Game Notes, August 19 at Springfield

August 19, 2012

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Corpus Christi (33-21, 70-54) @ Springfield (35-18, 70-53)

The Hooks cracked 16 hits and scored six times in the second inning last night en route to a 12-4 victory over first-place Springfield. Corpus Christi’s eight position players reached base and scored in the series-opening contest and all but one registered a hit. Jon Singleton authored his third four-hit night of the season, smashing a two-run home run onto the berm down the left-field line in the first. Andy Simunic and Enrique Hernandez each had three hits and Jacob Goebbert went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Austin Wates capped the onslaught with an impressive three-run blast in the sixth which cleared the Hooks’ bullpen beyond the left-field fence.

Matt Heidenreich was equally impressive on the mound. He allowed three runs in the first, two coming on a home run by Xavier Scruggs, but all were unearned. Heidenreich allowed just four hits the rest of the way, walking one while striking out three in six innings. He helped out the cause with a sac fly deep into the left-field corner. Kevin Chapman and Erick Abreu each tossed a scoreless frame of relief as Arcenio Leon was touched for one run on two doubles in the eighth. Corpus Christi hurlers held the Cardinals to two hits in 12 at-bats with runners in scoring position.

Corpus Christi owns a 5 ½-game lead over Frisco in the Texas League South second-half race with 16 to play.

Tonight’s Matchup: RHP Paul Clemens (1-2, 5.32) vs. RHP Richard Castillo (7-4, 3.69)
Clemens, acquired via trade from Atlanta in the Michael Bourn deal in July 2011, will make his fourth start of the season for the Hooks. He took the loss Monday against Castillo and these Cardinals, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks. Despite losing two in a row, Clemens has improved over his last two starts, posting an ERA of 3.00. Eight of the 14 runs he has allowed with the Hooks (57 percent) have come on home runs. Clemens’ poorest outing August 1 vs. San Antonio when he allowed six runs in five innings while fanning a career-high 10 batters. Clemens joined the club from Oklahoma City where he went 8-8 with a 6.73 ERA in 20 starts. He had allowed 16 home runs and 32 walks while striking out 68 in 101.2 innings for the RedHawks. A seventh-round pick of the Braves in 2008, Clemens went 2-1 with a 2.05 ERA thru four April starts. He was 6-7 with an 8.02 ERA and an opponents’ batting average of .367 over his last 16 with OKC. A member of Houston’s 40-man roster, Baseball America rated him as the No. 5 prospect in the Astros system entering the season. Clemens went a combined 8-7 with a 3.81 ERA in 26 starts between Mississippi (ATL), Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City last season, while striking out 125 and walking 62 in 144 innings. He held the opposition to a .239 batting average and did not allow an earned run over a span of 29.1 consecutive innings, covering portions of six starts from July 21 to August 21. Clemens represented the Mississippi Braves as a Southern League All-Star before joining the Hooks in August.

2-1 with a 2.35 ERA in 5 starts for CC last season; earned pitcher of the month honors
Posted a composite 2-4 record with 3 saves and a 3.23 ERA between Rome and Myrtle Beach in 2010
Stands 29-30 with a 4.67 ERA over 125 appearances and 78 starts thru 5 seasons (207 BB | 422 K | 514.2 IP)

Castillo, signed by St. Louis as an undrafted free agent in February 2007, makes his 18th start with Springfield since he earned a promotion from Advanced-A Palm Beach May 15. Monday, Castillo permitted two runs on six hits, three walks and three hit batters thru 5.2 innings to earn the victory. Over his prior two starts, he allowed just one run on five hits in 13 innings pitched. Thru Castillo’s previous three starts, he was 0-2 with a 10.93 ERA (17 ER | 14.0 IP). After his mid-May promotion he started nine consecutive games in which he pitched at least five innings and allowed three or fewer earned runs. In that stretch, from May 16-July 2, Castillo went 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA (17 ER in 56 IP). He beat Corpus Christi in his third and fourth Double-A starts this season, after he allowed just one earned run in 13.1 innings against the Hooks on May 28 and June 3. In six starts with Palm Beach before his call-up, Castillo went 2-3 with a 1.86 ERA and a .169 batting average against. The 22-year-old right-hander split last season between Palm Beach and Springfield, going a combined 6-5 with a 3.91 ERA in 37 games, 12 of them starts.

