PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes at Oklahoma City RedHawks

Published on April 28, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 23 | 28 APRIL 2012 | 7:05 P.M. CDT | CHICKASAW BRICKTOWN BALLPARK | OKLAHOMA CITY

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (10-12) at OKLAHOMA CITY REDHAWKS (14-8)

RADIO: 104.9 FM The Horn ESPN"ˆAustin | ONLINE"ˆAUDIO: www.espnaustin.com

EXPRESS: RHP Neil Ramirez (2-1, 2.14 ERA) | REDHAWKS: RHP Paul Clements (1-1, 1.59 ERA)

TONIGHT'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock continues a nine-day, eight-game road trip Saturday with the third of four games against the Oklahoma City RedHawks (Houston Astros). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 a.m. CDT at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The Express, 6-4 in their last 10 games, have won four of their last five games after last night's 8-3 win. The RedHawks also are 6-4 in their last 10 games but have lost four of their last six games. Round Rock is 6-8 on the road, while Oklahoma City is 8-6 at home. The RedHawks currently trail New Orleans by a half game in the Pacific Coast League American Southern Division, four games ahead of the Express. This is the third of 16 meetings between Round Rock and Oklahoma City this season.

BROADCAST"ˆINFORMATION

Tonight's game airs on 104.9 FM The Horn ESPN"ˆAustin. Online audio also is available at www.espnaustin.com. Express Director of Broadcasting Mike Capps handles play-by-play duties.

EXPRESS-REDHAWKS SERIES

This is the third of 16 meetings between the franchises that switched affiliations following the 2010 season. The teams split the first two games of the series with Oklahoma City winning Thursday night's series opener 11-5 and Round Rock winning last night 8-3. The RedHawks visit The Dell Diamond for four-game series June 14-17 and Aug. 18-21, and the Express conclude the regular season Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at Oklahoma City. ... SERIES NOTES: Four current Express players were RedHawks members when Oklahoma City was the Rangers Triple-A affiliate "" Julio Borbon, Michael Kirkman, Tanner Scheppers and Ben Snyder. ... Four RedHawks spent time in Round Rock when the Express were the Astros Triple-A affiliate "" J.B. Shuck, Fernando Abad, Jordan Lyles, Sergio Perez. Brett Wallace was on the Express roster for one day following his trade to the Astros from the Blue Jays as part of the 2010 trade-deadline deal that sent Roy Oswalt to the Phillies; however, he did not appear in a game and was promoted to Houston when Lance Berkman was traded to the Yankees the following day. ... The series features brothers squaring off "" Round Rock's Ben Snyder and Oklahoma City outfielder Brad Snyder. Brad singled off Ben in the sixth inning of last night's series opener.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ21 | THURSDAY, APRIL 26

RedHawks 11, Express 5

WP: Sosa (2-0). LP: Kirkman (0-1). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ22 | FRIDAY, APRIL 27

Express 8, RedHawks 3

WP: Perez (2-2). LP: Rodriguez (1-3). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ23 | SATURDAY, APRIL 28 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (2-1, 2.14 ERA)

RedHawks: RHP Paul Clements (1-1, 1.59 ERA)

GAME"ˆ24 | SUNDAY, APRIL 29 | 2:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP"ˆGreg Reynolds (1-2, 3.00 ERA)

RedHawks: LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-1, 1.67 ERA)

EXPRESS STARTER

RHP NEIL RAMIREZ (2-1, 2.16 ERA)

2012: Appeared in two games at Rangers spring training ... allowed seven runs on nine hits over four innings, posting a 15.75 ERA ... walked three and struck out two ... no-decision in season's first start April 7 at Iowa, a 7-2 Express win ... tagged with loss in April 12 start at Omaha, a 5-4 Storm Chasers win ... earned season's first victory in April 17 start with six shutout innings vs. Omaha ... PCL Pitcher of the Week (April 16-22).

