Game Notes, July 28 vs. Midland
Published on July 28, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release
Midland (15-18, 50-53) at Corpus Christi (23-11, 60-44)
The Hooks authored yet another chapter in their storybook season last night. Trailing 4-0 through six hitless innings, Corpus Christi scored twice in the seventh on a home run by Adam Bailey and four more times in the ninth en route to a 6-5 victory over Midland in the series opener. Down by three, Drew Locke and Jacob Gobbert opened the final frame with walks. Bailey doubled to score Locke and Ben Heath hit a ground ball to short, plating Goebbert, cutting the Hounds' lead to one. Following a walk and a hit batter, the bases were loaded for Ben Orloff who hit a sharp ground ball down the third baseline. Miles Head backhanded the ball but his only play was a force at second as pinch-runner Drew Muren crossed the plate to tie the game. Mr. Clutch, Jose Martinez, then cracked a deep drive that landed in right-center for the Hooks' sixth walk-off win of the season.
Lost in the excitement was a spectacular outing by Midland starter Shawn Haviland, who did not allow a hit or a run thru six innings of work. RockHound centerfielder Tyler Ladendorf notched his first multi-homer game of the season with a solo shot in the fourth and a two-run blast in the seventh.
With San Antonio's loss to Frisco last night, Corpus Christi owns a four-game lead in the TL South second-half race.
Tonight's Matchup:
RHP Sonny Gray (4-7, 4.35) vs. RHP Ross Seaton (6-7, 4.03)
Gray, Oakland's first-round pick (18th player taken overall) in last June's draft out of Vanderbilt University, makes his 20th start for the RockHounds and his sixth against the Hooks. He settled for a no-decision last Monday at The Wolff in San Antonio, allowing three runs on six hits in 6.2 innings. Gray did not walk a batter and struck out five. He has pitched well over the last four starts, posting a 2-0 record and 1.88 ERA. The stretch includes a seven-inning complete-game shutout against the Hooks on July 18 in the opener of a twin bill at Citibank Ballpark. For the month of June, Gray was 1-3 with a 5.84 ERA in five starts. Thru four May starts, he notched a 3.20 ERA and a .206 opponents' batting average. Rated by Baseball America as the #2 prospect in the A's system, Gray made five starts at the end of last year for the RockHounds, going 1-0 with a 0.45 ERA (1 ER allowed in 20.0 innings). In three seasons at Vanderbilt, he ranks second all-time in wins (27), fourth in strikeouts (317 in 293 innings) and seventh in ERA (3.19). Gray became just the second Vanderbilt pitcher to be selected in the first round of the draft, joining David Price (Tampa Bay Rays). He was named Baseball America's Summer Player of the Year in 2010 after an outstanding tenure with the USA National Team In five games, Gray went 3-0 with an 0.38 ERA (4 BB | 37 K | 24.0 IP).
- Holding league hitters to a .269 average while posting a 1.90 GO/AO ratio
- In 5 starts vs. the Hooks, is 1-2 with a 4.91 ERA (10 BB | 13 K | 25.2 IP)
- Was 12-4 with a 2.43 ERA and an SEC-leading 132 strikeouts his junior year (2011) with the Commodores
Seaton, a third-round selection of the Astros in the 2008 draft, makes his 21st start for the Hooks and his fourth start against the Hounds. He has struggled over the last two outings, losing both decisions while yielding 11 earned runs in 11.1 innings (8.74 ERA). Seaton was tagged for four runs in the first inning of the opener of the July 18 doubleheader at Midland. He hung in there, despite a barrage of 15 hits, allowing just one run over the game's final five frames. Run support has been an issue. Corpus Christi has scored just nine times in the last eight games with Seaton on the mound, averaging 1.1 runs per outing. From June 15 to July 12, he notched five quality starts over six appearances. The Texas League All-Star pitched at least seven innings while allowing two runs or fewer in those five performances, posting an ERA of 2.36. Seaton struck out 31 against six walks during the run but only had a 1-2 record and three no-decisions to show for it. He was selected by the Astros as Corpus Christi's pitcher of the month in May, when he went 3-1 with a 2.70 ERA in six starts. Tabbed Texas League Pitcher of the Week twice last season, he led the circuit in starts (28), posting the second highest single-season total in team history. Seaton has not missed a turn in the rotation since July of 2009 when he pitched for Lexington - a span of 84 starts.
- Has issued 2 or fewer walks in 17 of his 20 starts with the Hooks (just 12 walks in his last 11 starts)
- 1-1 with a 6.19 ERA in 3 starts vs. Midland (9 BB | 10 Ks | 16.0 IP)
- Made his AAA debut with OKC April 22 vs. Albuquerque (4.2-7-6-5-2-1, ND)
McCurdy called up; Hooks banged up
The Astros reassigned catcher Ryan McCurdy from Class-A Lexington to Corpus Christi today after Rene Garcia left last night's game with an unspecified knee injury. To make room for McCurdy on the roster, outfielder Drew Muren was sent down to Advanced-A Lancaster.
