PCL1 Round Rock Express

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

Published on June 26, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 79 | 26 JUNE 2012 | 12:05 P.M. CDT | PRINCIPAL PARK | DES MOINES, IOWA

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (35-43) at IOWA CUBS (33-45)

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

EXPRESS: LHP Martin Perez (5-5, 4.59 ERA) | CUBS: RHP Frankie De La Cruz (1-2, 2.68 ERA)

TUESDAY AFTERNOON

Round Rock concludes a one-series road trip with the finale of a four-game series 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 before Iowa's 2-1 victory yesterday afternoon. The Express, 6-4 in their last 10 games, are 16-26 on the road but have won four their last five away from The Dell Diamond. The Cubs have lost 10 of their last 14 and are 8-17 since June 1. Iowa is 17-25 at home, dropping eight of its last 10 at Principal Park. Round Rock is fourth in the PCL's American Southern Division, 10 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 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 8-7, winning four of seven games at Principal Park. The teams split each of the first three series. ... SERIES HISTORY: The Express lead the all-time series 64-63 and are 29-34 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: Seven of the 15 meetings were one-run affairs with the Cubs winning four times. All but three of the 15 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 .246 (126-for-512) with 13 homers, 27 doubles, a triple, eight stolen bases and 4.5 runs per game. Mike Bianucci is 20-for-63 (.385) in 14 games with five homers, 12 RBI and 10 runs scored; he also has 15 strikeouts. Joey Butler is 15-for-55 (.273) with one homer, four RBI, six doubles and 12 runs scored in 15 games; he has 16 strikeouts. Iowa native Brad Nelson has three homers (one grand slam), 14 RBI, three doubles and 11 walks in 14 games. Express pitchers have a 4.29 ERA (65 ER/136.1 IP) with 95 strikeouts against 48 walks. Martin Perez is 2-1 with a 1.74 ERA (4 ER/20.2 IP) in three starts against the Cubs. Greg Reynolds also is 2-1 in four starts against the Cubs. Iowa is hitting .291 (152-for-523) with 16 homers, 29 doubles, three triples, 14 stolen bases and 4.5 runs per game. Brett Jackson is 18-for-62 (.209) with five homers, nine RBI, five doubles, a triple, 12 runs scored and 11 walks in 15 games; he also has 28 strikeouts.

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

at Cubs 2, Express 1

WP: Raley (4-2). LP: Snyder (1-3). SV: Dolis (3).

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 MARTIN PEREZ (5-5, 4.59 ERA, 49 K)

2012: Started two games at spring training, 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 ... won season's first start April 6 at Iowa ... also claimed wins April 27 at Oklahoma City, May 7 vs. Memphis, June 15 vs. Oklahoma City and June 21 vs. Iowa ... lost starts April 16 vs. Iowa, April 21 at New Orleans, May 14 at Tacoma, May 20 vs. Fresno and June 4 vs. Albuquerque ... worked 7.0 innings May 7 vs. Memphis; longest start at any level since May 26, 2010, with Frisco (AA) at that time ... 0-3, 7.48 ERA"ˆ(23 ER/27.2 IP), 15 walks, 15 strikeouts, .370 opponents' average (44-for-119) over next six starts ... suffered least-effective Triple-A start May 14 at Tacoma; allowed seven runs over two innings, matching shortest career Triple-A outing (Aug. 21, 2011 vs. New Orleans) ... surrendered 20 runs (14 earned) in 9.0 innings over three starts May 14-25 ... Express lost each of his six starts from May 14 to June 10 ... rebounded for wins in each of his next two starts with a 1.13 ERA (2 ER/16.0 IP) and a .080 opponents' batting average (4-for-50) ... 6.00 ERA in first inning (10 ER/15.0 IP); also allowed six unearned first-inning runs ... opponents hitting .237 (18-for-76) when leading off inning with two homers, 10 strikeouts and 10 walks (.326 on-base percentage) ... opponents hitting .308 (12-for-39) with runners in scoring position and two outs ... opponents are 4-for-10 with bases loaded (no homers, 10 RBI) ... averages 5.07 runs of support per start ... 8.32 hits, 4.06 walks per nine innings, .249 opponents' average; all marks best among Express starters ... induced eight double plays, all of which came in his last six starts ... 4-2 in seven starts following Express loss (team lost all three no-decisions) ... Express are 6-9 in his 15 starts ... 2-2, 6.10 ERA"ˆ(28 ER/41.1 IP) with 16 walks, 22 strikeouts and a .310 opponents' average (48-for-155) in eight starts on the road.

LAST START: Won June 21 start vs. Iowa at The Dell Diamond, a 6-2 Express victory ... first career complete game and Round Rock's lone this season ... allowed two runs on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts ... did not allow a hit until Josh Vitters' two-out solo homer in the fourth ... ended stretch of 7.2 consecutive hitless innings, dating back to third-inning leadoff double in previous start ... opponents were 0-for-22 with two walks in that stretch (one double play induced) ... retired final seven batters faced after Ty Wright's seventh-inning, two-out RBI double ... 17/31 first-pitch strikes ... three 2-0 counts, two 3-0 counts (both walks) ... one full count ... started six batters 0-2; those batters were 0-for-6 with three strikeouts ... 90 pitches, 65 strikes ... high-pitch inning was 14 (fourth, seventh) ... used fewer than 10 pitches in four innings (first, second, third, fifth).

