PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes at Tacoma Rainiers

Published on May 12, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 37 | 12 MAY 2012 | 9:05 P.M. CDT | CHENEY STADIUM | TACOMA, WASH.

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (17-19) at TACOMA RAINIERS (12-23)

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

EXPRESS: LHP Martin Perez (3-2, 3.98 ERA) | RAINIERS: RHP Erasmo Ramirez (0-0, 6.00 ERA)

TONIGHT'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock continues an eight-game road trip tonight, opening a four-game series against the Tacoma Rainiers (Seattle Mariners). First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 p.m. CDT at Cheney Stadium in Tacoma, Wash. The Express, who are 6-4 in their last 10 games, have lost three straight for the first time since April 28-30. The Bees, who are 2-8 in their last 10 games, snapped a seven-game losing streak last night with a 4-0 victory in the finale of a four-game series against Albuquerque. Round Rock is 7-13 on the road, dropping six of their last eight. Tacoma is 6-10 at Cheney Stadium. The Express are fourth in the Pacific Coast League's American Southern Division, trailing Albuquerque by five games. The Rainiers are fourth in the PCL's Pacific Northern Division, trailing Reno by six-and-a-half games.

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-BEES SERIES

This is the lone series between the two squads this season. Tacoma won three of four games at The Dell Diamond last season. ... SERIES NOTES: Round Rock is 8-20 all-time against Tacoma, dropping all but seven series against the Rainiers. The Express are 2-10 at Cheney Stadium, snapping a nine-game losing streak at the venue with a victory in the third game of the 2010 series. Round Rock had lost 10 straight against Tacoma regardless of location prior to that win. The Rainiers have won each of the last four series, sweeping series in 2008 and 2009. Round Rock's lone series win came in 2007, taking three of four at The Dell Diamond. The teams split the 2005 series in Round Rock. ... Last year, the Rainiers won the first (12-7), second (8-7) and fourth games (3-2, 14 innings). The Express won the third game 10-5. In the finale, Matt Kata's ninth-inning sacrifice fly tied the game; however, the Rainiers prevailed thank to Johan Limonta's one-out homer in the 14th inning. ... Joey Butler was 8-for-17 (.471) in last year's series with two homers, five RBI, a double, a triple, five runs scored and a stolen base in four games. Kata was 5-for-13 (.385) with two homers (both in the lone win of the series), six RBI, two doubles and three runs scored in three games. Brad Nelson was 6-for-18 (.333) with two homers, three RBI and four runs scored in three games. None of Round Rock's four pitchers of record from last year's series - Eric Hurley (loss), Beau Jones (loss), Brett Tomko (loss) and Ryan Tucker (win) - are with the Express this season. Martin Perez allowed two runs over 5.2 innings in a no-decision start. Tanner Scheppers made two relief appearances, posting a 1.80 ERA (1 ER/5.0 IP). ... Kata has played 16 career games against Tacoma not counting his 2003 games with Tucson (stats not available); he is hitting .262 (16-for-61) with two homers, 12 RBI, six doubles, three triples and seven run scored. Luis Martinez is hitting .343 (12-for-35) in 13 career games vs. Tacoma with one RBI, two doubles and three runs scored. Nelson has played 17 career games against Tacoma, hitting .265 (18-for-68) with five homers, 15 RBI, five doubles and 12 runs scored. Ryan Spilborghs is 28-for-87 (.322) in 22 career games against Tacoma with two homers, eight RBI, six doubles and 19 runs scored. He was 8-for-19 (.421) in four games against the Rainiers while with Colorado Springs last season. Zach Jackson is 1-1 with a 4.79 ERA (11 ER/20.2 IP) in two career starts and four relief appearances against Tacoma with 12 walks and 12 strikeouts. He last faced the Rainiers in 2010 while with Las Vegas. Greg Reynolds is 1-2 with a 5.83 ERA (19 ER/29.1 IP) in five career starts against Tacoma with 14 strikeouts against eight walks. He was 1-0 with a 6.88 ERA (13 ER/17.0 IP) in three starts vs. the Rainiers while with Colorado Springs last season, recording 11 strikeouts against six walks. Scheppers has made three career relief appearances against Tacoma, going 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA (1 ER/8.0 IP) and 10 strikeouts against two walks.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ37 | SATURDAY, MAY 12 | 9:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Martin Perez (3-2, 3.98 ERA)

Rainiers: RHP Erasmo Ramirez (0-0, 6.00 ERA)

