Game Notes, June 20 - San Antonio at CC

June 20, 2011

San Antonio (48-20) @ Corpus Christi (24-44)

The San Antonio Missions come to town to close out the first half and open up the second half here during this four-game series. The Missions, first-half winners in the TL South, have won eight of their last nine and 16 of their last 19. San Diego's AA affiliate has swept the Hooks twice in four-game series at Wolff Municipal Stadium this season en route to their current 11-1 record over Corpus Christi.

The Hooks dropped three of four to Frisco and have lost seven of their last eight. The games here tonight and tomorrow night close out the first half. The second half of the Texas League season gets under way Wednesday evening.

Tonight's Matchup:
RHP Jorge Reyes (4-1, 3.47) vs. LHP Dallas Keuchel (4-6, 2.99)
Reyes, a 17th-round pick of the Padres in 2009 out of Oregon State University, makes his 14th start this season and his third against the Hooks. Last Tuesday at The Wolff, Reyes was unchallenged, scattering four singles over five shutout innings in a 7-3 Missions win. He did not issue a walk and struck out one, throwing just 67 pitches. Reyes enters tonight's start with a string of 10 consecutive shutout innings, dating back to his last stanza of work in a June 3 start versus Arkansas. A Texas League South All-Star, Reyes ranks fifth in the league in ERA (3.47). In his two starts this year against the Hooks, Reyes is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA, having allowed just one unearned run over 10.0 innings. As a hitter, Reyes is 2-for-6.

Has performed much better on the road (1-1, 2.40, 7 starts) than at home (3-0, 4.55, 6 starts)
Has not allowed a HR in his last 8 starts
In three seasons at OSU was 17-8 with a 4.66 ERA and was the College World Series Most Outstanding Player in his freshman season (2007) with the Beavers, going 2-0 in the CWS

Keuchel, a seventh-round selection of the Astros in the 2009 draft out of the University of Arkansas, makes his 13th start this year and his third against the Missions. Wednesday in San Antonio, Keuchel had yet another superlative effort, only to fall victim in a 1-0 loss. The only run he allowed over seven solid frames came when the defense behind him failed to turn what should have been an inning-ending double in the second. The lefty has allowed just one run over his last 14.0 innings (2 starts) and is 2-2 with a 1.93 ERA in his last four outings. Keuchel has been plagued by a lack of run support, as the Hooks have scored a grand total of 11 runs in his last seven starts (1.6 runs per game), getting shut out three times. His ERA over those seven starts is 2.49. Keuchel enters tonight's game ranked third in the Texas League in ERA (2.99), WHIP (1.13) and opponents' average (.241). He is 0-2 with a 2.08 ERA in his two starts against the Missions this year. At the plate, Keuchel is 1-for-6 with 3 Ks and 1 sacrifice bunt.

Has twice been named Texas League Pitcher of the Week (April 7-17; June 6-12)
Has 8 quality starts
One of three Hooks on the South Division All-Star roster (Cedeno and Martinez the other 2)

Let's play one
In a statistical oddity for sure, the Hooks have played their two longest games of the season here in the last two nights. Last night's 12-inning, 9-8 loss to Frisco required 3 hours and 51 minutes of our time. Saturday night, the two clubs played 13 innings in 4 hours and 8 minutes, with the RoughRiders prevailing 9-6.

It's the first time the Hooks have played back-to-back extra-innings games since June 22 and June 23 in 2009, when the Hooks, playing at home, lost to San Antonio 12-10 (10 innings) and 3-2 (11 innings) to conclude the first half.

It was the best of halves, it was the worst of halves
With profound apologies to Charles Dickens, we embark upon an exploration of the two halves experienced by these two clubs, who are separated by 24 games in the standings - the baseball equivalent of the distance between London and Paris.

Regardless of what happens in these next two games, the Missions have posted their best half since the league instituted half-season play in 1977. Doug Dascenzo's crew enters tonight's action at 48-20. The previous best half for a San Antonio club came in the first half of the 2003 season, when the Missions went 47-22.

With wins over the Hooks the next two nights, the Missions would equal the best half in league history (again, since 1977). The Round Rock Express, then the AA affiliate of the Astros, were 50-20 in the first half of the 2001 season. San Antonio would become the third team in league annals (since 1977) to win 50 games in a half. The other club to achieve 50 wins in a half was the 1998 Tulsa Drillers, who were 50-22 in that season's second half.

The next two nights are an entirely different story for the Hooks, who stand 24-44. With wins the next two nights, the Hooks would avoid the worst half in franchise history (25-45), turned in by the 2008 club in the second half. One win and one loss would equal the futility of that 2008 record.