With Springfield this season, he has fared better at home (1-1, 2.70) than on the road (6-3, 4.11)
In 2010 his 27 games started for Palm Beach tied for the Florida State League lead
Is 39-43 with a 3.59 ERA over 152 appearances and 111 starts thru six seasons (256 BB | 501 K | 682.0 IP)

No. 70
Corpus Christi now has 70 victories on the season, a first for the franchise since the 2006 Texas League Championship campaign. The 2006 club finished the regular season 13 games over .500 at 76-63. This year’s team needs seven more triumphs in the remaining 16 contests to finish with the best record in Hooks history.

Championship preview?
The teams with the two best overall records in the Texas League, to no surprise, have split the first 10 games of their season series with two to play. Corpus Christi has won three of the last four games, outscoring Springfield 43-21. That score includes the 20-9 rout on August 12.

The Hooks have been the Cardinals kryptonite of late. Springfield is 10-6 in August, but half of the losses have come at the hands of Corpus Christi.

Jacob Goebbert has led the charge against Springfield, hitting .417 (15-36) with 3 2B and 4 RBI in 10 games against the Cardinals this season. Overall, the Hooks hit .312 against Springfield, compared to .270 mark against the rest of the league. Tonight’s Springfield starting pitcher, Richard Castillo, has been arguably the MVP in the season series, winning all three of his starts with a 1.56 ERA. He has allowed just three earned runs in 17.1 innings. Offensively for the Cardinals, Xavier Scruggs has hit three home runs and driven 16 runs against the Hooks.

Series business
A win tonight would give the Hooks their 13th series victory in the last 20 sets. Corpus Christi has lost three and split four during this stretch. Since claiming three of four June 6-9 vs. Midland, the Hooks are 43-25 for a winning percentage of .632. Corpus Christi posted the best record in the Texas League in both June (18-8) and July (20-10). The 20 victories in July set a club record for wins in a month.

Schafer to rehab with CC
Astros outfielder Jordan Schafer, who’s been on the disabled list since August 7, is slated to join Corpus Christi sometime next week. Schafer will rehab his left shoulder separation injury in Kissimmee, Fla. for four to five days before reporting to the Hooks. Acquired by Houston last July in the Michael Bourn trade, Schafer is hitting .216 with four home runs and 23 RBIs in 96 games this season.

Astros fire Mills, DeFrancesco tabbed interim manager
The Astros have named Tony DeFrancesco their interim manager for the remainder of the season after relieving Brad Mills, hitting coach Mike Barnett and first base coach Bobby Meacham of their duties last night. The club has tabbed Dan Radison as its first base coach and Ty Van Burkleo as the hitting coach.

DeFrancesco joins the club from Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’s managed the RedHawks since 2011. This season, DeFrancesco has led the RedHawks, who are in contention for a playoff spot, to a 67-60 record. The 2012 season was DeFrancesco’s 17th as a minor league manager and is his 26th season as a player, coach or manager in professional baseball.

Radison, who joined the club as a special assistant to the G.M./player development prior to this season, has over 30 years of professional experience as a player, Major League coach, minor league manager and coordinator. Before joining the Astros, he spent the 2010-11 seasons as the first base coach for the Washington Nationals. He was the Cardinals minor league hitting coordinator for three seasons (2007-09) and was also a first and third-base coach for the Cubs from 1995-99 and a first base coach for the Padres from 1993-94.

Van Burkleo was serving as the club’s minor league hitting coordinator, a position he’s held since last season. Prior to joining Houston’s organization, Van Burkleo coached in the Major Leagues for four seasons, which included the 2007-08 seasons as Oakland’s hitting coach and the 2009-10 seasons as Seattle’s bench coach. Prior to his Major League stops, Van Burkleo spent six seasons (2001-06) as the roving hitting instructor for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Mills, who was in the final year of a three-year contract, went 171-274 in 445 games as manager.

