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WHO'S HOT: While 1B Mark Trumbo struggled with .205 and .250 averages in April and May, he has batted better than .300 each of the last three months and has stepped it up in August. His RBI single in the 12th inning was the winning hit in a 2-1 victory over visiting Corpus Christi on Aug. 20. He was batting .341 with 14 RBIs, seven doubles and a pair of homers in 20 games in August through the 22nd.

WHO'S NOT: OF Peter Bourjos, who is supposed to be the spark plug of the Arkansas offense, was just 8-for-38 and had scored six runs in his last 10 games through Aug. 21. He had gone 4-for-18 and scored just one run in his last five games before hitting a three-run, inside-the-park homer in an 8-1 over San Antonio on Aug. 22.

NEWS & NOTES: RHP Amalio Diaz pitched two shutout innings of relief in a win against Corpus Christi on Aug. 19 and added two more scoreless frames Aug. 21 to make it 16 2/3 scoreless innings over his last eight appearances. ... RHP Bobby Cassevah (3-6) failed to record an out in a loss to San Antonio on Aug. 16 in which he gave up six runs on four hits and a pair of walks in the eighth inning. He hadn't given up a run in his previous 13 2/3 innings. ... RHP Marco Albano (2-6), who had been slumping, gave up just three runs and struck out 13 batters over 13 innings in his last two starts and had no decisions to show for the efforts. ... 2B Ryan Mount's fourth home run this season and first since May 4 was the crowning blow in a 7-1 win over visiting Corpus Christi on Aug. 19.

A WIN AT LAST: LHP Barret Browning, in his 42nd appearance this season, finally earned his first victory when he pitched three shutout innings of three-hit relief in a 2-1 win over visiting Corpus Christi on Aug. 20. Browning was 0-5 in six starts and 0-4 in 35 relief outings before finally entering the win column.

Corpus Christi Hooks (Houston Astros)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Hooks (25-29), in third place and seven games off the division lead at week's end, needed to play better than 3-3 baseball to keep their fading playoff hopes breathing.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Wilton Lopez (4-4) extended his run of fine starts to four with 7 2/3 innings of five-hit pitching in a 2-0 over slumping Springfield on Aug. 17. Lopez was just 2-1 in the four starts, but over 29 2/3 innings in those games gave up just three runs -- two earned -- on 14 hits, walked four and struck out 22.

WHO'S NOT: When the Hooks needed to win the most, they stalled at the plate. Their five-game winning streak ended with a 7-1 loss at Arkansas on Aug. 19, and they lost, 2-1, in 12 innings to the Travelers the next day to fall seven games back of South-leading Midland with 18 to play. The Hooks batted 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left a season-high 17 runners stranded in the 2-1 loss and were 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position Aug. 19.

NEWS & NOTES: OF Nick Moresi, who was beginning to get more playing time even before OF Mitch Einertson drew a 50-game suspension, went 3-for-5 with a homer and three RBIs in an 8-1 over Springfield on Aug. 16. He had two homers and four RBIs in his last four games. ... Reserve INF German Duran, who had gone 0-for-15 in six games since arriving from the Gulf Coast League Astros on July 16, went 2-for-3 on Aug. 16. ... Veteran LHP Andy Van Hekken, 7-5 with a 4.05 ERA, was promoted to Triple-A Round Rock. ... Veteran INF Aaron Boone, who is recovering from open heart surgery, was 3-for-15 when he finished the Corpus Christi portion of his rehab program Aug. 20. ... RHP Sergio Perez (10-10) on Aug. 21 became only the fourth Hooks pitcher ever to reach double figures in victories. ... INF Ben Zobrist established Corpus Christi's best single-season batting average when he hit .327 in 2006. OF Drew Locke went 4-for-5 on Aug. 21 and was batting .333 with 16 games to play.

THE LONG HOT SUMMER: "Just by looking at the guys they needed that rest," manager Luis Pujols told the Corpus Christi Caller-Times after calling off batting practice before his team slugged three homers and collected 11 hits to run a modest win streak to four games with a victory over visiting Springfield on Aug. 16. "I don't mind giving it to them. Our schedule is tough. Everywhere we travel it's at least seven and a half hours. I'm just going to be smart trying to give the guys more rest and do less every once in awhile."

Frisco RoughRiders (Texas Rangers)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: A 3-3 week left the second-place RoughRiders (28-26) four games behind South-leading Midland with 16 games to play. Frisco, 11-11 against Midland, plays the RockHounds six more times, including three at home, to wrap up the regular season.

