PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes at Nashville Sounds

Published on May 27, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 51 | 27 MAY 2012 | 2:05 P.M. CDT | HERSCHEL GREER STADIUM | NASHVILLE, TENN.

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (21-29) at NASHVILLE SOUNDS (20-28)

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

EXPRESS: LHP Michael Kirkman (3-1, 6.25 ERA) | SOUNDS: RHP Wily Peralta (1-5, 5.63 ERA)

TODAY'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock continues an eight-game road trip this afternoon with the third of four games against the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). First pitch is scheduled for 2:05 p.m. CDT at Herschel Greer Stadium. The Express has lost 11 of their last 14 road games and are 8-18 away from The Dell Diamond. The Sounds have won four straight after the taking the first two games of the series, including a 7-3 victory last night. Nashville is 12-10 at home. The Express are fourth in the PCL's American Southern Division, seven-and-a-half games back of Oklahoma City. Nashville is third in the American Northern Division, nine games behind Omaha.

BROADCAST"ˆINFORMATION

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.

EXPRESS-SOUNDS SERIES

This is the first of four series between the two teams. The Sounds visit The Dell Diamond for a three-game June 27-29 and again for five games Aug. 22-26 - Round Rock's final home series. The Express return to Herschel Greer Stadium for a four-game series July 16-19. ... SERIES NOTES: Nashville leads the all-time series 58-56, including a 34-24 advantage at Greer Stadium. Nine of the last 18 meetings were one-run affairs. Round Rock claimed the season series in 2005 (9-7), 2006 (11-5) and 2011 (11-5). Nashville won the season series in 2007 (12-4), 2008 (9-7) and 2009 (10-6). The teams split the 2010 with the home team winning six times at each location. There have been three sweeps in the series, all by the home team - Nashville in 2007 and Round Rock twice last season. ... CAREER vs. NASHVILLE: Matt Kata is a .313 hitter (40-for-128) in 36 games with three homers, 25 RBI, 10 doubles, a triple and 22 runs scored. These numbers do not include his 2003 season with Tucson for which statistics are not available. Ryan Spilborghs is a .383 hitter (18-for-47) in 13 games with three homers, six RBI, three doubles, a triple and 10 runs scored. John Gaub is 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA (4 ER/13.0 IP), two saves and 17 strikeouts in 13 relief appearances. He was 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA (2 ER/6.1 IP), one save and seven strikeouts in seven outings with Iowa last season. Michael Kirkman is 1-0 with a 3.94 ERA (5 ER/16.0 IP), one save and 14 strikeouts in two starts and two relief outings. Despite his lengthy PCL career, Sean Green has ever pitched against Nashville.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ49 | FRIDAY, MAY 25

Sounds 7, Express 6

WP: Rivas (3-2). LP: Snyder (1-2). SV: Chulk (1).

GAME"ˆ50 | SATURDAY, MAY 26

Sounds 7, Express 3

WP: Rogers (1-2). LP: Reynolds (3-4). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ51 | SUNDAY, MAY 27 | 2:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (3-1, 6.25 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Wily Peralta (1-5, 5.63 ERA)

GAME"ˆ52 | MONDAY, MAY 28 | 2:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (1-5, 4.97 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Claudio Vargas (0-0, 5.40 ERA)

EXPRESS STARTER

LHP MICHAEL KIRKMAN (2-1, 6.68 ERA)

