TL1 Corpus Christi Hooks

Game Notes, August 6 at Midland

Published on August 6, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release


Corpus Christi (29-14, 66-47) @ Midland (18-24, 53-59)

Rob Rasmussen tossed six innings of two-run ball last night and the Hooks rolled on to a 6-4 triumph over the RockHounds. Corpus Christi's top four hitters went 8-for-16 with four runs scored and three RBIs. Andy Simunic was productive out of the nine spot, going 2-for-4 with a run and a stolen base. He extended his hitting streak to eight games. Rasmussen turned in his second straight strong outing, striking out a career-high eight batters. The lefty walked three and permitted seven hits, throwing 61 of 102 pitches for strikes.

Ben Heath, on for rehabbing Astro Jason Castro, stroked a double to lead off the seventh. He moved to third on a passed ball and scored when Leonardo Gil uncorked a throwing error from third base to put the Hooks up 6-2. The insurance proved to be critical as Midland mounted a rally in the ninth, scoring twice. Jason Stoffel fanned the potential tying run for the final out of the game to notch his 22nd save.

Corpus Christi, having won 12 of the last 17 games, seeks its fifth consecutive series victory tonight in the Permian Basin. The Hooks boast a six-game lead over San Antonio for first place in the Texas League South second-half race.

Tonight's Matchup:

RHP Matt Heidenreich (1-0, 2.08) vs. RHP Shawn Haviland (6-8, 4.84)

Heidenreich, acquired by the Astros in the trade that sent Brett Myers to the White Sox, makes his third with the Hooks. Heidenreich faced the Missions last Tuesday at Whataburger Field and did not factor in the decision, allowing two runs on four hits over five innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five, throwing 53 of 70 pitches for strikes. Heidenreich carried a four-hit shutout going into the ninth July 26 in San Antonio. He was charged with one run on five hits and one walk, striking out seven. Heidenreich induced 11 groundball outs compared to three fly outs. He began the season at Winston-Salem in the Carolina League where he went 8-2 with a 3.57 ERA over 15 starts, including two complete games and one shutout. The 21-year old out of Lake Elsinore, CA struck out 62 and walked 13 in 93.1 innings while holding the circuit to a .246 batting average. Heidenreich was the starting pitcher in the Carolina-California League All-Star Game. A fourth-round selection of Chicago in the 2009 draft, Heidenreich ranked within the Carolina League's top ten in ERA (6th), WHIP (T-2nd, 1.06) and home runs allowed (12, 4th). Heidenreich won his last four starts with the Dash, posting a 1.28 ERA and 15 strikeouts against three walks in 28.0 innings. He was promoted to Double-A Birmingham (1-2, 5.89 ERA) at the beginning of July and won his first start after yielding one earned run in eight frames at Pensacola.

- 10-10 with a 4.32 ERA in 27 starts for Kannapolis last season (101 K | 31 BB | 13 HR | 154.1 IP)

- Enters play tonight with 255 career strikeouts against 77 walks in 378.0 IP

- Drafted out of Temescal Canyon High School

Haviland, Oakland's 33rd-round selection in the 2008 draft out of Harvard University, makes his 26th appearance and 16th start of the season. He allowed four runs on six hits in five innings on Wednesday at Frisco but did not factor in the decision, walking one while fanning five. Haviland pitched well against the Hooks on July 27, tossing six shutout innings but the Hooks scored four in the ninth to win 6-5 in walk-off fashion. He was excellent in July, posting a 2-2 record and a 1.80 ERA in seven appearances (three starts). Haviland went 4-6 with a 5.60 ERA thru his first 17 outings (11 starts). In 10 outings out of the pen, he is 1-2 with a 4.05 ERA, fanning 15 against six walks in 20.0 IP. Now in his fifth season, Haviland spent last year with the RockHounds, going 6-12 with a 7.08 ERA in 27 starts. He was tied for sixth among Oakland farmhands in strikeouts (110) and was ninth in innings pitched (143.2). Haviland went 9-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 27 starts for Stockton in 2010, striking out 166 batters against 40 walks over 150.1 frames. His strikeout totals and ERA ranked second and fifth, respectively, in the California League, earning post-season all-star honors. Adding in Haviland's lone appearance with Triple-A Sacramento, his 169 Ks on the season paced the Athletics system.