Even with a pair of victories, the Hooks have established a new first-half low. Corpus Christi's previous worst mark in the first half was set by the inaugural 2005 team, which plodded to a 27-43 start.

Altuve impressive on offense and defense
He's been here less than a month, but infielder Jose Altuve, the minor league's leading hitter (.404), has been equally impressive on defense, and tonight will tackle third base for a third time this season and just the sixth time in his five-year pro career.

The last time he played the field, Saturday night vs. Frisco, Altuve handled 13 chances at second base, recording seven put-outs and six assists. That effort fell just four chances shy of the Texas League record of 17 chances in one game for a second baseman, set by El Paso's Ronnie Belliard on July 3, 1996. Since joining the Hooks, Altuve has 35 put-outs, 43 assists and no errors.

A note on Altuve's current 14-game hitting streak...it is the longest active streak in the league, and tied for the second longest streak in the league this year. The longest streak in the circuit this year belongs to former Hook Wladimir Sutil, who opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak.

And more on Altuve...not only does he lead the minors with his .404 overall average, but Altuve's combined numbers this year between Lancaster and Corpus Christi include 20 doubles, 10 triples, 8 HRs, 48 runs, 50 RBIs and 21 stolen bases.

Three-millionth fan
A Whataburger Field attendance milestone was achieved during last night's Father's Day game. The Hooks surpassed the three-million mark in all-time regular-season attendance, doing so in the 32nd game of the seventh year in franchise history.

The three-millionth fan to pass through the gates at Whataburger Field was identified by Hooks executives as Edgar Franke of Agua Dulce, who came to the game with his extended family. Franke and his family were greeted with flowers and confetti upon entering the ballpark and were given and gift bag that included Hooks jerseys and caps. The Franke's enjoyed the game from the owner's suite, complete with food and beverage, and also received a VIP tour of Whataburger Field.

Michael Franke, Edgar's son, was a third-inning guest on last night's broadcast on NewsRadio 1360, KKTX, with play-by-play host Matt Hicks. Franke revealed during the interview that the family had planned to celebrate Father's Day by enjoying a late lunch at a restaurant, but at the last minute decided instead to attend the Hooks game. They were pleased with their decision.

The Franke's were a part of a crowd of 5,138 that attended last night's game. In six-and-a-half seasons of Hooks baseball, the current regular-season attendance figure stands at 3,002,674 fans.

Pitching Rotation vs. San Antonio
Tuesday: RHP Casey Kelly (5-2, 3.72) vs. RHP Erick Abreu (4-0, 2.84)
Wednesday: RHP Simon Castro (1-0, 4.20) vs. LHP Xavier Cedeno (4-4, 3.50)
Thursday: RHP Anthony Bass (6-4, 3.86) vs. RHP Jonnathan Aristil (3-5, 5.60)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Jose Altuve

Leads the minor leagues with his .404 batting average (116x287)
In 52 games w/Lancaster was hitting .408-5-34 and was leading the Cal League in hits (87) and triples (7)
Was named Lancaster's offensive player of the month for May (.388-3-22, 7 SB)
Has 14-game hit streak, 23-59 with 7 doubles, 3 triples, 2 HRs, 9 runs and 13 RBIs
Has hits in 29 of his last 31 games, 58-129(.450) with 9 doubles, 6 triples, 5 HRs, 22 runs and 27 RBIs
Batting .379(22-58) vs. RHP; .438(7-16) vs. LHP; .400(10-25) w/RISP
Has 35 PO, 43 A, 0 E (Fielding pct. of 1.000)
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
Has hits in 5 of his last 6 games, 8-23 with 1 double, 1 HR, 3 runs and 3 RBIs
Has thrown out 5 of 12 (41.7%) would-be base stealers
Played portions of 4 seasons (2007-10) with Frisco, batted .257 (253x985) with 27 HRs and 131 RBIs

Jon Gaston

Returned June 8 from the temporarily inactive list
Has 3-game hit streak, 5-13 with 2 runs and 3 RBIs
Has hits in 6 of 9 games since his return from the TI list, 11-32 with 1 double, 2 runs and 5 RBIs
Batting .248(37-149) vs. RHP; .196(11-56) vs. LHP; .191(13-68) w/RISP

Jacob Goebbert

Joined club May 6 from Lancaster, where he was batting .260-5-18 in 26 games
Has hits in 4 of the last 6 games, 7-24 with 2 doubles, 2 runs and 1 RBI
Batting .330(35-106) vs. RHP; .242(8-33) vs. LHP; .381(16-42) 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 1-9 in his last 4 games with 3 walks
In 9 games this month is 5-26 with 1 double, 1 run and 2 RBIs
Batting .145(16-110) vs. RHP; .140(6-43) vs. LHP; .195(8-41) w/RISP
Has thrown out 8 of 40 (20.0%) would-be base stealers
Was a combined .273-9-51 in 103 games last year with Lancaster and Corpus Christi