LAST"ˆSTART: Earned victory in April 22 start at New Orleans, a 10-0 Express win ... scattered three singles and a walk with six strikeouts over six innings ... faced two batters over minimum ... one runner reached scoring position (bunt single, wild pitch with two outs in the sixth inning) ... used 90 pitches, 61 strikes.

2011: Split season between Round Rock and Frisco (AA) after making one start at Class A-Advanced Myrtle Beach ... made 18 starts with the Express ... logged 74.1 innings with 86 strikeouts against 35 walks and a .229 opponents' batting average ... wins April 13 vs. Omaha, April 19 at Oklahoma City, May 5 at Iowa, June 5 vs. Albuquerque ... losses April 24 vs. Oklahoma City, June 17 vs. Omaha, June 23 at New Orleans ... worked longer than 5.0 innings only four times in 18 starts ... completed six innings twice "" April 13 vs. Omaha, June 5 vs. Albuquerque ... eight-plus strikeouts four times, recording nine twice ... allowed more than three earned runs twice "" May 10 at Tucson (five), June 23 at New Orleans (four) ... surrendered six home runs; no multiple-homer outings ... four of six home runs allowed were solo shots; other two were two-run homers ... five of six homers allowed at The Dell Diamond ... 2-2, 3.68 ERA (14 ER / 34.2 IP), .237 opponents' average in eight starts at The Dell Diamond ... first-inning ERA was 1.00 (2 ER / 18.0 IP) ... held opponents to a .194 average (6-for-31) with runners in scoring position and two outs; one extra-base hit (double) allowed in that situation ... began season with Class A-Advanced Myrtle Beach ... tossed 4.2 scoreless innings on one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts ... also made six starts with Double-A Frisco, going 1-0 with a 1.89 ERA (4 ER / 19.0 IP) and a .194 opponents' batting average.

2011 vs. OKLAHOMA CITY: 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA (3 ER/15.0 IP) and 15 strikeouts against 10 walks in four outings, all starts ... struck out nine against three walks with one unearned run allowed on two hits over five innings April 19 at Oklahoma City in second career Triple-A start ... suffered tough-luck loss five days later at The Dell Diamond; allowed three runs on three hits, including one home run, over five innings with three walks and three strikeouts ... exited May 31 start at Oklahoma City after being struck by a comebacker on the last pitch of the third inning ... hit a batter, walked two and allowed one hit with one strikeout ... no-decision in June 28 start at The Dell Diamond ... allowed one hit and walked two with two strikeouts over two innings before leaving game with arm fatigue.

NOTABLE: Rangers first-round pick (44th overall) in 2007 out of Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, Va. ... school also produced former professional baseball player and NFL running back D.J. Dozier, and former NBA player J.R. Reid ... One of five Rangers first-round picks in 2007 - Blake Beavan (17th), Michael Main (24th), Julio Borbon (35th) and Tommy Hunter (54th).

TEAM"ˆNOTES

Round Rock has at least one double in every game since the season opener "" a 22-game run. ... Express batters have clubbed eight home runs in the last five games after hitting 12 homers in the season's first 17 games. ... Express relievers boast a 3.26 ERA (31 ER/85.2 IP). The bullpen has allowed 15 earned runs in 58.0 innings (2.33 ERA) over the last 15 games since a ninth-inning blown save April 11 at Omaha. Round Rock relievers have allowed more than one earned run in a game only three times in that span, one of which was in a 13-inning game. ... Round Rock and Iowa have played more one-run games (10 each) than any other team in the PCL. Seven of those one-run games were against each other. The Express are 4-6 in one-run games, winning three of their last four such games. ... Half of Round Rock's 20 home runs have been solo shots, including six to leadoff an inning; 11 came with no outs. ... Opposing batters are hitting .194 (18-for-93) with RISP and two outs. Five of the 18 hits came in an April 21 loss at New Orleans. ... Express batters are 4-for-16 (.250) with the bases loaded (no home runs) and are hitless in their last eight bases-loaded at bats; however, they have drawn four walks in that time. Opposing batters are 9-for-19 (.474) with the bases loaded (two home runs). Oklahoma City was 3-for-3 with a grand slam in Thursday's series opener. ... Round Rock has committed 14 errors in the last 11 games after committing only five errors in the season's first 11 games. The Express committed at least one error in nine of the last 13 games but have gone consecutive games without an error for the first time since a season-opening five-game streak. ... Round Rock is 0-9 when trailing after seven innings, one of six PCL teams winless in that situation.

PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci snapped an 0-for-12 slump with his fourth-inning single last night. He is 5-for-37 (.135) since a sixth-inning single April 16 vs. Iowa than capped a season-opening, 11-game hitting streak. Bianucci has one homer over his last 14 games (67 at bats) after hitting four in his first six games. He has seven multiple-hit games, all two-hit efforts. Bianucci has struck out at least once in eight straight games, fanning 12 times in that span. He is 8-for-22 (.364) with runners in scoring position. ... Julio Borbon is 4-for-45 (.089) with no extra-base hits over his last 10 games, watching his average drop more than 100 points in that time. He produced two RBI last night, snapping a 10-game dry spell. It was his first multiple-RBI outing of the season. Borbon has five walks against one strikeout over the last four games. ... Dusty Brown produced his first multiple-hit game since April 15 vs. Iowa Thursday night. He is 3-for-6 with a double, two RBI and three walks in his last two games. ... Joey Butler has not gone hitless in consecutive games since April 17-18, 2011, the fourth and fifth games of his Triple-A career. He has hit safely in 16 of his last 17 games (.323, 21-for-65) with three homers, five RBI, six doubles and 18 runs scored. Six of his eight RBI this season came via home runs. Butler has reached safely in all but the season's fourth game, currently building a 17-game streak. He is 1-for-16 (.063) with runners on base and two outs, and 1-for-12 (.083) with RISP and two outs. Butler snapped a streak of five consecutive games with a walk last night. He has struck out in each of the last three games, fanning five times. Butler is hitting .414 (24-for-58) when putting the ball in play and .389 (7-for-18) when leading off an inning. Butler is tied for the PCL lead with 21 runs scored and has scored in seven of his last eight games. ... Luis Hernandez has hit safely in five straight games (.375, 9-for-24) with three hits in each of his last two games. He has struck out only four in his last 12 games, a span of 48 at bats. ... Matt Kata has reached safely in 10 of 11 games played with at least one plate appearance and scored at least once in each of the last three games. Kata snapped a six-game streak without an RBI April 23, plating two runs with his third-inning single. He is 6-for-15 (.400) when leading off an inning. ... Leonys Martin has hit safely in four straight games (.333, 6-for-18) and five of his last six games (.308, 8-for-26). He leads the team with 10 multiple-hit games, four of which were three-hit outings. Martin is hitting .391 (9-for-23) when leading off an inning with two home runs and one walk. He is 7-for-17 (.412) with runners in scoring position and 2-for-6 with RISP and two outs. ... Luis Martinez collected hits in each of his last three games (.385, 5-for-13) after going 1-for-13 in his previous five games. He is 6-for-16 (.375) with runners in scoring position. ... Tommy Mendonca homered for the first time since April 15 last night, snapping a nine-game spell. He also produced his first multiple-hit game since a four-hit outing April 10 at Omaha. Mendonca was 6-for-43 (.140) between multiple-hit games with 13 strikeouts and two walks in that time. He has not walked since April 12. Mendonca is 3-for-6 with RISP and two outs, but 1-for-14 (.071) when leading off an inning and 0-for-9 with RISP and fewer than two outs. ... Greg Miclat has hit safely in four of his last five games with at least one plate appearance. ... Brad Nelson is 8-for-18 (.444) with three multiple-hit outings, four RBI and seven runs scored over his last four games after a 1-for-18 (.056) skid. Nelson clubbed his first homer of the season April 23 at New Orleans in his 16th game and 64th at bat; he hit 24 homers last season, 22 of which came after his 15th game of the season. He is 3-for-14 (.214) with RISP and two outs. ... Yangervis Solarte has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 17-for-38 (.447) in that time with five multiple-hit