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Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes at Iowa Cubs

May 4, 2011 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME PREVIEW

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (16-9) at IOWA CUBS (12-13)

GAME 26 | 4 MAY 2011 | 6:35 P.M. CDT | PRINCIPAL PARK | DES MOINES, IOWA

TONIGHT'S GAMES

Round Rock continues the season's second road trip with the third of four games against the Iowa Cubs (Chicago-NL). First pitch between the Express and Cubs is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CDT at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa.

BROADCAST INFORMATION

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

EXPRESS-CUBS SERIES

The season series is tied 3-3. Iowa won three of four at Round Rock in the season's first series. However, the Express have won each of the first two games of this series, giving the road team a 5-1 record. This is the first of two trips to Des Moines for the Express this season; Round Rock returns to Principal Park June 9-12.

GAME 24 | MONDAY, MAY 2

Express 5, Cubs 0

WP: Hankins (4-1). LP: Coello (2-3). SV: None.

GAME 25 | TUESDAY, MAY 3

Express 9, Cubs 3

WP: McClung (1-0). LP: Mathes (1-2). SV: None.

GAME 26 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 4 | 6:35 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (0-2, 9.87 ERA)

Cubs: RHP Ramon Ortiz (0-1, 4.15 ERA)

GAME 27 | THURSDAY, MAY 5 | 12:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (2-1, 1.69)

Cubs: RHP Thomas Diamond (0-2, 8.86 ERA)

STARTING PITCHERS

EXPRESS: LHP Michael Kirkman (0-2, 9.87 ERA)

Last Outing: No-decision in start April 28 at Memphis, a 6-5 Express loss in 10 innings ... Allowed four runs on nine hits and four walks with two strikeouts over 5.2 innings ... Left trailing 4-1 but Express later tied game.

2011: Makes fifth start tonight ... Allowed at least eight hits in each outing after allowing that many only once in 22 starts last season ... .438 opponents' batting average with seven walks and 12 strikeouts over 17.1 innings.

2010: Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year after going 13-3 with a 3.09 ERA and 130 strikeouts over 131.0 innings ... Called up to Texas in late August ... MLB debut Aug. 24 vs. Baltimore ... Made 14 relief appearances with Rangers, posting a 1.65 ERA with no decisions ... Appeared in three games - all relief - for Texas during the postseason, posting a 3.38 ERA in 2.2 innings with no decisions.

2010 vs. Iowa: 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two starts ... Allowed four runs, three earned, on four hits and five walks with seven strikeouts over 13.0 innings.

Notable: Rangers fifth-round draft pick in 2005 out of Columbia High School in Lake City, Fla. ... Two-time PCL Pitcher of the Week in 2010 ... Rangers 2010 Nolan Ryan Minor League Pitcher of the Year ... Struck out first three Major League batters faced ... Worked 9.0 scoreless innings over first eight MLB appearances.

CUBS: RHP Ramon Ortiz (0-1, 4.15 ERA)

Last Outing: Started but did not factor in decision of 4-3 Iowa win April 29 at Omaha ... Surrendered three runs on nine hits - two home runs - and no walks with five strikeouts over 6.0 innings ... All three runs allowed in first inning ... Left game trailing 3-1 but Cubs scored three ninth-inning runs for the win.

2011: Makes fifth start today ... Did not pitch in Cubs-Express series at The Dell Diamond in early April ... 21.2 innings with a .295 opponents' batting average and 21 strikeouts against five walks ... Allowed at least one home run in three of four starts ... Surrendered three or fewer runs in each start.

2010: Split season between three organizations ... started season with Los Angeles Dodgers, going 1-2 with a 6.30 ERA in 16 games - two starts ... Released June 3 and signed three weeks later with New York Mets ... Made eight starts at Triple-A Buffalo, compiling a 2-3 record and 3.94 ERA with one complete game and a 32-to-8 strikeout to walk ratio ... Joined Tampa Bay Rays organization in mid September ... Made four starts at Triple-A Durham, going 0-1 with a 6.35 ERA.

