PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes at Memphis Redbirds

Published on June 1, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 56 | 1 JUNE 2012 | 7:05 P.M. CDT | MEMPHIS, TENN.

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (24-31) at MEMPHIS REDBIRDS (19-35)

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

EXPRESS: RHP Greg Reynolds (3-4, 4.67 ERA) | REDBIRDS: LHP Nick Additon (1-5, 5.76 ERA)

TONIGHT'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock concludes an eight-game road trip tonight with the finale of a four-game series against the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at AutoZone Park. The Express won last night's game 9-3 after dropping each of the series' first two games by one run. Round Rock is 5-5 over its last 10 games and 11-20 on the road. Memphis is 3-7 in its last 10 games and 11-19 at home. The Express are fourth in the PCL's American Southern Division, seven-and-a-half games back of Oklahoma City. Memphis is fourth in the American Northern Division, 12-and-a-half games behind Omaha.

BROADCAST"ˆINFORMATION

Tonight'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.

EXPRESS-REDBIRDS SERIES

This is the second of four series between the two teams this season. The Express lead the season series 4-3 with the home team winning five of the seven meetings. The Redbirds return to The Dell Diamond for a four-game series immediately following the All-Star break (July 12-15), and the Express return to AutoZone Park for a four-game series July 28-31. ... SERIES NOTES: Memphis leads the all-time series 65-53, including a 35-24 edge in games played at AutoZone Park. The Express won season series in 2005 (9-7), 2007 (9-7) and 2011 (10-6) with the Redbirds winning season series in 2006 (9-7), 2008 (9-6), 2009 (12-4) and 2010 (12-4). Round Rock was 1-15 at AutoZone Park during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. There have been three series sweeps, all by Memphis and all at AutoZone Park (one in 2009, two in 2010). ... 2012 SERIES: Round Rock is hitting .277 (66-for-238) with six homers, 17 doubles, two triples and 41 runs scored. Joey Butler is 3-for-22 (.136) with a homer and four RBI in seven games, but he eight walks and five runs scored. Matt Kata is 9-for-26 (.346) with two homers, 10 RBI and two runs scored in six games. Luis Martinez is 5-for-14 (.357) with three doubles and two RBI in four games. Brad Nelson is 7-for-23 (.304) with a homer, four RBI, two doubles and six runs scored in six games. Yangervis Solarte is 9-for-28 (.321) with two doubles, three RBI, four runs scored and four walks in six games. Ryan Spilborghs is 8-for-20 (.400) with three doubles, three RBI, six runs scored, six walks and three stolen bases in six games. Round Rock boasts a 3.32 ERA (23 ER/62.1 IP) with 41 strikeouts against 34 walks and four home runs surrendered. Nine of the 23 runs and two of the four home runs came in Tuesday night's loss. Memphis is hitting .219 (48-for-219) with 24 runs scored. Eugenio Velez is 6-for-20 (.300) in six games with two homers, eight RBI and two doubles.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ53 | TUESDAY, MAY 29

Redbirds 9, Express 8

WP: Gast (1-0). LP: Ramirez (5-5). SV: Salas (1).

GAME"ˆ54 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 30

Redbirds 9, Express 8

WP: Salas (1-0). LP: Hamburger (0-2). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ55 | THURSDAY, MAY 31

Express 9, Redbirds 3

WP: Jackson (2-5). LP: Miller (4-4). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ56 | FRIDAY, JUNE 1 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Greg Reynolds (3-4, 4.67 ERA)

Redbirds: LHP Nick Additon (1-5, 5.76 ERA)

EXPRESS STARTER

RHP GREG REYNOLDS (3-4, 4.67 ERA)

