Game Notes, June 4 - Arkansas at CC

June 4, 2011

Arkansas (23-25) @ Corpus Christi (19-34)

The home stand continues tonight as the Hooks welcome the Arkansas Travelers to town for the opener in a three-game series. Last night, the Hooks fell to Springfield 3-1 as Shelby Miller picked up the win for the Cardinals in his AA debut. The Hooks dropped two of three in the Springfield series and enter play tonight with losses in eight of their last 10 games.

The Travelers arrive in Corpus Christi slightly agitated after coughing up a 5-3 lead in the ninth and losing to the Missions in San Antonio last night 6-5. Arkansas blew leads in every game and got swept in the series - by one run each night. The Travelers have lost four of their last five. Prior to that, Arkansas had won nine of its previous 13.

Tonight's Matchup:
RHP Orangel Arenas (5-2, 3.55) vs. LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-4, 3.04)
Arenas, signed by the Angels as a non-drafted free agent in May of 2007, makes his ninth start this year and his second against the Hooks. Last Sunday at Dickey-Stephens Park, Arenas carried a shutout into the sixth but finished with four runs allowed (3 earned) on eight hits over eight innings in a 4-0 loss to Keuchel and the Hooks. Over his last two starts, Arenas is 1-1 with a 1.62 ERA. Arenas, a ground-ball specialist, has a GO/AO ratio of 2.37 this season. For example, last Sunday against the Hooks, 17 of the 24 outs he recorded came on ground-ball outs. That's a GO/AO of 2.43. Arenas enters play tonight ranked sixth in the Texas League in ERA and fourth in WHIP (1.224). Last year, Arenas was a combined 11-8 with a 3.64 ERA in 26 starts split between Cedar Rapids and Rancho Cucamonga.

His last 3 starts have been at home (last road start May 6 at Tulsa, an 11-3 win)
Named the TL's Pitcher of the Week for May 16-22
Was the Angels Organizational Pitcher of the Month last May (4-1, 0.87 ERA, 5 starts for CR)

Keuchel, a seventh-round selection of the Astros in the 2009 draft out of the University of Arkansas, makes his 10th start this year and his second against the Travelers. Last Sunday against Arenas and the Travs, Keuchel tossed the first complete-game shutout by a Hooks pitcher in two years. He scattered seven singles - six of them of the infield variety - and walked two while striking out four. The lefty threw 112 pitches for his first career shutout and his fourth complete game in three pro seasons. Keuchel's effort was Corpus Christi's first complete-game win since Tyler Lumsden beat Springfield 8-1 at Whataburger Field June 3, 2010. The last time a Hooks pitcher recorded a complete-game shutout was August 1, 2009, when Wilton Lopez beat Midland 4-0 in game one of a doubleheader at Citibank Ballpark. The last nine-inning, complete-game shutout for a Corpus Christi pitcher was crafted by Ronnie Martinez on June 9, 2007, at San Antonio. Keuchel ranks fourth in the Texas League in ERA and third in WHIP (1.207).

Has not given up a HR in his last 5 starts
Six of his nine outings have been quality starts
Named the Texas League's Pitcher of the Week (April 11-17) for his win over Tulsa April 16

Astros announce May players
The Houston Astros Player Development Department has announced its players of the month for May for each of its four full-season affiliates. Here in Corpus Christi, the honors go to LHP Xavier Cedeno, 1B Jimmy VanOstrand and infielder Brandon Wikoff.

In five May starts, Cedeno went 2-1 with a 2.94 ERA, with 30 strikeouts in 33.2 innings. He held the opposition to a .211 batting average (26 hits). For the year, Cedeno has been tough on left-handed hitters, holding them to a .239 average and posting 25 strikeouts in 67 at-bats.

VanOstrand was tabbed as the offensive player of the month. In 27 May games, VanOstrand batted .310 (31x100) with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR, 11 runs and 12 RBIs. He also drew 14 walks to post an OBP of .393 and an .833 OPS.Wikoff was selected as the club's defensive player of the month. In 17 games split between 2B (4), SS (6) and 3B (7), Wikoff posted 15 put-outs, 48 assists and 1 error for a fielding percentage of .984. For the year, Wikoff has 28 put-outs, 75 assists and 2 errors to check in with a .981 fielding percentage. He has also been a part of nine double plays.

Go Go Goebbert
The Hooks were held to one run on eight hits in each of the last two games against Springfield. While the club went just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position over the last two nights, it was Jacob Goebbert who delivered both of those hits and therefore is the only Corpus Christi player to pick up an RBI in the last two games.

Goebbert has hit safely in five straight (9x17) and is batting .433 (13x30) with RISP. Goebbert currently ranks 10th among Astros farmhands in batting average (.292), fifth in HRs (8) and tied for fourth in RBIs (34).

Urckfitz at home
LHP Patrick Urckfitz tossed three innings of shutout relief last night. In nine appearances here at Whataburger Field this season, Urckfitz is now 0-2 with 1 save and a 1.10 ERA. The southpaw has not given up a run in his last five outings at home, covering 9.2 innings.

