Now that the major league club has had a little bit of glad tidings over the past few days, it appears that maybe some of the bad mojo has been designated for assignment, so to speak:
- Round Rock has lost 7 in a row and are now a solid third-place entry in a division they'd led basically uncontested until a week ago.
- Despite a home run Sunday, Luke Scott is riding a 2 for 21 that has dropped his average to .218.
- Mike Burns, back in Austin after a short callup, lost his first game in AAA Sunday, yielding two runs in the ninth to the Iowa Cubs when Scott McClain homered to drive in Ben Grieve.
- Corpus Christi, mired in last place in the Texas League West, lost Sunday when Charlton Jimerson lost a liner in the sun and the next batter homered. Roberto Giron took the loss after Fernando Nieve pitched eight innings of two hit ball.
- Only Josh Anderson among Hook regulars has maintained an average over .300, and Brooks Conrad, a player whom some (including yours truly) feel has as good a shot as Chris Burke to end up playing second base at Minute Maid, has seen his average at AA drop to .172, although the OBP is still OK at .338. This of course is after the demotion from Round Rock. . . .
- With 20 games to go before the first half ends, and 16 back, the Hooks are nearing mathematical elimination from the first half division title.
- The Lexington Legends have lost three in a row, and have won only once since taking a four game series from the archrival Hagerstown Suns that included an eleven-inning tie. Since their game on the 24th with the Suns was suspended, Lexington's pitching, which of course is their brightest spot, has gone south, and the club has lost games 5 - 1, 8 - 7, and 14 - 5.
- Josh Muecke and Mitch Talbot got rocked on back-to-back days for the Salem Avalanche. Coming into Sunday's victory over Potomac, the Avalanche had taken it on the chin in 9 - 1 and 10 - 1 losses to the Nationals. Like the Hooks, the Avalanche have basically been eliminated from chances at a first half anything . . .