games. He is riding an eight-game hitting streak (.484, 15-for-31) that includes a trio of three-hit games and an RBI in six of the eight games; he has one strikeout during the streak. Solarte has reached safely in 11 straight games, and he is 4-for-12 with RISP and two outs. ... Sean Green snapped a streak of 7.1 consecutive scoreless innings over four outings in his last outing, surrendering a run in one inning of work April 24 at New Orleans. He has yielded one run in two of seven appearances and none in the other five. Opposing batters are 1-for-8 (.125) with RISP and two outs. ... Mark Hamburger has worked 5.2 scoreless innings over three relief outings since returning to the bullpen after yielding 17 ER over 10.1 innings (14.81 ERA) in three starts. He has faced three over the minimum as a reliever, holding opponents to a .158 average (3-for-19) with one walk and seven strikeouts. ... Opposing batters are 0-for-8 with RISP and two outs against Derek Hankins. Eight of the 14 hits he has allowed came with the bases empty. ... Aaron Heilman owns a 1.23 ERA (1 ER/7.1 IP) over his last four outings with five strikeouts against two walks. All three earned runs Heilman has surrendered this season were via home runs. ... Neil Ramirez was named PCL Pitcher of the Week April 23 after earning wins in two starts with no runs allowed over six innings in each start. Three of the five runs he has allowed in four starts came in the same inning "" a three-run fifth April 12 at Omaha; he has not allowed multiple runs in any other inning. Ramirez is fourth in the PCL with a 0.90 WHIP; he also is fourth among league starters in fewest base-runners per nine innings (8.14). ... Greg Reynolds is tied for second in the PCL with 27.0 innings and fifth among league starters with 1.00 walks per nine innings. He has allowed two earned runs over 15.0 innings in his last two starts for a 1.20 ERA in that time. Both runs came via solo homers. Reynolds allows opponents a .444 average (12-for-27) when leading off an inning but holds them to a .108 mark (4-for-37) with runners on base, inducing four double plays. Opposing batters are 1-for-15 (.067) with runners on base and two outs and 0-for-18 with runners in scoring position. ... Tanner Scheppers has converted each of his last three save opportunities over a six-appearance span, posting a 1.50 ERA (1 ER/6.0 IP) over that time. He is tied for second in the PCL with four saves. Opposing batters are 3-for-7 against him with RISP and two outs. ... Ben Snyder has not allowed a run in each of his last four outings, a span of 6.2 innings. Opposing batters are 1-for-14 (.071) with runners in scoring position. ... Yoshinori Tateyama held the opposition scoreless in four of five outings, allowing one run in the other appearance. Opponents are 2-for-18 (.111) with one extra-base hit (double) against Yoshinori, including an 0-for-5 mark with runners in scoring position.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock returns to The Dell Diamond for an eight-game home stand that begins with a four-game series against the New Orleans Zephyrs (Miami Marlins). The series runs Monday through Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch each night. The Express won three of four against the Zephyrs at Metairie, La. (April 21-24).

GAME"ˆ25 | MONDAY, APRIL 30 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (1-2, 5.32 ERA)

Zephyrs: RHP Tom Koehler (0-3, 5.85 ERA)

GAME"ˆ26 | TUESDAY, MAY 1 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (0-1, 11.45)

Zephyrs: RHP J.D. Martin (2-1, 6.30 ERA)

GAME"ˆ27 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 2 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: LHP Martin Perez (2-2, 4.13 ERA)

Zephyrs: RHP Alex Sanabia (3-0, 2.31 ERA)

GAME"ˆ28 | THURSDAY, MAY 3 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (2-1, 2.14 ERA; starts tonight)

Zephyrs: LHP Brad Hand (2-1, 3.63 ERA; starts tonight)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 28, 2012


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