Game Notes, May 21 at Midland
Published on May 21, 2012 under Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release
Corpus Christi (18-25) @ Midland (23-20)
A pair of two-out, two-strike hits with the bases loaded spelled doom for the Hooks here yesterday. Tyler Ladendorf's three-run triple in the second and Josh Horton's three-run double in the eighth accounted for the difference in Midland's 9-3 victory over the Hooks. Ladendorf's first triple of the season gave the hosts a 4-0 edge in the second. Horton's two-bagger capped a five-run, five-hit eighth that provided ample separation between the two sides.
Despite the setback, the Hooks have an opportunity to gain a split in the series and finish the road trip at .500 with a win here tonight. The Hooks, though, enter tonight's action with a 1-6 record at Citibank Ballpark and a 6-15 mark on the road this season.
Tonight's Matchup:
LHP Brett Oberholtzer (1-2, 6.18) vs. RHP Murphy Smith (3-0, 2.76)
Oberholtzer, acquired by the Astros last July in the Michael Bourn deal with Atlanta, makes his eighth start for the Hooks and his second against the RockHounds. Wednesday at San Antonio, Oberholtzer looked very sharp until the sixth inning, when he allowed three hits and a walk to four of the first five batters. Lifted from the game with one run in, one man out and the bases loaded in the sixth, all three left on base eventually came in to score, leaving the lefty with a line not indicative of how well he pitched. Ultimately, Oberholtzer was charged with six earned runs on five hits and a walk over 5.1 innings in a game the Hooks would go on to win 11-9. Since beating Frisco April 20 at Whataburger Field, Oberholtzer has gone 0-2 with a 6.85 ERA and has allowed six home runs in 23.2 innings. A Southern League All-Star with Mississippi last year, Oberholtzer is listed as the No. 7 prospect in the Astros system according to Baseball America.
- Is 0-0 with an 11.17 ERA in 2 road starts (1-2, 4.55 ERA, 5 home starts)
- Made his AAA debut for OKC at Albuquerque April 30 (5.1-7-4-4-1-3, L)
- Has allowed 8 HRs in 39.1 innings with the Hooks (just 19 HRs allowed in 395.0 IP in first 4 yrs. as a pro)
Smith, selected by the A's in the 13th round of the 2009 draft out of Binghamton (NY) University, makes his ninth appearance and sixth start of the season for Midland. Here Wednesday against Frisco, Smith had arguably his best outing of the year, holding the RoughRiders to a run on five hits and two walks over 7.1 innings in a 7-1 Hounds win. Smith did not get the decision, though, since Midland broke a 1-1 tie with six runs in the bottom of the eighth. In his last three outings, all starts, Smith has three no-decisions and a 2.89 ERA. Smith spent all last year with Stockton in the California League, where in 26 games and 24 starts he posted a 6-9 record with 1 save and a 3.94 ERA.
- Holding TL hitters to a .196 average and has a 1.79 GO/AO ratio
- Picked up a win over the Hooks April 25 at Whataburger Field (6.0-6-2-2-3-2)
- Named America East Conference Pitcher of the Year his junior season (2009) when he went 7-3 with a 3.12 in 14 starts for the Bearcats
Bet you didn't know...
The Hooks may be tied for the worst overall record in the Texas League, but Corpus Christi enters play tonight having scored the second-most runs in the league this year (Midland is first) and may be able to boast the most balanced offensive attack in the circuit.
With all eight clubs having played 43 games, the Hooks are the only team in the loop with as many as five players who have produced over 20 RBIs (Brandon Barnes and Jacob Goebbert 25 each, Jose Martinez and Jon Singleton 23 apiece, Austin Wates 21). Midland is next with four players over 20 RBIs, and Northwest Arkansas has three. Frisco, San Antonio and Springfield have two each, while Arkansas and Tulsa have only one player with more than 20 RBIs.
Stop walking this way
One problem for the Hooks this road trip has been the high number of walks issued by Corpus Christi pitching. Hooks pitchers have issued five or more walks in all seven games this trip, totaling 40 walks. And while the Hooks are a respectable 3-4 on the trip, for the year Corpus Christi stands 5-12 when the staff issues five or more walks.
The game begins at 6:30!
In this series here at Citibank Ballpark, the Hooks have been arriving late for every game. Not in the literal sense, of course. Competitively speaking, the Hooks have dug a deep hole in all three games so far, having been outscored 10-0 in the first three innings of this series. The Hooks are "winning" from the fourth inning on - to the tune of 13-9.
This leads us to another telling number. Given the big deficits early, the Hooks have entered the seventh inning trailing in two of the three games here, losing both of those games. For the year, the Hooks are 0-23 when trailing after six innings. The Hooks are the only team in the Texas League who have yet to win a game when trailing after six innings. Three clubs, in fact, have won at least three times already (Arkansas-5, Tulsa-4, Midland-3) when trailing after six innings.
Go ahead and score that first run
It seems clear, then, that the Hooks need to score early to have success. In fact, the Hooks have the best record (13-5) in the Texas League when scoring the game's first run. Frisco (18-7) is percentage points behind the Hooks while Tulsa (14-7) has the third-best record in this department. The Hooks are 5-4 when they score first on the road.
