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TL1 Corpus Christi Hooks

Game Notes, May 23 - Midland at Corpus Christi

May 23, 2011 - Texas League (TL1)
Corpus Christi Hooks News Release


Midland (17-26) @ Corpus Christi (17-26)

Jacob Goebbert's three-run home run and solid pitching from Ross Seaton and Danny Meszaros was just enough to carry the Hooks past the RockHounds yesterday 3-2. The Hooks are poised for a series sweep while the RockHounds have lost eight in a row and 11 of their last 13.

Goebbert's blast to right in the sixth came with one out and gave the Hooks a 3-1 lead. It was his second home run with the Hooks and his seventh overall this season. Seaton (2-2) was charged with two runs on five hits over 7.1 innings. The performance was his fourth quality start this year. Meszaros tossed an inning and two-thirds of shutout relief for his fourth save.

The Hooks have won three in a row twice this season. A win tonight would be the club's first four-game winning streak of the year.

Tonight's Matchup:

RHP Shawn Haviland (1-3, 7.13) vs. LHP Dallas Keuchel (2-3, 3.66)

Tonight features a rematch of the game played April 27 at Citibank Ballpark, won by the Hooks 8-2. Haviland, Oakland's 33rd-round selection in 2008 out of Harvard University, makes his ninth start this year and his second against the Hooks. Wednesday at Frisco, Haviland got roughed up to the tune of six earned runs and nine hits allowed in 5.2 innings. He did not get a decision in Midland's 8-7 loss to a Frisco lineup that sported Josh Hamilton in the three-hole and Nelson Cruz batting fourth. Haviland allowed a season-high 10 hits in 4.1 innings against the Hooks on April 27, leading to six earned runs. Haviland spent most of 2010 with Stockton in the California League, where he was 9-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 27 starts. He finished second in the Cal League in strikeouts (166) and fifth in ERA.

· Is 0-2 with a 9.42 ERA in 3 road starts (1-1, 5.93 ERA in 5 home starts)

· Led all Oakland farmhands with 169 strikeouts last year (3 Ks in one start for AAA Sacramento)

· Was 16-14 with 2 saves in four seasons for the Crimson

Keuchel, a seventh-round selection of the Astros in the 2009 draft out of the University of Arkansas, makes his eighth start this year and his second against Midland. Here Wednesday against San Antonio, Keuchel suffered a 2-1 loss in a game where a failed attempt at a catch by Jimmy Paredes on an infield pop up and subsequent back-to-back walks led to both Missions' runs. Despite a season-high four walks, the effort was Keuchel's fourth quality start this year. In the win at Midland April 27, Keuchel allowed two runs over 6.2 innings. He takes the mound tonight with the seventh-best ERA in the Texas League.

· In 3 starts at Whataburger Field is 1-1 with a 2.20 ERA (1-2, 4.70 ERA, 4 road starts)

· Named the Texas League's Pitcher of the Week (April 11-17) for his win over Tulsa April 16

· Was 9-3 his junior year at Arkansas, including both Razorback wins in the College World Series

HR drought over

Goebbert's home run last night ended Corpus Christi's longest HR drought of the season at seven games. Prior to last night, the most recent Hooks' home run was produced by a Houston Astro, as Jeff Keppinger homered in the top of the sixth in the Saturday, May 14 game at Frisco. The last true Hook to hit one out was...wait for it...Goebbert, who crunched a solo shot at Frisco May 12. The last Corpus Christi home run hit by someone other than Goebbert or Keppinger was hit here at Whataburger Field on May 6 (vs. Midland) by Wladimir Sutil.

Goebbert going strong

To get the full picture on this Northwestern product you need to combine his numbers this season from Lancaster and Corpus Christi. For the year, Goebbert is batting .269 (42x156) with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 7 HRs, 25 runs and 30 RBIs. He currently ranks fourth in the Astros system in RBIs and fifth in home runs. Additionally, with the Hooks, Goebbert is hitting .400 (8x20) with runners in scoring position.

Wiki streaks

Utility infielder Brandon Wikoff went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt last night to extend his current hitting streak to eight games, his longest this season. During the streak, Wikoff is batting .520 (13x25) with 2 doubles, 5 runs and 3 RBIs. Despite starting in only 21 games, Wikoff is Corpus Christi's team leader with 14 multi-hit games.

