TL1 Corpus Christi Hooks

Game Notes, July 22 - Corpus Christi at Frisco

Published on July 22, 2011 under Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release


Corpus Christi (13-13, 38-58) @ Frisco (14-12, 54-42)

Henry Sosa's pitching and Jon Gaston's hitting highlighted Corpus Christi's 6-0 whitewash of Midland in last night's series finale at Whataburger Field. Sosa, just acquired by the Astros in the deal that sent Jeff Keppinger to San Francisco, tossed seven innings of shutout ball in which he was aggressive and worked at a rapid pace. He allowed just four hits and a walk while striking out five to collect his ninth overall win this season.

Gaston became the first Hook this season to knock in more than four runs in a game, going 2-for-3 with two home runs and five RBIs. His three-run homer in the sixth that cleared the pool area in right was one of the more impressive home runs of the 2011 campaign.

The Hooks are back at Dr Pepper Ballpark, where they were just five days ago. These two clubs have split their 24 meetings this season and have also divided evenly the 12 games played here in Frisco.

Tonight's Matchup:

RHP Jonnathan Aristil (4-7, 5.86) vs. LHP Ben Snyder (7-2, 3.82)

Aristil, obtained by the Astros in December along with LHP Wes Musick in the deal that sent RHP Matt Lindstrom to Colorado, makes his 20th appearance and 19th start for the Hooks. Last Sunday here at Frisco, Aristil allowed six runs on eight hits, including home runs by Jonathan Greene and Jose Ruiz, over 5.1 innings in an 8-3 loss. The performance snapped a string of three good starts for Aristil, who was 1-0 with a 2.35 ERA in those three starts. The Dominican native is tied for second in the league in strikeouts (91) and walks allowed (49) and ranks fifth in home runs allowed (17). Originally signed by the Rockies as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2003, the former infielder was converted to pitching while with the DSL Rockies early in 2006.

· In 3 starts vs. Frisco is 0-1 with a 7.16 ERA (13 ER in 16.1 IP)

· Ranks second in the league among starters in strikeouts per 9 IP (8.63)

· In his last 5 road appearances is 1-2 with a 3.42 ERA (9 ER in 23.2 IP)

Snyder, the "player to be named later" in the December, 2009, deal with Baltimore that also netted Chris Ray for the Rangers in exchange for Kevin Millwood and cash, makes his 32nd appearance and sixth start for the RoughRiders. Last Sunday against Aristil and the Hooks, Snyder allowed three runs, two earned, on six hits over 4.2 innings and took a no-decision. In five starts since his move to the Frisco rotation June 23, Snyder is 2-1 with a 4.62 ERA. After going 27 appearances without giving up a home run, Snyder has allowed four homers over his last three starts.

· In 4 appearances and 1 start against the Hooks is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA (2 ER in 9.2 IP)

· Has been significantly better on the road (5-0, 1 save, 1.93 ERA) than at home (2-2, 5.30 ERA)

· Originally a fourth-round selection of the Giants in 2006 out of Ball State University

Shutout victory

Last night's result was Corpus Christi's fourth shutout win this season and the first since blanking Midland at Citibank Ballpark 4-0 on June 10. The first three shutouts for the Hooks this season all came by scores of 4-0.

Only two clubs in the league have fewer shutouts than the Hooks - Midland (3) and Springfield (0).

Five-RBI night

Jon Gaston last night became the third Hook this season to have a multi-homer game, joining T.J. Steele and J.D. Martinez in that small group. Gaston, though, is the first Corpus Christi player this year to knock in more than four runs in a game. The last time a Hook picked up five RBIs in a game was August 3, 2010, when Michael Affronti knocked in five runs to lead the Hooks to an 11-5 win over San Antonio at Whataburger Field. Gaston is the 13th player in team history to collect five or more RBIs in a single game.

Sosa sharp in debut

Henry Sosa's Hooks debut was, in a word, impressive. He allowed just one runner past second base and retired 10 of the last 11 men he faced, including seven in a row to cap his performance.

The last time a Hooks pitcher went at least seven innings while shutting out the opposition was June 10 at Midland, when Dallas Keuchel tossed seven shutout frames to beat the RockHounds 4-0. Sosa's effort marked the fifth time this year that a Hooks pitcher has gone at least seven innings without giving up a run. Keuchel has done it twice (also a May 29 complete-game shutout at Arkansas), as has Xavier Cedeno (April 29 vs. Frisco and May 26 at Springfield).

On a side note...Cedeno made his first start for AAA Oklahoma City last night in a game at Albuquerque. He gave up two runs on six hits over four innings and suffered a 6-1 loss. Cedeno did not issue a walk and struck out four while throwing a total of 62 pitches.

Doubles and HRs

The Hooks produced one double and two home runs last night. Corpus Christi now has doubles in 11 straight games, which ties this season's high. The Hooks have 29 doubles over the last 11 games.

The recent homer binge continues. The Hooks have homered in 16 of their last 19 games, with a total of 27 HRs in that span. Here in the second half, the Hooks have hit 35 home runs in 26 games. The club produced 42 first-half home runs over 70 games.