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 April 8 series finale at Iowa, a 6-5 Express loss; left game in line for win (5-2) ... suffered loss in April 13 start vs. Iowa, a 6-5 Cubs win ... saddled with tough-luck loss in April 18 start vs. Omaha, a 4-0 Storm Chasers win; allowed four runs, only one of which was earned, on five hits and a walk over seven innings ... earned season's first victory in April 23 start at New Orleans, an 8-1 Express win; posted longest outing of season by an Express pitcher (eight innings) and did not allow a run until a two-out solo homer in the eighth ... suffered least effective start of season in April 29 loss at Oklahoma City, a 9-4 RedHawks win; allowed eight runs on 10 hits over 5.1 innings ... rebounded for victory in May 4 start vs. Memphis, an 8-1 Express win; allowed one run over 5.1 innings ... no-decision in May 9 start at Salt Lake, a 10-9 Express loss; allowed four runs over 5.1 innings and left leading 9-4 ... earned victory in May 15 start at Tacoma, an 11-3 Express win; held Rainiers to three runs over 6.2 innings ... no-decision in May 21 start vs. Sacramento; allowed three runs, all on solo homers, over six innings in a 6-5 Express win ... three or fewer earned runs allowed in seven of 10 starts (2.80 ERA; 14 ER/45.0 IP) ... 9.72 ERA (18 ER/16.2 IP) in other three starts ... at least one home run allowed in each of last three starts (six total) ... 2-2, 5.40 ERA (22 ER/36.2 IP) in six road starts ... nine double plays induced ... 3.15 ERA (14 ER/40.0 IP) through first four innings ... 7.48 ERA (18 ER/21.2 IP) thereafter ... opponents hitting .403 (25-for-62) when leading off an inning with five home runs ... holding opponents to a .186 average (11-for-59) with runners in scoring position and .136 (3-for-22) with runners in scoring position and two outs.

LAST"ˆSTART: Shouldered loss in May 26 start at Nashville, a 7-3 Sounds win ... allowed six runs on eight hits, including two homers, over 5.1 innings with two walks and four strikeouts ... also hit one batter surrendered back-to-back homers to Brooks Conrad (two-run) and Jordan Brown in the first inning ... left game trailing 5-2 ... one of three bequeathed runners scored ... used 87 pitches, 56 strikes.

2012 vs. MEMPHIS: Earned victory in May 4 start at The Dell Diamond, an 8-1 Express win ... allowed one run on five hits and a walk over six innings despite not recording a strikeout ... hit one batter ... utilized one double play ... yielded four singles and one double ... lone run allowed came on Mike Adams' third-inning single ... left game leading 4-1.

CAREER vs. MEMPHIS: 2-0, 4.11 ERA (7 R/15.1 IP) in two starts and one relief appearance ... earned victory in lone start with Colorado Springs in 2011; allowed five runs on six hits over 7.1 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts ... also made one relief appearance with Colorado Springs in 2008; yielded one run on three hits over two innings with two walks and two strikeouts.

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.

BRAD NELSON: ROAD WARRIOR

Brad Nelson is 12-for-29 (.414) on the current road trip, hitting safely in all seven games with three multiple-hit outings, four homers, 12 RBI, a double, five walks and 11 runs scored. He homered in four consecutive games May 26-29, tying the franchise record. Nelson has scored in six of seven games on the road trip and eight of his last nine road games. Nelson has hit safely in 20 consecutive road games, the PCL's longest streak this season; he is 32-for-82 (.390) in those games with seven homers, 20 RBI, seven doubles and 26 runs scored. He has not gone hitless in consecutive games since a three-game spell April 19-21. Nelson has hit safely in 31 of 34 games since, enjoying hitting streaks of 11 games, nine games and his current seven-game run.

KATA KEY IN CLUTCH SITUATIONS

Matt Kata is hitting .474 (18-for-38) with runners in scoring position, delivering 28 RBI. He is even more deadly with runners in scoring position, going 8-for-14 (.571) with 16 RBI. Kata's grand slam last night was Round Rock's first this season. He is 4-for-6 with a double and 11 RBI with the bases loaded. He is 3-for-3 with the bases loaded since delivering a game-winning, three-run double May 24 vs. Sacramento. Furthermore, Kata gets better as the game goes along, hitting .351 (33-for-94) after the third inning; he is 11-for-31 (.355) after the seventh inning with eight RBI. Kata is riding a seven-game hitting streak (.485, 16-for-33), his longest of the season with two homers and 13 RBI. He has at least one RBI in six of the seven games with three multiple-RBI games. His five RBI last night were his most since June 4, 2010, against Iowa while with the Houston Astros affiliated Express. Kata has five multiple-hit outings during the seven-game streak, including a pair of three-hit games and a four-hit game May 27 at Nashville.

