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Corpus Christi Hooks

Game Notes, August 12 - Corpus Christi at Arkansas

August 12, 2011 - Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release


Corpus Christi (17-28, 42-73) @ Arkansas (21-24, 57-55)

Last night's rainout has forced a double header today between these two clubs. The Hooks and Travs will play two seven-inning games, separated by a midget wrestling promotion. The time between games is expected to be about an hour.

Wednesday night, for a second straight game, the Hooks got terrific pitching. And for a second straight game the Hooks failed to dent the scoreboard. Mike Trout's double to the gap in left-center plated Chris Pettit with the game's only run in the bottom of the eleventh as the Travelers opened this series with a 1-0 win over the Hooks - Corpus Christi's ninth consecutive loss.

Starter Paul Clemens tossed 6.2 innings of shutout ball in his second outing for the Hooks. Loek Van Mil gave the Travelers five frames of shutout work in his first spot start of the year. The result marks the second time this year the Hooks have lost as many as nine straight.

Today's Game 1 Matchup:

LHP Brett Oberholtzer (0-0, 3.00) vs. RHP Eddie McKiernan (6-10, 5.33)

Oberholtzer, acquired by the Astros along with RHPs Paul Clemens and Juan Abreu and outfielder Jordan Schafer in the deal that sent outfielder Michael Bourn to Atlanta, makes his second start for the Hooks. Last Friday at Whataburger Field, Oberholtzer turned in a quality start in his Hooks debut, holding Midland to two runs on five hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out four and took a no-decision in the 4-3 loss. The result snapped a personal five-game winning streak for the lefty, who posted a 2.45 ERA while winning his last five starts for Mississippi in the Southern League. In 21 starts this year for the M-Braves, Oberholtzer went 9-9 with a 3.74 ERA.

· In 8 second-half starts is 6-1 with a 2.25 ERA, holding opponents to a .207 batting average

· Tossed an inning of shutout relief for the South Division in the June 21 Southern League All-Star Game

· Originally an 8th-round pick of the Braves in 2008 out of William Penn HS in New Castle, Delaware

McKiernan, a 17th-round pick of the Angels in 2007 out of Monrovia (CA) High School, makes his 23rd appearance and 16th start for the Travelers. Last Saturday at Northwest Arkansas, McKiernan tossed his second complete game of the season in a 9-1 win over the Naturals. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven. The only chink in his armor was Jeff Bianchi's solo home run in the first. Coupled with a win over Tulsa here on August 1, McKiernan went 2-0 with a 1.10 ERA last week to earn Texas League Pitcher-of-the-Week honors. The week marked a complete about-face from his three previous starts in which McKiernan was 0-3 with a 7.63 ERA.

· Leads the TL in hit batters (13) and stands third in HRs allowed (20)

· In 2 outings and 1 start against the Hooks is 0-1 with a 9.00 ERA

· In 11 games and 6 starts at DSP is 4-1 with 1 save and a 2.64 ERA (2-9, 8.36 in 11 games, 9 starts on road)

Game 2 probables: RHP Erick Abreu (5-4, 3.98) vs. LHP Andrew Taylor (2-9, 4.75)

No O

The Hooks have been shut out in back-to-back games for the second time this month, giving the club four shutout losses in the last eight games. Entering play today, the Hooks have not scored in the last 22 innings.

In what is now an 0-9 month of August, the Hooks are batting .205 as a team with 18 runs, an average of 2.0 runs per game. The club's on-base percentage for the month stands at .259 while the team OPS sits at .543. Only four players are hitting .235 or better (Brandon Wikoff .308, Brandon Barnes .265, Jonathan Villar .243, Jon Gaston .235) with a fifth (Jimmy VanOstrand .500) on the disabled list.

Clemens sharp again

Paul Clemens has not allowed an earned run in his two starts for the Hooks, covering a span of 12.2 innings. So far, Clemens has the best numbers of all the new pitchers who joined the Hooks in recent trades by the Astros that saw Jeff Keppinger (SF), Hunter Pence (PHIL) and Michael Bourn (ATL) find new homes.

