Written the week of August 17-23, 2026
We’re down to the last four series of the 2026 Texas League season. The season-long marathon is now down to the last lap. Who will sprint into the playoffs and who will wish they had run a little harder?
The entire South Division huddles under the same umbrella, all with a shot of the 2nd-half title. Amarillo and Frisco share the lead, but Corpus Christi, still playing 5-5-split-series baseball, remains one game out. San Antonio, in last place, has the same 24 games to close its 4-games-out gap by the last day of the season. No one has a lock, and no one is out of it.
If the season were a movie and the Hooks its hero, we’d be nervously eating our popcorn and gripping the seat’s armrest with no idea how the movie ends. And that is exactly how I’ve been experiencing this 2nd-half race to the finish line.
Have you had that dream where you’re trying to run from danger, but you can’t seem to make any headway? You’re terrified and can’t escape? Of course, you have! Who hasn’t?
Instead of running from danger, the Hooks are running toward the playoffs. They’re always so close but never quite there. All the tension would go out of these final weeks if the Hooks were too far out, as in seasons past, or too far ahead, which has happened maybe once since I arrived in Corpus. But they continue to trail by a smidge whoever leads the pack.
This week the six-game series is at home versus the Midland RockHounds, the team one game behind us in the race and two games out of first place.
Game 1, Tuesday night…
First of all, reviewing the 4th inning of Tuesday’s game infuriated me. I was livid. A full count led to a run-scoring single.
A full-count single? Okay, so what?
We will return to the 4th inning in a moment.
The first three innings were uneventful. Some hits, some walks, a few strikeouts, but no runs for either team.
Now we’re back to the top of the 4th inning. A single, groundout, single, produced the first run of the game and a pitching change. Trey Dombroski out, Alejandro Torres in for the Hooks.
Alejandro struck out Bobby Boser on six pitches. All six pitches were in the strike zone. Three were called balls, two were called strikes, and the sixth was a foul tip into the catcher’s mitt.
Ali Camarillo singled on a full count to bring in the second run of the game. Now this is what lit my fire. Alejandro Torres threw six pitches, the first completely out of the strike zone. The next five were strikes. Pitches 2, 3, and 4 were almost dead center. Pitch 5 clipped the bottom-right corner, the pitch that had Jason Schiavone, our catcher, heading to the dugout prematurely and the announcers discussing the call in disbelief.
Then Camarillo, with a 3-2 count, singled into right field. A close play at the plate, looking every bit like a great and timely tag, ended up with the runner safe. My comment to the texting brain trust: Screwed twice!
Midland scored all of its runs, three, in this inning. Our bullpen and one magnificent play would shut the scoring door for good.
I had a perfect view of the magnificent play in the 7th inning. Cameron Leary lifted a deep fly ball to left centerfield. Centerfielder Justin Thomas Jr., playing in his first Double-A game, drifted back to run the ball down. At the last minute, he caught the ball and slammed into the fence, and I do mean slammed! He crumpled to the ground.
A white blur flew into our bullpen, and I thought Leary had hit a homerun. When Justin finally got up, he pulled the ball out of his glove and tossed it back in. It seemed like a magician’s slight-of-hand conjuring act. Amazing!
The white blur? Justin’s sunglasses.
At the top of the 8th inning, my friend Rich Pachuta, a Whataburger Field usher, and I talked about the game. We were still down 3-0 after 7 complete. Our conversation centered on the fact that, despite the bleak outlook, the Hooks have a way of making a game interesting at the end. As I’ve written many times already, you don’t leave the game until the last play of the game—whether it be a swinging strikeout or a walk-off grand slam.
Trevor Austin homered in the 8th. In the 9th inning, Max Holy walked. Alejandro Nunez singled. Hector Salas bunted to move the runners to 2nd and 3rd. Justin Thomas Jr. hit deep for a run-scoring sacrifice fly that moved Nunez to 3rd.