Notable: Signed by Anaheim Angels as a non-drafted free agent in 1995 out of Cotui, D.R. ... Made MLB debut Aug. 19, 1999, against Chicago White Sox ... 274 career MLB appearances with 212 starts and 85-82 record ... Has pitched for 11 professional organizations: Angels, Reds, Nationals, Twins, Rockies, Giants, Dodgers, Mets, Rays, Cubs and the Orix Buffaloes of Japan's Nipppon Professional Baseball (2008).

EXPRESS CONTINUE CLUB-BEST START

The Express own the club's best 25-game start since Round Rock joined Triple-A in 2005. The previous best record through 25 games was 15-10 by the 2006 team, which started 7-9 before winning four straight and 15 of 16. The 2006 team's 11-game winning streak was the club's best Triple-A streak.

CHAVEZ WORKING ON ANOTHER STREAK

OF Endy Chavez has not struck out in 17 consecutive plate appearances, dating back to his penultimate plate appearance in the April 28 game at Memphis. Prior to that strikeout, he went 39 consecutive plate appearances without a punch-out. He leads the PCL with 19.80 plate appearances per strikeout, nearly five plate appearances per strikeout than second-place David Cooper of Las Vegas (14.83). Chavez has one strikeout in his last 56 plate appearance and five in 99 trips to the plate this season.

ROAD WARRIORS

Round Rock is in the throws of a 31-game stretch with 23 road games. The Express are 10-3 on the road this season, the best road record in the PCL this season. Only three other PCL teams are above .500 on the road - Sacramento (9-3), Reno (9-4) and Salt Lake (6-4). Round Rock won three of four at New Orleans, swept a four-game series at Oklahoma City, and dropped two of three in a weather-shortened series at Memphis.

MEMPHIS RAINOUT RESCHEDULED

Sunday's series finale between Round Rock and Memphis at AutoZone Park was postponed due to inclement weather in the Memphis area. The game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Friday, July 15, at 5:05 p.m. CDT.

TEAM NOTES

* The Express are 5-1 in the third games of series.

* Round Rock has not committed an error in two straight games after committing 11 errors in five games prior.

* The Express have not lost three straight games, losing consecutive games three times.

* Round Rock is 3-4 in series openers and 2-3 four on travel days after Monday's victory in the series opener at Iowa.

* The Express have homered in 13 of 25 games, hitting at least two home runs eight times. However, Round Rock has not posted a multiple-homer game since hitting two April 22 at Oklahoma City.

* Round Rock grounded into seven double plays in the season's first 10 games, but the Express have grounded into 21 double plays over the last 15 games, including 14 in the last nine games.

* Express pitchers have induced 26 double plays, including 11 over the last seven games and 17 over the last 12 games.

* Round Rock ranks fifth in the PCL in staff ERA (4.11), tied for second in saves (9), fourth in strikeouts (208) and third in fewest walks (89).

* The Express bullpen is 8-3 with a 3.11 ERA, nine saves and 110 strikeouts against 45 strikeouts over 106.0 innings.

* The bullpen has allowed 12 of 29 inherited runners to score (41.4 percent).

* The Express have scored in the first inning 11 times, going 7-4 in those games. Interestingly, Round Rock is 7-2 when allowing a first-inning run.

* Round Rock is 10-2 when scoring first and 12-2 when out-hitting the opponent.

* The Express are 10-4 when not committing an error and 6-5 when committing at least one error.

* Round Rock is 5-1 in one-run games.

PLAYER NOTES

* IF Brian Barden is 7-for-14 (.500) when leading off an inning. He is hitting .415 (17-for-41) when ahead or behind in the count but only .229 (8-for-35) when the count is even. Barden has not gone hitless in consecutive games, hitting safely in 16 of 20 played. He has hit safely and/or produced at least one RBI in 12 of the last 13 games.

