PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes at Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs)

Published on June 24, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 77 | 24 JUNE 2012 | 1:05 P.M. CDT | PRINCIPAL PARK | DES MOINES, IOWA

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (34-42) at IOWA CUBS (32-44)

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

EXPRESS: RHP Greg Reynolds (6-5, 4.57 ERA) | CUBS: RHP Rodrigo Lopez (1-2, 4.29 ERA)

SUNNY AFTERNOON

Round Rock continues a one-series road trip with the second of four games against the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs). First pitch is scheduled for 1:05 p.m. CDT at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Round Rock won last night's series opener 4-2 and won six of its last 10 games. The Express are 15-25 on the road but have won three straight. The Cubs have lost nine of their last 12 and are 7-16 since June 1. Iowa is 16-24 at home, dropping seven of its last eight at Principal Park. Round Rock is fourth in the PCL's American Southern Division, 10-and-a-half games back of Oklahoma City and five games behind third-place New Orleans. Iowa is second in the American Northern Division but trails Omaha by 14 games - the league's largest first-place margin.

RADIO GA GA

Today'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.

US AND THEM

This is the last of four series between Round Rock and Iowa. Round Rock leads the season series 7-6, winning three of five games at Principal Park. The teams split each of the first three series. ... SERIES HISTORY: Round Rock holds a 63-62 edge in the all-time series. The Cubs hold a 33-28 advantage at Principal Park. Round Rock won the season series in 2006 (12-4), 2008 (11-5) and 2011 (9-7), while Iowa claimed the season series in 2005 (10-5), 2007 (10-6), 2009 (9-7) and 2010 (11-5). The teams split a pair of series - one at each location - earlier this season. There have been five sweeps in the series: Iowa at home in 2005, Round Rock at Iowa in 2006, Round Rock at home in 2006, Round Rock at home in 2008 and Round Rock at home in 2009. The Express have not won a home series against the Cubs since the 2009 sweep, splitting three series and dropping three of four in the other two series. ... 2012 SERIES: Six of the 13 meetings were one-run affairs with each team winning three times. All but three of the 13 games were decided by three or fewer runs. The teams have played one extra-inning game - an 11-10 Express victory 13-innings April 15 at The Dell Diamond. Round Rock is hitting .253 (113-for-447) with 12 homers, 23 doubles, a triple, seven stolen bases and 4.8 runs per game. Mike Bianucci is 16-for-44 (.364) in 12 games with five homers, 12 RBI and nine runs scored. Joey Butler is 15-for-49 (.306) with one homer, four RBI, six doubles and 12 runs scored in 13 games. Iowa native Brad Nelson has two homers, 10 RBI, three doubles and nine walks in 12 games. Express pitchers have a 4.60 ERA (61 ER/119.1 IP) with 86 strikeouts against 44 walks. Martin Perez is 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA (4 ER/20.2 IP) in three starts against the Cubs. Iowa is hitting .298 (138-for-463) with 14 homers, 27 doubles, three triples, 13 stolen bases and 4.8 runs per game. Brett Jackson is 17-for-55 (.309) with four homers, eight RBI, five doubles, a triple, 11 runs scored and 10 walks in 13 games; he also has 25 strikeouts. Anthony Rizzo is 16-for-52 (.308) with three homers, 12 RBI, six runs scored and 11 strikeouts in 12 games.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ76 | SATURDAY, JUNE 23

Express 4, at Cubs 2

WP: Jackson (3-8). LP: Volstad (2-2). SV: Cotts (2).