Trevor Austin walked to put runners at 1st and 3rd with two outs. Walker Janek came to the plate having gone 4-4 to that point. He ended the night 4-5 in the hit department. Final score: Midland 3-Corpus Christi 2. Oh, so close!
The Hooks just don’t quit, and we fans continue to sit on the edge of our seats at almost every game home and away.
Except Wednesday wasn’t that kind of ballgame. The Hooks did not have a great game that night, and the 5th inning was the one where it all unraveled. At that point, the score was 2-1 RockHounds, so it was still relatively close.
In the 4th inning, Midland right fielder Devin Taylor hit a 2-run home run to left field. I was the only one in the area, so I trotted out to retrieve the ball. I have never felt so awful getting a homer, but I was alone in the rockers, and no one was on the berm where it hit.
The previous night I retrieved Trevor Austin’s home run ball with a lot more enthusiasm. It represented the first Hooks run of the night with hopes of more to come.
In the 5th, Jose Guedez entered in relief and walked one, allowed 4 runs on 5 hits, and struck out one. The bases were loaded with one out when Joey Mancini came into the game. He threw one pitch, a double play ball, and the Hooks headed to the dugout, but it was now Midland 6-Corpus Christi 1.
Joey pitched 3.2 innings without giving up a run. We’d score another run in the 7th, but that would end the scoring for the night. Nic Swanson pitched a scoreless 9th, and the Hooks went down swinging in the bottom of the inning. Final score: Midland 6-Corpus Christi 2.
Two losses at home in a close playoff race sure deflated the hometown crowd, and Ellen and I were no exception. We asked, “What happened? Are we through? Where’s the spark?”
Every week the roster changes. Yamal Encarnacion made the road trip to Wichita but didn’t play a single game. I haven’t seen him on the IL yet, but rumor has it he’s left for West Palm Beach, the place where players go to recover from injury. Drew Brutcher, Joseph Sullivan III, Cameron Sisneros, and Jax Biggers are a few of the Hooks players who will be there to greet him.
Alberto Hernandez is on the 7-day IL, but he remains with the team and is expected to play in Amarillo next week.
This week we’ve added outfielder Justin Thomas Jr. and infielders Hector Salas and Drew Wyers.
I am reminded of my conversation with catcher John Garcia in May with all this coming and going. We were talking about those who were veterans on the team versus those who weren’t. He made the point that the veterans were with the Hooks long enough to work well together. They made double plays and covered the outfield like, well, veterans. They played like they had been together for a while, because they had. It takes time to become a team. And with these new players, we’re running out of time to play like veterans.
In the early months of the season, the Hooks made a lot of mistakes on the field. They ran themselves out of an inning. They fumbled the exchange in a double play. They misplayed balls, not sure who should run down a blooper. They missed easy throws to second because of indecision. Trust and timing needed to be developed, and they were.
But now?
We shall see.
On Thursday afternoon Ellen and I arrived early at Whataburger Field. That gave me time to talk to Scott in a follow-up to what he’d said the night before: “I’ve got a great story for you.”
Thursday, he said, “This is the best foul ball story ever!”
A friend of his went to a Texas Ranger game, and his family sat with the owner of the Texas Rangers. The pitcher fired a ball toward the batter, who fouled the ball into the owner’s box. The owner caught the ball and later gave it to the family autographed by the pitcher, Nolan Ryan, the batter, Frank Thomas, and the owner, George W. Bush. That is the best foul ball story I’ve ever heard. What do you think?
Back to the Hooks. The refrain during the entirety of the season continues to be: “Where are the bats?”
Our pitching is tied with Arkansas for the Texas League lead in ERA, 4.49, and tied for second with Frisco in strikeouts, 1162. We are dead last in team batting average, .230. Our batters are tied with Arkansas for most strikeouts, 1194, which means we strike out more than the other eight teams, and more than our pitchers throw strikeouts. Where are the bats?
Thursday night became a battle of bats, not pitchers, which was a change from recent trends. Recent? Try the whole blasted season!
