Tucker's homer caps five-RBI nightcap
The Double-A Hooks were on their way to a doubleheader sweep before a problematic bottom of the sixth inning in the nightcap. Kyle Tucker turned things back around in the seventh.Houston's top prospect belted a three-run homer to recapture the lead as part of his five-RBI night as Corpus Christi
The Double-A Hooks were on their way to a doubleheader sweep before a problematic bottom of the sixth inning in the nightcap. Kyle Tucker turned things back around in the seventh.
Houston's top prospect belted a three-run homer to recapture the lead as part of his five-RBI night as Corpus Christi followed a 3-1 win in Monday's opener with a 12-11 victory over San Antonio in the later game at Wolff Stadium.
The Hooks led, 7-5, through 5 1/2 innings in Monday's second contest -- in part because of Tucker's two-RBI double to right field in the sixth -- when the Missions rallied for six runs in that frame. That set the stage for Tucker's heroics.
Box score
"It felt great," MLB.com's No. 10 overall prospect said. "We were glad to get the first win and then come out with the second one. They came back strong in the sixth inning, so they kind of took the momentum away from us. We rallied back and got some hits together and finished it up."
When Tucker came to the plate with a pair aboard, Corpus Christi had already scored twice on Ryne Birk's single, cutting the deficit to two runs. With runners at the corners and two outs, Tucker blistered a 1-2 offering from San Antonio reliever Trey Wingenter -- who had entered the game to face him -- and sent it over the wall in right-center, his 14th blast of the year and third in his last five games.
Back up a run, Corpus Christi closed out the sweep with three quick outs from reliever Nick Hernandez in the seventh. The wins marked the Hooks' first in consecutive games since Aug. 9-10.
"It's a long season," Tucker said. "For the most part, everyone's tired at this point. It's getting toward the end of the season, and everyone's excited for the offseason. But we're here for a reason, and we've got to finish out strong. We can't let the season get away from us now and be like, 'All right, I'm done with this season.' We've got to keep it going to finish strong and play until the last game."
With that mentality, the 2015 first-round pick has started to turn around a sluggish August at the plate in recent days. Now sporting hits in nine of his last 10 games, he's rolling toward the end of a month in which he's posted his lowest slash line -- .210/.258/.444 -- of the three full months he's spent in Double-A.
"I had a good day," he said. "The first game, I was just 1-for-3 with a single, but the second game I got a few opportunities to get some RBIs and put some runs on the board. My teammates did a great job getting on base for me to create those opportunities. Just having days like these will give you confidence to finish out the season strong and not let it get away from you.
"You always want to finish strong, and it helps feeling good about yourself going into the offseason. You try to have a good offseason and come back strong for the next season and keep it going from there."
The wins came in the midst of the Hooks' last road trip of the season. Corpus Christi was largely spared the full brunt of Hurricane Harvey, which has devastated the Houston area. Tucker noted he and his Astros organizational teammates have been playing with more than just baseball on their minds.
"We got a little update on Corpus with the hurricane, and I think it was only minor damages, at least from a field standpoint," he said. "I don't think there was too much damage around the city. But that's tough, and then up in Houston with the flooding, it's taken a toll on the city and the people that live there. I'm proud of all the help that people have been doing. I saw the Astros and [owner] Jim Crane and a few other organizations and (Houston Texans star) J.J. Watt have put up their foundations to help out with the cause and try to get everything back together."
Crane and the Astros Foundation pledged $4.0 million to the relief efforts in Houston on Monday. Around the baseball community, teams have begun to raise funds like Houston's Triple-A affiliate in Fresno, which asked for relief donations from fans on social media.
As of now, the Hooks are scheduled to return to Corpus Christi on Sept. 2 for their final home series of the season, a three-game set against the Missions. Tucker hopes he and his team can be of some help, whether as an escape or serving any other purpose.
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"Our organization is great," he said. "They love to help out, and with the situation in Houston right now, a lot of people have come together to help out. I guess Fresno put up the donation thing to help give a little back to the city. With our big league staff and team being there, it is a little bit heavier on them, but we'd love to help out however we can."
In Monday's opener, Padres No. 4 prospectFernando Tatis Jr. belted his first Double-A home run, a line-drive solo shot to center in the first for Missions. He went 1-for-4 in both games, doubling and driving in a run in the nightcap.
Tyler Maun is a contributor to MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @TylerMaun.
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