GAME"ˆ77 | SUNDAY, JUNE 24 | 1:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Greg Reynolds (6-5, 4.57 ERA)

Cubs: RHP Rodrigo Lopez (1-2, 4.29 ERA)

GAME"ˆ78 | MONDAY, JUNE 25 | 12:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Ben Snyder (1-2, 3.55 ERA)

Cubs: LHP Brooks Raley (3-2, 4.72 ERA)

GAME"ˆ79 | TUESDAY, JUNE 26 | 12:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Martin Perez (5-5, 4.59 ERA)

Cubs: RHP Frankie De La Cruz (1-2, 2.68 ERA)

START ME UP

RHP GREG REYNOLDS (6-5, 4.57 ERA, 39 K)

2012: Non-roster invite to Rangers spring training ... made two starts and two relief appearances, going 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA (5 ER/12.0 IP) ... logged eight strikeouts against one walk and held batters to a .205 average (9-for-44) ... started Express exhibition game vs. Rangers at The Dell Diamond (April 2) ... no-decision in season's first start April 8 at Iowa, a 6-5 Express loss; left game in line for win (5-2) ... earned wins April 23 at New Orleans, May 4 vs. Memphis, May 15 at Tacoma, June 1 at Memphis, June 13 at Albuquerque and June 19 vs. Iowa ... suffered losses April 13 vs. Iowa, April 18 vs. Omaha, April 29 at Oklahoma City, May 26 at Nashville and June 8 at Omaha ... averages 5.57 runs of support per start ... 1-4 with one no-decision (win) in starts following Express loss ... 12 double plays induced ... nine of 13 homers surrendered were solos ... worked at least into the sixth inning in all but one start (June 8 at Omaha), completing at least six innings 10 times and at least seven innings four times ... allows a .424 average (36-for-85) when leading off an inning with six home runs and three walks against six strikeouts ... holds opponents to a .195 average (18-for-91) with runners in scoring position, including a .167 mark (6-for-36) with runners in scoring position and two outs ... 3.21 ERA (5 ER/14.0 IP) in first inning ... 2.57 ERA (4 ER/14.0 IP) in second inning ... 4-3, 5.01 ERA (31 ER/55.2 IP) in nine starts with 27 strikeouts against 12 walks ... three or fewer earned runs in 10 of 14 starts, including three of last four and seven of last nine ... 3-1, 4.32 ERA (12 ER/25.0 IP) over last four starts.

LAST"ˆSTART: Won June 19 start vs. Iowa at The Dell Diamond, a 6-3 Express win ... allowed three runs on nine hits and a walk with four strikeouts over 6.0 innings ... surrendered one run in the second, fourth and sixth innings, including Josh Vitters' sixth-inning leadoff homer ... 12 groundouts, no fly-ball outs.

2012 vs. IOWA: 1-1, 5.00 ERA (10 ER/18.0 IP) in three starts ... faced Iowa in each of season's first two starts ... no-decision in April 8 start at Des Moines, a 6-5 Express loss ... held Cubs to two runs on six hits and no walks over 6.0 innings with three strikeouts; left game leading 5-2 ... lost April 13 start at The Dell Diamond, another 6-5 Cubs win ... allowed five runs on seven hits over 6.0 innings with two walks and two strikeouts ... surrendered season-high three-homers - Anthony Rizzo (two runs, first inning; solo, sixth inning); Wellington Castillo (solo, fourth inning).

CAREER vs. IOWA: 2-1, 5.63 ERA (15 ER/24.0 IP) in four starts ... earned victory in May 10, 2011, start with Colorado Springs ... allowed five runs on 10 hits (one homer) over 6.0 innings with one walk and three strikeouts in a 13-6 SkySox win.