The first inning didn’t start well for the Hooks. Leadoff batter Casey Yamauchi hit a deep fly ball to left field. Alejandro Nunez came up just short of catching the ball, the play happening right in front of me, sitting in my left field rocker. Yamauchi stood on second base.
Devin Taylor walked. Nolan DeVos threw a wild pitch into the dirt, Walker Janek raced after it, threw wildly to 3rd base, and Yamauchi scored on the errant throw. Midland 1-Corpus Christi 0.
In the 2nd inning, Will Bush walked as the leadoff hitter and went to third on a Tyler Whitaker single into right field. With no outs and runners at the corners, we needed hits. Would we get them?
We would not. A strikeout followed by a strikeout had Tyler at first and Will remaining at third. Tyler stole second base and went to a recently-vacated third base on a wild throw to second. Will Bush scored easily. Getting runners in by bad throws and wild pitches seems to happen more often than by sacrifice flies and solid singles. Where are our bats?
In the Midland half of the 3rd inning, Devin Taylor hit another home run to break a 1-1 tie. Midland certainly had his bat for this series.
In our half of the inning, newly elevated Drew Wyers singled on his first Double-A at bat. Hot hitting Trevor Austin doubled him home to knot the game at deuces. Walker Janek with an even hotter bat homered to make it 4-2 Corpus. I guess we do have some bats in the lineup.
In the 4th, Drew Wyers impressed me when he scooped up a scorcher to third and fired to first base. Our guy Will had the missile in his glove and then he didn’t. Leadoff batter Brennan Milone stood on first thanks to the missed catch.
Clark Elliott doubled into right field, and Milone scampered around second to third. He would score on a sacrifice fly. Ali Camarillo, newly arrived from High-A, hit his first Double-A homer to push Midland ahead, 5-4.
This game had become a heavy-weight bout with each team clobbering home runs to take the lead. That lead would go back and forth throughout the game, each team punching hard to knock its opponent out.
In the bottom of the 4th, Alejandro Nunez led off with a double. Max Holy singled him to 3rd. Marcus Brown grounded out but moved Max to second and Alejandro to home to tie things up at 5-5.
Drew Wyers grounded out but the out moved Max Holy to third. Another wild pitch sent him home, and we took the lead. After 4 complete, Midland 5-Corpus 6.
In the top of the 7th, first baseman Jared Sprague-Lott, another player making his debut with Midland, singled for his first Double-A hit. Euribiel Angeles doubled him home to…you guessed it, tie up the game. We’d get a man on in the bottom of the 7th but not score. Where were the bats? It seemed Midland had them now.
But not in the 8th!
Amilcar Chirinos entered in the top of the inning and issued a walk to an opponent then retired the side. His walk-a-batter consistency seems like Amilcar’s signature move after he enters a game, yet he remains effective in relief.
We responded in the bottom of the inning in a surprising way. In fact, we scored a run that I didn’t even know scored until Drew Wyers squared around to bunt with bases loaded, two outs, and the score tied. Except it wasn’t two outs, nor score tied.
Here is what actually happened. Will Bush walked. Tyler Whitaker singled, runners at 1st and 2nd. Stevie Emmanuels threw a wild pitch, runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd. Alejandro Nunez struck out. Rats!
Emmanuels issued an intentional walk to Max Holy. Now the bases were loaded with one out. Marcus Brown hit a high bouncer to first. Jared Sprague-Lott fired home to the catcher who fired it back in an attempt at a double play.
The first base umpire signaled the fielder was off the base, no force out, no double play. But the umpire wasn’t done after signaling the first baseman was off the base. He signaled the catcher didn’t touch home, and our guy Will Bush scored for Corpus to take the lead, 7-6.
Drew Wyers hit a sacrifice fly deep enough to score Tyler Whitaker from third.
Chirinos returned to the mound with an 8-6 lead and immediately walked the first batter. Of course he did! And, of course, he then retired the next three—strikeout, pop up, strikeout—for his fourth win of the season.
Where are our bats?
Well, they showed up in game 3. What about Friday’s game?
