Corpus Christi (5-3, 48-29) at Arkansas (6-1, 41-36) Saturday, June 30, 2018 • Dickey-Stephens Park • North Little Rock, AR • 6:10 P.M
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Corpus Christi (5-3, 48-29) at Arkansas (6-1, 41-36) Saturday, June 30, 2018 • Dickey-Stephens Park • North Little Rock, AR • 6:10 p.m. ON THE RECORD: 28-12 Home | 20-17 Road | 14-5-3 Series | 4-2 Sweeps | L 3 Streak | 2-3 Last 5 | 7-3 Last 10 TRAVS WALK OFF WITH WIN: Arkansas mustered a pair of ninth-inning markers Friday night to beat Corpus Christi, 2-1, before a crowd of 7,108 fans at Dickey-Stephens Park. Friday’s result spoiled a fine start by Akeem Bostick who hurled five shutout frames. Bostick scattered four hits and one walk while striking out four. Travs starter Nathan Bannister posted zeros through the first six in- nings. Corpus Christi finally broke through in the seventh. Yordan Alvarez cracked a two-out double and promptly came home on Lorenzo Quintana’ single into left-center. Rehabbing Astro Joe Smith survived three singles in the home half after striking out Donnie Walton to strand the bases loaded. Car- los Sierra retired all six batters he faced to preserve the 1-0 Hooks edge. Dario Pizzano opened the ninth and greeted Kit Scheetz (1- 1) with a triple over the head of Carmen Benedetti in right field. One out later, drawn-in second baseman Ryne Birk misplayed a ground ball, allowing Pizzano to score the tying run. Joe De Carlo was next and worked a walk. Nine-hole hitter Yonathan Mendoza notched a base hit, loading the bases for the top of the Travs lineup. Braden Bishop responded by lining an 0-2 pitch into right field for an RBI single to end the ballgame. HOOKS | TODAY’S PITCHING MATCHUP | TRAVELERS RH Forrest Whitley (0-1, 3.86) RH Johendi Jiminian (4-3, 3.35) • Selected by the Astros in the 1st round (17th overall) of • Signed by Seattle as a free agent in Dec. 2017 the 2016 draft out of Alamo Heights High School • 25-year-old hails from Nagua, DR • 20-year-old hails from San Antonio • Was the starting pitching for the North Division at the Tex- • Listed by MLB.com as the top pitching prospect in MiLB as League All-Star Game Tuesday...tossed perfect inning • Marks 5th GS after beginning year on restricted list • Enters tonight riding a 3-game win streak • Touched for 7 R on 5 H (1 HR), 1 HB, 3 BB in 4.1 IP last • Fired 6.0 IP of 1-run ball June 19 at NWA Sun in L vs. FRI...struck out 6 • Yielded 1 R in 5.0 IP June 14 at SPR • Did not yield a run in first 3 GS, going 4.0 IP each time • Owns a 1.76 ERA & .237 BAA in last 4 GM out...has struck out 18 against 5 H & 3 BB • Permitted 13 R on 13 H in 6.2 IP thru 2 GM May 12-17 • Started first-half title clinching contest in San Antonio June • Went 2-1 w/ 1.99 ERA & .209 BAA in first 6 GS 18...fanned 7 while allowing 1 BB & 2 H • Made debut as SEA farmhand vs. CC April 8, tossing 5.2 Went 5-4 with a 2.83 ERA in 23 GM (18 GS) between • 1-hit shutout frames...fanned 5 & walked 1 Corpus Christi, Buies Creek & Quad Cities last season • Prior 8 pro campaigns were spent in the Rockies org • Struck out 134 against 34 BB, 78 H & 5 HR in 92.1 IP • Went 1-5 with a 5.40 ERA in 36 GM (3 GS) for Albuquer- Averaged 13.9 K per 9 IP & 4.21 K per BB • que (PCL) & Hartford last year (Eastern League) • 1 of 5 high school pitchers to be selected in 1st round & • Struck out 41 & walked 41 in 63.1 IP earn AA callup in 1st full pro season in the last 20 years • Permitted 73 H & 10 HR, posting a WHIP of 1.80 • Others: Kershaw, Greinke, Chad Billingsley, Dylan Bundy • Opened the season with the Isotopes before being sent to Fanned 11 against 2 hits over 6.0 shutout IP in AA debut • the Yard Goats...logged 18 appearances with Harford Aug 17 at ONEOK Field in Tulsa • Pitched exclusively for Hartford in 2016, going 2-2 with Yielded 3 R on 8 H in 14.2 Texas League IP (26 K, 4 BB) • 2.30 ERA in 38 relief assignments • Struck out 9 over 5 hitless innings July 3 in High-A debut • Averaged 7.7 K per 9 & 2.17 K per BB • Permitted 1 ER or none 8 of 12 Midwest League outings • Has worked primarily out of pen since the start of 2016 • 8 appearances (6 GS) w/ GCL Astros & Greeneville in ‘16 • Made 21 starts for Modesto