GAME"ˆ38 | SUNDAY, MAY 13 | 3:35 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (4-2, 4.98 ERA)

Rainiers: RHP Jeff Marquez (2-3, 6.06 ERA)

GAME"ˆ39 | MONDAY, MAY 14 | 9:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Greg Reynolds (2-3, 4.12 ERA)

Rainiers: RHP Forrest Snow (0-3, 7.57 ERA)

GAME"ˆ40 | TUESDAY, MAY 15 | 1:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (1-3, 3.64 ERA)

Rainiers: RHP Brian Sweeney (0-0, 5.74 ERA)

EXPRESS STARTER

LHP MARTIN PEREZ (3-2, 3.98 ERA)

2012: Non-roster invite to Rangers spring training ... started two games, working 4.0 innings with an 0-1 record and a 9.00 ERA"ˆ(4 ER/4.0 ERA) ... opponents hit .444 (8-for-18) ... walked five with three strikeouts ... Earned victory in April 6 start at Iowa, a 4-3 Express win ... no-decision in April 11 start at Omaha, a 6-5 Express loss ... suffered tough-luck loss in April 16 start vs. Iowa, a 3-2 Cubs win; allowed three runs - one earned - on three hits over 5.2 innings ... saddled with loss in April 21 start at New Orleans, an 8-5 Zephyrs win ... claimed season's first victory in April 27 start at Oklahoma City, an 8-3 Express win ... no-decision in May 2 start vs. New Orleans, a 10-5 Express win ... rotation-best .208 opponents' batting average (fifth in the PCL) and 6.64 hits allowed per nine innings ... five walks over last three starts (2.45 per nine innings) ... has not allowed a second-inning run ... opponents hitting .360 (9-for-25) with runners on base and two outs, .263 (5-for-19) with RISP"ˆand two outs ... holds opponents to a .206 average (7-for-34) leading off an inning but has issued eight leadoff walks and two leadoff homers ... has not allowed more than six in hits in any of his seven starts ... held opponent to three or fewer runs in five of seven starts ... 3-1 over last five starts.

LAST START: Earned victory in May 7 start vs. Memphis at The Dell Diamond, a 7-1 Express win ... held Redbirds to one run on four hits and a walk with four strikeouts over seven innings ... longest start in Triple-A career ... longest start at any level since going seven innings May 26, 2010, with Double-A Frisco at Northwest Arkansas ... surrendered Adron Chambers double on game's first pitch and a Steven Hill RBI double two batters later ... yielded leadoff single and a one-out walk in the second inning ... retired next 14 batters before Amaury Cazana's sixth-inning leadoff single ... used 84 pitches, 59 strikes.

2011 vs. TACOMA: No-decision in Aug. 10 start at The Dell Diamond, a 3-2 Tacoma victory in 14 innings ... allowed two runs on four hits and season-high five walks over 5.2 innings with two strikeouts ... utilized one double play ... did not allow a run over first five innings ... exited game trailing 2-1 with one out ... bequeathed on runner that did not score.

2011: Combined to go 8-6 with a 4.33 ERA (66 ER/137.1 IP) in 26 starts and one relief outing between Frisco (AA) and Round Rock (AAA) ... held opposition to a .284 average (152-for-536) with left-handed batters hitting .252 (34-for-135) and right-handed batters hitting .294 (118-for-401) ... logged career highs in both starts (26) and innings (137.1) ... surrendered just one of his 10 home runs to a lefty ... began the season with Frisco and tossed the second perfect game in RoughRiders history April 19 at Arkansas, retiring all 15 batters he faced in a 6.0-inning, rain-shortened contest ... was the winning pitcher in the 2011 Texas League All-Star Game and appeared in the All-Star Futures Game at Chase Field in July ... promoted to the Express July 15, becoming the youngest player in the Pacific Coast League ... went 4-4 with a 6.43 ERA (35 ER/49.0 IP) and 37 strikeouts against 20 walks in 10 games (all starts) ... earned the victory in debut July 16 at Memphis, holding the Redbirds to one run over 5.0 innings of work ... was 1-2 with a 10.13 ERA (15 ER/13.1 IP) over next three starts ... logged a quality start in two of next three outings, going 1-0 with a 2.45 ERA (5 ER/18.1 IP) to lower Triple-A ERA from 7.85 to 5.15 ... allowed at least four runs in each of his final three outings, posting a 10.22 ERA (14 ER/12.1 IP).

