PCL1 Round Rock Express

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

Published on June 25, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 78 | 25 JUNE 2012 | 12:05 P.M. CDT | PRINCIPAL PARK | DES MOINES, IOWA

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (35-42) at IOWA CUBS (32-45)

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

EXPRESS: LHP Ben Snyder (1-2, 3.55 ERA) | CUBS: LHP Brooks Raley (3-2, 4.72 ERA)

SUNNY AFTERNOON

Round Rock continues a one-series road trip with the third of four games against the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs). First pitch is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. CDT at Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa. Round Rock won the first two games of this series, including yesterday's 5-2 win, and have won seven of its last 10 games. The Express are 16-25 on the road but have won four straight. The Cubs have lost 10 of their last 13 and are 7-17 since June 1. Iowa is 16-25 at home, dropping eight of its last nine at Principal Park. Round Rock is fourth in the PCL's American Southern Division, nine-and-a-half games back of Oklahoma City and four games behind third-place New Orleans. Iowa is second in the American Northern Division but trails Omaha by 15 games - the league's largest first-place margin.

RADIO GA GA

Today's game airs on 1530 AM 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 8-6, winning four of six games at Principal Park. The teams split each of the first three series. ... SERIES HISTORY: Round Rock holds a 64-62 edge in the all-time series. The Cubs hold a 33-29 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 14 meetings were one-run affairs with each team winning three times. All but three of the 14 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 .248 (119-for-480) with 13 homers, 26 doubles, a triple, seven stolen bases and 4.8 runs per game. Mike Bianucci is 18-for-48 (.375) in 13 games with five homers, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored. Joey Butler is 15-for-52 (.288) with one homer, four RBI, six doubles and 12 runs scored in 14 games. Iowa native Brad Nelson has three homers, 14 RBI, three doubles and 10 walks in 13 games. Express pitchers have a 4.42 ERA (63 ER/128.1 IP) with 88 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 .295 (146-for-495) with 15 homers, 28 doubles, three triples, 14 stolen bases and 4.6 runs per game. Brett Jackson is 18-for-58 (.310) with five homers, nine RBI, five doubles, a triple, 12 runs scored and 11 walks in 14 games; he also has 26 strikeouts. Anthony Rizzo is 16-for-55 (.291) with three homers, 12 RBI, six runs scored and 11 strikeouts in 13 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

Express 5, at Cubs 2

WP: Reynolds (7-5). LP: Lopez (1-3). SV: Heilman (4).

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

Express: LHP Ben Snyder (1-2, 4.50 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

LHP BEN SNYDER (1-2, 4.50 ERA, 30 K)

2012: Received non-roster invite to Rangers spring training ... made five relief appearances with no record ... 1-0 with a 1.20 ERA (2 ER/15.0 IP) in 10 outings at The Dell Diamond ... 0-2 with a 5.09 ERA (13 ER/23.0 IP) in 13 road games ... 14 strikeouts over 14.0 innings with five walks in his last nine appearances ... opponents hitting .348 (8-for-23) with runners in scoring position and two outs ... stranded 10 of 19 inherited runners ... makes first start this season.

LAST"ˆOUTING: Faced five batters but did not record an out June 22 in relief against Iowa at The Dell Diamond ... surrendered four runs on three hits and two walks ... also allowed both inherited runners to score.

LAST"ˆSTART: Sept. 2, 2011, with Double-A Frisco at Corpus Christi ... allowed one run on four hits and no walks over 7.0 innings with three strikeouts to earn win ... started each of season's final 14 outings after making 26 relief appearances.

2012 vs. IOWA: 0-0, 6.48 ERA (6 ER/8.1 IP) in six relief outings with six walks, seven strikeouts ... held Cubs scoreless in three of six games ... worked a scoreless inning April 5 with two strikeouts at Des Moines ... yielded one hit and walked two over 2.2 scoreless innings April 15 at The Dell Diamond.

CAREER vs. IOWA: Did not face Iowa prior to 2012.