Pitching Rotation at Frisco

Saturday: RHP Ross Seaton (4-6, 5.71) vs. RHP Carlos Pimentel (3-6, 5.07)

Sunday: RHP Erick Abreu (5-2, 4.11) vs. RHP Joe Wieland (2-0, 1.86)

Monday: LHP Dallas Keuchel (8-6, 3.04) vs. LHP Richard Bleier (3-4, 5.45)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

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 1-11 in Midland series with 1 run

· Has thrown out 7 of 24 (29.2%) would-be base stealers

Jon Gaston

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

· Had 2 HRs and 5 RBIs last night vs. Midland

· HRs last night his first since HRs in back-to-back games vs. Frisco June 25-26

· Batting .241(49-203) vs. RHP; .214(15-70) vs. LHP; .200(18-90) w/RISP

Jacob Goebbert

· Has 4-game hit streak, 7-14 with 2 doubles and 2 runs

· Is 11-28 in his last 8 games with 3 doubles, 3 runs and 2 RBIs

· Has 25 multi-hit games

· Batting .331(60-181) vs. RHP; .264(14-53) vs. LHP; .391(25-64) w/RISP

Kody Hinze

· Joined Hooks July 7 from Lancaster in the Cal League

· Ranks third in the minor leagues in both walks (74) and OBP (.450)

· Has 8-game hit streak, 15-31 with 4 doubles, 1 HR, 5 runs and 3 RBIs

· Hits in 9 of his last 10 games, 16-39 with 4 doubles, 2 HRs, 7 runs and 6 RBIs

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

· Led the Cal League at the time of his promotion in OBP (.458) and HR/AB ratio (1/12.95) and was tied for the league lead in HRs

· 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 (24) and RBIs (77)

J.D. Martinez

· Has 7-game hit streak, 11-25 with 5 doubles, 2 HRs, 7 runs and 9 RBIs

· Hits in 21 of his last 22, 32-77 w/8 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HRs, 20 runs & 24 RBIs

· Named the TL's Batter of the Week twice (June 27-July 3 and July 11-17)

· Has 24 multi-hit games

· Went 2-for-4 w/ a double to help the South beat the North 3-2 in the TL ASG

· Has hit streaks of 14 (June 25-July 11) 12 (June 11-22) and 11 games (April 7-18)

· Established a club-record nine-game RBI streak (April 11-21) with 14 RBIs

· Batting .333(69-207) vs. RHP; .363(29-80) vs. LHP; .389(35-90) w/RISP

· Houston's Minor League Player of the Year in 2010 (.341-18-89, 5 SBs)

Jimmy Paredes

· Went 2-16 in Midland series with 2 doubles, 2 runs and 1 RBI

· Has 5 HRs in the last 25 games (4 HRs in his first 59)

· Tied for third in the TL in steals (27)

· Leads team with 28 multi-hit games, including two 4-hit games

· Batting .272(69-254) vs. RHP; .277(26-94) vs. LHP; .283(26-92) w/RISP

· Has 118 PO, 183 A, 17 E (Fielding pct. of .947)

T.J. Steele

· Went 0-6 in Midland series after hits in 3 straight at Frisco (6-12)

· Has single-season career highs in games (89), at-bats (330), hits (70), doubles (12), HRs (7), RBIs (41) and steals (16)

· Batting .178(42-236) vs. RHP; .298(28-94) vs. LHP; .182(18-99) w/RISP

· In his first three pro seasons hit .281-10-79 in 157 games; his playing time hampered by a variety of injuries

Jose Vallejo

· Activated from the disabled list Tuesday

· Is 0-16 in his last 10 games with 1 run and 1 RBI

· Last hit came June 14 at San Antonio

· 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

Jimmy VanOstrand

· Hits in 3 of his last 4 games, 5-17 with 1 double, 1 HR, 2 runs and 3 RBIs

· Has 25 multi-hit games

· Named CC's May offensive player of the month (.310-1-12, .393 OBP, .833 OPS)

· Is Corpus Christi's all-time franchise leader with 160 RBIs

· Batting .297(65-219) vs. RHP; .275(22-80) vs. LHP; .256(22-86) w/RISP

Jonathan Villar

· Has 4-game hit streak, 5-13 w/3 doubles, 1 HR, 5 runs and 2 RBIs (all vs. Mid)

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

· Batting .222(26-117) vs. RHP; .179(7-39) vs. LHP; .208(5-24) w/RISP

· Has 56 PO, 96 A, 11 E (Fielding pct. of .933)

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

Chris Wallace

· Joined club June 23 from Lexington in the South Atlantic League

· Hits in 6 of his last 8 games, 8-29 with 3 doubles, 2 HRs, 3 runs and 13 RBIs

· Has 20 RBIs in his last 13 games

· Has thrown out 1 of 14 (7.1%) would-be base stealers

· In 66 games w/the Legends hit .285-14-49

· Went 1-for-2 w/ a double to help the South defeat the North 6-3 in the SAL ASG

· Named the SAL's Batter of the Week April 7-17 (.444-5-17 in 10 games)