* OF Joey Butler has hit safely in 10 straight and 13 of 15 since joining the Express April 14 with three multiple-hit outings. His current 10-game hitting streak matches the longest by a Round Rock player this season. Butler is 5-for-14 with a double, a triple, a home run, six RBI and four runs scored over the last three games.

* C Kevin Cash has hit safely in five of his last seven games.

* OF Endy Chavez has reached safely in all 21 games played and leads the team with 11 multiple-hit games. He has hit safely in nine of the last 11 games with six multiple-hit outings. Chavez has hit safely in three straight and five of the last seven games, all of which have been multiple-hit outings. He is 7-for-15 over the last three games.

* SS Luis Cruz is 6-for-35 (.171) since hitting a game-winning home run April 22 at Oklahoma City. However, he has hit safely in four the last five games. Cruz is 9-for-23 (.391) in the first and second innings on the season but only 14-for-76 (.184) after the second inning.

* OF Doug Deeds has reached safely in four of his last 10 plate appearances. He is 8-for-20 (.400) with two outs but hitless in his last six such at bats.

* C Robinson Diaz has hit safely in each of his first five games with the Express, going 9-for-18 with multiple hits in three of the five games. All nine hits were singles.

* OF Craig Gentry has hit safely in five of his last six games and has not gone hitless in consecutive games since failing to hit safely in four straight April 12-15. However, he has only one multiple-hit outing sin April 18 (12 games).

* OF Esteban German has hit safely in 20 of 24 games this season with no consecutive hitless games. He has hit safely in three straight and five of six. German is hitting .364 (24-for-66) since April 16. He is second on the team with 10 multiple-hit games and leads the Express with four three-hit outings.

* IF/OF Matt Kata's three-hit day Tuesday was his first multiple-hit outing since a two-hit game April 10 - his first game of the season. He has produced an RBI in five games, four of which were two-RBI outings.

* 1B Brad Nelson has hit safely in four straight with multiple hits in three of those games. He is hitting .368 (7-for-19) in that time, which comes on the heels of a 3-for-34 skid (.088). Nelson has produced at least one RBI in four straight and five of six. He has reached safely in six straight games.

* 1B Chad Tracy has hit safely in four of his last five games, going 6-for-20 (.300) in that time. He is hitting .356 (16-for-45) with runners on base and .400 (12-for-30) with runners in scoring position. Tracy leads the Express with 21 RBI and seven multiple-RBI games. He has eight RBI in his last five games.

* RHP Derek Hankins leads the PCL with four wins. Monday's game marked his first start this season in which he did not allow a home run. Hankins has allowed six homers, five of which were solo shots.

* RHP Neil Ramirez leads the league in opponents' batting average (.157). He is third in the league in ERA (1.69) and WHIP (0.89). Ramirez leads league starters in opponents' batting average, ranks second among starters in strikeouts per nine innings (10.55) and second among starters in fewest base-runners per nine innings (8.44).

* RHP Yoshi Tateyama is fourth among PCL relievers in walks per nine innings (1.29). He has 17 strikeouts over 13.0 innings in his last eight appearances, notching at least two strikeouts in six of those eight outings.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock returns home for one series, a four-game set against the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). The series opens Friday at 7:05 p.m. CDT, followed by games Saturday at 7:05 p.m., Sunday at 1:05 p.m. and Monday at 12:05 p.m.

GAME 28 | FRIDAY, MAY 6 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (2-0, 5.01 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Frankie De La Cruz (0-1, 2.42 ERA)

GAME 29 | SATURDAY, MAY 7 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Derek Hankins (4-1, 4.94 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Josh Butler (1-2, 4.76 ERA)

GAME 30 | SUNDAY, MAY 8 | 1:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Seth McClung (1-0, 2.91 ERA)

Sounds: LHP Chase Wright (0-2, 5.40 ERA)

GAME 31 | MONDAY, MAY 9 | 12:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (starts tomorrow)

Sounds: RHP Amaury Rivas (starts tomorrow)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 4, 2011


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