Laureano posts first career five-hit game
After reaching the Texas League at midseason last year, Ramón Laureano's first half in 2017 with Double-A Corpus Christi earned him just a break at the All-Star break. That time off might have been just what he needed.The No. 8 Astros prospect recorded his first career five-hit game and drove
After reaching the Texas League at midseason last year,
The No. 8 Astros prospect recorded his first career five-hit game and drove in three runs as the Hooks topped the Arkansas Travelers, 6-5, at Whataburger Field. Laureano belted the game-winning triple, doubled twice, singled two times and scored twice while nabbing his 18th stolen base -- third-best in the Texas League.
Gameday box score
"It's pretty cool especially since we got the win, that's always awesome," he told the Corpus Christi Caller Times. "I'm just trying to keep the game simple and trying to get something over the middle of the plate and that's it and not miss it."
In 77 games this season, Laureano is hitting .232/.307/.360 with five homers and 38 RBIs. Sunday's performance marked his fifth consecutive multi-hit game and he's turned around his .196 first-half average to a .462 clip in 11 games since the All-Star break.
"I get into two strikes too much whenever I swing too early in the count and I swing at bad pitches," Laureano told the Caller Times. "One of the things I learned is to not freak out and try to relax and know that everything is going to be OK. The season is too long, it's just making adjustments pitch by pitch."
In the home half of the first, the native of the Dominican Republic blooped a leadoff double to right field after falling behind in the count against Arkansas right hander Justin DeFratus.
Leading off again in the third, the 16th-round pick in the 2014 Draft tagged DeFratus with another double, this time to left. Stubbs bounced out to push him to third and Houston's No. 13 prospect
Laureano drove
With Ritchie on second and one out in the sixth, the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M product came to bat against reliever
After Kobernus booted a grounder by
Ritchie finished with three singles in five at-bats while Stubbs and Davis each plated a run.
Switch-hitting
Gerard Gilberto is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @GerardGilberto4.