The Hooks did not start well for the second time in as many days. It wasn’t exactly the Hooks who didn’t start well. Alonzo Tredwell did not start well, and you could see it in his warmup pitches. High! High! High!
In the first three at bats for Midland, Tredwell got the leadoff out on a fly ball to right field. He issued a walk to Devin Taylor, a smart move considering the fact Taylor had been a homerun-hitting-RBI-producing machine in the previous two games. Euribiel Angeles grounded into a force out at second.
With two outs, one on, Alonzo seemed to be one pitch away from getting out of the inning. Instead, four straight walks in a row put two runs on the board.
In reviewing the pitches he made, not one of those walks belonged to him. None!!!
What are you talking about? If not him, who?
The umpire called four balls, but Tredwell never threw four balls in any at bat.
This is according to Gameday. If Gameday is faulty, and it very well may be, my apologies. I also noticed many of those thrown-strikes-called-balls were hitting the top edge of the zone. They appeared high to the eye. ABS would have helped.
Devin Taylor: 2-2 count.
Nate Nankill: 2-3 count.
Bobby Boser: 2-3 count.
Ali Camarillo- 1-3 count.
Cameron Leary: 3-3 count.
I write this simply to say that Tredwell pitched much better than he will receive credit for. He dotted corners and hit the middle of the strike zone without getting the calls. Only Taylor might have gotten on with a hit, but instead of 2-2, he walked on four straight pitches. The other four batters would have struck out or at least had to have swung the bat. None of them swung at any pitches during their at bats.
As for the umpire, he called the balls and strikes consistently for both teams. In watching the game closer to the home plate than left field, I think the calls improved over the course of the game. I suppose, like pitchers, umpires have to find the strike zone. And he can’t help it if our guys are more free swinging.
During the game Ellen and I sat with our friends Jim and Joan Cologna, which also put us among parents, former coaches, and girlfriends of the players.
Tammy Schiavone, our catcher Jason’s mom, talked about what she’d prefer—Jason playing nearer to home—but said he loved the Astros’ organization and development program.
I still love it when the Astros win, but I’ve also gained a greater appreciation for Major League Baseball in general. Former Hooks players dot the major league teams—the Boston Red Sox, the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers, et al—and they have done well over the years. Unless they are playing against the Astros, I always wish them the best.
And it’s not just our former players. In 10 years of watching the Hooks as a season ticket holder, I’ve met a lot of great guys who’ve gone on to play in the Show from other Texas League teams. Jordan Walker came through with the Springfield Cardinals in 2022. He now plays for the St. Louis Cardinals. Cal Raleigh, the Big Dumper, came through with the Arkansas Travelers in 2019. He now catches for the Seattle Mariners.
Chandler Seagle played parts of three seasons with the San Antonio Missions. He was one of the hardest working players I’ve known. He debuted in the majors September 30, 2023, having his half a cup of coffee with the San Diego Padres.
Unless you’re from his hometown, New Bern, North Carolina, or played with him in the minor leagues, chances are you’ve never heard of him. For me, he represents the many hardworking guys who’ve passed through the minor league system but played little or not at all in the majors. Plenty of Chandler Seagles abound, and they continue to be worth watching.
Let’s get back to Friday’s game. Nic Swanson relieved Tredwell with two outs and two runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first. This time he had time to warm up before entering, so this outing went much better than his first-inning relief of injured starter Brett Gillis in Wichita.
Nic pitched 3.1 innings of 2-hit scoreless baseball. He came in down 2-0 but he wouldn’t leave that way after the 4th.
In our half of the 2nd inning, Jason Schiavone sent a leadoff shot into our bullpen. Tyler Whitaker followed him with a hit by pitch. With two out, Chase Call singled into the left field corner, allowing Tyler to race around the bases and score. After four complete, we were knotted at 2-2.
The rest of the night, we’d be asking the season-long question, “Where are our bats?”
Justin Thomas Jr. would walk twice. Our guy Will Bush would also. Max Holy and Chase Call would each get a walk, but no one would move those walks around the bases to score.