WHO'S HOT: 1B Paul Tracy hit his 22nd home run in a win at Northwest Arkansas on Aug., 16 and 3B Adam Fox (Texas League Player of the Week for Aug. 10-16) slammed his 18th, making the pair the first teammates in the league this season to combine for 40 homers. Tracy, battling Midland 1B Chris Carter for the league lead, hit No. 24 on Aug. 19 at about the same time Carter was banging No. 23 for the RockHounds. Tracy had a hitting streak end at 16 games Aug. 21. His 98 RBIs through Aug. 22 left him five short of the franchise record set by 1B Nate Gold in 2006.

WHO'S NOT: 2B Marcus Lemon scored two runs and went 1-for-2 on Aug. 1, then began to tumble. In his next 16 games through Aug. 21, he went 8-for-55 (.145) with four runs scored and his average toppled from .282 to .265

NEWS & NOTES: Fox was called up to Triple-A on Aug. 18. ... His replacement, INF Jonathan Greene, who hit 20 homers and drove in 77 runs at Class A Advanced Bakersfield in the California League, went 2-for-3 with a homer and drove in four runs in his Double-A debut Aug. 19. Frisco won that game, 7-6. ... RHP Blake Beavan (3-4) did not allow a run for the first time in 13 starts and yielded five hits over seven innings in a 3-2 win over Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 22. ... RHP Omar Poveda (9-5) was coming off his worst start in 18 this season when he ended an 0-2 streak over six starts with a victory at Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 16 in which he gave up four runs on a season-high 10 hits. ... RHP Thomas Diamond, 0-3 with a 3.02 ERA in 29 games, suffered back-to-back losses out of the bullpen Aug. 14 and 17.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "Could be in Triple-A, absolutely," Frisco manager Mike Micucci told The Morning News when asked about OF Craig Gentry, who leads the league with 48 steals in 53 attempts and who established a single-season Frisco record with 94 runs scored. "But I know (the Texas Rangers) do want him to play every day. It's more important for him to be here and play every day than to be in Triple-A sitting on the bench." Gentry, in an nine-game hot spell through Aug. 21, went 15-for-37, scored eight runs, drove in three, stole nine bases in 10 attempts and raised his average to .308.

Midland RockHounds (Oakland Athletics)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: South-leading Midland (32-22) picked up a game on second-place Frisco with a 4-2 week. Remember that the RockHounds led San Antonio by five games with 15 games to play in the first half, went 5-10 down the stretch and finished two games back of the Missions. Midland, 11-11 against Frisco, has six games left against the RoughRiders, including three at home to wrap up the regular season.

WHO'S HOT: OF Matt Spencer's hitting streak ended when he took an 0-for-4 in a win against Northwest Arkansas on Aug. 20. He'd extended the red-hot run to 14 games by going 3-for-5 with a homer, a double and four RBIs in a 10-5 victory at Tulsa on Aug. 16 and went 3-for-8 over the next two games before the streak ended. Spencer started August with an 0-for-3, then went 29-for-65 (.446) with 17 runs scored, 22 RBIs, nine doubles, a triple and five homers in his next 16 games. He homered and singled Aug. 21 to raise his August average to .408.

WHO'S NOT: RHP Tyson Ross threw 86 pitches in just 4 1/3 innings in a loss at Tulsa on Aug. 17. That game left him 2-3 in five starts for the RockHounds. That effort came on the heels of a loss at Northwest Arkansas in which he gave up seven runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings. He lost two of the games on a 7-3 road trip.

NEWS & NOTES: It'll be interesting to see how RHP Arnold Leon fares when the brass lets him off his short tether. Restricted by a pitch count, Leon on Aug. 20 was unable to complete the fifth inning because his pitch count had reached 71. "Health comes first, even if he looks good," manager Darren Bush told the Midland Reporter Telegram after Leon scattered five hits without a walk while striking out five in 4 2/3 scoreless innings. In four starts, Leon gave up just one earned run in 16 2/3 innings (0.54 ERA), walked two and struck out 15. ... RHP Graham Godfrey, 11-6 with a 3.54 ERA in 25 starts, improved to 4-0 over his last seven starts when he pitched seven innings of three-hit baseball in an 8-0 win over the North-leading Naturals on Aug. 19. ... RHP Kyle Middleton (3-1) gave up more than two runs for the first time in six starts, yielding six runs in a loss to Tulsa on Aug. 22.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "It's definitely a huge confidence boost to come out and sweep (Northwest Arkansas) here, but now we've got Tulsa coming in and they've got a great pitching staff," OF Corey Brown told the Midland Reporter-Telegram after hitting two of his team's four solo homers in a 7-5 win over the Naturals on Aug. 21. "We're going to have to come out and keep banging as well."

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Kansas City Royals)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The Naturals (29-25) were in first place in the North with a two-game lead over Tulsa when the week began, then stumbled with a 1-5 effort that left them one game back of the Drillers. Northwest Arkansas, 10-12 against Tulsa this season, plays the Drillers six times in the last two weeks, including three in Oklahoma to wrap up the regular season.