2012: Made nine relief appearances with Rangers at spring training ... 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA"ˆ(10 ER/13.1 IP) and three walks against nine strikeouts ... pitched a scoreless ninth with one strikeout in April 2 exhibition game vs. Rangers ... made five relief appearances in season's first 11 games before moving to the starting rotation April 20 ... recorded at least one strikeout in all five relief outings ... surrendered at least two runs in three of five relief appearances and was charged with two blown saves ... made first start April 20 vs. Omaha, a predetermined three-inning outing in a 2-1 Express win ... was first start since Aug. 24, 2011, and second since May 14, 2011 ... suffered loss in April 26 start at Oklahoma City; allowed season-high eight runs, seven earned, on seven hits over 2.1 innings ... claimed season's first victory in May 1 start vs. New Orleans, a 6-3 Express win; allowed two runs over five innings ... Earned victory in May 6 start vs. Memphis at The Dell Diamond, a 5-1 Express win; allowed one hit - Matt Adams' fourth-inning leadoff homer - with five walks and seven strikeouts over six innings ... was longest outing since going seven innings in a losing effort May 4, 20111, at Iowa ... Highest strikeout total since recording eight Aug. 8, 2010, at Colorado Springs ... no-decision in May 11 start at Salt Lake, a 9-6 Express loss; allowed three runs over five innings and left game leading 4-3 ... no-decision in May 17 start vs. Fresno at The Dell Diamond, a 10-5 Express loss; allowed three runs over four innings with six strikeouts and left leading 4-3 ... held opponent to three or fewer runs in six of seven starts, including each of last five ... surrendered eight runs (seven earned) in the other start ... 3-0, 3.96 ERA (11 ER/25.0 IP) over last five starts with a .198 opponents' average (17-for-86) ... 10.35 strikeouts per nine innings over last four starts (23 K/20.0 IP) ... 3-0 with a 3.60 ERA (10 ER/25.0 IP) and a .230 opponents' average in five starts, one relief appearance at The Dell Diamond ... 0-1, 12.27 ERA (15 ER/11.0 IP) and a .376 opponents' average in two starts, four relief outings on the road ... opponents hitting .417 (10-for-24) when leading off inning with three homers, 13 walks and nine strikeouts for a .622 on-base percentage ... limits opponents to a .120 average (3-for-25) with runners on base and two outs; all three hits with two outs ... opponents are 4-for-6 with the bases loaded, producing 10 RBI with one walk.

LAST START: Earned victory in May 22 start vs. Sacramento, an 11-5 Express win ... held River Cats to two runs on four hits over five innings (predetermined) with five strikeouts and two walks ... surrendered first-inning, two-out RBI single to Michael Taylor and fifth-inning leadoff homer to Brandon Hicks ... faced the minimum between the two hits, allowing only a third-inning leadoff walk that was erased on a caught stealing ... used 77 pitches, 45 strikes.

2011 vs. NASHVILLE: Earned save in March 9 outing, a 10-2 Express win at The Dell Diamond ... surrendered one unearned run on four hits and a walk over three innings with two strikeouts in relief of starter Tommy Hunter ... worked two scoreless innings of no-hit relief Aug. 1 at Nashville, a 9-4 Express win ... walked one with three strikeouts.

CAREER vs. NASHVILLE: 1-0 with a 3.94 ERA (5 ER/16.0 IP) in two starts and two relief appearances ... lone win June 20, 2010, in start at Nashville, a 5-4 Oklahoma City victory ... allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits and five walks over six innings with six strikeouts.

2011: Shuttled between Round Rock and Texas during 2011 ... started season with the Express as a starter before shifting to a relief role in May ... had three separate stints with Rangers ... made 15 relief appearances, going 1-1 with a 6.59 ERA"ˆ(20 ER/27.1 IP) and 21 strikeouts against 12 walks ... started seven games and made 20 relief appearances with Round Rock, going 3-3 with 5.05 ERA"ˆ(41 ER/73.0"ˆIP) ... 0-3 with a 6.40 ERA (23 ER/32.1 IP) in seven starts, compared to 3-0, 3.98 (18 ER/40.2 IP) in 20 appearances out of the bullpen ... allowed career-high 10 runs on 10 hits in first start April 7 vs. Iowa ... recorded first professional save with no earned runs allowed over 3.0 innings of relief May 9 vs. Nashville ... shifted to bullpen beginning with May 19 appearance vs. Colorado Springs ... recorded 1.17 ERA (1 ER/7.2 IP) over final three relief appearances, recording multiple strikeouts in all three, equaling season relief-high of five strikeouts Sept. 1 at Omaha ... tossed 4.0 scoreless innings with four strikeouts over two appearances in the playoff series vs. Omaha.

