Walks Rock Express Again
April 13, 2009 - Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release
ROUND ROCK - Looking to snap a three-game slide Monday, Round Rock issued six or more walks for the fifth consecutive game, extending its season total to 37 through five games before falling 8-4 to Omaha.
Mark Saccomanno and Yordany Ramirez both had multi-hit nights and Saccomanno lifted his second home run of the season. Ramirez cranked out two singles and added an RBI-double with two out in the ninth.
Bud Norris added to the gift-package pitching in his Triple-A debut at The Dell Diamond, walking three in an otherwise successful 4 1/3 inning start. Norris scattered four hits and fanned four before exiting in the fifth without allowing an earned run, but his commendable showing was largely overshadowed by the seemingly endless plague of walks that have haunted Round Rock to start the year.
Five of the six pitchers used by the Express on Monday issued at least one walk. Neal Musser's walk-free ninth was the only exception.
Through 45 frames, Round Rock's pitching corps has fanned 31 batters and walked 37.
Conversely, the Express has drawn 13 walks over the same period and suffered through 32 innings without a lead before briefly leaping ahead of the Royals on Monday.
Trailing by two in the sixth, Round Rock nabbed its first lead in 32 innings dating back to April 9. Tommy Manzella reached on an error with one away and John Gall drew a walk before Saccomanno launched a shot off reliever Roman Colon. The three-run homer cleared the wall in left-center field, putting the Express ahead by one.
The lead unraveled in the next frame, though, as Ryan McKeller issued two walks and allowed a single to load the bases with two outs before turning the ball over to Tyler Lumsden. Five pitches later, Omaha snagged its seventh walk, tying the game 3-3.
Nine-hole hitter Luis Hernandez followed up with a 2-run single down the right-field line, opening up a two-run lead for the Royals. They padded the lead with three runs off a pair of doubles in the follow-up frame.
In his Triple-A debut, Norris - Houston Astros' No. 1 pitching prospect (Baseball America) -located 51 of his 85 pitches for strikes and wriggled out of several early jams.
Former Round Rock catcher J.R. House reached on an error to short to start the fourth and moved to third on Travis Metcalf's two-out double to let-center. Chris Lubanski drove home the game's first run with an RBI single to right. Tug Hulett later followed with a two-out walk that loaded the bases before Norris fanned Luis Hernandez to end the threat.
Tommy Murphy led the top of the fifth off with a walk and another error helped Cory Aldridge aboard before House singled in the game's second run with a shot into left-center field. Norris recorded one more out before giving way to reliever Yorman Bazardo, who was activated from the Inactive List before Monday's game.
Round Rock faces Omaha in Game 2 of the current four-game series Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. at Dell Diamond. Right-hander Felipe Paulino is scheduled to make his second start of the season for the Express.
Pacific Coast League Stories from April 13, 2009
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