NOTABLE: Martin Jimenez Perez ... born July 4, 1991 ... youngest active player in Triple-A.

ISN'T THIS WHERE...

...we used to play? Brad Nelson and Sean Green both previously played for the Rainiers. Nelson was with Tacoma in 2009 and 2010. He hit .247 (68-for-275) in 78 games with 15 homers and 45 RBI after being traded from the Brewers to the Mariners in 2009. Nelson hit .259 (106-for-409) in 114 games with 17 homers, 60 RBI and 26 doubles in leading the Rainiers to the 2010 PCL title. Green spent parts three seasons (2005-2007) with the Rainiers. He was 4-2 with a 3.65 ERA (20 ER/49.1 IP) and one save in 33 relief appearances in 2005 after being promoted from Double-A San Antonio; it was his first season at the Triple-A level. The following season, Green split time between Tacoma and Seattle, going 4-1 with a 2.25 ERA (6 ER/24.0 IP) and five saves in 15 relief outings for the Rainiers. He again split 2007 between Tacoma and Seattle, going 2-1 with a 2.04 ERA (4 ER/17.2 IP) and one save in 10 relief appearances for the Rainiers.

CATCH 22

Yangervis Solarte pushed his hitting streak to 22 games last night but was 0-for-4 after his first-inning double. His streak is the longest in Round Rock's Triple-A history (since 2005), eclipsing the former mark posted by Mark Saccomanno in 2008 (18 games). Solarte's also streak is the PCL's longest this season by four games and the league's 10th of at least 22 games since the start of the 2009 season. He is hitting .376 (35-for-93) during the streak with five homers, 13 RBI, seven doubles, 16 runs scored and six walks against six strikeouts. Solarte has 10 multiple-hit outings during the streak, including three consecutive three-hit games in the second, third and fourth games of the run; however, five of his last seven games were one-hit efforts. Perhaps most impressive is that he has hit safely in 15 consecutive road games, the first three of which were not part of the current 22-game streak. His is tied for the league's longest road streak this season along with the active 15-game run by Fresno's Roger Kieschnick. Solarte has reached safely in 25 straight games, also the PCL's longest streak this season; he has reached safely in 31 of 33 games played. Solarte has gone hitless in consecutive games only twice this season with no three-game skids.

THE BUTLER DOES IT... CONSISTENTLY

Joey Butler, who earlier this season enjoyed a 15-game hitting streak, is 11-for-15 on the road trip with two homers, 10 RBI, three doubles and five runs scored. He has produced multiple-hit outings in all four games, including three hits three times. Butler had three hits in each of the trip's first two games; it was the third time in his professional career that he produced at least three hits in consecutive games, something he last did Aug. 1-2, 2008, with short-season Spokane. He also has reached safely in 15 of 19 plate appearances on the trip. This comes on the heels of going hitless in consecutive games for only the fourth time in his Triple-A career (148 games). His five RBI May 9 at Salt Lake were the most of his professional career after six games with four RBI, most recently Aug. 22, 2011, vs. New Orleans. Butler has reached safely in 32 of 35 games played. He is hitting .443 (43-for-97) when putting the ball in play; he has hit safely in 11 of 13 such at bats on the road trip, hitting safely in seven consecutive non-strikeout at bats before flying out in the sixth inning Thursday night. Butler, who has hit into a team-high six double plays, snapped a streak of five consecutive games with at least one strikeout Thursday night and did not strikeout last night either. He is hitting .366 (34-for-93) after the third inning with all six of his home runs and 19 of his 23 RBI.

STARTERS PICKING UP STEAM

Express starters boast a 2.95 ERA (18 ER/55.0 IP) over the last nine games with 13 of the earned runs coming on the road trip. Round Rock's starter has worked at least six innings six times in that span with three seven-inning efforts. The starters are 5-0 in that time. Two of the no-decisions were by Zach Jackson, another was by Greg Reynolds, and the fourth was by Michael Kirkman last night at Salt Lake. Jackson held Memphis scoreless over 6.1 innings May 5 - the only starter to not allow a run during the last eight games - and limited Salt Lake to one earned run over seven-plus innings last night. Reynolds surrendered three earned runs over 5.1 innings in Wednesday night's loss; he left with a 9-3 lead. Kirkman surrendered three runs over five innings last night and left with a 4-3 lead before the Bees scored six sixth-inning runs en route to a 9-6 win. Furthermore, Express starters are 6-0 with a 3.31 ERA (24 ER/65.1 IP) in May (11 games) after going 6-11 with a 5.53 ERA (77 ER/125.1 IP) in April (25 games).