NOTABLE: Pitched at Columbia High School (Lake City, Fla.) ... went 7-3 with a 1.43 ERA (16 ER/67.1 IP) in 11 appearances in 2005 ... recorded 124 strikeouts, including season-high 18 Ks twice ... held opposing batters to a .173 average and .220 slugging percentage ... signed a letter of intent with Lake City [Fla.] Community College ... ranked as the third-best prep prospect in Florida entering the 2005 June draft by Baseball America ... Michael Scott Kirkman ... he and his wife, Lorie (8/10/09), have twin daughters Anna Elizabeth (11/9/11) and Ellie Katherine (11/10/11).

FAMILIAR FACES

Seven players in this series have ties to the other team. Brad Nelson was a member of the sounds from 2005 to 2008, hitting .264 (230-for-895) in 262 games. Zach Jackson was 16-21 with a 4.93 ERA (183 ER/334.0 IP) in 69 appearances (52 starts) over three seasons (2006-2008) with Nashville. He was the Sounds opening-day starter in 2007 and 2008. Sean Green spent the majority of 2011 with the Sounds, going 1-5 with a 3.91 ERA and six saves in 33 relief outings. Matt Kata never played for the Sounds, but he was an All-SEC performer at Nashville's Vanderbilt University (1997-1999). Nashville infielder Brooks Conrad spent parts of four seasons with the Express (2004-2007), hitting .258 (507-for-1963) in 519 games; 129 of those games were in 2004 when Round Rock was a Double-A team (.290, 139-for-480). Conrad remains Round Rock's Triple-A career leader in runs (269), doubles (98), triples (21), extra-base hits (186) and walks (169). He also ranks second in games (390), at bats (1483), hits (368), multiple-hit games (98), total bases (709), RBI (221) and multiple-RBI games (52), trailing Mark Saccomanno in each category; he also is tied for the franchise record with six multiple-homer games. Sounds right-hander Seth McClung pitched for the Express last season, going 2-3 with a 5.19 ERA in 11 starts and eight relief appearances. Nashville infielder Edwin Maysonet played parts of three seasons (2008-2010) with the Express, hitting .257 (230-for-895) in 262 games.

GOOD TIMES ON BORBON STREAK

Julio Borbon is riding a 14-game hitting streak (.444, 28-for-63), his longest this season and Round Rock's fourth of at least 14 games. Borbon has nine multiple-hit outings during the streak, including a quintet of three-hit games, nine RBI and 13 runs scored. He has multiple-hit outings in five of his last six games, including each of the last three. Borbon also enjoyed an eight-game scoring streak and a six-game extra-base-hit streak. He has hit safely in 24 of his last 26 games (.391, 45-for-115) with 15 multiple-hit outings, six three-hit games, four home runs, 16 RBI, six doubles, three triples, 19 runs scored and nine stolen bases. His average skyrocketed from .186 to .302 in that time. Borbon is hitting .427 (38-for-89) during innings three through six with all five of his home runs and 19 of his 24 RBI. However, he is hitting .204 (23-for-113) outside those innings, including a .153 mark (9-for-59) after the sixth inning. He is 3-for-9 with the bases loaded. Borbon has hit safely in 15 consecutive home games, the PCL's longest active streak and tied for the league's longest this season.