Pitching Rotation at Springfield
Monday: RHP Asher Wojciechowski (1-2, 3.46) vs. LHP Kevin Siegrist (1-1, 4.40)

HOOKS PLAYER NOTES

Adam Bailey

0-for-1 as a PH last night | 1-for-3 with a BB and RBI double Friday in ARK
0-for-2 in Springfield series at WF...both ABs came as a PH
3 for his last 16 with three doubles and three RBIs
Has played in just six games in August (three starts)
Hit .308 with 2 doubles, 1 home run and 7 RBIs thru 17 games in July
Batting .250(27-108) vs. RHP; .300(6-20) vs. LHP; .306(11-36) w/RISP
Added to roster May 30 from Advanced-A Lancaster
In 47 games with the JetHawks was batting .279-8-25 with 2 SBs
In 23 games at the end of last season with the Hooks hit .323-3-15

Bobby Borchering

2-for-10 with 1 R, 3B, 2B and 2 RBIs in series at ARK
4 H & 5 RBIs in last 10 G (30 ABs, 11 Ks, 4 BBs)
Notched 2nd four-RBI game with CC last Saturday (3-R HR & SF)...lone start vs. SPR (ankle)
7-for-16 with 4 runs, two doubles, two home runs and 4 RBIs in series at Midland
In first six games with the Hooks went 8-for-20 (.400) with 3 HR and 10 RBI
Hit .277 with 23 2B, 18 HR and 60 RBIs for Visalia this season
Promoted to Mobile on July 3: .103-2-8 in 21 games for the BayBears
1st round pick of the D-Backs in 2009, rated as best power hitter in their system by BA
Hit .267 with 29 2B, 24 HR and 92 RBIs for Visalia last year
Played exclusively in the OF this season with ARI...161 G at 3B | 68 G at 1B thru first 3 years
Graduated from Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, same alma mater as Chris Johnson

Jay Fernandez

1-for-3 with a BB Friday night...lone app. at ARK | 6-for-33 (.181) in 9 G since rejoining club
Has hit safely in 22 of the last 31, 30-106 (.283) w/ 7 2B, 4 HR, 17 R & 20 RBIs
Promoted in mid-July, was 1-for-8 w/ 2 RBIs for the RedHawks...hip-flexor injury limited action
Selected Texas League Player of the Week June 11-17, hit .524-1-5 with 3 doubles
Batting .230(26-113) vs. RHP; .289(13-45) vs. LHP; .235(12-51) w/RISP
Has a career caught-stealing percentage of 38.8 (170 of 438)
In 8 seasons in the Mariners and Twins systems, hit .244-16-162 in 439 games

Jacob Goebbert

2-for-6 with 2 R and 3 BB at ARK | 5-for-10 with 3 R, 2 2B and an RBI in SPR series at WF
Has hit safely in 7 of last 9 games, 14-27 (.519) with 10 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBIs & 5 BB
Snapped a 2-for-15 spell | 7 RBIs in last 25 games
T-7th in average (.296) and is 5th in OBP (.397)
Batting .429 (15x35) with 4 2Bs, 1 3B, 6 RBIs, 8 BBs and 5 Ks thru 14 games in August
Hit .282 with 4 2B, 1 3B, 20 BB, 16 K, 2 HR and 10 RBIs in July
Promoted to OKC on June 9...went 4-for-30 (.133) with 2 R, 1 2B and 1 RBI in 16 G
His walk-off, 3-run HR April 9 the first walk-off HR in his pro career
Named Texas League Co-Player of the Week (April 5-15), hit .429
Batting .278(67-241) vs. RHP; .347(26-75) vs. LHP; .325(27-83) w/RISP

Robbie Grossman

Has hits in 15 of his 21 games with CC
1-8 in series at ARK with 2 strikeouts
6-12 with 5 runs, two doubles, one triple and 3 RBIs in series vs. SPR
Batting .288(19-66) vs. RHP; .353(6-17) vs. LHP; .231(3-13) w/RISP
Acquired from PIT with LHPs Rudy Owens and Colton Cain for LHP Wandy Rodriguez
Hit .266 with 20 2B, 4 3B, 7 HR, 36 RBI and 9 SB in 95 games for Altoona (.378 OBP)
Was 5th in the Eastern League with 59 runs scored and first in walks (59) before the trade
Named Pittsburgh’s Player of the Year last year, led the FSL in runs (124) and walks (104)
Hit .292 with 13 home runs, 56 RBIs and 24 stolen bases for Bradenton, posting a .381 OBP
Originally a 6th round pick of the Pirates in 2008 out of Cy Fair High School in Houston
Ranked by Baseball America as Pittsburgh’s No. 7 prospect entering 2012