- Holds a degree from Harvard in Government Studies

- Has struggled on the road (2-5, 5.70 ERA, 14 games) compared to home (4-3, 3.53 ERA, 11 games)

- 2-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 5 games and 4 starts vs. the Hooks (19 K | 8 BB | 23.0 IP)

King Krauss

OF Marc Krauss has made quite the impression since joining the Hooks, earning Texas League Batter of the Week honors over his first six days with the club. For the week, Krauss is hitting .423 with 10 runs scored, two doubles, five home runs and 15 RBIs, coaxing four walks against four strikeouts. He features an on-base percentage of .500 for an OPS of 1.577. Acquired, along with Bobby Borchering, in the trade which shipped Chris Johnson to Arizona, Krauss hit a home run in his first at-bat with Corpus Christi. He slugged two long balls last Thursday against San Antonio and equaled the franchise record with six RBIs in Saturday's 17-6 victory over Midland.

He joins Brandon Barnes, Jacob Goebbert and Jon Singleton as the other Hooks who have won the batter-of-the-week title. Barnes, who's been tabbed twice, shared the award with Goebbert in Week 1. Jon Singleton took home the honor in late-May and early-July.

Buchanan back; Abreu on DL

RHP Jake Buchanan, who began the season with Corpus Christi in the starting rotation, returns to the Hooks after a three-appearance stint with Oklahoma City. Following his promotion on July 26, Buchanan has allowed nine earned runs and 17 hits in eight innings pitched. This includes a start Wednesday in Tacoma when he was touched for five runs over four innings in a losing effort. Buchanan is 5-6 with a 5.00 ERA in 19 starts for the Hooks. He has walked 26 and struck out 74, posting a GO/AO ratio of 2.06. Buchanan had been moved to the bullpen prior to his promotion to make room for Asher Wojciechowski in the rotation. The Astros' 2011 Minor League Pitcher of the Year had worked exclusively as a starter thru his first two seasons as a pro.

RHP Erick Abreu has been placed on the disabled list due to a cut on his right index finger. Abreu is 8-4 with 4.77 ERA in 31 appearances and three starts. He's walked 24 and struck out 55 in 66.0 innings. Abreu's eight victories are tied for third in the Texas League.

Series business

With a win tonight the Hooks would win their fifth straight series. The last series Corpus Christi didn't win was July 16-19 at Midland, when the clubs split four games. The last series the club lost was July 8-10 at Tulsa, where the Drillers won two out of three. Starting with a series win at home against Midland June 6-9, the Hooks have won 11 series, split three and lost just one to go 39-18 in that time. Corpus Christi posted the best record in the Texas League in both June (18-8) and July (20-10). The 20 victories in July set a club record for wins in a month and was one of the best months in the Texas League since the Hooks came into existence in 2005.

On the road again

The Hooks moved to 28-28 on the road with their 6-4 win last night and are the only team in the Texas League with a .500 record away from home. On the road the team is hitting .278, which is better than the .263 batting average they have posted at Whataburger Field. The offense is led by Drew Locke, who has hit .341 on the road, and Jon Singleton, who has hit .316. Both numbers are considerably higher than their .308 and .244 marks at home. The pitching staff's road ERA is 4.31, which is slightly higher than its 4.27 earned run average at home.

The Hooks started the year 6-15 on the road, but starting with a win at Midland on May 21, have gone 22-13 since.

Castro concludes rehabs with CC

Astros catcher and former Hook Jason Castro continues his rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City tonight. He had caught three innings on Friday and Saturday before working five last night. At the plate, Castro was 4-for-5 with one run, two doubles and two walks with Corpus Christi.

Castro, hitting .254 with two home runs and 20 RBIs this season, has been on the disabled list since July 8 with right knee effusion. The numbers have improved of late as Castro has hit .301 with a .380 on-base percentage in 83 at-bats leading up to the knee injury. He missed all of last season following ACL surgery. A first-round selection (10th overall) in the 2008 draft out of Stanford, Castro hit .293 with three home runs and 29 RBIs in 63 games for the Hooks in 2009. He batted .376 with 14 home runs and 73 RBIs for the Cardinal in 2008. Castro earned team MVP honors, leading Stanford to the College World Series.