NOTABLE: Gregory Adam Reynolds ... drafted second overall by Colorado in 2006 ... went 13-10, 4.11 ERA"ˆover a three-year career for the Stanford Cardinal ... highest-draft pick in school history ... led team in wins, ERA, strikeouts, innings and starts in final season ... rated by Baseball America as the fourth-best pitcher and fifth-best draft prospect overall prior to 2006 draft ... tossed complete games in three consecutive starts ahead of the draft, besting Cal's Brandon Morrow (fifth overall, Seattle) and Washington's Tim Lincecum (10th overall, San Francisco) in that span ... aided in Stanford's win at Austin Regional, tossing complete-game victory in the Cardinal's 7-2 win June 2 over North Carolina State ... earned NCAA All-Regional honors for that effort ... was named All-Pac 10 honorable mention in 2006 ... took loss in championship game of 2005 NCAA"ˆWaco Regional, striking out 10 batters over 11.0-plus innings of 4-3 loss ... Prepped at Terra Nova [Calif.] High School ... 2003 Gatorade California Baseball Player and Bay Area Athlete of the Year after going 4-3 with a 0.91 ERA ... recruited by several D-I schools as a quarterback ... drafted by Philadelphia out of high school (41st round) but did not sign.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Round Rock is 15-25 (.375) on the road, but the Express won each of their last three road games (two at Albuquerque before last night's win). It matches Round Rock's longest road winning streak this season; the Express won three straight April 22-24 at New Orleans. Round Rock split a four-game series at Des Moines in the season's first series (April 5-8).

WHAT'S GOING ON

Despite sitting 10-and-a-half games back (last place) in the division standings, Round Rock is 13-10 against division foes. In fact, Oklahoma City leads the division; however, the RedHawks are 11-16 against the division. Albuquerque is 18-13 against division foes but 3-4 against the Express. Round Rock's schedule is quite favorable in the season's second half (72 games). The Express play only 12 games against non-division teams with .500-or-better records - four against Omaha (home), four against Las Vegas (home) and four against Reno (road).

RAMBLIN' MAN

Brad Nelson hit safely in 27 of his last 28 road games, going 42-for-112 (.375) on the road since an 0-for-4 night April 21 at New Orleans. That stretch included a 21-game road hitting streak that is the PCL's longest this season. His lone hitless outing over the last 28 road games was June 8 at Omaha when he was hitless in a pinch-hit role. Nelson is hitting nearly 100 points better on the road (.336, 49-for-146) than at home (.242, 31-for-128). Eight of his 10 homers and 30 of his 43 RBI were in road games; six of his 13 RBI at The Dell Diamond came in the most-recent home stand. Six of his 10 homers were solos, including four leadoff shots.

UNDER PRESSURE

Matt Kata is hitting .468 (22-for-47) with runners in scoring position, delivering 32 RBI. He is even more deadly with runners in scoring position and two outs, going 9-for-17 (.529) with 18 RBI. However, he is 37-for-148 (.250) without runners in scoring position. Kata hit Round Rock's lone grand slam (May 31 at Memphis) and is 4-for-6 with the bases loaded (11 RBI); he is 3-for-3 with the bases loaded since delivering a game-winning, three-run double May 24 vs. Sacramento. Furthermore, Kata is hitting .356 (16-for-45) after the seventh inning with 10 RBI. He is 31-for-85 (.365) over his last 22 games with two homers, 16 RBI, four doubles, a triple, 10 multiple-hit outings and four multiple-RBI games. He snapped an 0-for-10 skid Friday night, going 2-for-4; it was his longest skid of the season both in terms of games (three) and at bats.

WALK THIS WAY

Three Express players have gone at least 100 plate appearances without a walk: Luis Hernandez (May 19 - 31 games, 138 plate appearances), Matt Kata (May 13 - 25 games, 102 plate appearances) and Tommy Mendonca (May 2 - 29 games, 112 plate appearances). Meanwhile, Joey Butler leads the PCL with 48 walks.

FIVE TO ONE

The Express are 27-5 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 7-37 when allowing at least five runs. Round Rock surrendered at least five runs nine times in the last 18 games and lost all nine games. Meanwhile, the Express are 8-22 when scoring fewer than five runs; three of the seven wins were shutouts.

BRING IT ON HOME

In stark contrast to last season, The Dell Diamond has not been a launching pad for the Express. Round Rock averages 0.67 homers per game through 36 home dates this season (24 homers). Conversely, Round Rock averages 1.35 homers in 40 road games (54 homers), including a season-high five May 8 at Salt Lake. The Express clubbed at least two homers 13 times on the road but only six times at The Dell Diamond. 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 9.28 runs per game at The Dell Diamond this season as opposed to the 11.90 average in 2011. ... Round Rock is third in the PCL with 79 homers, 54 of which were on the road. Of Round Rock's 79 home runs, 42 were solo shots, including 23 to leadoff an inning.