Pitching Rotation vs. Arkansas
Sunday: LHP Andrew Taylor (2-2, 3.93) vs. RHP Erick Abreu (1-0, 3.20)
Monday: RHP Matt Shoemaker (3-1, 2.59) vs. LHP Xavier Cedeno (4-4, 3.73)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Jose Altuve

Leads the minor leagues with his .415 batting average
In 52 games w/Lancaster was hitting .408-5-34 and was leading the Cal League in hits (87) and triples (7)
Was just named Lancaster's offensive player of the month for May (.388-3-22, 7 SB)
Has hits in 15 of his last 16 games, 35-66(.530) with 2 doubles, 3 triples, 3 HRs, 13 runs and 14 RBIs
Is 9-for-16 in his last 4 games with a double, 2 HRs and 8 RBIs
In 2010 combined to hit .301-15-67 with 42 steals between Lexington and Lancaster

Emerson Frostad

Signed by the Astros as a free agent June 1
In 15 games with the Lancaster Barnstormers was batting .280-2-11
Played portions of 4 season (2007-10) with Frisco, batted .257 (253x985) with 27 HRs and 131 RBIs

Jacob Goebbert

Joined club May 6 from Lancaster, where he was batting .260-5-18 in 26 games
Has 5-game hit streak, 9-17 with 2 doubles, 2 runs and 3 RBIs
Has hits in 12 of the last 14 games, 19-48(.396) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 2 HRs, 8 runs and 9 RBIs
Batting .338(24-71) vs. RHP; .294(5-17) vs. LHP; .433(13-30) 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 7-27 in his last 9 games with 3 doubles, 1 HR, 2 runs and 6 RBIs
Batting .130(12-92) vs. RHP; .158(6-38) vs. LHP; .229(8-35) w/RISP
Has thrown out 6 of 34 (17.6%) 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 2-14 with Martinez out of the lineup
Is 11-36 with 8 walks and 2 RBIs in 12 games (10 starts) since his return from the DL May 20
Does not have an RBI in the last 7 games
Has hits in 31 of 39 games; has 11 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 .355(33-93) vs. RHP; .279(12-43) vs. LHP; .417(15-36) w/RISP
Houston's Minor League Player of the Year in 2010 (.341-18-89, 5 SBs)

Jimmy Paredes

Has hits in 6 of his last 7 games, 9-32 with 5 doubles, 3 runs and 2 RBIs
Leads league in steals (20)
Batting .262(33-126) vs. RHP; .265(13-49) vs. LHP; .286(14-49) w/RISP
Has 71 PO, 92 A, 9 E (Fielding pct. of .948)
Hit .287-8-65 last year with Charleston and Lexington, ranking third in the South Atlantic League with 50 stolen bases

Andy Simunic

Is 3-37 in his last 14 games with 4 runs and 2 RBIs
Went 2-10 on road trip with 2 runs
In 3 games w/ Oklahoma City went 1-for-5 with 1 HBP and 1 run
Batting .164(10-61) vs. RHP; .280(7-25) vs. LHP; .115(3-26) w/RISP
Hit .293-3-43 with 17 SBs last year between Lexington and Lancaster

T.J. Steele

Is 7-49 in the last 15 games with 1 double, 5 runs, 5 RBIs and 12 Ks
Does not have an RBI in the last 8 games
Batting .204(28-137) vs. RHP; .310(18-58) vs. LHP; .258(16-62) 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

Is 1-3 this home stand (all PH appearances)
Named Corpus Christi's offensive and defensive player of the month in April
Hit safely in first 16 games of the season (.418, 28x67); longest streak in TL in '11
Batting .246(29-118) vs. RHP; .421(24-57) vs. LHP; .303(10-33) w/RISP
Has 57 PO, 140 A, 5 E (Fielding pct. of .975)
Was a combined .262-1-29 with 23 SBs last year with Corpus Christi and Round Rock

Jimmy VanOstrand

Is 1-10 this home stand with 2 walks and 1 run
Is 2-22 in his last 6 home games with 2 walks and 1 run
Named CC's May offensive player of the month (.310-1-12, .393 OBP, .833 OPS)
Is Corpus Christi's all-time franchise leader with 139 RBIs
Batting .307(42-137) vs. RHP; .176(9-51) vs. LHP; .241(13-54) w/RISP

Jonathan Villar

In 47 games with Lancaster was batting .259-4-26 with 20 stolen bases
Batting .349(15-43) as a right-handed hitter; .229(33-144) as a lefty hitter
Rated as Astros #3 prospect entering the 2011 season by Baseball America
In 2010 was a combined .260-5-55 with 45 stolen bases between Lakewood and Lancaster

Brandon Wikoff

Has hits in 12 of his last 15 games, 18-50 with 6 walks, 2 doubles, 7 runs and 7 RBIs
Named the TL's Batter of the Week April 25-May 1 (.600, 18x30)
Named CC's May defensive player of the month (15 PO, 48 A, 1 E, .984 FP)
Hit first career HR April 27 at Midland in his 657th pro at-bat
Has 15 multi-hit games to lead club, including two 4-hit games
Batting .393(33-84) vs. RHP; .433(13-30) vs. LHP; .464(13-28) w/RISP
Last year with Lancaster hit .257-0-27 with 40 runs in 113 games