BULLPEN SHAKY OF LATE

After going 22 consecutive games without a loss, Round Rock's bullpen has taken four on the chin over the last seven games. In the 22 games between losses, Express relievers posted a 2.81 ERA (26 ER/83.1 IP) and allowed no more than one earned run in 17 of the 22 games. Express relievers are 0-4 with a 7.78 ERA (17 ER/19.2 IP) in seven games since, also surrendering five unearned runs. Wednesday night's 10-9 loss saw Salt Lake overcome a four-run, ninth-inning deficit. That is the largest ninth-inning lead blown by the Express bullpen since July 20, 2011, when Round Rock plated eight seventh-inning runs to take an 11-7 lead only to see New Orleans score seven ninth-inning runs for a 14-11 win. Round Rock relievers are 5-8 with a 4.25 ERA (60 ER/127.0 IP) this season. The pen yielded six runs over 3.1 innings Wednesday night and six more runs over three innings last night, the most runs surrendered in one game by Express relievers since giving up six Aug. 28, 2011, at Albuquerque.

SCHEPPERS STRUGGLING, AS WELL

Tanner Scheppers suffered blown saves in two of his last three outings after going 10 consecutive appearances and four straight opportunities without a blown save. He surrendered two runs over two-thirds of an inning Wednesday night, ending an eight-appearance, 8.0-inning scoreless streak. It was the third time in 15 outings this season in which he has yielded a run and the first time he allowed multiple-runs since coughing up three runs April 11 at Omaha. Scheppers had retired 16 of his last 18 batters faced before surrendering a home run to Luis Jimenez - the first batter he faced last night.

PITCHER'S BEST FRIEND

Round Rock has turned 41 double plays, second in the league behind only Tucson (46). The Express are fifth in the PCL with a .978 fielding percentage and were error-free in eight of 14 games with seven total errors in that time before committing three errors Thursday night at Salt Lake. It was the first time Round Rock committed more than two errors since a three-miscue game April 17 against Omaha. The Express made at least one defensive miscue in each of four games before not committing an error Friday night at Salt Lake.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

Round Rock has at least one double in every game since the season opener - a 35-game run, including a season-high six two-baggers Friday night at Salt Lake. The Express clubbed at least two doubles in 25 of those games, collecting three or more 13 times, four or more nine times and five or more three times. The Express tallied three doubles in the first inning alone May 4 vs. Memphis en route to a five-double night. Round Rock is second in the PCL with 84 doubles, trailing only Sacramento (87). Joey Butler is tied for second with 13 doubles, while Yangervis Solarte is tied for fourth with 12.

"HOME" RUNS SCARCE

In stark contrast to last season, The Dell Diamond has not been a launching pad for the Express. Round Rock averages 0.75 homers per game through 16 home dates this season while averaging 1.45 homers in 20 road games, including a season-high five May 8 at Salt Lake. The Express have homered in eight consecutive road games (14 homers), 11 of their last 12 and all but four road games this season. Round Rock has enjoyed only two multiple-homer games at The Dell Diamond - two April 14 vs. Iowa and three May 3 vs. New Orleans. Meanwhile, the Express have clubbed at least two home runs seven times on the road. Last season, Round Rock averaged 1.46 home runs per game at The Dell Diamond and 0.97 homers per game on the road. Teams have combined to score 8.75 runs per game at The Dell Diamond this season as opposed to the 11.90 average in 2011. The Express average 4.53 runs per game at home and 6.00 runs per game on the road.

ONE-RUN GAMES NOW RARE

The May 9 loss at Salt Lake (10-9) was Round Rock's first one-run loss since a 3-2 defeat April 16 vs. Iowa, a game that ended a franchise-record streak of seven consecutive one-run games. The Express are 5-7 in one-run games, snapping a three-game winning streak in such games with the May 9 loss at Salt Lake. Seven of the one-run games were against Iowa, which leads the PCL with 17 one-run games.