McCurdy played with the Hooks from May 5-June 21 and hit .217 with one home run and nine RBI in 27 games. For the Legends, McCurdy hit .241 with two doubles and six runs batted in through 11 games. He also played in two games for Lancaster in late April, going 2-for-3.
Muren, who hit safely in 21 of his first 25 games with Corpus Christi, batted .291 with one home run and six RBI in 33 games for the Hooks.
If McCurdy enters a game for the Hooks before the month ends, he will become the fifth catcher Corpus Christi has used in July. The month started with Jay Fernandez and Chris Wallace as the team's backstops, but they were both called to Triple-A Oklahoma City due to injuries. Garcia and Ben Heath were assigned to Corpus Christi in their places.
A number of other Hooks' position players are currently on the disabled list: IFs Jonathan Villar (hand) and Brandon Wikoff (wrist) and OF Austin Wates (groin). IF Andy Simunic is not on the DL, but has missed the last four games with a sore neck.
Never surrender
The Hooks fashioned their sixth walk-off victory of the season last night, improving their record to 4-40 when trailing after eight innings. The win total is tied with New Britain (4-36), Portland (4-40) and Northwest Arkansas (4-49) for the best in Double-A. Reno (5-40) of the Pacific Coast League, Greensboro (5-37) out of the South Atlantic League and Cedar Rapids (5-53) of the Midwest League top all full-season clubs with the most wins when behind with three outs remaining.
Four of Corpus Christi's walk-off wins have come on home runs by Jacob Goebbert (April 9 vs. Tulsa), Jonathan Villar (May 26 vs. Springfield & July 2 vs. Tulsa) and Austin Wates (July 12 vs. Tulsa in 11). Jose Martinez helped deliver the other dose of instant gratification. With the Hooks down 6-5 to the RockHounds on June 9, he hit a line-drive single into left field which plated Villar from second base in the ninth. Martinez would later score the winning run on a wild pitch by Jonathan Oritz, who walked two batters and allowed three runs to come across in the ninth last night.
Corpus Christi has outscored its opposition 54-33 in the ninth inning this season.
Road less traveled
The Hooks, having claimed six of their last eight games, have surged to win No. 60 on the season. Last night's triumph pushes the club 16 games over .500 - a first for the franchise since (you guessed it) the 2006 Texas League Championship Season. The highest point for the 2006 club was a 55-33 mark achieved after Corpus Christi claimed the opener of a double header at Springfield on July 12. In fitting fashion, those Hooks reached their 60th victory on July 27, knocking off Frisco 5-2 at Dr Pepper Ballpark to improve to 60-43 on the year. The '06 squad finished the regular season 76-63 (.547) to cap the lone winning campaign in team history.
Home sweet home
Corpus Christi has won 18 of its last 22 games at Whataburger Field and is 34-17 at the friendly confines overall. The Hooks are hitting .278 while scoring 5.6 runs per game. On the road, the club is batting .257 while averaging 4.7 runs per contest. The staff ERA is at 4.03 at home and 4.21 on the road.
In Double-A, only the Akron Aeros (39-17) and the Springfield Cardinals (36-17) have a better home record than CC.
Pitching Rotation vs. Midland
Sunday: LHP Carlos Hernandez (4-4, 5.72) vs. RHP Asher Wojciechowski (1-0, 1.29)
Monday: LHP Fabio Castro (1-2, 3.11) vs. LHP Rob Rasmussen (1-2, 7.00)
HOOKS PLAYER NOTES
Adam Bailey
- Hit his first HR with the Hooks since June 2 at Springfield
- Appeared once in SA series, went 0-2 Wednesday
- Has hit safely in 7 of last 10, 10-26 (.385) with 2 doubles, 1 HR and 7 RBIs
- Prior to this stretch, was hitless in previous 10 at-bats
- Batting .256(23-90) vs. RHP; .278(5-18) vs. LHP; .333(8-24) 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
Rene Garcia
- Had hit in 3 straight (4-11) before leaving in the 4th last night with knee injury
- Has hit safely in 7 of 10 games with CC
- Batting .381(8-21) vs. RHP; .167(1-6) vs. LHP; .250(1-4) w/RISP
- Hit .279 with 13 doubles, and 22 RBIs in 60 games at Lancaster
- Had hit safely in 7 of last 9 games w/ LAN...posted a .321 AVG in 10 RBIs in June
- Posted .984 fielding percentage (7 PB in 447 chances) | 26% caught-stealing rate
- .242-1-27 in 86 games for the JetHawks last season
- Ranked among the circuit's top catchers last year in fielding percentage (.984), double plays (10, 1st), assists (69, 3rd) and caught-stealing efficiency (30%, 4th)