2012 vs. IOWA: Also won April 6 start at Iowa, a 4-3 Express victory ... limited Cubs to one run on four hits and a walk with three strikeouts over six innings ... lone run scored on fourth-inning Welington Castillo RBI"ˆdouble.

CAREER vs. IOWA: No appearances vs. Iowa prior to 2012.

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

HET WILHELMUS

Left-hander Derek Holland is scheduled to make a 50-pitch rehab start Wednesday night at The Dell Diamond as the Express open a four-game series against the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT; gates open at 5:30 p.m. Holland is 5-4 with a 5.10 ERA and 59 strikeouts in 12 starts and one relief appearance for the Rangers this season. He was placed on the disabled list following his June 5 start at Oakland. Coincidentally, Holland's last Triple-A start was at The Dell Diamond in a no-decision Aug. 23, 2010, with then-Rangers Triple-A affiliate Oklahoma City.

WHAT'S GOING ON

Despite sitting 10 games back (fourth place) in the division standings, Round Rock is 13-10 against division foes. Albuquerque, which leads Oklahoma City by a half-game, is 18-13 against the division but 3-4 against the Express (1-2 at home). Oklahoma City is 11-16 against the division, while New Orleans (five games behind Albuquerque) is 12-15 against division foes (3-5 vs. Express, 1-3 at home). Round Rock's schedule is quite favorable in the season's second half (72 games), playing only 12 games against non-division teams with above .500 - four against Omaha (home), four against Las Vegas (home) and four against Reno (road).

COME AS YOU ARE

Round Rock leads the PCL in attendance by a substantial margin. Express fans have filled The Dell Diamond at a rate of 8,423 fans per game - nearly 1,000 fans per game more than second-place Sacramento (7,475). In fact, the gap between Round Rock and Sacramento (948) is roughly the same as the gap between Sacramento and sixth-place Iowa (6,253). Round Rock led the PCL in attendance last season with 8,587 fans per game.

RAMBLIN' MAN

Brad Nelson hit safely in 29 of his last 30 road games, going 44-for-118 (.373) 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 30 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, 51-for-152) than at home (.242, 31-for-128). Nine of his 11 homers and 34 of his 47 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. Nelson is riding a five-game hitting streak (.294, 5-for-17) with three homers (one grand slam) and nine RBI.

UNDER PRESSURE

Matt Kata is hitting .458 (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 38-for-155 (.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 .362 (17-for-47) after the seventh inning with 10 RBI. He is 32-for-93 (.344) over his last 24 games with two homers, 16 RBI, four doubles, a triple, 10 multiple-hit outings and four multiple-RBI games.

WALK THIS WAY

Three Express players have gone at least 100 plate appearances without a walk: Luis Hernandez (May 19 - 32 games, 142 plate appearances), Matt Kata (May 13 - 27 games, 110 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 28-6 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 7-37 when allowing at least five runs, losing 11 straight when allowing at least five runs. Meanwhile, Round Rock is 8-23 when scoring fewer than five runs; three of the eight 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 1.31 homers in 42 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 15-for-36 (.416) over his last 10 games with five multiple-hit games, including two hits in each of his last three 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 21 games (86 plate appearances). He is 4-for-11 (.364) with the bases loaded (two doubles, two walks, 10 RBI) and 20-for-40 (.500) 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 is 3-for-7 with a double over his last two games. He was 5-for-54 (.093) over his previous 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 .469 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .320 (8-for-25) 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 2-for-13 (.154) over his last four games. Six of his 11 home runs were solo shots. He has not homered since June 1 at Memphis, a span of 21 games and 76 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-55 (.309) over his last 13 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 32 games and 143 plate appearances. Three of his four home runs were solo shots. Hernandez leads all PCL shortstops with a .987 fielding percentage (four errors, 319 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 has hit safely in six of his last seven games (.346, 9-for-26). Five of his six home runs and 26 of his 33 RBI came after the third inning. Solarte has not homered since May 14, a span of 34 games and 135 at bats. Five of his six home runs were solo shots. He 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 25 games and 96 at bats. He is 11-for-62 (.177) over his last 16 games, and three of the 11 hits were in one game; his average dropped from .400 to .320 in that time. Spilborghs is 21-for-50 (.420) during the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. He is 5-for-29 (.172) with runners in scoring position and two outs; he is hitless in each of his last 12 such at bats. Spilborghs has played 228 career PCL games, hitting .337 (291-for-863) 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 five appearances (4.0 innings). He walked one batter in each of his first four outings but none in his last two. ... 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 0-3 with a 5.00 ERA (15 ER/27.0 IP) in 14 road games. He has 18 strikeouts over 18.0 innings with eight walks in his last 11 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, going 16-for-41 (.390) since May 21. ... Round Rock leads the PCL with 93 double plays turned, turning four in a game twice. ... The Express have at least one double in 73 of 78 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 7-11 in one-run games. Seven of the 18 games were against Iowa. ... Round Rock is 1-34 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 Derek Holland (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

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 26, 2012


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