Pitching Rotation vs. Arkansas
Wednesday: RHP Orangel Arenas (2-3, 3.59) vs. RHP Jake Buchanan (1-3, 5.80)
Thursday: RHP Eddie McKiernan (3-2, 1.47) vs. RHP Jarred Cosart (2-2, 3.48)
Friday: RHP AJ Schugel (2-4, 3.04) vs. RHP Ross Seaton (3-3, 3.48)
HOOKS PLAYER NOTES
Brandon Barnes
- Hits in 6 of his last 7 games, 9-27 with 4 doubles, 3 runs and 2 RBIs
- Is 5-18 this road trip with 2 doubles, 2 runs and 1 RBI
- Leads TL in doubles (19)
- Corpus Christi's offensive player of the month in April (.353-4-21, 22 games)
- Named Texas League Co-Player of the Week (April 5-15), hit .432
- Named Texas League Player of the Week (April 16-22), hit .391
- Batting .300(30-100) vs. RHP; .333(15-45) vs. LHP; .300(12-40) w/RISP
Jay Fernandez
- Is 2-10 in his last 4 games with 1 double, 1 HR, 1 run and 2 RBIs
- Has a career caught-stealing percentage of 40.0 (165 of 412)
- In 8 seasons in the Mariners and Twins systems hit .244-16-162 in 439 games
Jacob Goebbert
- Has 5-game hit streak, 7-18 with 2 doubles, 1 HR, 4 runs and 5 RBIs
- Hits in 7 of the last 8 games, 10-30 w/ 2 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 4 runs and 8 RBIs
- 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 .225(23-102) vs. RHP; .375(15-40) vs. LHP; .351(13-37) w/RISP
Kody Hinze
- Is 3-9 this series with 3 walks, 2 runs and 3 RBIs
- Is 3-16 this road trip
- Batting .258(16-62) at home; .175(10-57) on the road
- Batting .200(17-85) vs. RHP; .265(9-34) vs. LHP; .158(6-38) w/RISP
- Ranked 4th last year in the minors in walks (94) and 15th in OPS (.961)
Jordan Kreke
- Is 6-23 in his last 10 games with 1 double and 4 runs
- Played 1B May 1 for the first time in his career (replaced Singleton)
- Has 135 career games at 3B, 126 at 2B and 49 at SS
- Originally a 13th-round pick of the Braves in 2009
Jose Martinez
- Has 5-game hit streak, 8-22 with 1 walk, 1 double, 1 triple and 4 runs
- Has reached base safely in 16 consecutive games, .418 OBP, .339 avg. - longest such streak by a Hook this season
- CC's defensive player of the month in April (47 PO, 56 A, 0 E)
- Batting .297(30-101) vs. RHP; .326(14-43) vs. LHP; .385(15-39) w/RISP
- Played just 6 games in the three-year period 2009-11
Ryan McCurdy
- Hits in 6 of his last 9 games, 9-26 w/ 4 walks, 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 runs and 5 RBIs
- Is 1-5 this series with 1 walk, 1 run and 1 RBI
- Batting .355(11-31) vs. RHP; 0-9 vs. LHP; .286(4-14) w/RISP
- Had played just 2 games w/ Lancaster this season, was 2-3 with 1 HBP
Andy Simunic
- Hits in 6 of the last 7 games, 9-27 with 2 walks, 1 HBP and 5 runs
- 4-RBI night April 21 his first since July 29 last season
- Batting .321(27-84) vs. RHP; .154(4-26) vs. LHP; .226(7-31) w/RISP
- In five pro seasons has bounced into just 11 DPs in 1,361 plate appearances
Jon Singleton
- Has 5-game hit streak, 7-21 with 2 walks, 1 double, 3 runs and 3 RBIs
- Is 9-30 in the last 8 games with 6 walks, 1 double, 1 HR, 5 runs and 8 RBIs
- Batting .341(31-91) vs. RHP; .204(10-49) vs. LHP; .308(12-39) w/RISP
- Has started 27 games at 1B; 11 games in LF
- Ranked by Baseball America as the top prospect in the Astros system
T.J. Steele
- Clubbed CC's first pinch-hit HR of the season April 29 at Frisco
- Is 2-10 this road trip with 1 run
- Batting .167(7-42) vs. RHP; .111(3-27) vs. LHP; .190(4-21) w/RISP
- Tied for fourth on the Hooks all-time stolen base chart with 31
J.C. Thompson
- Pinch-hit, RBI double in the 9th Thursday night a first for the Hooks this season
- Is 2-15(.133) in May with 1 double, 1 run and 1 RBI
- Hit .273-10-46 in 87 games last year with Lancaster and CC
Jonathan Villar
- Hits in 7 of his last 8 games, 9-31 with 3 walks, 1 double, 5 runs and 3 RBIs
- Posted season highs Saturday night for chances (12) and assists (9) at short; TL records for SS in one game is 16 chances and 12 assists (in a 9-inning game)
- Second in the league with 17 stolen bases
- Batting .214(21-98) vs. RHP; .255(13-51) vs. LHP; .275(11-40) w/RISP
- Ranked by Baseball America as the No. 4 prospect in the Astros system
Austin Wates
- Hits in 8 of his last 11 games, 14-47 with 3 walks, 1 HBP, 2 triples, 9 runs and 4 RBIs
- Second in the league with 50 hits
- Batting .317(38-120) vs. RHP; .245(12-49) vs. LHP; .368(14-38) w/RISP
- Named Lancaster's MVP in 2011, led the JetHawks in 8 statistical categories
Texas League Stories from May 21, 2012
- Naturals Offer Memorial Day Special for Military - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Game Notes, May 21 at Midland - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Ninth Inning Rally Secures Game, Series Win for Frisco - Frisco RoughRiders
- Tulsa Drops Series Finale in Springfield - Tulsa Drillers
- Pena Pitches Travs to Series Win over Naturals - Arkansas Travelers
- Cardinals Shutout Drillers 4-0 - Springfield Cardinals
- Duncan's Four Hits Not Enough for Naturals - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
- Hooks Back for Quick Six - Corpus Christi Hooks
- Upcoming Homestand Highlights - Northwest Arkansas Naturals
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