- Began 2010 at Lexington, hitting .262 with 10 2B, 2 HR & 35 RBIs in 84 games
Jacob Goebbert
- 4-for-10 with 1 2B and 2 BB at San Antonio
- Hits in 11 of last 16 games: 20-56 (.357) with 14 R, 4 2B, 2 HR and 9 RBIs
- His 5 triples are tied for fifth in the circuit
- 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 .250(53-212) vs. RHP; .391(25-64) vs. LHP; .315(23-73) w/RISP
Robbie Grossman
- Acquired from PIT with LHPs Rudy Owens and Colton Cain for LHP Wandy Rodriguez
- Spent the entire 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
- Since June 17th has hit .357 (45-126) with 25 R to raise BA from .214 to .266
- 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
- Made 2012 Hooks debut Monday 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
- 0-5 with a run and an RBI at SA
- In 11 July games, hitting .152 (5-33) with 1 HR and 5 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 .259(30-116) at home; .189(24-127) on the road
- Batting .203(36-177) vs. RHP; .273(18-66) vs. LHP; .183(15-82) w/RISP
- Ranked 4th last year in the minors in walks (94) and 15th in OPS (.961)
Jordan Kreke
- 0-8 with 2 Ks at SA
- Has failed to notch a hit in five games with the Hooks (0-18, 4 Ks)
- 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 .211(15-71) at home; .160(8-50) on the road
- Batting .212(21-99) vs. RHP; .091(2-22) vs. LHP; .108(4-37) w/RISP
- Originally a 13th-round pick of the Braves in 2009
Drew Locke
- Has hit safely in 6 straight games, 9-19 with 2 doubles and 4 RBIs
- Hits in 15 of last 19: 29-74 (.388), 1 HR, 5 2B, 11 R & 12 RBI
- Went 5-for-5 July 19th, the first five-hit game by a Hook this season
- Thru 21 games in July: .366 with 6 doubles, 1 HR and 13 RBIs
- Hit safely in first 5 games with the Hooks: 8-21 (.381) with 3 HRs & 12 RBIs
- Tied with Mark Saccomanno (05-06) for franchise lead with 4 career grand slams
- 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 safely in 4 straight, going 5-16 with 2 R, 1 2B and 2 RBIs
- Went 1-for-15 with R, 2B, RBI in Frisco series
- Since July 12, is 15-63 (.238) to drop from .314 to .301
- Hit .342 with 8 doubles, two triples, 3 home runs and 17 RBIs in May
- 6th in TL AVG (.301), 2nd PA/K (11.24), 2nd in H (113) & 4th RBI (72)
- 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 .291(85-292) vs. RHP; .337(28-83) vs. LHP; .385(42-109) w/RISP
Ryan McCurdy
- Is 0-12 in his last 5 games with 1 walk and 1 run as a Hook
- Grand slam May 25 his first pro HR (in portions of 3 seasons had played in 72 games)
- Batting .259(15-58) vs. RHP; 0-11 vs. LHP; .238(5-21) w/RISP
- Batted .241 with five runs scored, three doubles and 6 RBIs in 11 G at Lexington
- Had played just 2 games w/ Lancaster this season, was 2-3 with 1 HBP
- Hit .324 with 8 R, 6 2Bs and 17 RBIs in 32 games for Tri-City last season
Ben Orloff
- 3-11 with two runs and one walk at SA
- Has hit safely in three consecutive games after going 1-for-13 in prior 4
- Batting .242(8-33) vs. RHP; .167(1-6) vs. LHP; .143(1-7) 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
- Missed the last four games with a sore neck
- Hits in six straight games (9-22, .409)
- In Frisco series went 6-for-13, R, 2B, HR, 6 RBI
- Hit 2nd pro grand slam Friday night & drove in career-high 5 runs
- Has hits in 15 of last 17 games, 24-66 (.364) with 16 R, 1 2B, 9 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
- 2nd in the league in hitting (.311)
- Batting .306(70-229) vs. RHP; .328(21-64) vs. LHP; .250(20-80) 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
- 3-10 with 1 run and two walks at SA
- Hits in 11 last 14 games, 16-52 (.308) with 8 R, 3 2B, 3B, 1 HR & 7 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
- T-2nd in the league in runs (65) & 3rd in walks (65)
- .333-2-13 with 7 2B, 2 3B, 14 BB & 21 K over 22 games in July
- .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 .290(72-248) vs. RHP; .231(21-91) vs. LHP; .297(30-101) w/RISP
- Batted .350 with 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR 13 RBIs, 12 walks, 16 Ks thru 22 G in April
Texas League Stories from July 28, 2012
- Tulsa Falls to Travs, 6-2 - Tulsa Drillers
- Roll Continues for Travs with 6-2 Win - Arkansas Travelers
- McGuiness Walk off Homer Leads 'Riders to Win - Frisco RoughRiders
- Cardinals Blasted by Naturals 12-4 - Springfield Cardinals
- Naturals Blowout Cardinals - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Game Notes, July 28 vs. Midland - Corpus Christi Hooks
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