BASES-LOADED WOES SUBSIDE

Round Rock is 4-for-10 with the bases loaded since Tommy Mendonca's bases-loaded single in the seventh inning May 1 snapped an 0-for-11 slump. The Express are 9-for-29 (.310) with the bases loaded, also drawing six walks. Only two of the nine hits went for extra bases. Luis Hernandez's three-run double in Tuesday night's series opener at Salt Lake was Round Rock's first extra-base hit with the bases loaded since a Yangervis Solarte three-run double April 8 at Iowa. Meanwhile, opposing batters are 13-for-28 (.464) with the bases loaded, including a pair of grand slams. Opponents are 9-for-15 (.600) with the bases loaded since April 21, including a 5-for-5 series by Oklahoma City (April 26-29).

POSITION PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci is hitting .295 (13-for-44) over his last 11 games with four homers, six RBI, a double and nine runs scored. He hit safely in nine of those 11 games. Bianucci homered in four of his last six games after hitting one homer in his previous 18 games. He has 11 multiple-hit games, all two-hit efforts. Bianucci ranks second in the PCL with nine homers, most of any Rangers farmhand. He is fourth in the league with one homer every 13.78 at bats. Bianucci is 13-for-37 (.324) with runners in scoring position. ... Julio Borbon has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games (.321, 17-for-53) with six multiple-hit outings, one home run, seven RBI, two doubles, two triples and six runs scored; however, he was held hitless in two of his last three games, going 3-for-14 in that time. He was 4-for-39 (.103) in 11 games prior to this 12-game stretch. Borbon has nine RBI over his last 14 games after producing six RBI in the season's first 19 games. He snapped an 11-game on-base streak last night, going 0-for-5. ... Dusty Brown has reached safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances and 14 of his last 17 trips to the plate (8-for-11, six walks). He has hit safely in nine of his last 10 games, going 15-for-27 (.556) in that time with three home runs, eight RBI, five doubles, six runs scored and nine walks against two strikeouts. Brown produced at least one RBI in six of the 10 games (eight RBI total) during that stretch with five multiple-hit outings. He is 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position but has drawn four walks and produced seven RBI in that situation; both hits came with two outs, including one home run. ... Joey Butler is tied for second in the PCL with 13 doubles; he also is fifth in on-base percentage (.435), tied for second in extra-base hits (19), tied for second in runs scored (31), fifth in total bases (74) and tied for fourth in walks (23). ... Luis Hernandez has four extra-base hits (two doubles, two homers) over a 21-game stretch since April 15. He walked once in each of his last two games, his first walks since May 2 and his first non-intentional walks since April 22, a span of 15 games. Hernandez has 16 strikeouts in that time, fanning at least once in each of his last five games. ... Matt Kata has not gone hitless in consecutive games this season. He is 10-for-37 (.270) over his last eight games, hitting safely in seven games during that time and each of his last four, with three multiple-hit outings, two homers, nine RBI, two doubles and six runs scored. He has hit safely in 13 of his last 14 starts and reached safely in 20 of 22 games started. Kata is 9-for-28 (.321) with runners in scoring position, producing 15 RBI. He struck out three times May 9 at Salt Lake, his first hat trick since Aug. 12, 2011, and only his second since a four-strikeout night June 10, 2010 (203 games). ... Luis Martinez is hitting .286 (10-for-35) over his last 10 games with four multiple-hit outings, seven doubles, a triple, a home run, six RBI, five runs scored and six walks against 10 strikeouts. His three walks Friday night at Salt Lake were a season high and matched his total from the previous seven games. Martinez is 6-for-11 (.545) in the fourth inning but 10-for-54 (.185) the rest of the game. ... Tommy Mendonca has struck out in 10 of his last 19 at bats, fanning 10 times over his last five games with at least one strikeout in each game. He has 11 multiple-strikeout game and six outings with at least three strikeouts. He has hit safely in five of his last seven games, going 9-for-25 (.360) in that time. Mendonca is 5-for-12 (.417) with RISP and two outs, but 3-for-16 (.188) with RISP and fewer than two outs. ... Brad Nelson has hit safely in four straight and 15 of his last 16 games, going 24-for-66 (.364). However, he has four RBI in his last 13 games and has not enjoyed a multiple-RBI game since April 26. Nelson has four extra-base hits (two doubles, two homers) over his last six games after going seven consecutive games without an extra-base hit (12 singles in that seven-game span). ... Ryan Spilborghs has hit safely in each of his first six games with the Express; however, he is 3-for-15 over the last three games. He is 4-for-7 when leading off an inning. Spilborghs was acquired by the Rangers in a May 4 trade with Cleveland.