NOTABLE: Benjamin David Snyder ... pitched two seasons at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. ... had a 16-10 career record with 196 strikeouts in 207.2 innings ... allowed one run over 8.0 innings to defeat Kentucky in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament ... was named to all-tournament team for the Lexington Regional ... was selected as the Mid-American Conference freshman of the year in 2005 ... graduated from Bellevue [Ohio] High School in 2003 ... signed by Steve Arnieri (Giants).

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

Round Rock is 16-25 (.390) on the road, but the Express won each of their last four road games (two at Albuquerque, and the previous two at Iowa). It is Round Rock's longest road winning streak this season; the Express had previously 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 nine-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 28 of his last 29 road games, going 43-for-115 (.374) 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 29 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, 50-for-149) than at home (.242, 31-for-128). Nine of his 11 homers and 31 of his 44 RBI were in road games; six of his 13 RBI at The Dell Diamond came in the most-recent home stand. Six of his 11 homers were solos, including four leadoff shots. He has one of two Express grand slams this season (June 24 vs. Iowa).

UNDER PRESSURE

Matt Kata is hitting .463 (22-for-48) with runners in scoring position, delivering 32 RBI. He is even more deadly with runners in scoring position and two outs, going 9-for-18 (.500) with 18 RBI. However, he is 37-for-151 (.245) without runners in scoring position. Kata hit one of Round Rock's two grand slams this season (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 .348 (16-for-46) after the seventh inning with 10 RBI. He is 31-for-89 (.348) over his last 23 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 - 26 games, 106 plate appearances) and Tommy Mendonca (May 2 - 29 games, 112 plate appearances). Meanwhile, Joey Butler leads the PCL with 49 walks.

FIVE TO ONE

The Express are 28-5 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 19 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 1.34 homers in 41 road games (55 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 80 homers, 55 of which were on the road. Of Round Rock's 80 home runs, 42 were solo shots, including 23 to leadoff an inning.

EVERYDAY PEOPLE

Mike Bianucci is 13-for-32 (.406) over his last nine 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 20 games (82 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 26 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 (six) and at bats. Borbon is 49-for-133 (.368) since May 12, a stretch that included a career-best, 21-game hitting streak. He is hitting .413 (33-for-80) in the middle innings with three homers, 17 RBI and six doubles. Borbon snapped a 13-game road hitting streak Saturday, 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 had a five-game hitting streak snapped Sunday (0-for-3). Butler is tied for 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 20 games and 73 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 had a season-high eight-game hitting streak snapped Sunday. Martinez is 13-for-33 (.394) in the third and fourth innings but 20-for-100 (.200) the rest of the game. 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) Saturday night, going 0-for-4. Solarte is hitting .223 (21-for-94) through the first three innings but .305 (58-for-190) thereafter with five of his six home runs and 26 of his 33 RBI. He has not homered since May 14, a span of 33 games and 131 at bats. Five of his six home runs were solo shots. Solarte is 16-for-45 (.356) when leading off an inning with one home run and three walks (.396 on-base percentage). He is 5-for-42 (.119) with runners in scoring position and fewer than two outs. ... Ryan Spilborghs has not homered since May 26, a span of 24 games and 92 at bats. He is 11-for-58 (.190) over his last 15 games, and three of the 11 hits came June 13 at Albuquerque; his average dropped from .400 to .327 in that time. Spilborghs is 21-for-49 (.429) during the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. He is 5-for-28 (.179) with runners in scoring position and two outs; he is hitless in each of his last 11 such at bats. Spilborghs has played 227 career PCL games, hitting .339 (291-for-859) with 24 homers, 119 RBI and 65 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 Friday 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 1.65 ERA (3 ER/16.1 IP) over his last 12 outings, going 1-0 with four saves. He recorded at least one strikeout in 20 of 22 appearances since failing to do so in each of the season's first two outings. He has 27 strikeouts in his last 26.2 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 .329 (26-for-79) with the bases loaded, including two grand slams, and are 16-for-41 (.390) since May 21. ... Round Rock leads the PCL with 91 double plays turned, turning four Friday night. ... The Express have at least one double in 72 of 77 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 33-5 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 25, 2012


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