In the bottom of the 5th inning, the Midland infield turned a well-played double play. Both Ellen and I were impressed enough to message one another.
My text: I know it was Midland, but that was a pretty DP.
Her text: This is literally what I wrote right away: “that was pretty.”
Midland would score in the 6th and in the 9th to win their third game in four tries in Corpus Christi. Our bullpen would pitch well, allowing one earned and one unearned run in 8.1 innings. Ramsey David and Hudson Leach continued to show their promise with late-inning heat, with no runs, no walks, and two strikeouts each, setting down all eight batters they faced. Final score: Midland 4-Corpus Christi 2.
We were one game out of first place coming into Friday’s game. We left the stadium two games out. Amarillo won to maintain the first-place spot with the Midland RockHounds nipping at their heels.
Saturday, I carried a Walker Jenkins bobblehead into our ballpark. Jenkins is the Minnesota Twins current top prospect, and the Wichita Wind Surge gave his bobblehead away as a promotion while Ellen, the Hooks, and I were in town.
Years ago, I met Adam while waiting at the visitors’ tunnel for autographs. We’ve been friends ever since. I knew he loved the Minnesota Twins and that he’d be at Saturday’s game. I tucked the giveaway in my baseball backpack to deliver before the game. Delivering something special to a friend is worth the effort when you see the ear-to-ear smile.
Two things to note about the story. First, baseball has more to it than simply following a favorite team. For baseball fans, it’s as much about the people you meet as it is the team you support. Community is the common thread that unites us, whether we love baseball, comic books, or reading Jane Austen. I threw that last one in for my statistician.
To me, the ultimate community is the one built around the Lord Jesus Christ. I’m not trying to sneak religion into this conversation, but He is the most significant person in my life, and I’ve connected the deepest with others who follow Him. It doesn’t hurt if they love Jesus and baseball.
The second thing is paying attention, listening, and finding those opportunities to say, “I thought of you.” I know Adam. I know he loves the Twins. Wichita simply gave me the opportunity to do something to connect those two things, our friendship and his love of the Twins.
So let’s get to Saturday’s game.
Andrew Taylor started for the third time in as many weeks. He won his first outing and got a no-decision in his second. Would he finally be tagged with a loss?
The first inning suggested that was exactly what was in store for the big righthander. He gave up two runs on three singles, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk.
The Hooks came to bat two runs down when Justin Thomas Jr. led off with his first Double-A hit. My young friend Rhett beat me to Thomas’s homerun ball, and he’d later get a bat for his effort. Thomas would still need another hit to clear .100 on his batting average, but he had finally connected.
In the top of the 2nd, Jared Sprague-Lott took the first pitch he saw and deposited it in the leftfield berm. Midland led 3-1 after Corpus managed a Max Holy single and nothing more in the bottom of the inning.
At this point, Andrew Taylor hadn’t managed a clean inning, and he wouldn’t get one in the third. Ali Camarillo hit a single in the Midland half of the inning, but the RockHounds wouldn’t add to their lead.
Alejandro Nunez struck out but scampered safely to first on a passed ball. Justin Thomas Jr. moved the runner to second on a hit by pitch.
Here are the brain trust texts for what happened next:
Bad luck!
Ugliest, luckiest dp. Ugh!
The announcer is like, what are we playing, soccer or baseball?
Trevor Austin hit a rocket up the middle, but shortstop Ali Camarillo knocked it down then toed it toward second base. Casey Yamauchi grabbed it, touched the base, and fired it to first in time to complete the double play.
Alejandro Nunez had no trouble getting to third base. Walker Janek singled him home to close the gap to 3-2.
A beautiful double play described what happened in the top half of the 4th. A comebacker to the pitcher went Taylor to Nunez to Schiavone for outs one and two. After walking the third batter, Andrew struck out Euribiel Angeles for the third out.
Tyler Whitaker singled then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Marcus Brown socked a hustling double into right center to score Whitaker and tie up the game.