Enrique Hernandez

1st 3-hit night for Hernandez Saturday...has hits in 4 of last 5, 7-20 (.350) w/ 3 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Went 3-for-12 with two runs, 1 double and 1 RBIs in Springfield series
Promoted from High-A Lancaster Friday...went 0-for-4 in Double-A debut
With the JetHawks, hit .275 (104-378) with 52 R, 25 2B, 7 3B, 5 HR and 49 RBI in 100 games
Let the CL 2B in fielding percentage (.971) and double plays (71) turned
In June, hit .330 (30-91) with 15 RBI | His 9.56 PA/K ration ranked 3rd in the circuit
Played for Lexington in 2011 and hit .247-2-17; with Tri-City in 2010, hitting .280-3-33
Named the ValleyCats’ P-o-M for August as Tri-City went on to win the NYPL Championship
Was the Gulf Coast League Astros MVP for 2009, after hitting .295
Selected by HOU in the 6th round of the 2009 draft out of the American Military Academy in PR

Drew Locke

Clubbed second inside-the-park home run in club history Thursday night
Went 2-for-8 in series at ARK with HR and 2 RBIs
Entered in a double switch Mon. (0-1), snapped 3-game hit streak, 4-12 w/ 5 R, 1 HR & 2 RBIs
1-for-11 in Arkansas series with 4 Ks
Has hit safely in 19 of last 23, 32-85 (.376) with 7 2B, 1 3B, 17 R, 3 HR and 20 RBIs
Hits in 28 of last 36: 52-140 (.371), 4 HR, 10 2B, 1 3B, 26 R & 28 RBI
Named the Astros Double-A Defensive Player of the Month for July
Went 5-for-5 July 19 at Midland, owns two of the five 5-hit games in club history
Thru 26 games in July: .371 with 15 runs, 7 doubles, 1 HR and 19 RBIs
Batting .321(52-162) vs. RHP; .306(19-62) vs. LHP; .379(25-66) w/RISP
Had played 40 games this season for Sugar Land Skeeters (.285-4-24)
Was the Texas League’s batting champion with the Hooks in 2009 (.338)
Holds franchise single-season records for average (.338) and RBIs (109)

Ben Orloff

Posted career highs for hits (5) & RBIs (4) last Sunday vs. SPR...5-5 with 3 R, 2B, & 3B
3-9 with one double is series at ARK
Has hit safely in 11 of last 16, 18-58 (.310)
Batting .250(17-68) vs. RHP; .353(6-17) vs. LHP; .214(3-14) w/RISP
Was hitting .288 with 8 doubles, 29 RBIs and 7 steals in 77 games at Lancaster
Featured the lowest K/PA ratio (15.09) in the California League...32 BB / 22 K
Featured a .972 fielding percentage, tops among CL shortstops
.284-2-31 with 15 doubles and 51 RBIs in 96 games at Lexington last year
MVP for Tri-City in 2010...ValleyCats went on to win NYPL Championship
Hit .307 with 52 R, 4 2B, 16 RBIs, 34 BB, 19 Ks & 23 SB in 63 games that season

Andy Simunic

1-for-5 with two walks in series at ARK
Has hits in 6 of the last 7 G & in 15 of 18, 24-68 (.353) with 2 2B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 9 BB & 11 R
Batted .316 thru 21 games in July, scoring 17 runs and driving in 9
Hit 2nd pro grand slam July 20 & drove in career-high 5 runs
Has hits in 24 of last 29 games, 39-112 (.336) with 25 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 13 RBI and 12 BB
Rejoined Hooks June 14 from AAA Oklahoma City, where he was 0-9 in 8 games
Hit .391 with 4 doubles and 7 RBIs during 16 games in June
3rd in the league in hitting (.313)
Batting .303(80-264) vs. RHP; .347(26-75) vs. LHP; .250(24-96) w/RISP
Finished last year at Lancaster: .295-5-28 in 67 games