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

Mike Bianucci is 11-for-28 (.393) over his last eight games after going 5-for-33 (.152) in his previous eight games. His two-homer game June 19 vs. Iowa was his first multiple-homer game since the 2011 season opener (April 7) with Double-A Frisco. The homers came in back-to-back bats after going 133 at bats with only three homers. Bianucci has two walks over his last 19 games (78 plate appearances). He is 4-for-11 (.364) with the bases loaded (two doubles, two walks, 10 RBI) and 19-for-39 (.487) in the fourth inning (four homers, nine RBI). ... Julio Borbon is hitless in his last 22 at bats since a third-inning single June 17 vs. Oklahoma City. It is his longest hitless stretch of the season both in terms of games (five) and at bats. Borbon is 49-for-129 (.380) since May 12, a stretch that included a career-best, 21-game hitting streak. He is hitting .418 (33-for-79) in the middle innings with three homers, 17 RBI and six doubles. Borbon snapped a 13-game road hitting streak last night, going 0-for-5. ... Dusty Brown was 2-for-4 last night, his first multiple-hit game since going 2-for-2 in consecutive games May 8-9 at Salt Lake. He was 5-for-54 (.093) between the multiple-hit outings (20 games). However, he also had 15 walks in that time, including four games with two walks. Brown is 2-for-24 (.083) with runners in scoring position; both hits came with two outs. He owns a .484 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .333 (8-for-24) with one homer and seven walks against five strikeouts. Brown has three walks and two sacrifice flies in six bases-loaded plate appearances. ... Joey Butler is riding a five-game hitting streak (.474, 8-for-15) with three doubles and five runs scored. This comes on the heels of the least-productive stretch in his Triple-A career, a seven-game span during which time he was 2-for-24 (.083) with no extra-base hits and one RBI. Butler is second on the team with 11 homers, six of which were solo shots. However, he has no homers since June 1 at Memphis, a span of 19 games and 70 at bats. Butler has not homered at The Dell Diamond since May 17 vs. Fresno (19 games). He is 13-for-27 (.481) in the fifth inning with four homers and nine RBI; he also has 10 eighth-inning RBI. ... Luis Hernandez is 17-for-51 (.333) over his last 12 games with seven multiple-hit outings (one three-hit game), four doubles, five RBI and eight runs scored. He has not walked since May 19, a span of 31 games and 139 plate appearances. Three of his four home runs were solo shots. Hernandez leads all PCL shortstops with a .987 fielding percentage (four errors, 316 chances). ... Luis Martinez is riding an eight-game hitting streak (.333, 9-for-27), his longest of the season; he has six walks, a double, a triple and six runs scored during that time. Martinez is 13-for-32 (.406) in the third and fourth innings but 20-for-98 (.204) the rest of the game, going 4-for-23 (.174) prior to the third inning. He is 3-for-23 (.130) with runners in scoring position and two outs, and he is 0-for-5 with the bases loaded (one walk, one hit-by-pitch, one sacrifice fly). ... Yangervis Solarte's three-hit game Thursday night was his fourth of the season and first since three consecutive three-hit games April 20-22 - the second, third and fourth games of his franchise-record, 22-game hitting streak. Solarte snapped a modest four-game hitting streak (.462, 6-for-13) last night, going 0-for-4. Solarte is hitting .228 (21-for-92) through the first three innings but .310 (58-for-187) thereafter with five of his six home runs and 26 of his 33 RBI. He has not homered since May 14, a span of 32 games and 126 at bats. Five of his six home runs were solo shots. Solarte is 16-for-44 (.364) when leading off an inning with one home run and three walks (.404 on-base percentage). He is 5-for-41 (.122) with runners in scoring position and fewer than two outs. ... Ryan Spilborghs has not homered since May 26, a span of 23 games and 88 at bats. He is 9-for-54 (.167) over his last 14 games, and three of the eight hits came June 13 at Albuquerque; his average dropped from .400 to .323 in that time. Spilborghs is 21-for-49 (.429) during the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. He is 5-for-27 (.185) with runners in scoring position and two outs; he is hitless in each of his last 10 such at bats. Spilborghs has played 226 career PCL games, hitting .338 (289-for-855) with 24 homers, 119 RBI and 64 doubles.