Clemens and fellow starters Jarred Cosart, Brett Oberholtzer and Henry Sosa, along with relievers Jason Stoffel and Josh Zeid have racked up 8 starts and 14 relief appearances with the Hooks. Those six hurlers are a combined 2-4 with 3 saves and a 3.58 ERA (24 ER in 60.1 IP).

Sosa, by the way, who had just three starts with the Hooks, made his major league debut Wednesday night with the Astros at Arizona. Navigating his way through a rough first inning (3 runs), Sosa finished with four runs allowed on six hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out four and was saddled with the 6-3 loss.

Vallejo rejoins club

Infielder Jose Vallejo has rejoined the Hooks. Vallejo, who has been with the Hooks for the bulk of the second half, played in just two games for Lancaster in the California League here recently, going 1-for-4 at the plate with 1 walk. In 20 games this season with the Hooks, Vallejo is batting .146 with 5 RBIs. In 4 games with the Hooks since his return from the DL (concussion) July 30, Vallejo is 4-for-14 with a run and 4 RBIs.

Vallejo's addition comes in the wake of Wladimir Sutil suffering an injury to his left leg in the 9th inning of Wednesday night's game. Sutil remains on Corpus Christi's active roster, though is doubtful for action today.

Double header first

Today's twin bill is the first this season for the Hooks. The last time the Hooks played twice in the same day was last season - July 9. The Hooks dropped a pair at home to Tulsa that evening 2-1 and 7-2.

The last time the Hooks played a double header on the road was August 1, 2009, at Midland. Corpus Christi took the first game 4-0 behind the complete-game, four-hit effort of Wilton Lopez. The Hooks lost the nightcap 5-0 as Midland hurlers Arnold Leon (3 innings) and Jason Fernandez (4 innings) combined on a no-hitter.

Pitching Rotation at Springfield

Saturday: RHP Jarred Cosart (0-1, 6.75) vs. LHP John Gast (4-1, 3.88)

Sunday: RHP Ross Seaton (4-8, 5.63) vs. RHP Michael Blazek (10-6, 5.92)

Monday: RHP Paul Clemens (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Shelby Miller (7-3, 2.97)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Brandon Barnes

· Rejoined Hooks August 1 from the temporarily inactive list

· In 71 games with AAA OKC batted .197-8-27 with 5 SBs

· Hits in 4 of the last 5 games, 6-19 with 1 double, 1 HR, 3 runs and 3 RBIs

· Hits in 11 of his last 13, 14-48 with 3 doubles, 1 HR, 6 runs and 4 RBIs

· Overall this year in 99 games batting .227 (76x335) w/18 doubles, 5 triples, 12 HRs and 43 RBIs

· Batting .250(17-68) vs. RHP; .368(14-38) vs. LHP; .321(9-28) w/RISP

· Led all Astros farmhands with 28 HRs last year

Brian Esposito

· Returned to club Saturday from AAA Oklahoma City

· Had been on the DL (right knee)

· Is 1-8 with 1 run in 3 games since his return

· Batting .163(8-49) vs. RHP; .105(2-19) vs. LHP; .286(4-14) w/RISP

· Has thrown out 5 of 29 (17.2%) would-be base stealers

David Flores

· Rejoined club August 4 from Lancaster

· In 50 games with the JetHawks hit .311(57x183) with 14 doubles, 12 HRs and 48 RBIs

· In 6 games since his return is 3-17 with 2 runs and 1 RBI

· Batting .186(19-102) vs. RHP; .255(12-47) vs. LHP; .281(9-32) w/RISP

· Has 67 PO, 72 A, 5 E (Fielding pct. of .965)

Emerson Frostad

· Returned to club July 1 from AAA Oklahoma City

· Played in just one game for OKC (June 26 at RR), going 1-for-3 with 1 walk

· Signed by the Astros as a free agent June 1

· In 15 games with the Lancaster Barnstormers batted .280-2-11

· Went 2-4 last night for his first multi-hit game since July 26 vs. San Antonio

· Is 3-24 in his last 8 games with 1 double

· Tossed one inning of shutout relief July 22 (3rd career app as a pitcher)