A couple of firsts...

...were achieved here during yesterday's game. The result was Corpus Christi's first win at home this year in a day game. The Hooks are 1-2 in day games at Whataburger Field and 3-5 during the day overall this season.

Yesterday also marked the club's first win this year when posting six or fewer hits. It was the 10th time this year the Hooks have been held to six or fewer hits.

Pitching Rotation at Springfield

Wednesday: RHP Kyle Greenwalt (2-4, 7.98) vs. RHP David Kopp (0-2, 5.59)

Thursday: LHP Xavier Cedeno (4-4, 4.59) vs. RHP Kevin Thomas (1-2, 3.38)

Friday: RHP Jonnathan Aristil (2-2, 4.88) vs. RHP Michael Blazek (4-2, 5.28)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Brian Esposito

· Returned to club May 16 from AAA Oklahoma City, where he was 1-4 in 2 games

· Is 2-13 this home stand with 1 walk and 1 SB

· Last night's steal of second in the third inning was his first stolen base since May 29, 2008 at Frisco (was playing for Tulsa at the time)

· Batting .158(6-38) vs. RHP; .118(2-17) vs. LHP; .273(3-11) w/RISP

· Has thrown out 5 of 18 (27.8%) would-be base stealers

David Flores

· Is 1-12 this home stand with 3 Ks

· Is 5-39 in his last 13 games with 1 HR, 2 runs and 3 RBIs

· Has not played in the last 4 games

· Batting .128(10-78) vs. RHP; .293(12-41) vs. LHP; .259(7-27) w/RISP

· Has 47 PO, 64 A, 3 E (Fielding pct. of .974)

· In 115 games last year with Lancaster batted .269-14-57 with 24 doubles

Jon Gaston

· Is 0-8 in the last 2 games with 1 run

· Is 5-23 this home stand with 1 double, 3 runs and 5 RBIs

· Batting .260(26-100) vs. RHP; .186(8-43) vs. LHP; .170(9-53) w/RISP

· Was CC's defensive player of the month last May and offensive player of the month last July

Jacob Goebbert

· Joined club May 6 from Lancaster, where he was batting .260-5-18 in 26 games

· Has 4-game hit streak, 5-12 with 1 triple, 1 HR, 4 runs and 5 RBIs

· Batting .256(10-39) vs. RHP; .385(5-13) vs. LHP; .400(8-20) w/RISP

· Spent all of 2010 with Lexington, batted .291-10-98 with 14 steals in 135 games

· A 13th-round pick of the Astros in 2009 out of Northwestern University

Federico Hernandez

· Is 2-11 this home stand with 1 RBI

· Is 3-22 in his last 6 games with 3 RBIs

· Batting .117(9-77) vs. RHP; .121(4-33) vs. LHP; .214(6-28) w/RISP

· Has thrown out 6 of 29 (20.7%) would-be base stealers

· Was a combined .273-9-51 in 103 games last year with Lancaster and Corpus Christi

J.D. Martinez

· Hooks are 2-11 with Martinez out of the lineup

· Has hits in 25 of 30 games; has 8 multi-hit games

· Opened season with an 11-game hitting streak (15x42)

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

· Batting .352(25-71) vs. RHP; .297(11-37) vs. LHP; .424(14-33) w/RISP

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

Jimmy Paredes

· Has hits in 6 of the last 8 games, 11-35 with 3 doubles, 5 runs and 3 RBIs

· Leads league in steals (18)

· Batting .266(25-94) vs. RHP; .267(12-45) vs. LHP; .286(12-42) w/RISP

· Has 57 PO, 75 A, 9 E (Fielding pct. of .936)

· Hit .287-8-65 last year with Charleston and Lexington, ranking third in the South Atlantic League with 50 stolen bases

· Acquired by the Astros along with RHP Mark Melancon in the Lance Berkman deal with the Yankees last July