BROTHERS IN ARMS

Neal Cotts, who has battled injuries over the past three seasons, made his Texas Rangers organizational debut June 12 at Albuquerque. It was his first outing since June 24, 2009, with the Iowa Cubs. Cotts stranded five of seven inherited runners and has not allowed a run in each of his last four appearances (3.0 innings). He walked one batter in each of his first four outings before not walking a batter last night. ... Derek Hankins has two walks in his last 10 outings (19.2 innings) with 10 strikeouts. Opposing batters are 0-for-20 with runners in scoring position and two outs, and 0-for-5 with the bases loaded. Hankins stranded 11 of 12 inherited runners. ... Aaron Heilman has a 1.88 ERA (3 ER/14.1 IP) over his last 11 outings, going 1-0 with three saves. He recorded at least one strikeout in 19 of 21 appearances since failing to do so in each of the season's first two outings. He has 27 strikeouts in his last 24.2 innings. Four of 10 inherited runners scored, and opponents are hitting .361 (13-for-36) with runners in scoring position. ... Ben Snyder is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA (6 ER/15.0 IP) in 12 outings at The Dell Diamond but 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA (13 ER/23.0 IP) in 13 road games. He has 14 strikeouts over 14.0 innings with seven walks in his last 10 appearances. ... Yoshinori Tateyama has not allowed an earned run in 13 of 14 outings. He has not allowed an earned run with the Express since April 21 at New Orleans, a span of 14.1 innings over 10 appearances. Tateyama has allowed four runs (one earned), all of which scored in the eighth inning. Opponents are 1-for-13 (.077) with runners in scoring position and 5-for-36 (.139) when behind in the count. ... Johan Yan surrendered at least one run in six of eight outings since joining the Express (May 25) and allowed an inherited runner to score in one of the other two outings.

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH

The Express are 7-12 in series openers, winning each of their last two. ... Round Rock is hitting .321 (25-for-78) with the bases loaded, going 15-for-40 (.375) since May 21. ... Round Rock leads the PCL with 89 double plays turned, turning four Friday night. ... The Express have at least one double in 71 of 76 games, including 35 of 36 home games. Round Rock enjoyed a 47-game streak with at least one double after failing to double in the season opener. ... Round Rock is 7-10 in one-run games. Six of the 17 games were against Iowa. ... Round Rock is 1-33 when trailing after seven innings, posting their lone win May 2 with a six-run eighth to rally past New Orleans 10-5. Conversely, the Express are 32-5 when leading after seven innings and 34-1 when out-scoring the opponent.

WHO'S NEXT

The Express return home for a seven-game home stand - the final home stand before the All-Star Game break. Round Rock hosts the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers) for a three-game series that runs Wednesday through Friday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch each night. The Express split a four-game series at Nashville in late May, winning the final two games 19-3 and 8-5 in 10 innings, respectively. Round Rock established franchise records for runs and hits (24) in the 19-3 win. The Sounds won the first game 7-6 and the second game 7-3.

GAME"ˆ80 | WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Chad Bell (0-0, 0.00 ERA; first Triple-A start)

Sounds: RHP Wily Peralta (2-8, 5.96 ERA)

GAME"ˆ81 | THURSDAY, JUNE 28 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Derek Hankins (2-4, 4.20 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Mark Rogers (3-4, 5.65 ERA)

GAME"ˆ82 | FRIDAY, JUNE 29 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (3-8, 5.09 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Tyler Thornburg (0-0, 0.00 ERA; first Triple-A start)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 24, 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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