PITCHER"ˆNOTES

Sean Green allowed 10 runs (eight earned) over his last four outings after surrendering two runs total in his first eight appearances. Opposing batters are 2-for-13 (.154) with RISP and two outs but 7-for-16 (.438) when leading off an inning and 13-for-28 (.464) with the bases empty. ... Mark Hamburger surrendered four runs Wednesday night after yielding only one run over his first 9.2 innings as a reliever this season. It was the most runs he has allowed as a reliever since surrendering four July 10, 2011, vs. Memphis. Opponents are hitting .476 (10-for-21) with runners in scoring position, producing two home runs and 19 RBI. ... Opposing batters are 0-for-10 with RISP and two outs against Derek Hankins. He has not allowed multiple runs in any of his last eight outings since surrendering two in his first appearance of the season. ... Zach Jackson has a 1.38 ERA (4 ER/26.0 IP) over his last three starts but is only 1-1 in those games. Opponents are 1-for-21 (.048) with runners on base, going hitless in 15 at bats with RISP and two outs. ... Tanner Scheppers has allowed a run in three of 15 outings (six runs total). His walk Wednesday night was his first since April 16, a 9.2-inning stretch over 10 outings, with 12 strikeouts in that time. Scheppers has at least one strikeout in seven of his last eight appearances. He is tied for fourth in the PCL with six saves and leads the league with 14 games finished. Scheppers has allowed four of eight inherited runners to score, including six of the last eight, and has blown three saves. ... Ben Snyder has not allowed a run over his last four outings (4.2 innings), allowing only two hits in 15 at bats, since surrendering four runs in 1.1 innings April 28 at Oklahoma City. He has held the opposition scoreless in eight of his last nine appearances. Snyder has allowed five of six inherited runners to score over his last three outings. Opponents are 9-for-21 (.429) with RISP and two outs. ... Yoshinori Tateyama has not allowed an earned run in nine of 10 outings, allowing four runs (one earned) in the other two appearances. All four runs scored in the eighth inning; he has logged 6.1 innings total during the sixth, seventh, eighth and extra innings without allowing a run. Opponents are 1-for-9 (.111) with runners in scoring position. The home run Tateyama surrendered May 8 at Salt Lake was his first of the season, first at Triple-A since April 18, 2011, and second in 33.2 career innings with Round Rock. ... Tyler Tufts allowed a season-high six runs in just two-thirds of an inning Friday night at Salt Lake, matching his total over his first eight appearances. He is 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA (1 ER/6.0 IP) in four outings at The Dell Diamond but 1-1 with a 10.24 ERA (11 ER/9.2 IP) in five road appearances. Opponents are 7-for-14 (.500) with runners in scoring position. Tufts is fifth among PCL relievers with 1.15 walks per nine innings.

TEAM"ˆNOTES

Round Rock has produced at least nine hits in 17 of its last 19 games with at least 10 hits 13 times in that span, including a season-high 17 hits May 8 at Salt Lake. ... Round Rock is 13-2 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 4-17 when allowing at least five runs, dropping 10 of their last 12 in that situation. ... Express relievers have allowed 12 runs (eight earned) after the seventh inning over the last four games. ... Round Rock is 3-6 in series openers but has won two straight. ... Of Round Rock's 41 home runs, 22 have been solo shots, including 10 to leadoff an inning; 18 came with no outs. ... Round Rock is 1-13 when trailing after seven innings, posting their lone win May 2 with a six-run eighth to rally past New Orleans 10-5. Conversely, Round Rock has four losses 20 games when leading after seven innings - more than any other PCL team.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock returns to The Dell Diamond for an eight-game home stand, starting with a four-game series against the Fresno Grizzlies (San Francisco Giants). The series begins Thursday at 7:05 p.m. CDT and continues Friday at 7:05 p.m., Saturday at 6:05 p.m. and Sunday at 1:05 p.m.

GAME"ˆ41 | THURSDAY, MAY 17 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (2-1, 6.67 ERA)

Grizzlies: TBA

GAME"ˆ42 | FRIDAY, MAY 18 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: LHP Martin Perez (3-2, 3.98 ERA; starts tonight)

Grizzlies: TBA

GAME"ˆ43 | SATURDAY, MAY 19 | 6:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (4-2, 4.98 ERA; starts tomorrow)

Grizzlies: TBA

GAME"ˆ44 | SUNDAY, MAY 20 | 1:05 p.m. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

Express: RHP Greg Reynolds (2-3, 4.12 ERA; starts Monday)

Grizzlies: TBA

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 12, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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