MENDONCA BE MISLEAD

Tommy Mendonca's .228 season average is a bit misleading. While he has struggled through hitless slumps of at least 12 at bats three times, he has been one of Round Rock's most productive clutch hitters this season. Mendonca is hitting .293 (12-for-41) with runners in scoring position, including a .333 mark (6-for-18) with runners in scoring position and two outs. He is tied with Julio Borbon for the team lead with three bases-loaded hits (10 at bats); however, he is hitless in each of his last four bases-loaded at bats. Furthermore, Mendonca is hitting .343 (12-for-35) after the seventh inning. He hit safely in six of his last seven games (.346, 9-for-26) with one home run, eight RBI, a double and six runs scored. Mendonca also has at least one strikeout in each of his last six games and has not gone more than two straight games without a strikeout.

KEY NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

Round Rock has lost 13 of its last 17 games, a stretch that began with a six-game losing streak. The Express have been outscored 126-86 in that span, surrendering double-digit runs five times. Express pitchers have a 6.98 ERA (113 ER/145.2 IP) over the last 17 games and have allowed at least one home run in 14 straight games (23 homers). A closer look into the numbers shows the Express are hitting .184 (21-for-114) with runners in scoring position in the 13 losses and .422 (19-for-45) in the four wins. Conversely, opponents are hitting .322 (48-for-149) with runners in scoring position in the 13 Express losses and .133 (4-for-30) in Round Rock's four wins. Round Rock is 7-for-25 (.280) with the bases loaded over the last 17 games with four of the seven hits coming in the four wins; opponents are 7-for-19 (.368) with two grand slams over the last 17 games.

"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 1.38 homers in 26 road games, including a season-high five May 8 at Salt Lake. The Express snapped a streak of nine consecutive road games with at least one homer May 13 at Tacoma (15 homers). Round Rock has homered in all but six road games this season, clubbing at least two homers nine times. Meanwhile, the Express have four multiple-homer games at The Dell Diamond. Julio Borbon became the first Express player to homer twice in a home game this season May 17 vs. Fresno (17th game); Chris Davis accomplished that feat in last year's third home game, tying a franchise record with three homers. 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

The Express produced multiple bases-loaded hits in a game for the first time this season May 21 vs. Sacramento. Tommy Mendonca (single) and Julio Borbon (double) produced the hits in successive at bats during Round Rock's five-run second inning. Round Rock is 14-for-50 (.280) with the bases loaded, producing no grand slams and drawing nine walks against nine strikeouts. Four of the 14 hits went for extra bases, all doubles. Mendonca's single May 21 snapped a 1-for-13 bases-load skid for the Express, who earlier this season suffered an 0-for-11 slump. Round Rock is 4-for-9 with the sacks full since Mendonca's May 21 single, including Matt Kata's game-winning, three-run double Thursday night. Borbon (3-for-9), Mendonca (3-for-10), Ryan Spilborghs (2-for-3) and Kata (2-for-4) are the only Round Rock players with multiple bases-loaded hits. Dusty Brown has drawn three walks and produced one sacrifice fly in four bases-loaded plate appearances. The rest of the team is 4-for-24 (.167). Meanwhile, opposing batters are 19-for-45 (.422) with the bases loaded, including four grand slams. Opponents are 15-for-32 (.469) with the bases loaded since April 21, including a 5-for-5 series by Oklahoma City (April 26-29).

SLOPPY PENMANSHIP

After going 22 consecutive games without a loss, Round Rock's bullpen has taken six on the chin over the last 21 games. In the 22 games between losses, Express relievers posted a 2.81 ERA (26 ER/83.1 IP) and allowed no more than one earned run in 17 of the 22 games. Express relievers are 0-6 with a 5.92 ERA (48 ER/73.0 IP) in 21 games since, also surrendering six unearned runs. Round Rock's bullpen has yielded at least one run in 15 of the last 18 games. The pen allowed Salt Lake to overcome a four-run, ninth-inning deficit May 9 in a 10-9 loss. It was the largest ninth-inning lead blown by the Express bullpen since July 20, 2011, when Round Rock plated eight seventh-inning runs to take an 11-7 lead only to see New Orleans score seven ninth-inning runs for a 14-11 win. Round Rock relievers are 5-10 with a 4.55 ERA (91 ER/180.0 IP) this season.

