Game Notes, May 14 - CC at Frisco

May 14, 2010

Corpus Christi (17-16) @ Frisco (19-14)

The Hooks carry a season-best four-game winning streak into game two of this series at Frisco. Win number four in the streak came yesterday morning and afternoon by a final of 10-3. J.B. Shuck paced a balanced offensive attack, going 3-for-6 with a double, triple and four RBIs. German Duran, Jon Gaston and Wladimir Sutil chipped in with two hits and two RBIs apiece. The Hooks set a new season high with 10 runs.

Jordan Lyles (3-2) took care of matters on the hill with his third consecutive quality start. He limited the RoughRiders to a run on six hits over seven frames. The Hooks, now two games behind first-place Frisco, are over .500 for the first time since April 26.

Tonight's Matchup:
RHP Jeremy Johnson (0-2, 4.22) vs. LHP Martin Perez (2-0, 2.45)
Johnson, signed by the Astros as a free agent in December of 2008, makes his fourth start of the season and his second against Frisco. Last Saturday at Whataburger Field against San Antonio, Johnson had his best outing of the year, holding the Missions to a run on three hits and a couple of walks over five innings and 65 pitches. He did not get a decision in Corpus Christi's 3-1 loss. The effort was his longest this season in terms of both innings and pitches. Johnson essentially missed three turns in the rotation with a DL stint for arm soreness. Originally selected by Detroit in the 11th round of the 2000 draft out of high school in North Carolina, Johnson spent all of last season with Round Rock, starting in 13 of his 21 appearances and posting a 5-8 record with a 3.51 ERA.

Began the '09 season in the pen, going 2-1 with 2 saves and a 2.18 ERA in eight appearances
As a starter last year, was 3-7 with a 3.87 ERA
In 11 pro seasons is 62-49 with 7 saves and a 4.12 ERA in 228 games and 135 starts

Perez, signed by the Rangers as a non-drafted free agent in July of 2007, makes his seventh start this season and his third against the Hooks. Tonight's game is a rematch of the May 3 meeting between these two clubs, won by Perez and the 'Riders over Johnson and the Hooks 6-1. Last Saturday here at Dr Pepper Ballpark, Perez allowed a run on four hits and two walks over four innings in a 3-1 win over Midland. Perez got his fourth no-decision - failing to reach five innings for the fourth time this season. His distance into games has been limited by a relatively high pitch count, as he averages 17.4 pitches per inning. On April 23 here against the Hooks, for example, Perez threw 74 pitches in three innings. In 2009, Perez earned the Rangers' Nolan Ryan Pitcher of the Year Award, as he went 6-8 with a 2.90 ERA and 119 strikeouts in 114.2 innings combined between Hickory and Frisco.

Was 5-5 with 1 save and a 2.31 ERA in 22 games for Hickory last season and was picked by Baseball America as the South Atlantic League's top prospect
In five starts for Frisco in 2009, went 1-3 with a 5.57 ERA
The 19-year-old is ranked by Baseball America as the No. 3 prospect in the Rangers' system

Offense in gear
With yesterday's season high of 10 runs, the Hooks have scored 27 runs during their four-game winning streak. That's an average of 6.75 runs per game. The Hooks are batting .312 (44-141) during the four-game streak and an even better .362 (17-47) with runners in scoring position.

Shuck (5 games), Sutil (4) and Duran (3) all carry hitting streaks into tonight's action, and yesterday was a first for all three players this year. Each of these players had his first multi-RBI game of the season in the 10-3 romp.

Homer-less streak continues
For the second time this season the Hooks have not allowed a home run over a stretch of seven games. The first such streak occurred April 13 through April 20. At 14 the Hooks have allowed the fewest HRs in the Texas League this season.

The Hooks are 14-10 when they keep the opposition in the yard; 3-6 when they give up a home run.

The southpaws
We've seen plenty of them this year. Tonight marks the 20th time the Hooks have gone up against a left-handed starting pitcher this season. The Hooks are 10-9 against lefty starters; 5-4 on the road.

Corpus Christi enters play today with a .253 batting average against LHP, compared to a .241 batting average against RHP.

At this point in the season, 47 percent of Corpus Christi's at-bats have come against lefties. To give you an idea of how different that is from the norm, last year, 25 percent of Corpus Christi's at-bats came against southpaws. In 2008, only 16 percent of the club's at-bats were against southsiders, and in 2007, the figure was 25 percent.

Pitching Rotation at Frisco
Saturday: RHP Sergio Perez (2-2, 3.35) vs. RHP Blake Beavan (4-2, 3.57)
Sunday: LHP Douglas Arguello (3-3, 2.93) vs. RHP Tanner Roark (4-1, 5.06) Note: 2:00 p.m. game!