J.D. Martinez

Voted onto the South Division All-Star team as a starting outfielder
Has 9-game hit streak, 13-38 with 2 doubles, 5 runs and 4 RBIs
Has 2 extra-base hits (2 doubles) in his last 29 games
Has 14 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 .316(42-133) vs. RHP; .317(19-60) vs. LHP; .362(21-58) w/RISP
Houston's Minor League Player of the Year in 2010 (.341-18-89, 5 SBs)

Jimmy Paredes

Has 4-game hit streak, 6-20 with 1 double, 1 triple, 4 runs and 4 RBIs
Has hits in 10 of his last 13 games, 18-59 with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 HRs, 13 runs and 7 RBIs
Is second in the TL in steals (22)
Tied for team lead with 19 multi-hit games, including two 4-hit games
Batting .272(46-169) vs. RHP; .275(19-69) vs. LHP; .269(18-67) w/RISP
Has 85 PO, 125 A, 10 E (Fielding pct. of .955)
Hit .287-8-65 last year with Charleston and Lexington, ranking third in the South Atlantic League with 50 stolen bases

T.J. Steele

Is 0-13 in the last 3 games with 1 run and 1 RBI
Is 2-36 in the last 10 games with 1 double, 2 runs and 3 RBIs
Batting .173(30-173) vs. RHP; .288(21-73) vs. LHP; .224(17-76) w/RISP
In his first three pro seasons hit .281-10-79 in 157 games; his playing time hampered by a variety of injuries

Jose Vallejo

Joined Hooks June 8 from AAA Oklahoma City
In 37 games with the RedHawks was batting .209(19x91) with 1 double, 2 HRs, 7 RBIs and 1 SB
Is 1-16 in his last 6 games with 1 RBI
In 34 games last year with the Hooks he hit .111-0-2 with 1 SB
Acquired by the Astros along with RHP Matt Nevarez in the deal that sent C Ivan Rodriguez to Texas in August of 2009

Jimmy VanOstrand

Has hits in 11 of his last 13 games, 17-44 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 3 HRs, 6 runs and 7 RBIs
Tied for team lead with 19 multi-hit games
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 146 RBIs
Batting .307(50-163) vs. RHP; .258(17-66) vs. LHP; .234(15-64) w/RISP

Jonathan Villar

In 47 games with Lancaster was batting .259-4-26 with 20 stolen bases
Went 4-6 last night for his first 4-hit game of the season (had been 0-12 and 3-29 prior to last night)
Has struck out in 13 of 15 games with the Hooks
Batting .302(19-63) as a right-handed hitter; .229(40-175) as a lefty hitter
Has 22 PO, 36 A, 7 E (Fielding pct. of .892)
Rated as Astros #3 prospect entering the 2011 season by Baseball America

Brandon Wikoff

Has 3-game hit streak, 4-15 with 2 runs and 1 RBI
Is 2-10 this home stand with 2 walks and 2 runs
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 16 multi-hit games, including two 4-hit games
Batting .367(40-109) vs. RHP; .382(13-34) vs. LHP; .429(15-35) w/RISP
Last year with Lancaster hit .257-0-27 with 40 runs in 113 games

BULLPEN REPORT

Starters: 17-26, 4.84 ERA, 373.2 IP, 46 HR, 133 BB, 270 K, .271 AVG
Relievers: 7-18, 5.15 ERA, 230.2 IP, 22 HR, 139 BB, 206 K, .273 AVG

Sammy Gervacio

Last appearance: Tossed 2 shutout frames Saturday night against Frisco
Has not yielded an earned run in last 5 appearances (8.1 IP), striking out 9 against 2 walks
Blew the save June 1 against Springfield, yielding an unearned on a sacrifice fly...picked up the win after Villar's walk-off homer in the ninth
Touched for a run on 2 hits over 2 innings May 28 at Arkansas
Made his 2011 debut May 25, blanking the Cards in the 8th.
Joined the Hooks from extended spring training after rehabbing surgery on right shoulder
Was 0-0 with a 3.48 ERA in 7 games with the Express last season
Went 0-1 with a 12.27 ERA in 6 appearances with the 2010 Astros
Pitched for the Hooks in 2007 and 2008
In 13 relief appearances in 2007, Gervacio went 3-2 with a 1.99 ERA
In 47 relief outings in 2008, was 2-5 with 5 saves and a 4.13 ERA, with 82 strikeouts in 65.1 innings
Tabbed by Baseball America as the Astros No.4 prospect entering the 2010 season