USA BASEBALL CONNECTION

Express third baseman Tommy Mendonca and Memphis Redbirds shortstop Ryan Jackson were teammates on the 2008 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. Mendonca was a rising sophomore at Fresno State, and Jackson was a rising junior at the University of Miami. That team completed arguably the best summer in the history of Collegiate National Team, going 24-0 and winning the FISU World Championship. Mendonca was 4-for-4 in the Gold Medal game, a 1-0 victory over Japan. Other members of that team included Stephen Strasburg (Nationals), Mike Leake (Reds) and Mike Minor (Braves).

CAPTAIN KIRKMAN

2010 Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Year Michael Kirkman has re-established himself as one of the PCL's top starters over the past month. After starting the season in the bullpen, Kirkman slid into the Express rotation April 20. He worked three scoreless innings against Omaha in his first start, but was rocked for eight runs (seven earned) over 2.1 innings April 26 at Oklahoma City in his next start. However, Kirkman has been solid as a rock since the calendar flipped to May. He is 4-0 with a 3.48 ERA (12 ER/31.0 IP) in six May starts, holding the opponent to three or fewer earned runs in each start. Kirkman also has limited opponents to a .189 average (20-for-106) in that time with 9.58 strikeouts per nine innings. The rest of the Round Rock staff is 9-16 in May with a 5.86 ERA (145 ER/222.2 IP) and a .293 opponents' average (258-for-881). Opponents are 3-for-21 (.143) against Kirkman this season with runners in scoring position and two outs. However, they are 4-for-6 against him with the bases loaded.

KEY NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

Round Rock is 7-15 since blowing a 9-5 lead in the ninth inning May 9 at Salt Lake. The Express were 17-16 prior to that loss, the only point at which they were over .500 this season. Round Rock has been outscored 152-133 over the last 22 games, surrendering double-digit runs five times. Express pitchers have a 6.49 ERA (137 ER/190.0 IP) in that time. The staff has allowed at least one home run in 17 of the last 19 games (27 homers). A closer look into the numbers shows the Express are hitting .200 (26-for-130) with runners in scoring position in the 15 losses and .441 (41-for-93) in the six wins. Conversely, opponents are hitting .314 (53-for-169) with runners in scoring position in the 15 Express losses and .153 (9-for-59) in Round Rock's seven wins.

"HOME" RUNS SCARCE

In stark contrast to last season, The Dell Diamond has not been a launching pad for the Express. Round Rock averages 0.71 homers per game through 24 home dates this season. The Express have not homered in six of their last seven home games. Conversely, Round Rock averages 1.45 homers in 31 road games, including a season-high five May 8 at Salt Lake. The Express have homered in 16 of their last 19 road games, including streaks of nine and five games. Round Rock has homered in all but seven road games this season, clubbing at least two homers 12 times. Meanwhile, the Express have four multiple-homer games 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 9.88 runs per game at The Dell Diamond this season as opposed to the 11.90 average in 2011.

IT'S A LOADED QUESTION

Round Rock is hitting .349 (22-for-63) with the bases loaded. The Express are 12-for-23 (.522) with the bases loaded since May 21, collecting eight bases-loaded hits over the last three games. Matt Kata delivered Round Rock's first grand slam of the season last night. The Express have 10 walks against 10 strikeouts with the bases loaded. Kata leads the team with four bases-loaded hits, three of which have come since May 24. Mike Bianucci, Julio Borbon and Tommy Mendonca have three bases-loaded hits each. Dusty Brown has drawn three walks and produced one sacrifice fly in four bases-loaded plate appearances. Meanwhile, opposing batters are 22-for-53 (.415) with the bases loaded, including five grand slams. Opponents are 18-for-40 (.450) with the bases loaded since April 21, including a 5-for-5 series by Oklahoma City (April 26-29).