WHO'S HOT: OF David Lough, who batted .342 with two doubles, a triple, five homers and 18 RBIs in 27 games in July after being called up from Class A Advanced Wilmington, continued his hot pace in August. In 17 games through Aug. 21, Lough was batting .328 with seven doubles, three homers and 10 RBIs in 18 games.

WHO'S NOT: 1B Corey Smith, one of his team's top run producers, had driven in just three runs in his last 13 games and none in his last six during a week his team went 1-5 and fell out of first place in the North.

NEWS & NOTES: RHP Anthony Lerew pitched six shutout innings of four-hit baseball in a no-decision effort against Frisco on Aug. 17, leaving him 4-2 over his last seven starts. He gave up more than two earned runs only once in those seven starts and pitched at least six innings six times. ... Veteran C Vance Wilson enabled the Naturals to avoid a sweep at home by Frisco when he ended a 2-1 win with a solo homer in the bottom of the ninth Aug. 17/ ... Veteran RHP Kyle Farnsworth gave up just one hit over 3 2/3 innings of relief work in his brief rehabilitation stop with the Naturals. ... RHP Blake Johnson (7-8) gave up a season-high seven runs over 3 2/3 innings in a loss at Midland on Aug. 19. He'd held the 'Hounds to two runs over six innings in his previous start. ... OF Joe Dickerson, a fourth-round pick of the Royals in 2005, tired of battling back from injuries and retired.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "You really can't prepare for somebody like that who changes arm angles and changes speeds," Frisco manager Mike Micucci told The Morning News after his team caught a break and beat LHP Rowdy Hardy (3-3, 2.72 ERA) on Aug. 16. "We got lucky because once (Hardy) started locating his pitches and pitching ahead, he pretty much mowed right through us. We were fortunate to put something together right away." Hardy committed an error covering first base on the first batter he faced, gave up four runs in the first inning and lost, 7-5. Hardy had been 3-0 in his five previous starts. He also lost at Frisco on Aug. 22.

San Antonio Missions (San Diego Padres)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: The first-half South champion Missions (23-31) were 2-4 during a week that left them in the division basement, nine games off the lead.

WHO'S HOT: LHP Cory Luebke, 3-1 with a 2.51 ERA in seven starts since arriving from Class A Advanced Lake Elsinore in the California League, gave up one run on three hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out five in an 8-3 win at Springfield on Aug. 20. Luebke, who was 8-2 with a 2.34 ERA at Lake Elsinore, gave up five runs over five innings in his loss Aug. 14, but in his six other starts for the Missions gave up just eight earned runs in 27 1/3 innings.

WHO'S NOT: The slumping Missions carried a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth inning against Arkansas on Aug. 17. RHP Evan Scribner took the mound and blew his fifth save in his last seven chances. Since earning saves in 13 of his first 15 opportunities, Scribner saved just six of his next 13.

NEWS & NOTES: 2B Eric Sogard hit two home runs, his 4th and 5th of this season and first since July 2, and had two other hits in San Antonio's 8-3 win at Springfield on Aug. 20. ... 3B Logan Forsythe, with three hits Aug. 20, produced his fourth multi-hit game within a span of six games in which he raised his average from .264 to .282. ... RHP Will Inman (5-4) is 0-3 in his last three starts after giving up three runs over 6 1/3 innings at Springfield on Aug. 21.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK: "I didn't realize I was hitting that well," OF Seth Johnston told the San Antonio Express-News after raising his average to .429 (6-for-14) and RBI total to 14 with the bases loaded by igniting a six-run rally in the eighth inning with a run-scoring single in a 9-3 win over Arkansas on Aug. 16. "I took the same approach I always do. I was thinking, 'Hit the ball hard.' The infield was playing in and I was hoping to find a hole."

Springfield Cardinals (St. Louis Cardinals)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: A 3-3 week left North first-half champion Springfield (24-29) tied for third place and 5.5 games out of first with 16 games to play.

WHO'S HOT: RHP Eduardo Sanchez, who took over the Springfield closer's role from erratic RHP Francisco Samuel in late July, earned his eighth save in eight tries in a 3-1 win over San Antonio on Aug. 21. While Samuel, who saved 22 games in 26 chances, has calmed down some, he'd still walked 45 batters in 46 innings through Aug. 21, while Sanchez had walked 14 batters in 41 1/3 innings.

WHO'S NOT: LHP Ryan Kulik (5-9) on Aug. 16 at Corpus Christi was relieved by an umpire's raised thumb during his worst and shortest start in 21 outings this season. Kulik, who is 1-3 in his last three starts, was ejected after giving up back-to-back homers and then hitting a Hooks batter in the second inning of an 8-1 loss. The lefty gave up seven runs on six hits in just 1 2.3 innings.