Pitching Rotation vs. Arkansas

Wednesday: LHP Nick Maronde (0-1, 9.64) vs. RHP Paul Clemens (1-0, 7.71)

Thursday: RHP A.J. Schugel (5-7, 2.87) vs. RHP Asher Wojciechowski (1-0, 2.08)

Friday: RHP Mike Piazza (4-3, 2.28) vs. RHP Bobby Doran (3-1, 6.26)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Adam Bailey

- Hitless in last 7 at-bats with 1 run and 3 Ks

- 4-9 with 2 runs, 1 HR and 3 RBIs in Midland series at WF

- Hit .308 with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 7 RBIs thru 17 games in July

- Batting .250(25-100) vs. RHP; .263(5-19) vs. LHP; .321(9-28) w/RISP

- Added to roster May 30 from Advanced-A Lancaster

- In 47 games with the JetHawks was batting .279-8-25 with 2 SBs

- In 23 games at the end of last season with the Hooks hit .323-3-15

Bobby Borchering

- 2-11 with a HR and 4 RBIs in 4 games prior to the series

- Hit .277 with 23 2B, 18 HR and 60 RBIs for Visalia this season

- Promoted to Mobile on July 3: .103-2-8 in 21 games for the BayBears

- 1st round pick of the D-Backs in 2009, rated as best power hitter in their system by BA

- Tabbed by MLB.com as Arizona's No. 11 prospect

- Hit .267 with 29 2B, 24 HR and 92 RBIs for Visalia last year

- Has struck out 447 times compared to 141 walks in his career

- Played exclusively in the OF this season with ARI...161 G at 3B | 68 G at 1B thru first 3 years

- Graduated from Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, same alma mater as Chris Johnson

Jay Fernandez

- Rejoined the club Wed. from OKC and went 0-4, snapping a 7-game hit streak

- 1-4 Saturday with a 2-run 2B...was hitless in prior 9 at-bats, 1 BB, 1 K

- Has hit safely in 17 of the last 23, 24-82(.293) w/ 6 2B, 4 HR, 16 R & 17 RBIs

- Promoted in mid-July, was 1-for-8 w/ 2 RBIs for the RedHawks...hip-flexor injury limited action

- Selected Texas League Player of the Week June 11-17, hit .524-1-5 with 3 doubles

- Now has 6 games experience at 3B in his 9-year career

- Batting .229(21-96) vs. RHP; .308(12-39) vs. LHP; .267(12-45) w/RISP

- Has a career caught-stealing percentage of 39.6 (169 of 426)

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

Jacob Goebbert

- Made first start since July 30 last night...went 1-for-4 with an RBI

- 1 for last 13 with 1 RBI, 2 R & 4 BB

- 2-for-13 with 3 runs and 1 RBI in Midland series

- Hits in 13 of last 23 games: 23-73 (.315) with 16 R, 4 2B, 2 HR and 11 RBIs

- Hit .282 with 4 2B, 1 3B, 20 BB, 16 K, 2 HR and 10 RBIs in July

- Promoted to OKC on June 9...went 4-for-30 (.133) with 2 R, 1 2B and 1 RBI in 16 G

- His walk-off, 3-run HR April 9 the first walk-off HR in his pro career

- Named Texas League Co-Player of the Week (April 5-15), hit .429

- Batting .252(56-222) vs. RHP; .357(25-70) vs. LHP; .313(25-80) w/RISP

Robbie Grossman

- Has hits in 9 of his 11 games with CC & 6 straight, 8-22 with 6 R, 2 2B, 1 3B & 1 RBI

- Acquired from PIT with LHPs Rudy Owens and Colton Cain for LHP Wandy Rodriguez

- Opened season with Double-A Altoona in the Eastern League

- Hit .266 with 20 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 36 RBI and 9 SB in 95 games with the Curve (.378 OBP)

- Was 5th in the Eastern League with 59 runs scored and first in walks (59) before the trade

- Had a 13 game hitting streak from 6/16-6/29 in which he hit .380 (19-50)

