Hernandez keeps raking for Hooks

Teoscar Hernandez again showed why he's headed to the Texas League All-Star Game.

The Astros' No. 25 prospect went yard twice on another multi-hit night Wednesday as Double-A Corpus Christi beat Frisco, 7-3, at Dr Pepper Ballpark.

After popping out in the first inning, Hernandez gave the Hooks a 3-0 lead with a two-run homer over the center field wall in the second. Two innings later, he struck again, this time sending a two-run blast to left. He also doubled in the sixth for his seventh game of the season with at least three hits.

"The first one was to straight center field," Hooks manager Rodney Linares said. "The second one, he laid off a couple of breaking balls and he got one up and he absolutely crushed it. It was a line drive, it was gone as soon as he made contact. We all know he has that in him and I'm happy for his success. They pitched him tough, knowing that he's a league leader in a lot of categories, but he's really maturing as a player.

"He's been working extremely hard at not chasing pitches. We all know that Teo has big league ability. As long as he swings at strikes, he's gonna be fine. I've been happy with what I've seen from him all year."

After compiling an .840 OPS in May, Hernandez has been even better this month, with a .383/.448/.600 slash line in 14 games. Three of the midseason All-Star's six homers this season have come in June, a month in which he's scored 14 runs and driven in eight. The 23-year-old outfielder is 14-for-31 (.452) in his last seven games.

"He's been steady," Linares said. "Everybody was scuffling, and him and [Alex] Bregman kept us afloat. Having him leading off and that speed and also that he can hit a ball out of the park at any time, it's comforting for a manger to have that at the top of the lineup."

A season after hitting .219 in 121 games for the Hooks, Hernandez leads the league with a .312 batting average and is second behind Bregman with 46 runs scored. The native of the Dominican Republic also tops the circuit with 23 stolen bases.

"I think it's more of a consistency thing with recognizing spin on breaking balls," Linares said. "I think he's a big league player. Last year, it was a struggle from the beginning; he'd get himself out so many times. One thing that people don't give him credit for, being his first full year in Double-A, he also hit 17 home runs and stole more than 30 bags.

"The problem with him was chasing the off-speed, and expanding the zone with two strikes was the biggest issue. He's done a great job with that [this year] and if he continues to do that, he'll not only play in the big leagues, he'll be a productive player."

Considering his gaudy numbers, it's only natural to wonder what might be next for Hernandez.

"For me, it's just a matter of time," Linares said. "He's well on his way for a promotion in the next couple of weeks. We have a lot of guys that are deserving. There are guys ahead of them and it's all about getting the [opportunity] to play every day. It's not only the success part but also where are they going to be better suited for playing time. I'm pretty sure it's in the brass' mind."

Astros No. 11 prospect J.D. Davis homered and doubled, while Alejandro Garcia scored twice for the Hooks.

Francis Martes, Houston's third-ranked prospect, improved to 4-2 after allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while fanning three over 6 1/3 innings.

Rangers No. 14 prospect Ryan Cordell singled home a run for the RoughRiders.