A hustling double?
Marcus sped around first and hustled on to second, beating the throw to second by a step. He’d make it as far as third base, but the game remained tied, 3-3.
In the 5th, Andrew Taylor pitched his first clean inning. 1-2-3, you’re outta here! He was aided, though, by two spectacular catches.
Leadoff Nate Nankil lofted a long fly ball in the direction of my left field rocker. I was up out of my seat, glove at the ready and hoping the ball wouldn’t clear the fence. I don’t know what it would have been, long hit or home run, but I do know that I had the best seat in the house for Trevor Austin’s amazing catch against the wall. Out one.
Clark Elliott struck out. Out two.
Chase Call snagged a hard line drive by Ali Camarillo inches off the turf. Out three!
Midland reliever JJ Goss wouldn’t be so lucky. After two outs, with Walker Janek and Jason Schiavone on, they’d successfully execute a double steal. Now Walker stood on third and Jason on second.
Goss hit Tyler Whitaker with a pitch to load the bases then plunked Marcus Brown to score Walker from third. Bases remained full of Hooks.
Max Holy singled to bring home Jason and Tyler. A throwing error moved Brown to third and Max to second. Max would get caught in a rundown on a ground ball by Chase Call. He stalled long enough for Marcus to easily score. After five complete, Corpus Christi 7-Midland 3.
Alejandro Torres would pitch the 6th and 7th innings and allow one run in the 7th. Railin Perez pitched the final two innings, allowed a run in the 9th, but preserved the win and recorded his fourth save of the season. Final score: Corpus Christi 7-Midland 5. Andrew Taylor got his second win.
With an influx of new players, the Hooks continue to work in new infield and outfield combinations. My notes on Saturday included: Too slow for double play, not smooth or quick. Well, huh? No one covered second on a steal. The guys are making pitchers work. Even at 3rd Max is solid!
On Sunday Ellen and I arrived early to the stadium and ran into Michael Coffin as he was headed up to the press box. He graciously said, “Yes,” to my request to go up with him.
Ellen met Amy Montez Frye, the Hooks’ public address announcer, while we were touring the press box. Amy told her about when she first met me. She brought her daughter to the Texas State Aquarium where I was a naturalist at an exhibit. She saw my name tag and thought, “The aquarium sure treats its animals well. They have their own pastor.”
I had inadvertently grabbed my church name tag rather than my Texas State Aquarium badge. My faux pas has made a lasting impression on Amy.
Bill Defries is my coffee buddy, and he told me about a friend of his who loves sports. Janice Odom, if she’d been born a decade or two later, would have been an exceptional sportswriter. She watches all kinds of games on multiple screens and loves it.
We managed to get her to Sunday’s game, and I had the pleasure of meeting her for the first time. She bubbled with the excitement of a kid in a candy store. Baseball has a way of bringing the inner child out in a person. I’ve seen 50- to 60-year-old men wearing humongous grins when putting on a mitt for the first time in ages. I place my own personal baseball age at 9 years old when entering Whataburger Field’s gates.
The roster once again had new names listed, names that would come up big during the Sunday evening game. Drew Wyers had played his first Hooks game the night before and was now on the 7-day IL. It’s been that kind of season. Brandon Forrester replaced him and played second base. On the lineup board, he had a position but not a number.
James Hicks started for the Hooks on Sunday, and he pitched a 1-2-3 1st inning, a very promising start. Justin Thomas Jr. led off with a walk then promptly stole second. With one out, our guy Will Bush singled him home for a 1-0 lead.
The lead would be short-lived as Brennan Milone led off the Midland 2nd with a double. With one out, Cameron Leary singled him home to knot it up 1-1.
I’d see a lot of Cameron on Sunday as Ellen and I sat in the left field rockers and he played left field. He engaged with those of us in the Goodwill Zone pretty much the whole game.
Chase Call would be our leftfielder, and, like Cameron Leary, he too conversed with those of us out there. Both would toss balls to kids throughout the game. Trevor Austin did the same the night before, but he didn’t start tossing them to kids until the 7th inning. Chase and Cameron started early and often.