POSITION PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci hit safely in six of last seven games (.458, 11-for-24) with three multiple-hit games, a home run, 10 RBI, four doubles and four runs scored. He has gone hitless in consecutive games twice this season (April 17-18, April 24-26). Bianucci has one homer in his last 72 at bats since homering in four of six games May 6-11. He is hitting .339 (19-for-56) with runners in scoring position, and he is 3-for-9 with the bases loaded with a double, two walks and eight RBI. ... Dusty Brown has reached safely in eight of his last 36 plate appearances immediately following a stretch in which he reached safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances. He 2-for-17 (.118) with runners in scoring position but has eight walks and eight RBI; both hits came with two outs, including one home run. Brown has three walks and a sacrifice fly in four bases-loaded plate appearances. ... Joey Butler is hitting .338 (26-for-77) over his last 23 games; however, he has two multiple-hit games in 19 games since May 11. Butler is hitting .403 (58-for-144) when putting the ball in play, hitting safely in 25 of 59 such at bats (.424) since May 8. He is hitting .324 (44-for-136) after the third inning with nine of his 10 home runs and 28 of his 36 RBI. Butler has nine walks and two strikeouts over his last six games, walking at least once in each contest with three multiple-walk outings. He is hitting .358 (19-for-53) with runners in scoring position, producing four homers, 29 RBI and six doubles. However, he is hitting .258 (8-for-31) with runners in scoring position and two outs, producing no homers and 10 RBI. Butler is 10-for-20 (.500) in the fifth inning with four homers and eight RBI. ... Luis Hernandez is riding a six-game hitting streak (.281, 9-for-32) with three multiple-hit games, one home run, two RBI, a triple and three runs scored. He has hit safely in 10 of his last 11 games (.291, 16-for-55) with six two-hit games. Hernandez has eight extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, three homers) over a 39-game stretch since April 15. He also has 26 strikeouts in that time. Hernandez has a .295 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .225 (9-for-40) with three walks. He is 8-for-46 (.174) with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-17 (.118) with RISP and two outs. Hernandez is hitting .185 (12-for-65) after the sixth inning. ... Luis Martinez has not gone three straight games without a hit since April 15-18 - his longest hitless slide of the season. Martinez is 11-for-23 (.478) in the third and fourth innings but 13-for-74 (.176) the rest of the game, going 1-for-16 (.063) in the second inning. He is 2-for-19 (.105) with runners in scoring position and two outs, and he is 0-for-5 with the bases loaded, walking once and getting hit by a pitch once. ... Tommy Mendonca snapped a five-game hitting streak last night, going 0-for-1; it was his longest streak of the season. He has hit safely in nine of his last 11 games, going 13-for-41 (.317) in that time with a home run, eight RBI, two doubles and nine runs scored. Mendonca is 6-for-20 (.300) with runners in scoring position and two outs. He is 3-for-10 with the bases loaded but hitless in each of his last four such at bats. Mendonca is 4-for-25 (.160) prior to the third inning but 13-for-39 (.333) after the seventh inning. ... Yangervis Solarte is riding a five-game hitting streak (.250, 6-for-24) with three RBI, two doubles, five runs scored, two walks and no strikeouts. He has one multiple-hit game since May 20. Solarte has not gone consecutive games without a hit since April 13-15 (two games), hitting safely in 37 of 41 games since. He is hitting .203 (15-for-74) in the first three innings but .333 (47-for-141) thereafter with five of his six home runs and 23 of his 27 RBI. Solarte is hitting .394 (13-for-33) when leading off an inning with one home run and two walks. However, he is hitting .203 (12-for-59) with runners in scoring position. Five of his six home runs were solo shots. ... Ryan Spilborghs has hit safely in six of his last seven games (.481, 13-for-27) with three multiple-hit outings, two homers, six RBI, two doubles and 11 runs scored. He has scored at least one run in seven straight games (12 runs). Spilborghs has reached safely in all but one of his 25 games with the Express (May 24 vs. Sacramento) and managed a sacrifice fly in that game. He has hit safely in 22 of 25 games since joining the Express (May 5) with 12 multiple-hit games, a trio of three-hit outings and a four-hit outing (May 27 at Nashville). Spilborghs is 24-for-52 (.462) with runners on base, going 13-for-32 (.406) with runners in scoring position. Spilborghs owns a .500 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, going 9-for-24 (.375) with five walks and two home runs. He is hitting .300 or better in every inning except the eighth (.176, 3-for-17). Spilborghs has played 208 career PCL games, hitting .347 (274-for-788) with 24 homers, 116 RBI and 63 doubles.