· Has thrown out 7 of 31 (22.6%) would-be base stealers

Jon Gaston

· Active since June 24 - was on the temporarily inactive list twice in June

· Hits in 6 of the last 7 games, 7-26 with 2 doubles and 3 RBIs

· Has 13 RBIs in his last 18 games

· Batting .249(62-249) vs. RHP; .221(19-86) vs. LHP; .217(23-106) w/RISP

Kody Hinze

· Joined Hooks July 7 from Lancaster in the Cal League

· Ranked third among all full-season minor leaguers in OBP (.439), fourth in walks (83) and eighth in OPS (1.031)

· Hits in 12 of his last 15 games, 15-55 with 1 double, 2 HRs, 6 runs and 7 RBIs

· With the JetHawks in 80 games hit .323(92x285) w/20 doubles, 22 HRs and 70 RBIs

· Selected twice as the Cal League Batter of the Week (May 30-June 5 & June 13-19)

· Owns Lancaster's longest consecutive-games on-base streak this year (25 games)

· Had 3 2-HR games, 1 7-RBI game and 1 6-RBI game with the JetHawks

· Leads Astros minor leaguers in HRs (28) and RBIs (86)

T.J. Steele

· Is 0-7 in the last 2 games

· Is 2-32 in the last 11 games with 1 HR, 2 runs and 1 RBI

· Has single-season career highs in games (104), at-bats (374), hits (75), doubles (12), HRs (8), RBIs (43) and steals (16)

· Batting .168(45-268) vs. RHP; .283(30-106) vs. LHP; .176(19-108) w/RISP

Wladimir Sutil

· Rejoined Hooks Friday night from AAA Oklahoma City

· Injured his left leg in the 9th inning Wednesday night

· In 31 games with the RedHawks hit .222 with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs and 2 SBs

· Named Corpus Christi's offensive and defensive player of the month in April

· Hit safely in first 16 games of the season (.418, 28x67)

· Batting .234(32-137) vs. RHP; .391(25-64) vs. LHP; .262(11-42) w/RISP

· Has 71 PO, 153 A, 5 E (Fielding pct. of .979)

· Is Corpus Christi's franchise leader in games (345), at-bats (1,253) and hits (341)

Jose Vallejo

· Rejoined Hooks roster yesterday

· In 4 games since July 30 is 4-14 with 1 run and 4 RBIs

· In 37 games this year with AAA OKC hit .209 with 2 HRs and 7 RBIs

· In 34 games last year with the Hooks hit .111-0-2 with 1 SB

· Acquired by the Astros along with RHP Matt Nevarez in the deal that sent C Ivan Rodriguez to Texas in August of 2009

Jonathan Villar

· Hits in 4 of the last 6 games, 8-26 with 3 doubles, 5 runs and 2 RBIs

· Hits in 18 of the last 23, 27-90 w/8 doubles, 1 triple, 5 HRs, 19 runs and 12 RBIs

· In 47 games with Lancaster hit .259-4-26 with 20 stolen bases

· In 104 games overall this year batting .246(100x407)-12-46

· Batting .250(41-164) vs. RHP; .203(14-69) vs. LHP; .256(10-39) w/RISP

· Has 82 PO, 147 A, 14 E (Fielding pct. of .942)

· Rated as Astros #3 prospect entering the 2011 season by Baseball America

Brandon Wikoff

· Is 0-6 in the last 2 games

· Hits in 3 of the last 5 games, 6-16 with 1 run

· Named the TL's Batter of the Week April 25-May 1 (.600, 18x30)

· Named CC's May defensive player of the month (15 PO, 48 A, 1 E, .984 FP)

· Hit first career HR April 27 at Midland in his 657th pro at-bat

· Has 20 multi-hit games, including three 4-hit games

· Batting .332(65-196) vs. RHP; .257(18-70) vs. LHP; .321(17-53) w/RISP

· Has 87 PO, 186 A, 7 E (Fielding pct. of .975)