NEWS & NOTES: RHP Trey Hearne, who was 10-3 with a 3.06 ERA when he was promoted to Triple-A in late July, returned to Springfield on Aug. 21. While he was a decent 2-1 with a 3.28 ERA in four starts at Memphis, he was part of a ripple effect that moved pitchers in the system when veteran RHP John Smoltz signed with St. Louis. ... RHP Lance Lynn, 10-4 with a 2.99 ERA, became the fourth pitcher in the league to reach the 10-victory mark when he pitched six innings of three-hit ball and allowed one unearned run in a 4-3 win over San Antonio on Aug. 19. ... The anemic Cardinals scored just five runs in four straight losses on the road at Corpus Christi and San Antonio through Aug. 17. ... RHP Marco Gonzalez suffered back-to-back losses in relief on the road Aug. 14-17 to fall to 0-5 in 38 relief appearances. ... RHP Chuckie Fick, pressed into a spot start, pitched five innings of one-hit shutout baseball in a no-decision effort at Corpus Christi on Aug. 17. ... LHP Tyler Norrick, 3-1 with five saves in a team-high 52 appearances, was promoted to Triple-A. ... RHP Scott Gorgen, who was 2-0 and gave up just three earned runs in his three previous starts, was ripped for six runs on seven hits in just 1 2/3 innings in a loss to San Antonio on Aug. 20. ... OF Joe Mather -- who starred for Springfield in 2007, moved up to the Majors and suffered a wrist injury that required surgery -- rejoined Springfield and will continue his rehabilitation process.

TIME TO GET SERIOUS: "It's huge going into the playoffs," SS Pete Kozma told the Springfield News-Leader after helping the slumping first-half North champion Cardinals end a four-game losing streak and open a homestand by hitting a two-run homer on Aug. 19. Hopefully, we can continue doing this for the next few weeks and roll right into the playoffs hot."

Tulsa Drillers (Colorado Rockies)
THE WEEK IN REVIEW: Tulsa (30-24) opened the week two games behind then first-place Northwest Arkansas, then played 4-2 baseball to take a one-game lead over the Naturals in the North. Tulsa, 12-10 against the Naturals this season, meets Northwest Arkansas six more times, and the two teams wrap up the regular season with a three-game series in Tulsa.

WHO'S HOT: OF Cole Garner hit two home runs at Midland on Aug. 16, then extended his hitting streak to 19 games by gong 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and his 16th homer Aug. 19. The second-longest hitting streak in the league this season ended when Garner went 0-for-4 at Frisco on Aug. 20. He batted .351 (26-for-74) during a productive streak in which he hit eight doubles, seven homers, scored 16 runs and drove in 18.

AN EYE-OPENER: LHP Keith Weiser, 8-13 with a 5.52 ERA in 24 starts, was 2-8 in his last 10 starts when he took the mound to face South-leading Midland in Texas on Aug. 22. He worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the first inning against the league's top offense, retired 20 batters in a row during one stretch and pitched seven shutout innings of three-hit ball in the game Tulsa took over the North lead from Northwest Arkansas. Midland had tagged Weiser for six runs on 11 hits in his previous start.

NEWS & NOTES: RHP Chaz Roe (7-2) improved to 4-0 over his last five starts when he held Frisco to one run on five hits over seven innings Aug. 20. ... RHP Andrew Johnson earned his 30th save in 32 chances in that 4-2 win. ... OF Ryan Harvey went 0-for-4 on Aug. 16, ending a streak of games in which he'd homered at four. He'd hit nine homers and driven 26 runs in his last 15 games. Tulsa's home run and RBIs leader then suffered a hamstring injury Aug. 17 and was disabled two days later. ... Tulsa's 3-0 win over Midland on Aug. 17 was its league-leading 16th shutout this season, the most in franchise history. ... The Drillers made it 18 shutouts when four pitchers combined to five-hit Frisco in a 3-0 win Aug. 21 that boosted Tulsa into a first-place tie with the Naturals in the North.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR? RHP Samuel Deduno, 12-2 with a 2.56 ERA in 21 starts, continued to strengthen his case as the league's Pitcher of the Year. He retired seven of the first nine hitters en route to seven shutout innings of three-hit baseball in a 3-0 win against powerful Midland on Aug. 17. The win left him 6-0 in 10 starts since his last loss June 6 at Midland, a game in which he gave up just two earned runs on four hits over five innings. He's the league leader with 12 wins and a 2.56 ERA and is second with 107 strikeouts.

Kit Stier is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.

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