nd among TL relievers in runners per 9 (7.86) & BB/9 (1.37), 3rd in AVG (.187)

- Went 2-5 w/ 17 SV & a 4.53 ERA in 50 G between Richmond & CC in 2011

- Tied for 4th among SF farmhands in saves, recording 13 in 17 opportunities

- In 2010, led the Giants system with 25 saves and notched a SO/9 IP ratio of 11.17

- Entered '12 season averaging 10.27 SO/9 IP & has a GO/AO ratio of 1.72 for career

- Stands as the Wildcats career leader in saves (29) and appearances (99)

Henry Villar

- Fashioned a 1-2-3 8th Thursday night, recording 1 strikeout

- Tagged for 2 R and 3 H in 1.0 IP Monday night in Springfield

- Broke string of 4 perfect outings (5.0 IP, 4 K) since coming off the DL

- Activated May 19 after spending the bulk of the month on the shelf

- Made 2 starts for Cosart (4/16 & 4/10): 2 L, 6 IP, 12 H, 9 ER, 2 HR, 1BB, 4 K vs. TUL

- As a reliever: 2-0 with a 4.24 ERA in 9 appearances: 13 H, 3 HR, 3 BB, 9 K, 17.0 IP

- Went 4-5 with a 5.45 ERA in 42 appearances between OKC and CC last season

- Made his big-league debut in 2010 as a September call-up, yielding 3 ER in 6 IP

Josh Zeid

- Notched a strikeout in a perfect 8th last night

- Issued a bases-loaded walk and hit batter before yielding a grand slam Wed. (3 R, 1 IP)

- Worked 1 inning Monday night in Springfield: 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K

- Was not charged with a run over 5 app. from May 23 to June 2 (6.0 IP)...2 of 4 IR scored

- Prior to that stretch, yielded 10 R in 3 straight outings (1.2 IP, 9 hits, 1 grand slam)

- His 10.27 K/9 IP ratio ranks 3rd among TL relievers

- Moved to Reading's pen in late June last year: 2 SV, 2.25 ERA, 2 BB, 24 K, 16.0 IP

- Joined Hooks in late July: 0-1, 10.13 ERA, 15 G, 16 IP, 6 BB, 15 K

- Mid-season SAL All-Star in 2010

- Top 5 for Lakewood in W (8, T-1st), SV (8, 2nd), K (111, 2nd) & IP (107.1 IP, 4th)

- Has a career 3.18 K/BB ratio over 3 seasons, holding the opposition to a .245 average

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Texas League Stories from June 9, 2012


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