Carlos Enrique Hernández [er-NAN-dez] (born April 22, 1980 in Guacara, Carabobo State, Venezuela) is a Major League Baseball starting pitcher who plays for the Houston Astros (since 2001). He is a switch hitter and throws left-handed. April 22 is the 112th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (113th in leap years). ... 1980 is a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Estado Carabobo is one of the 23 states (estados) into which Venezuela is divided. ... Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in professional baseball in North America. ... In baseball or softball, a starting pitcher, often abbreviated as starter, is the pitcher who pitches the first pitch to the first batter of a game. ... Houston Astros National League AAA Round Rock Express AA Corpus Christi Hooks A Salem Avalanche Lexington Legends Tri-City Valley Cats R Greeneville Astros The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team based in Houston, Texas. ... In baseball, a switch hitter (or switch-hitter) is a batter who is able to hit from both the right and left sides of the plate. ...

The 25-years old Hernández has a low 90s fastball, a very good curveball, a changeup, and he can throw a decent slider as well. One of the top prospects in the Astros system, Hernández made the jump from Double-A in 2001. That season, he suffered a partial tear of his left rotator cuff diving back to second base. Before the injury, he was 1-0 with a 1.02 ERA, allowing only 11 hits in 17.6 innings. The fastball is the most common type of pitch in baseball. ... Curveball Pitch Curveball Pitch The curveball is a type of pitch in baseball thrown with a grip and hand motion that induces extra rotation on the ball causing it to break, to fly in a more exaggerated curve than would be expected. ... A changeup is a type of pitch in baseball. ... A slider (also known as a nickel curve) is a pitch in baseball, sort of halfway between a curveball and a fastball, with less break but more speed than the curve. ... A Class A California League game in San Jose, California (1994) Minor leagues are baseball leagues which are at a lower pay level and generally play in smaller cities and towns than Major League Baseball. ... The position of the second baseman A second baseman often ranges onto the outfield grass to field a ground ball A second baseman is the baseball player guarding second base. ... In baseball statistics, earned run average (denoted by ERA) is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. ... In baseball statistics, a hit (denoted by H), sometimes called a base hit, is credited to a batter when he safely reaches first base after batting the ball into fair territory, without the benefit of an error or a fielders choice. ... In baseball, innings pitched (IP) are the number of innings a pitcher has completed, measured by the number of batters and baserunners that are put out while the pitcher is in the game. ...

Despite pitching in pain, Hernández again showed promise in 2002, but his season was hampered by an ongoing injury with his left shoulder. He finished 7-5 with a 4.38 ERA in 21 starts, but twice was disabled. He missed the 2003 season following surgery.

In 2004, Hernández started his rehabilitation with the New Orleans Zephyrs, a AAA affiliate team of the Astros, and finished with the big club with a 1-3 mark and a 6.43 ERA in nine starts. Categories: Baseball stubs | Minor league baseball teams | New Orleans sports ... Minor leagues in the sense intended in this article are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. ...

In a three-year career, Hernández has posted a 9-8 record with 136 strikeouts and a 4.54 ERA in 172.2 innings. In baseball, a strikeout or strike out (denoted by K or SO) occurs when the batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. ...

See also

• List of players from Venezuela in Major League Baseball

Between 1939 and 2005, 176 baseball players from Venezuela had played in Major League Baseball. ...

External links

• Baseball Reference (statistics and analysis) (http://www.baseball-reference.com/h/hernaca03.shtml)
• ESPN (profile and daily updates) (http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/players/profile?statsId=6782)