Andy Simunic

· Is 1-22 in his last 8 games with 2 runs and 2 RBIs

· In 3 games w/ Oklahoma City went 1-for-5 with 1 HBP and 1 run

· Batting .163(8-49) vs. RHP; .318(7-22) vs. LHP; .158(3-19) w/RISP

· Hit .293-3-43 with 17 SBs last year between Lexington and Lancaster

· A 17th-round pick of the Astros in 2008 out of the University of Tennessee

T.J. Steele

· Is 6-23 this home stand with 1 double, 5 runs and 5 RBIs

· Has 22 RBIs in his last 27 games

· Batting .218(24-110) vs. RHP; .321(17-53) vs. LHP; .259(14-54) w/RISP

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

Wladimir Sutil

· Has hits in 31 of 36 games

· Has 5-game hit streak, 6-18 with 2 runs and 1 RBI

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

· Missed 6 games (sore back) from April 25-30

· Batting .265(26-98) vs. RHP; .451(23-51) vs. LHP; .320(8-25) w/RISP

· Has 50 PO, 119 A, 5 E (Fielding pct. of .971)

· Was a combined .262-1-29 with 23 SBs last year with Corpus Christi and Round Rock

Jimmy VanOstrand

· Is 2-16 in the last 4 games with 1 run and 1 RBI

· Is 0-8 in the last 2 games

· Still, batting .400 (16x40) vs. Midland with 2 HRs and 9 RBIs in 11 games

· Is Corpus Christi's all-time franchise leader with 135 RBIs

· Batting .315(34-108) vs. RHP; .174(8-46) vs. LHP; .244(11-45) w/RISP

· An eighth-round pick of the Astros in 2006 out of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Brandon Wikoff

· Has 8-game hit streak, 13-25 with 2 doubles, 5 runs and 3 RBIs

· Has hits in 21 of his last 24 games, 41-83(.494) with 4 doubles, 1 HR, 18 runs and 10 RBIs

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

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

· Has 14 multi-hit games, including two 4-hit games

· Batting .470(31-66) vs. RHP; .435(10-23) vs. LHP; .526(10-19) w/RISP

· Last year with Lancaster hit .257-0-27 with 40 runs in 113 games

· A fifth-round selection of the Astros in 2009 out of the University of Illinois

BULLPEN REPORT

Starters: 12-16, 5.35 ERA, 230.1 IP, 32 HR, 83 BB, 156 K, .283 AVG

Relievers: 5-10, 5.01 ERA, 149.0 IP, 14 HR, 86 BB, 135 K, .277 AVG

Erick Abreu

· Last appearance: Faced 2 batters Thursday...notched a walk and a strikeout.

· Entered in the ninth Wednesday vs. San Antonio and retired both batters faced, fanning 1

· Blanked the Missions over an inning last Monday night

· Tossed 2 shutout innings last Sunday in Frisco

· Prior to last Sunday, had given up 5 ER, 7 H and 3 BB over last 2 appearances (3 IP) as a Hook.

· Walked 3 batters against 10 Ks in first 6 outings (1 ER, 9.2 IP)

· This marks his 3rd stint with CC in 2011

· Achieved 500th career strikeout May 8 at Omaha

· Has yielded 7 ER over 4.1 innings (4 games) with the RedHawks

· Last season, moved permanently to the Hooks rotation August 11 and started his final six appearances...won four straight starts (August 16-September 1) for his four victories of the year, posting a 1.07 ERA in those four games...earned TL Pitcher of the Week Honors (August 16-22) and CC Player of the Month honors for August

David Berner

· Last appearance: Faced three batters Saturday, walked two and coaxed a ground out to pick up the win

· Tossed a shutout frame and struck out a batter Thursday vs. San Antonio

· Touched for a run on 2 hits and a walk in 2 innings May 14 at Frisco.

· Gave up 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB in 2 frames May 7 at San Antonio

· Faced 1 hitter May 6 vs. Midland, LH Jermaine Mitchell, yielding a single...run later scored

· (2.0 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 1 BB) Surrendered a pair of three-run homers May 1 vs. Frisco...an Elio Sarmiento shot in the eighth and Tommy Mendonca's blast in the ninth.