The matchup would be another heavy-weight bout, but with pitches rather than bats. James Hicks pitched one run, three-hit baseball, striking out five and walking one. He would not get the win this night but would leave with the score tied at 1-1. Nothing would change until the 8th inning.
Jackson Finley pitched .2 of an inning and wouldn’t get out of the first. Ben Hansen replaced him and pitched 5.1 hitless, scoreless innings.
In the 6th inning, Andrew Marrero relieved Hicks, walked the first batter, got two quick outs, and then handed the ball to the freshest addition to the bullpen, Colby Langford.
Euribiel Angeles had walked and stolen second before Langford entered the game. He immediately stole third, where a wild pitch could bring him home. Langford instead walked Cameron Leary on five pitches.
I feel very uneasy with unknowns, and Colby Langford was a complete unknown to me. I certainly made my anxiety known to Ellen, who was sitting next to me. I had barely finished my grumbling when Langford struck out Bobby Boser for the final out.
Joey Mancini entered the game in the 7th and gave up a leadoff single then struck out the next batter.
I said to Ellen after the strikeout, “We’ve got so many new guys. They’ve never even played together until today. It takes time to develop a double-play duo.”
A smooth Forrester-to-Salas-to-Schiavone double play interrupted my discourse on how they couldn’t do what they just did. More than happy to be wrong about that.
Amilcar Chirinos entered for Corpus Christi and pitched the final two innings. He quickly got two outs, but, as he is wont to do, walked the third batter. Well, it’s usually the first one.
Midland performed a hit-and-run to perfection as Brennan Milone took off from first and Ali Camarillo hit the ball directly at the spot where our second baseman Brandon Forrester had moments before stood. Both runners were safe at the corners. Again a wild pitch could score Milone from third.
Chirinos removed that possibility from the menu as he struck out the next batter on four pitches, all strikes in the zone except the last one. Each pitch was a little lower than the previous one with the third one fouled off. He stair-stepped pitch four way out of the strike zone and got a swing and a miss. He is so good at what he does.
In the bottom of the 8th, Alejandro Nunez singled down the first base line then stole second. All we needed was a single to bring him home. With one out, Justin Thomas Jr. crushed his second Double-A home run in as many days, belting the ball over the home team bullpen in left centerfield.
Chirinos finished the 9th the same way James Hicks started the 1st, in 1-2-3 fashion. Final score: Midland 1-Corpus Christi 3.
An interesting side note that highlights the importance of getting on base. Justin Thomas Jr. has only two hits, both home runs, and a very low batting average, .105. His average will shoot up like a hot-trending stock investment with the next hit, but for now his batting average is miserably low.
Yet he gets on base a third of the time and hits with power. His on-base percentage is .333, which combines hits and walks. His slugging percentage is .421. His OPS, on base plus slugging, is .756, the third highest on the team behind Trevor Austin, .810, and our guy Will Bush, .759.
Those numbers translate into runs scored. Runs scored often become games won, and we need a whole lot of those right now.
The Hooks continue to split series and have gone 5-5 over the last ten for five weeks now. It keeps us in the hunt but never closes the gap. We remain in second place, but now we’re two games behind instead of one. With three weeks to go, our chances of making the playoffs seem to be like a Paul Simon song, slip slidin’ away.
Midland RockHounds 3-Corpus Christi Hooks 2 L
Midland RockHounds 6-Corpus Christi Hooks 2 L
Midland RockHounds 6-Corpus Christi Hooks 8 W
Midland RockHounds 4-Corpus Christi Hooks 2 L
Midland RockHounds 5-Corpus Christi Hooks 7 W
Midland RockHounds 1-Corpus Christi Hooks 3 W
Texas League South 2nd-half standings
Amarillo 28-23
Corpus Christi 26-25
Midland 25-26
Frisco 25-26
San Antonio 23-28
Baseball, Bikes, Birds and the Bible 
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