Corpus Christi (29-35, 60-74) @ Frisco (35-29, 68-66)

Jonathan Fixler took full advantage of his opportunity last night.  Inserted into the cleanup spot for the first time this season, Fixler went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBI’s to lead the Hooks to a 6-1 win over Frisco in the opener of this four-game series.  Fixler knocked in a run with a single in the first, then gave the Hooks a 3-0 lead in the third with a solo home run onto the top of the berm in left.  In the fifth, his two-run blast into “The Corral,” the box seat section just above the wall in left, made it 6-1 Corpus Christi.

Collin DeLome added a 2-for-4 night which included a triple and two RBI’s.  Tyler Lumsden allowed one unearned run over five innings to get the win while Chia-Jen Lo tossed four frames of shutout relief to get his second save.  The Hooks now lead the season series with Frisco 15-14.                  

Tonight’s Matchup:  LHP Fernando Abad (0-1, 4.50) vs. LHP Michael Kirkman (5-7, 4.52)

Abad, signed by the Astros as a non-drafted free agent in December of 2002, makes his second start for the Hooks since his arrival from the California League.  A native of La Romana in the Dominican Republic, Abad joined the team last Thursday to take the roster spot vacated by Wilton Lopez, who was promoted directly to Houston.  In last Friday’s series finale at home against Midland, Abad gave up a three-run home run to Josh Donaldson in the first, but settled down and threw the ball well enough to earn another look tonight.  In four innings he allowed three runs, two earned, on five hits and a walk while striking out four.  He threw 54 pitches.  Abad comes to Corpus Christi from Lancaster, where in 41 games for the JetHawks, all in relief, he went 4-6 with 6 saves and a 4.14 ERA.  In 82.2 innings Abad had allowed 78 hits while issuing just 8 walks and notching 79 strikeouts.                           

·        Last year was 2-7 with 3 saves and a 3.30 ERA in 45 relief appearances for Lexington

·        Has 428 career strikeouts in 400.2 innings

·        Spent his first four pro seasons pitching for the Dominican Summer League Astros

Kirkman, selected by the Rangers in the fifth round of the 2005 draft out of high school in Lake City, Florida, makes his 18th start for Frisco and his third against the Hooks.  Last Thursday at San Antonio, Kirkman suffered his first loss in over three weeks when he gave up four earned runs on seven hits over five innings in an 8-3 setback.  Outside of that effort, the lefty pitched well in August, going 1-2 with a 2.79 ERA in five starts.  In two starts against the Hooks, both at Whataburger Field in July, Kirkman is 1-1 with a 10.13 ERA.  Kirkman opened the season with Bakersfield in the California League, where in eight games and seven starts he went 4-1 with a 2.06 ERA, with 54 strikeouts in 48.0 innings.   

·        Notched a season-best 11 K’s during 7.0 innings of shutout work in a win May 19 at Stockton

·        Opened the 2009 campaign with 7.0 innings of 1-hit, shutout ball in a win April 12 at Modesto

·        Went 10-15 with a 5.32 ERA in his first four seasons in the Rangers system

Fixler power

Fixler’s performance last night gives him 9 HR’s and 22 RBI’s in 29 games this season with the Hooks.  If you expand those numbers over a full Texas League season (140 games), Fixler would have 43 HR’s and 106 RBI’s.  Not too shabby.

Jonathan, though, has also played 21 games this season for Lancaster (1 HR, 10 RBI’s) and two games for AAA Round Rock (0 HR, 1 RBI).  So, for the course of the year, the catcher has played 52 games and totaled 10 HR’s and 33 RBI’s.  Extrapolating these numbers over the course of a 140-game schedule would give you a more representative view of the kind of pace that Fixler is on – 27 HR’s and 89 RBI’s.

Lo on a roll

Lo’s four innings of shutout work last night marked his longest outing of the year.  He allowed just three hits and no walks while striking out five.

Lo has now strung together six appearances in which he has not given up a run, covering a span of 13.0 innings.  In that time he has allowed just eight hits and five walks while striking out 16.

“Cause 3 out of 4 ain’t bad”

Altering “Meatloaf’s” math a little bit here.  The Hooks have won three of the first four games on this road trip.  It’s the first time this year the Hooks have won three of their first four games on any trip.  In fact, it’s the first time the Hooks have won three of four to start a road trip since last August 26-29, when the Hooks took three of four in a series right here at the Dr Pepper Ballpark.

The elusive 3-base hit

DeLome’s first-inning triple last night gives the Hooks triples in three straight games and in five of the last seven.  Felix Molina had triples on August 30 and 31, while Fixler tripled on August 28 and Drew Locke banged out a three-base hit August 26.

The Hooks now have 29 triples this season, far short of the franchise record of 37 triples during the championship season of 2006.  DeLome ranks second in the league with 10 triples, one behind Peter Bourjos of Arkansas.

Hitters update

Jonathan Fixler has hits in 3 of his last 4 games, 5-for-11 with 1 triple, 3 HR’s, 3 runs and 5 RBI’s.

Jhon Florentino has hits in 7 of the last 9 games, 10-for-37 with 2 doubles, 4 runs and 2 RBI’s.

Felix Molina has hits in 8 of his last 10 games, 8-for-32 with 1 double, 2 triples, 2 HR’s, 5 runs and 7 RBI’s.

Pitching Rotation at Frisco

Thursday:  LHP Douglas Arguello (3-4, 3.38) vs. RHP Blake Beavan (4-4, 4.07)