· Has yielded 12 ER over the last 7 outings (9.0 IP)

· Ranked second in the Astros system with 12 saves in 17 chances last season... led all qualifying full-season Houston farmhands (minimum 56.0 IP) in relief ERA...his 41 games finished and 2.15 walks per nine innings slotted fifth best in the California League

· Selected in the 14th round of the 2009 draft out of San Jose State...led the WAC with a 3.20 ERA, 84 strikeouts and an opponent's batting average of .240 during his senior season

Arcenio Leon

· Last appearance: Walked 4 and issued a WP in 1+ innings Thursday...12 of 33 pitches were strikes

· Tagged for 3 runs on 3 hits & a WP over 2 IP May 14 at Frisco...struck out 3 & walked 1

· (1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K) Threw just 9 of 24 pitches for strikes May 8 at SA

· (2.1 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 WP, 5 K) Entered the game in the 7th May 5 vs. Midland and promptly yielded an RBI single to Yusuf Carter...touched for 1 hit the rest of the way

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

· 52 of his 54 outs have been record on the ground or via strikeout / 3 of 7 inherited runners have scored

· 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 with the Hooks July 19 and limited opponents to a pair of earned runs in his first six appearances (2.16 ERA)

Danny Meszaros

· Last appearance: Picked up save No.3 yesterday with 1.2 scoreless innings, fanning 2 against 1 walk

· Struck out 2 and walked 1 in the 9th Friday to notch his second save of the season

· Hasn't yielded an earned run in last 6 outings (6.1 IP), recording 3 saves in as many opportunities

· Picked up the save last Sunday at Frisco, working a shutout frame while fanning 2

· (1.1, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K): Yielded a grand slam to Midland's Stephen Parker May 6 after a 9-pitch at-bat...saddled with the loss

· Strung together 3 scoreless appearances to open season (5.0 IP)

· 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

Matt Nevarez

· Last appearance: (0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB (1 IBB), 2 K) Threw 19 of 36 pitches for strikes Thursday

· (2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 3 K) Tossed 2 scoreless innings before yielding a run on James Darnell's sacrifice fly in the 7th Tuesday night against the Missions

· Charged with an unearned run on one hit in an inning May 13 at Frisco...struck out 2

· (1.1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 2K) Allowed an inherited runner to score May 10 at SA on a wild pitch...his first pitch of the night / His 6th WP in 3 consecutive outings

· Tossed 2.1 scoreless frames to open season (1 BB, 3 K)

· Resided on the inactive list until April 23

· Multiple stints on the DL last season, but yielded 3 runs over his final 13 appearances for a 1.84 ERA

· Traded from Texas along with a player to be named (Jose Vallejo) in the 2009 deal that sent catcher Pudge Rodriguez to the Rangers...originally selected in the 10th rd. of the 2005 draft

Patrick Urckfitz

· Last appearance: Recorded club's 1st multi-frame save Saturday night: 2 BBs, 3 Ks, 2 IP

· Delivered 2.1 shutout innings Wednesday night vs. San Antonio, striking out 2

· Blanked the ‚¬ËœRiders over 2 frames last Sunday to earn the victory

· Has not yielded an earned run in 11 of his 15 appearances

· Tagged for 3 runs on 2 hits & 3 walks in 2/3 of a frame last Tuesday, May 10, at SA

· 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)

· For the season, averaged 8.78 strikeouts per nine innings and 3.24 Ks for every walk.

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

Shane Wolf

· Last appearance: (2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) Suffered the loss Thursday...yielded an RBI double to Kyle Blanks. Entered the game with the bases loaded...1 IR scored via a sac fly

· (2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 K) RBI double by Ali Solis accounted for his lone run Tuesday against SA

· Yielded just 1 hit in the 7th inning last Monday / Tossed a scoreless 8th May 13 at Frisco

· Made spot start for Keuchel May 7 at SA: 3 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 3K 5.0 IP

· (4.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K) Entered May 2 in 3rd after Keuchel collided with 3B Flores on a pop up...yielded a 3-run homer to Frisco's Mike Bianucci but retired next 14 batters to earn the victory

· Fanned 3 without issuing a walk over 3.2 scoreless frames (3 app) to open season

· Finished 2010 second on the JetHawks in victories (7) and fourth in innings pitched (108.2)

· Shifted to the bullpen in early July and went 3-0 with a 2.81 ERA over 15 appearances...struck out 27 and walked 5 in 32 relief innings

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