POSITION PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci is 9-for-42 (.214) over his last 12 games. He has two RBI (May 15 at Tacoma, May 25 at Nashville) and two extra-base hits (double May 12 at Tacoma, May 26 at Nashville) over his last 14 games. Bianucci has gone hitless in consecutive games twice this season (April 17-18, April 24-26), but he has not put together more than two consecutive games with a hit since a four-game run May 6-9. He leads the team with nine homers, but he is homerless in his last 50 at bats (May 11 at Salt Lake). Bianucci is hitting .313 (15-for-48) with runners in scoring position, but he is 1-for-5 with the bases loaded (two walks). ... Dusty Brown has reached safely in six of his last 26 plate appearances immediately following a stretch in which he reached safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances. He is 16-for-49 (.327) over his last 17 games with five multiple-hit outings, three home runs, nine RBI, six doubles, seven runs scored and 13 walks against six strikeouts. However, he ended an 0-for16 slide with his seventh-inning double May 23 vs. Sacramento. Brown is 2-for-13 (.154) with runners in scoring position but has seven walks and eight RBI; both hits came with two outs, including one home run. He has three walks and a sacrifice fly in four bases-loaded plate appearances. ... Joey Butler is hitting .350 (21-for-60) over his last 18 games; however, he has one multiple-hit game (two hits, May 23 vs. Sacramento) in 14 games since May 11. Butler is hitting .411 (53-for-129) when putting the ball in play, hitting safely in 20 of 44 such at bats (.455) since May 8. He is hitting .328 (41-for-125) after the third inning with all eight of his home runs and 22 of his 29 RBI. ... Luis Hernandez is 9-for-28 (.321) over his last six games, hitting safely in five of them with four two-hit outings. He has seven extra-base hits (five doubles, two homers) over a 34-game stretch since April 15. He also has 23 strikeouts in that time, fanning at least once in 13 of his last 18 games. Hernandez is 7-for-36 (.194) when leading off an inning and 7-for-39 (.179) with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-16 (.125) with RISP and two outs. ... Matt Kata has not gone hitless in consecutive games this season; however, he has not hit safely in more than six straight. He has reached safely in 24 of 27 games started. Kata is hitting .308 (8-for-26) when leading off an inning with two homers and four walks (.419 on-base percentage). He is 12-for-32 (.375) with runners in scoring position, going 5-for-11 with three doubles and 10 RBI with runners in scoring position and two outs. He is 2-for-4 with six RBI with the bases loaded. Kata is 15-for-40 (.375) during the middle innings but 16-for-74 (.216) the rest of the game. ... Luis Martinez is hitting .270 (10-for-37) over his last 11 games with three multiple-hit outings, six doubles, three RBI and eight runs scored. He has not gone three straight games without a hit since April 15-18 - his longest hitless slide of the season. Martinez is 10-for-22 (.455) in the third and fourth innings but 11-for-64 (.172) the rest of the game, going 1-for-13 (.077) in the second inning. He is 2-for-14 (.143) 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. ... Brad Nelson has not gone hitless in consecutive games since a three-game spell April 19-21. He has hit safely in 26 of 29 games since, enjoying hitting streaks of 11 games and nine games in that time. However, he is 6-for-30 (.200) since snapping the nine-game streak May 19. Nelson has hit safely in 15 consecutive road games, tied for the PCL's second-longest this season and longest active streak. Friday night's two-hit game was his first multiple-hit outing since May 15 at Tacoma and his second since May 8. Nelson has eight RBI since April 27, a 26-game span without a multiple-RBI performance. Nelson is hitting .118 (4-for-34) after the seventh inning. He has a .463 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .356 (16-for-45) with two home runs and nine walks. Nelson is 5-for-22 (.227) with runners in scoring position and two outs. ... Elio Sarmiento is 1-for-23 (.043) over his last six games, after going 5-for-11 (.455) in his first three games. ... Yangervis Solarte is hitless in two of his last three games, his first such stretch since going hitless in three of four games April 13-18 that was followed by a 22-game hitting streak. He is hitting .212 (14-for-66) in the first three innings but .336 (42-for-125) thereafter with five of his six home runs and 21 of his 24 RBI. Solarte is hitting .379 (11-for-29) when leading off an inning with one home run and two walks; however, he is hitting .212 (11-for-52) with runners in scoring position. ... Ryan Spilborghs has hit safely in 18 of 20 games since joining the Express (May 5) with nine multiple-hit games and a pair of three-hit outings. He is 18-for-41 (.439) with runners on base, going 9-for-26 (.346) with runners in scoring position. He owns a .478 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, going 8-for-20 (.400) with two walks and two home runs. His most productive inning is the sixth when he is 8-for-14 (.571) with three doubles and three RBI. Spilborghs has played 203 career PCL games, hitting .344 (266-for-773) with 23 homers, 113 RBI and 61 doubles.

