Payoff Pitch: Sluggers Shine, Hurlers Struggle Through First Month

One month into the 2019 season, the Hooks have enjoyed the benefit of playing 15 of their 25 games thus far at hitter-friendly Whataburger Field. The result has been a high-powered offense leading the Texas League in runs scored, and 10 wins at home, matched only by Harrisburg at the Double-A level.
Conversely, Corpus Christi's pitching has been hit hard. The Hooks rank seventh of eight teams in staff ERA (5.57) and a 1.46 combined WHIP.
The Hooks have been unable to break free of hovering around the .500 bubble, sitting at 12-13 through April. They're 4.0 games behind Frisco (16-9) and 1.5 back of Midland (14-10) in the South division.
However, there's plenty of time to right the ship. J.B. Bukauskas, the Houston Astros' No. 6 prospect according to MLB.com who got off to a rough start, showed signs of promise in his last start with nine strikeouts and one hit allowed vs. Northwest Arkansas. Brandon Bailey also tossed 5.0 shutout innings in his last start on April 29 vs. Tulsa.

Through 25 games, the Hooks have several sluggers atop the Texas League statistical leaderboards as proven by the Hooks' league-leading 135 runs scored, an average of 5.4 per contest.
Granden Goetzman's six home runs are tied for first in the league, putting him on pace for a whopping 33 clouts this season.
When he's not making highlight-reel plays in the outfield, Chas McCormick can usually be found on base. McCormick leads the league with a .466 on-base percentage and 21 walks thus far.
Abraham Toro, ranked third on the Hooks with a .278 batting average, is riding a 20-game on-base streak through April, the second-longest streak at the Double-A level. The Astros' No. 23 prospect is among league leaders in RBIs (2nd, 21), runs (4th, 17) and extra base hits (T-5th, 10).
Infielder Joshua Rojas ranks second in the league in stolen bases with 10.
Righty reliever Colin McKee is one of the few Hooks pitchers thriving at home in 2019. allowing just two earned runs and four hits with 14 strikeouts in 9.2 innings pitched so far at Whataburger Field. The 24-year-old is 2-for-2 in save chances at home and is a sporting a 3.14 ERA overall.
The right-hander Bailey has seen similar success at Whataburger Field in 2019, maintaining a 2.25 ERA through four starts at home. He's got a 16-to-7 K/BB ratio and batters are hitting just .125 against him at home. Bailey owns a 2.84 ERA and a .169 opponents' average through five total games (4 starts).