- Named Pittsburgh's Player of the Year last year, led the FSL in runs (124) and walks (104)

- Hit .292 with 13 home runs, 56 RBIs and 24 stolen bases for Bradenton, posting a .381 OBP

- Originally a 6th round pick of the Pirates in 2008 out of Cy Fair High School in Houston

- Ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh's No. 7 prospect entering 2012

Ben Heath

- 1-for-2 last night with a double and a run

- 2-for-4 last Thursday...only offensive action vs. SA

- 2-for-10 with one double, one walk, a sac fly and four RBIs in Midland series

- Made 2012 Hooks debut July 23 against Frisco; went 0-for-3, R, BB

- .298 with nine doubles, five home runs and 29 RBIs in 50 games at Lancaster

- Hit safely in his last four games with the JetHawks / .407-3-16 during June

- Hit .252 with 22 doubles, 10 home runs and 42 RBIs between Lancaster and Lexington last year

- Played in 4 G w/ the Hooks in September of 2010, going 6-for-12 with a double and four RBIs

Kody Hinze

- 0-1 as PH in SA series | 1-3 with a 2-R HR in Midland series...has played in 7 G since July 18

- 1 for his last 15...2-run HR, 1 BB, 6 K

- In 12 July games, batted .167 (6-36) with 2 HR and 7 RBI

- Hit .306 (22-72) in June with 2 doubles, 5 HRs, 10 runs and 17 RBIs

- Struggled in May: .106-0-5 with 9 walks and 24 strikeouts in 66 at-bats

- Batting .258(31-120) at home; .180(24-133) on the road

- Batting .202(36-178) vs. RHP; .253(19-75) vs. LHP; .179(15-84) w/RISP

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

Marc Krauss

- Equaled the franchise record for RBIs in one game Saturday with 6

- 3-for-9 with 1 HR and 5 RBIs vs. LHP | 8-for-17 with 4 HR and 10 RBIs vs. RHP

- Second Hook to hit HR in first AB with the club this season: Carlos Lee -- 6/14 at FRI

- .283-15-61 for Double-A Mobile this season with 29 2B and an OPS of .924 in 104 G

- Leaves Southern League among leaders in R (75, 1st), OBP (.416, 1st), XBH (46, 2nd), walks (73, 2nd), 2B (T-2nd), RBIs (3rd), SLG (.509, 4th) & TB (176, 4th)

- Featured an 11-game hit streak from June 22 to July 2, .462 w/ 5 2B, 1 HR, 12 BB, 3 K & 6 RBIs

- Notched on-base streak of 24, 5th longest in the circuit

- 2nd round pick of Arizona in 2009 | D-Backs No. 20 prospect as rated by MLB.com

- .242-16-65 RBIs for Mobile last season | .302-25-87 for Visalia in 2010

- Won first team All-America honors and Mid-American Player of the Year in 2009

- .402 w/ 27 HR (3rd in nation) and 70 RBIs for Ohio as a junior | .852 SLG ranked 8th nationally

Jordan Kreke

- 1-1 as a defensive replacement Friday | hits in 3 of last 5, 3-12 with GS & 6 RBIs

- 0-4 with 2 RBIs and 1 SF in SA series | 2-for-14 in Midland series

- Grand slam Sunday night, first of his career, broke on 0-25 stretch with the Hooks

- 4 RBIs Sunday also a career high...last HR was 9/4/11 with Mississippi at Carolina

- Rejoined the Hooks Wednesday after third stint with OKC

- 12-44 (.273) in 21 games for OKC with 9 R, 3 2B, and 3 RBIs

- Batting .207(17-82) at home; .176(9-51) on the road

- Batting .207(23-111) vs. RHP; .115(3-26) vs. LHP; .119(5-42) w/RISP

- Originally a 13th-round pick of the Braves in 2009

Drew Locke

- Riding a 5-game hit streak, 9-22 (.409) with 6 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR & 7 RBIs

- Has hit safely in 13 of last 14, 23-52 (.442) with 6 2B, 1 3B, 12 R, 1 HR and 15 RBIs