Jon Singleton

0-for-6 with 1 run, 1 walk and 4 Ks in series at ARK
Has hits in 5 of last 7, 11-31 (.355) with 11 R, 2 2B, 4 HR and 12 RBIs
Has 7 HR in last 67 games / 11 HR thru first 50 games | 19 RBIs in last 16 games
Hits in 23 last 33 games, 39-127 (.307) with 29 R, 7 2B, 3B, 6 HR & 26 RBIs
7-for-17 July 2-9 w/ 3 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs & 4 BB to earn TL POW honors
1st in the league in runs (86), 2nd in walks (76), 3rd in XBH (47), 4th in Ks (116)
.347-3-14 with 9 2B, 2 3B, 18 BB & 25 K over 28 games in July to earn CC P-o-M honors
.148-1-6 with 4 2B and 20 BB thru 25 games in June
Named the Texas League’s Player of the Week (May 21-27), hit .500-4-12
CC’s offensive player of the month in May (.281-7-24, .931 OPS)
Batting .292(88-301) vs. RHP; .248(28-113) vs. LHP; .295(36-122) w/RISP
Batted .350 with 7 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR 13 RBIs, 12 walks, 16 Ks thru 22 G in April

George Springer

0-for-14 with 6 Ks in series at Arkansas | 0 for last 15 with 7 Ks
1-for-3 w/ 1 2B, 1 R and 1 BB in first AA start (8/10) ...HBP on the head in 9th...missed 3 games
Hit .316 with 18 2B, 10 3B, 22 HR, 82 RBI and 28 SB in 106 games for Advanced-A Lancaster
8th in the California League in BA (.316), t-3rd in HR (22), 5th in RBI (82), 2nd in H (137)
In July hit .389 with 6 HR and 24 RBI and 9 SB; had a .464 OBP and a .657 SLG
Mid-season all-star, voted CL Player of the week ending 5/14, 12-for-23 (.522), 5 HR & 10 RBIs
Posted 3 HR night on 5/11 vs. Lake Elsinore, 16-game hit streak from 6/23 to 7/8
Rated as the No. 3 prospect in the HOU system by both Baseball America and MLB.com
BA rated him as the best defensive outfielder and best outfield arm in the organization
Played in eight games last season for Short Season A Tri City last year and went 5-for-28
Received the second highest signing bonus in Astros history at $2.525 million
Selected in the first round (11th overall) in the 2011 draft out of the University of Connecticut
Became the highest draft pick in UConn history
Named the 2011 Big East Player of the Year after hitting .343 with 12 HR, 77 RBI and 31 SB

Chris Wallace

Rejoined the Hooks Wednesday following a 3-week stint at Triple-A OKC
0-for-5 in series at ARK with a SF | Was 0 for last 8 as a Hook prior to last night
Has hit safely in 8 of last 11, 15-34 (.441) w/ 6 R, 5 BB, 2 2B & 5 RBIs
3-for-3 June 22 at FRI with 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HR & 3 RBIs
Has hits in 10 of last 17 (.380), 19-50 with 11 R, 3 2B & 7 RBIs
Went 10-for-37 (.270) with 3 2B & 7 RBIs in 15 games with the RedHawks
.167-1-7 in 16 June games / .467-1-3 in 11 July games
Batting .248(31-125) vs. RHP; .268(11-41) vs. LHP; .245(12-49) w/RISP
His HR (20) and RBI (78) totals ranked third among Houston farmhands last year
Posted a .291 average in 4 years for the Cougars, led Houston with 10 HRs as a senior

Austin Wates

1-for-7 with a run scored in series at ARK
Has 3 HR & 15 RBIs in last 16 games
Went 3-for-3 with 3 R, 1 2B & 2 RBIs last Sunday following 3-week stint on DL (groin)
Has hit safely in 10 of last 13 games; 16-45 (.366) with 12 R, 2 2B, 2 HR & 7 RBIs
Hit his first walk-off HR as a pro July 12 vs. Frisco (3-for-5 with 6 RBIs)
4th player in Hooks history to drive in six RBIs in one game
Sixth in the league with a .303 average | SB Thursday...previous: May 31 at Arkansas
Hitting .317 (35-112) since the beginning of June with 6 2Bs, 3 HRs and 19 RBIs
Struck out 5 times July 5 at NWA - a career and franchise high
Batting .317(77-243) vs. RHP; .257(19-74) vs. LHP; .342(25-73) w/RISP
Named Lancaster’s MVP in 2011, led the JetHawks in 8 statistical categories