in the California League in • As a senior at Alamo Heights, went 10-1 with a 0.28 ERA, 2015...went 4-11 with 4.82 ERA and struck out 137 in 74.2 IP • Worked a career-best 151.0 IP for Asheville of the South • Day of draft, pitched Mules to a 5-2 state semi-final win Atlantic League in 2014 over College Station...11 K, 123 pitches, 6.2 IP • Owns a 1.42 WHIP over 197 career appearances UPCOMING PROBABLES Date Opp. Pitchers - Opponent vs. Corpus Christi Time Sun, July 1 @NWA LH Emilio Ogando (4-4, 6.54) vs. RH Corbin Martin (4-1, 2.72) 4:05 Mon, July 2 @NWA RH Scott Blewett (4-4, 5.70) vs. LH Ryan Hartman (6-3, 3.09) 6:35 Tues, July 3 @NWA LH Foster Griffin (3-9, 6.38) vs. LH Framber Valdez (2-3, 4.86) 6:35 PAGE 2 HOOKS MEDIA INFORMATION • SATURDAY, JUNE 30, 2018 • ARKANSAS HAIL RANDY!: Last night, Randy Cesar went hitless for the first time since May 4. Cesar’s 42-game hit streak now stands as the Texas League, eclipsing the previous mark of 37 games which stood for nearly 50 years. Only 13 players in the 151-year history of Minor League Baseball boast a longer hit streak than Cesar. The MiLB record for longest hitting streak is 69 games, established in 1919 by Joe Wilhoit of the Wichita Jobbers of the Western League. During this remarkable streak, Cesar batted .391 with 28 runs scored, 12 doubles, 2 triples, 8 home runs, 30 RBIs, and a .428 on-base average. The Travs also ended Cesar’s 42-game on base streak, which stands as 2nd-longest in the 14-year history of Hooks Baseball. OF Jorge Cortes, who held the previous club record for longest hitting streak at 27, reached base safely in 55 consecutive games from May 7-July 7, 2006. Cesar enters play tonight with the best batting average in the Texas League at .355. He also ranks among the league leaders in hits (93, T-2nd), total bases (143, T-3rd), and slugging percentage (.546, 4th). The 23-year-old out of Santo Domingo, DR has hit safely in 52 of the last 55 games. TROUBLE WITH THE TRAVS: Arkansas now owns 2 triumphs when trailing after 8 innings this year, and both have come at the expense of the Hooks. The Hooks roared into Dickey-Stephens Park having won 3 consecutive series. Now, the club aims to avoid being swept for the third time this season. The Travs were the first club to sweep Corpus Christi, doing so in the sec- ond series of the year. The Hooks are 0-5 at this ballpark in 2018. RUNS AT A PREMIUM: The Travelers have held the Hooks to 1 run on 9 hits (4 doubles) over the first 2 games of this series, while striking out 20 batters against 2 walks in 18.0 innings. Corpus Christi hurlers have been touched for only 4 runs in 16 1/3 frames. Arkansas has managed 16 hits (2 triples) and 8 walks in its 2 victories. 24 CANDLES: Happy Birthday to Hooks OF Josh Rojas, who turns 24 today. Rojas, who is tied for 10th in Minor League Baseball with 24 steals shares a birthday with RHP Rogelio Armenteros, the 2017 Hooks Pitcher of the Year. Armenteros is slated to pitch tonight at Sacramento. Going back to last season, Fresno is 20-2 with Armenteros on the hill. The 24-year-old Cuban is 5-0 with a 3.29 ERA in 12 GS for the Grizzlies this season. CIONEL TO THE SHOW: The Astros have recalled LHP Cionel Perez while placing SS Carlos Correa (back) on the disabled list. Perez is primed to become the 102nd player in the 14-year history of the Hooks to make their major league debut. The hard-throwing southpaw is the first player to go directly to “The Show” from Corpus Christi since 2015 when RHP Michael Feliz, RHP Lance McCullers Jr., and RHP Vincent Velasquez earned received the call to Houston. Perez, rated by MLB.com as the No. 3 Astros pitching prospect, went 5-1 with a 2.20 ERA and .219 batting average against in 14 games (10 starts) for Corpus Christi. The 22-year-old Cuban and Texas League South All-Star has struck out 11.1 batters per 9 innings. SMITH STARTS REHAB: Astros RHP Joe Smith, who is working his way back from a sore elbow, escaped a bases-loaded jam in the 6th inning last night in what was his first rehab assignment with the Hooks. Smith is 2-1 with a 5.49 ERA and .214 opponent batting average in 23 games for the Astros this year, striking out 20 against 7 walks in 19.2 innings.