- Hits in 22 of last 27: 43-107 (.402), 2 HR, 9 2B, 1 3B, 20 R & 23 RBI

- Went 5-for-5 July 19th, the first five-hit game by a Hook this season

- Thru 26 games in July: .371 with 15 runs, 7 doubles, 1 HR and 19 RBIs

- .341-4-26 at home | .308-2-14 on the road

- Batting .324(45-139) vs. RHP; .321(18-56) vs. LHP; .387(24-62) w/RISP

- Hit safely in first 5 games with the Hooks: 8-21 (.381) with 3 HRs & 12 RBIs

- Had played 40 games this season for Sugar Land Skeeters (.285-4-24)

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

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

Jose Martinez

- Has hit in 4 straight and in 12 of last 13 games, 19-53 (.358) with 14 R, 2 2B, 4 BB and 5 RBIs

- Posted second four-hit game of the season Saturday

- 3-10 with 6 runs and 3 walks in SA series

- Current stretch combats a 1-for-15 stretch during Frisco series July 20-23

- .318-4-22 during 15 games in June | .283-4-18 in 25 games in July

- Hit .342 with 8 doubles, two triples, 3 home runs and 17 RBIs in May

- 4th in TL AVG (.308), 2nd PA/K (11.77), T-1st in H (127), 2nd in R (74), 4th RBI (75)

- 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 .292(93-318) vs. RHP; .362(34-94) vs. LHP; .388(45-116) w/RISP

Ben Orloff

- 2-12 with 1 R & 1 2B in SA series | 3-16 with 1 run and 1 RBI in Midland series

- Has hit safely in 7 of last 10, 9-39 (.231)...1-for-13 in prior 4

- Batting .208(11-53) vs. RHP; .231(3-13) vs. LHP; .091(1-11) w/RISP

- Was hitting .288 with 8 doubles, 29 RBIs and 7 steals in 77 games at Lancaster

- Featured the lowest K/PA ratio (15.09) in the California League...32 BB / 22 K

- Featured a .972 fielding percentage, tops among CL shortstops

- .284-2-31 with 15 doubles and 51 RBIs in 96 games at Lexington last year

- MVP for Tri-City in 2010...ValleyCats went on to win NYPL Championship

- Hit .307 with 52 R, 4 2B, 16 RBIs, 34 BB, 19 Ks & 23 SB in 63 games that season

Andy Simunic

- Hits in eight straight games, 12-31 (.387), 6 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR & 8 RBIs

- Batted .316 thru 21 games in July, scoring 17 runs and driving in 9

- Hit 2nd pro grand slam Friday night & drove in career-high 5 runs

- Has hits in 17 of last 19 games, 27-75 (.360) with 19 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 11 RBI and 6 BB

- Rejoined Hooks June 14 from AAA Oklahoma City, where he was 0-9 in 8 games

- Hit .391 with 4 doubles and 7 RBIs during 16 games in June

- 3rd in the league in hitting (.311)

- Batting .308(72-234) vs. RHP; .324(22-68) vs. LHP; .250(21-84) w/RISP

- In five pro seasons has bounced into just 14 DPs in 1,573 plate appearances

- Finished last year at Lancaster: .295-5-28 in 67 games

Jon Singleton

- Has hit safely in 7 of last 9, 12-38 (.316) with 10 R, 2 2B, 6 BB, 6 RBIs

- Last Tuesday, hit first HR since July 13 and notched first RBI since July 23 - both vs. Frisco

- Has 4 extra-base hits in his last 19 games

- Hits in 18 last 23 games, 27-85 (.317) with 18 R, 4 2B, 3B, 2 HR & 12 RBIs

- 7-for-17 July 2-9 w/ 3 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs & 4 BB to earn TL POW honors

- 1st in the league in runs (75), 2nd in walks (71)

- .347-3-14 with 9 2B, 2 3B, 18 BB & 25 K over 28 games in July to earn CC P-o-M honors

- .148-1-6 with 4 2B and 20 BB thru 25 games in June

- 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 .292(78-267) vs. RHP; .255(27-106) vs. LHP; .303 (33-109) w/RISP

- Batted .350 with 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR 13 RBIs, 12 walks, 16 Ks thru 22 G in April

Check out the Corpus Christi Hooks Statistics

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