BULLPEN REPORT

Starters: 29-40, 4.80 ERA, 632.1 IP, 78 HR, 210 BB, 488 K, .269 AVG

Relievers: 13-33, 5.30 ERA, 384.0 IP, 41 HR, 209 BB, 354 K, .278 AVG

Jonnathan Aristil

· Last appearance: Yielded 2 R, 3 H, 1 HB and 1 BB over 1.2 frames Sunday night vs. MID

· Is 3-8 with a 6.75 ERA in 21 games as a starter this season

· His 60 BB and 19 HR, rank third and are tied for 5th, respectively, in the Texas League

· Acquired in December as part of the deal that sent RHP Matt Lindstrom to Colorado

· Pitched for the Rockies top three affiliates in 2010, making 11 of his 33 appearances with Tulsa

· Was 1-1 with a 4.39 ERA in 11 appearances and 3 starts last year for the Drillers

· Originally signed by the Rockies as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2003

· Former infielder, converted to pitching while with the DSL Rockies early in 2006

Chris Hicks

· Last appearance: Blanked the Hounds over 1.1 frames Monday night

· (.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H) Inherited Wes Timmons who scored the winning run in the 9th Saturday

· Has not been charged with a run in 7 of his 9 appearances as a Hook

· Hooks debut July 20 vs. Midland: allowed 1 hit and 1 walk in a scoreless 8th

· Went 2-1 with a 3.28 ERA in 15 relief appearances for Lancaster: 28 K, 5 BB, 24.2 IP

· Yielded 4 ER over last 11 appearances with the JetHawks (17.1 IP)

· Missed all of 2010 due to shoulder surgery

· Made 26 starts for Lancaster in 2009, posting a 9-11 record and 6.12 ERA: 103 K, 39 BB, 129.1 IP

· Won pitcher of the month honors for April, going 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA...20 K, 5 BB

Blake King

· Last appearance: Allowed 1 hit and 1 walk while fanning 2 in a scoreless 9th Sunday vs. MID

· Shutout the Hounds in the 7th last Friday, notching a strikeout against 1 walk

· Has yielded 2 earned runs (1.46 ERA) over last 9 outings (12.1 IP, 22 Ks, 9 BBs)

· Charged with 6 earned runs (1.95 ERA) over last 20 appearances (27.2 IP, 37 Ks, 18 BBs)

· Allowed 4 runs in first four appearances (3.2 IP), walking 7 against 5 Ks

· Claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on May 26

· Was 2-0 with a 11.08 ERA in 15 games at Memphis / Yielded 2 runs on in 1.1 IP with Springfield

· Rated by BA as having the best slider in the St. Louis system in 2010

· Went 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA at Springfield last season, tossed 84 Ks over 68.0 IP

· Held the opposition to a .171 batting average, tops among Texas League relievers

Arcenio Leon

· Last appearance: Touched for 2 R on 4 H Sunday vs. Midland, posting 1 K and 1 BB

· Charged with 3 R (2 ER) over 1-plus last Thursday at San Antonio

· Had yielded 2 runs and 6 hits in prior 7 appearances: 11 K, 3 BB, 7.0 IP

· (1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K) Yielded a 3-run HR to Jonathan Greene July 15 at Frisco...broke a string 9 appearances without allowing an ER: 18 Ks, 6 BBs in 13.0 IP

· 17 free passes, 4 WP in 9 game stretch from May 2 to June 8 (12 IP, 6.75 ERA), throwing 124 of 245 pitches for strikes

· Did not allow an ER thru first 7 outings (11 IP)

· Would have ranked fifth among relievers in the South Atlantic League last season with a .201 opponents' batting average, but fell two frames shy of the league qualifier

Danny Meszaros

· Last appearance: Worked 1.1 scoreless innings Wednesday night at Arkansas

· Had allowed 6 R (4 ER) in prior 3 appearances (1.2 IP)