Kyle Greenwalt

Last appearance: Yielded Mike Bianucci's game-winning 3-run homer in the 13th inning Saturday
Had yielded 1 ER over prior 5 appearances (5.1 IP), striking out 4 against 1 walk
Made first relief appearance May 30 at Ark...tagged with the loss, allowing 3 runs on 2 hits in 1.0 IP
Went 2-5 with a 9.31 ERA in 9 starts...yielded 8 HR, walked 12 and fanned 28 in 38.2 IP
Tagged for 31 ER over 6 outings in May, issuing 10 walks and 17 strikeouts in 19.1 innings
Led the JetHawks in wins and ranked second in starts (27) and innings pitched (136.2) last season
Went 2-0 with a 2.35 ERA in 5 starts for the Peoria Javelinas this past fall
Was Greeneville's MVP in 2008 (6-4, 3.14 ERA), posting the second-best overall ERA (3.01) among Astros farmhands

Brad Hennessey

Last appearance: Blanked the RoughRiders over 2 innings last night
Yielded a solo HR to Renny Osuna Friday night in first AB of Hooks debut
Free-agent signee of the Astros in June
First-round pick (21st overall) of San Francisco in 2001
Went 1-3 with a 7.76 ERA in 14 appearances for Triple-A Rochester in Twins system last season
17-23 with a 4.69 ERA and 20 saves in 26 chances with the Giants from 2004-08
Saved 19 games and notched 13 holds over 69 appearances for San Francisco in 2007

Blake King

Last appearance: Fashioned 3 scoreless frames last night, fanning 3 while walking 1.
Walked a batter who came around to score on a sac fly in the 8th Thursday night
Struck out 2 and allowed 1 hit in 1 inning June 12 in San Antonio
Yielded 4 runs in first four appearances (3.2 IP), walking 7 against 5 Ks
Tossed a shutout frame, fanning 3 against 1 walk May 27 at Springfield in Hooks debut
Claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on May 26
Was 2-0 with a 11.08 ERA in 15 games at Memphis / Yielded 2 runs on in 1.1 IP with Springfield
Has issued a combined 24 walks against 20 strikeouts in 2011
Rated by BA as having the best slider in the St. Louis system in 2010
Went 4-3 with a 2.91 ERA at Springfield last season, tossed 84 Ks over 68.0 IP - 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings - one of the highest ratios in the minors
Held the opposition to a .171 batting average, tops among Texas League relievers

Arcenio Leon

Last appearance: Touched for 1 ER on 3 hits Saturday night vs. Frisco
Struck out 2 over a shutout 7th Friday night
Yielded 2 runs on 3 hits and 3 walks in 1.2 innings Tuesday night at San Antonio
Has walked a batter in all but 7 of his outings this year
17 free passes, 4 WP in 9 game stretch from May 2 to June 8 (12 IP, 6.75 ERA), throwing 124 of 245 pitches for strikes
Did not allow an ER thru first 7 outings (11 IP)
Features a groundout to air out ratio of 2.46
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 w/ Hooks July 19 and limited opponents to 2 ER in first 6 app. (2.16 ERA)

Matt Nevarez

Last appearance: Tagged with the loss last night (2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K)
Worked 1.2 scoreless innings Friday night but walked 2 and struck out a batter
Issued 4 walks June 13 at SA, leading to three runs (1 H, 1 IP)
15 ER over last 14.1 innings (10 appearances): 19 BB and 14 K, tossing 178 of 315 pitches for strikes
Notched 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

Henry Villar

Last appearance: Struck out 3, yielding 2 hits, over 2 scoreless inning last night
Has faced 3 over the minimum, throwing 54 of 71 pitches for strikes
2011 Hooks debut June 13 at SA
Back from being placed on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue May 22
Went 2-1 with a 6.81 ERA in 10 appearances (7 starts) at Oklahoma City
Allowed 4 runs and 10 walks against 2 strikeouts over 6.1 innings as a RedHawk reliever
Made his big-league debut last season as a September call-up, yielding 3 ER in 6 IP
Was 4-7 with a 4.15 ERA for the 2010 Hooks, appearing in 25 of 36 games out of the bullpen
Won Corpus Christi's pitcher of the month honors for April, allowing 1 ER in 12.2 IP
Shifted to Lancaster's rotation full-time in early July last season to gain more innings
Struck out 109 batters and walked 18 in 90.0 IP for Lexington in 2009