PITCHER"ˆNOTES

John Gaub has not allowed a run in his first three outings with the Express (3.0 innings), surrendering two hits and one walk against four strikeouts. He has stranded two of three inherited runners. Both hits against him were with the bases empty (one double). ... Sean Green allowed 15 earned runs in 15.0 innings over his last 11 appearances (9.00 ERA) after surrendering two earned runs in his first eight outings. His 3.1-inning outing May 29 at Memphis was his longest of the year; he also had season highs of five strikeouts and five walks in that game. Opposing batters are 3-for-21 (.143) with runners in scoring position and two outs but 8-for-23 (.348) when leading off an inning and 17-for-47 (.362) with the bases empty. Green has issued 13 walks against seven strikeouts with runners in scoring position. Opponents also are 4-for-9 (.444) with the bases loaded, producing one grand slam and nine RBI. Green walked 18 batters over his last nine appearances (13.1 innings) after issuing five free passes over his first 10 outings (14.0 innings). ... Mark Hamburger has at least one strikeout in 15 of 16 appearances, including each of the last seven outings. Hamburger surrendered 13 runs in 15.0 innings (7.80 ERA) over his last seven appearances after yielding only one run over his first 9.2 innings (0.93 ERA) as a reliever. He allowed four runs in one inning May 9 at Salt Lake, the most runs he allowed as a reliever since surrendering four July 10, 2011, vs. Memphis. Opponents are hitting .467 (14-for-30) with runners in scoring position, producing two home runs and 22 RBI. He has allowed at least one run in five of his last seven outings. ... Derek Hankins has five strikeouts in 13.2 innings over his last seven outings. Opposing batters are 0-for-14 with runners in scoring position and two outs and 0-for-4 with the bases loaded. Hankins has stranded seven of eight inherited runners. ... Aaron Heilman has a 1.42 ERA (1 ER/6.1 IP) over his last five outings. The lone run was a solo homer May 23 vs. Sacramento. He failed to record a strikeout in his last outing, his first strikeout-less appearance since his first two outings. Heilman has 20 strikeouts in his last 16.2 innings. Four of 10 inherited runners scored, and opponents are hitting .313 (10-for-32) with runners in scoring position. ... Tanner Scheppers has allowed a run in five of 23 outings (11 runs total), surrendering multiple runs four times. He has walked one of his last 72 batters faced over 19 appearances (19.1 innings) with 20 strikeouts in that time; his last walk was May 9 at Salt Lake, and he has not issued multiple walks in a game. Scheppers allowed four of nine inherited runners to score. He leads the PCL with 22 games finished. Opposing batters are 6-for-15 (.400) with runners in scoring position and two outs. ... Ben Snyder is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/12.0 IP) in eight outings at The Dell Diamond but 0-2 with a 5.12 ERA (11 ER/19.1 IP) in 12 road games. He has at least one strikeout in each of his last five appearances, recording eight strikeouts over 7.1 innings with two walks. Opponents are hitting .316 (6-for-19) with runners in scoring position and two outs. Snyder has stranded nine of 15 inherited runners.

TEAM"ˆNOTES

The Express are 17-3 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 7-28 when allowing at least five runs. Wednesday night's 4-3 loss was Round Rock's first loss when holding the opponent to fewer than five runs since a 4-0 loss April 18 vs. Omaha. ... Round Rock is 4-10 in series openers. ... Of Round Rock's 58 home runs, 32 have been solo shots, including 16 to leadoff an inning; 28 came with no outs. ... The Express have at least one double in 53 of 55 games, including a 47-game streak after not getting a double in the season opener. ... Round Rock is 6-10 in one-run games, dropping three straight. Seven of the 16 games were against Iowa. ... Express relievers have allowed 25 runs (21 earned) after the seventh inning over the last 22 games. ... Round Rock is 1-22 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 have four losses in 26 games when leading after seven innings.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock returns to The Dell Diamond for a four-game series against the Albuquerque Isotopes (Los Angeles Dodgers). The series begins Saturday with a 6:05 p.m. CDT first pitch and continues Sunday through Tuesday with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch each night. The series is followed immediately by the season's third of five off-days.

GAME"ˆ57 | SATURDAY, JUNE 2 | 6:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Roy Oswalt (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

Isotopes: RHP Fernando Nieve (2-2, 9.53 ERA)

GAME"ˆ58 | SUNDAY, JUNE 3 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (5-5, 7.57 ERA)

Isotopes: RHP Will Savage (7-2, 4.45 ERA)

GAME"ˆ59 | MONDAY, JUNE 4 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Martin Perez (3-4, 5.37 ERA)

Isotopes: RHP Stephen Fife (4-4, 5.43 ERA)

GAME"ˆ60 | TUESDAY, JUNE 5 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (2-5, 4.92 ERA)

Isotopes: RHP John Ely (4-4, 3.55 ERA)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 1, 2012


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