· Failed to record an out July 22 as Frisco hit 2 HRs and scored 6 runs

· Had not yielded an ER in prior 11 outings (11.0 IP) with CC: 5 saves in as many opportunities

· Was 1-1 with a 4.56 ERA for OKC, notching 27 Ks and 14 BBs in 25.2 IP

· 0-1 with a 2.57 ERA over 12 games in first stint with the club this season

· Last season, went a combined 5-2 with a 3.57 ERA and 10 saves in 33 contests between Corpus Christi and Round Rock before being suspended 50 games / Struck out 47 & walked 22 in 40.1 innings

· Began 2009 campaign at Lexington...did not allow a run in first 13 app., going 9-for-9 in save chances

· Promoted to CC in mid May and went on to lead the team in appearances...limited the league to a .207 average at Whataburger Field, posting a 1.75 ERA / 10 total saves led the Houston system

Jason Stoffel

· Last appearance: (0.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R) Surrendered game-winning 2B to Trout in the 11th Wednesday

· Struck out 3 RockHounds without issuing a walk in a scoreless 9th Sunday night

· Yielded a two-run homer to Jeremy Barfield in the ninth Friday, suffering the loss to Midland

· Charged with 2 R over first 6 appearances (5.1 IP) as a Hook, going 3-for-3 in save chances

· Went 1-2 with 13 saves and a 3.98 ERA in 32 appearances for Richmond: 31 K, 16 BB, 31.2 IP

· Allowed 1 ER over first 8 appearances (9.1 IP) with the Flying Squirrels

· 8 of his last 9 appearances at Richmond were of the scoreless variety, going 4-for-4 in save chances

· Posted a 2-4 record and 4.80 ERA at San Jose last season, notching 25 saves in 29 opportunities

· Features 121 strikeouts against 43 walks as a professional

· Selected in the 4th round by San Francisco in 2009 out of Arizona: all-time leader in SV & G

Henry Villar

· Last appearance: (0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R) Matt Sulentic's RBI double in the 7th Monday handed him the loss

· Pitched a perfect 8th last Friday against Midland, striking out 2

· Saddled with the loss June 27 after 6 Frisco singles led to 4 runs in the 9th inning

· Began a 5-game run when he allowed 9 ER over 4.2 IP, ending July 7

· Since then 9 of his last 12 outings have been of the scoreless variety: 5 ER, 13.0 IP, 18 K, 2 BB

· Worked 7 (8.0 IP) consecutive scoreless outings to open 2011 tenure with CC

· Went 2-1 with a 6.81 ERA in 10 appearances (7 starts) at Oklahoma City

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

· Was 4-7 with a 4.15 ERA for the 2010 Hooks, appearing in 25 of 36 games out of the bullpen

· For his career, has struck out 343 batters while walking 93 over 372.1 innings entering the 2011 season

Josh Zeid

· Last appearance: Retired all six batters faced Wednesday night, fanning 2

· Worked a perfect 8th Monday night vs. Midland, striking out 1

· Has not allowed an ER in last 3 appearances: 4 IP, 4 K, 1 BB

· Tagged for 4 R on 4 H over 1.2 frames in losing effort August 2 vs. the Missions

· Made 21 appearances and 11 starts for Reading this season: 2-3 with a 5.65 ERA and 2 saves

· Began the year as a starter (2-3, 6.80 ERA) before shifting to the bullpen (2-for-4 in saves, 2.25 ERA)

· Struck out 24 and walked 2 in 16 innings of relief for the Phillies

· Went 8-4 with a 2.93 ERA and 8 saves last season in 43 appearances and 12 starts for Lakewood

· Featured 111 Ks against 27 walks in 107.1 IP as a member of the BlueClaws

· Was 6-0 with a 4.01 ERA for Tulane in 2009, fanning 45 over 76.1 IP...held the opposition to a staff-best .236 batting average

· Pitched 2 years at Vanderbilt where he helped the Commodores set a school record with a string of 38.2 consecutive scoreless innings in March 2006

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