· In just his second year of pro ball...last year split his time between Greeneville (.310-8-32) and Tri-City (.250-2-8), hitting .293 overall

Brandon Wikoff

· Hits in 4 of his last 5 games, 6-17 with 1 RBI

· 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 18 multi-hit games, including two 4-hit games

· Batting .335(53-158) vs. RHP; .308(16-52) vs. LHP; .372(16-43) w/RISP

· Has 60 PO, 139 A, 5 E (Fielding pct. of .975)

BULLPEN REPORT

Starters: 27-33, 4.80 ERA, 528.2 IP, 67 HR, 172 BB, 417 K, .269 AVG

Relievers: 11-25, 5.13 ERA, 324.2 IP, 33 HR, 181 BB, 294 K, .277 AVG

Kyle Greenwalt

· Last appearance: (2.2 IP, 0 BB, 2 K) Allowed two HRs in the 8th inning last Sunday at Frisco

· Worked a perfect eighth inning to record the victory July 15

· (1 IP, BB) Suffered the loss July 9, winning run scored for Tulsa on a pair of singles & a WP

· Yielded Mike Bianucci's game-winning 3-run homer in the 13th inning June 18 prior to 2 scoreless IP

· 10 of his last 14 appearances have been of the scoreless variety (21.2 IP, 15 K, 4 BB)

· Went 2-5 with a 9.31 ERA in 9 starts...yielded 8 HR, walked 12 and fanned 28 in 38.2 IP

· Tagged for 31 ER over 6 outings in May, issuing 10 walks and 17 strikeouts in 19.1 innings

· Led the JetHawks in wins and ranked second in starts (27) and innings pitched (136.2) last season

· Went 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 5 starts for the Peoria Javelinas this past fall

· Greeneville's MVP in 2008 (6-4, 3.14 ERA), posting the second-best overall ERA (3.01) in the system

Chris Hicks

· Last appearance: Hooks debut Wednesday night: 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

· Saved 9 games as a Junior for Georgia Tech in 2008, tying for 5th in school history

Blake King

· Last appearance: Yielded 2 hits and walked 1 while fanning 2 over a scoreless 8th last night

· Allowed 1 run on 1 hit over 2 frames Monday vs. Midland: 2BB, 5 K

· Sidestepped 2 hits over 2 scoreless IP last Saturday at Frisco: 3 Ks vs. 1 BB

· Charged with 5 runs over last 14 appearances (19.1 IP, 25 Ks, 13 BBs)

· Yielded 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: Struck out the side in a perfect ninth last night

· Tagged for 4 ER on 5 H over 1.1 IP Monday night vs. Midland

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

· Notched a three-inning save July 11 vs. NWA, fanning 2

· 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

· Made his AA debut w/ Hooks July 19 and limited opponents to 2 ER in first 6 app. (2.16 ERA)

Danny Meszaros

· Last appearance: Struck out 2 in the ninth Wednesday night vs. Midland to notch his fifth save

· Did not allow a hit over 1.1 scoreless frames Monday night: 1 BB, 1 K

· Worked around a lead-off single to record his fourth save last Friday at FRI

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

· Hasn't yielded an earned run in last 11 outings (11.0 IP)with CC: 5 saves in as many opportunities

· 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: Made Hooks debut Wednesday, breezing though a perfect ninth to pick up the save

· 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 117 strikeouts against 41 walks as a professional

· Selected in the 4th round by San Francisco in 2009 out of Arizona

· Wildcats career leader in saves and appearances

Patrick Urckfitz

· Last appearance: Permitted 3 R on 3 H (2B, 3B) without recording an out Monday night

· Had tossed 3 consecutive scoreless appearances (3.0 IP), working around 4 hits

· Yielded a 2-run homer to Tim Wheeler in the 8th July 7 vs. Tulsa, recorded just one out

· Walked 3 & hit a batter June 30 at Tulsa, yielding 3 runs while recording 2 outs in loss

· Broke a string of 5 consecutive scoreless appearances (6.2 IP)

· Had yielded 11 ER and 16 H 5.2 IP at OKC before being reassigned to CC June 26

· Yielded just 1 earned run in first 7 appearances (10.2 IP)

· Shifted to Lancaster's rotation full-time in early July last season to gain more innings

· Led the JetHawks in strikeouts (103) and tied for fourth in victories (5)

· In 2009, ranked second in the Astros organization with 14 saves

Henry Villar

· Last appearance: Fanned 2 over 2 scoreless frames Wednesday night

· Crafted a perfect ninth last Saturday at Frisco to notch his second save

· Earned the victory July 12 vs. NW Arkansas despite yielding 1 run in the 8th

· Has yielded 10 ER on 17 H over 10 appearances (11.1 IP)

· Saddled with the loss July 5 after 6 Frisco singles led to 4 runs in the 9th inning

· Broke a string of 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

· Won Corpus Christi's pitcher of the month honors for April, allowing 1 ER in 12.2 IP

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




Texas League Stories from July 22, 2011


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