PITCHER"ˆNOTES

Sean Green allowed 14 earned runs in 10.2 innings over his last nine appearances (11.81 ERA) after surrendering two earned runs in his first eight outings. Opposing batters are 3-for-19 (.158) with runners in scoring position and two outs but 8-for-21 (.381) when leading off an inning and 17-for-41 (.415) with the bases empty. Opponents also are 4-for-8 (.500) with the bases loaded, producing one grand slam and eight RBI. Green walked 11 batters over his last seven appearances (9.0 innings) after issuing five free passes over his first 10 outings (14.0 innings). ... Mark Hamburger tallied seven strikeouts May 23 vs. Sacramento, a career high. He has at least one strikeout in 13 of 14 appearances, including each of the last five outings. Hamburger surrendered 11 runs in 11.2 innings (8.49 ERA) over his last five outings after yielding only one run over his first 9.2 innings (0.93 ERA) as a reliever this season. 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 .444 (12-for-27) with runners in scoring position, producing two home runs and 20 RBI. He surrendered three home runs over his last three outings after going eight consecutive appearances without yielding a tater. ... Derek Hankins has four strikeouts in 10.2 innings over his last five outings. After surrendering runs in each of his first two appearances, he has allowed at least one run in every other outing since. Opposing batters are 0-for-12 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 snapped a streak of eight consecutive multiple-strikeout appearances Wednesday night, recording one over two innings. He has 18 strikeouts in his last 14.0 innings. Heilman has allowed at least one run in nine of 14 outings and allowed four of nine inherited runners to score. Opponents are 4-for-19 (.211) when leading off an inning but 10-for-28 (.357) with runners in scoring position. ... Michael Kirkman is 3-0 with a 3.96 ERA (11 ER/25.0 IP) and a .198 opponents' average (17-for-86) over his last five starts. He has 27 strikeouts in that time (9.72 per nine innings) but also has 16 walks (5.76 per nine innings). Opponents are 3-for-19 (.158) with runners in scoring position and two outs but 4-for-6 with the bases loaded, producing 10 RBI. ... Tanner Scheppers recorded his first save since May 8 last night. He has allowed a run in four of 20 outings (nine runs total), surrendering multiple runs three times. He has walked one of his last 66 batters faced over 16 appearances (16.1 innings) with 17 strikeouts in that time. Scheppers logged three strikeouts Wednesday night, a season high and his first multiple-strikeout game since May 2 vs. New Orleans. He has allowed four of nine inherited runners to score. Scheppers leads the PCL with 19 games finished. Opposing batters are 6-for-14 (.429) with runners in scoring position and two outs. ... Ben Snyder suffered his first loss since April 10 last night. The run he allowed was the first scored against him since he surrendered four April 28 at Oklahoma City; it was a span of eight consecutive scoreless outings. Opponents are 7-for-39 (.180) since April 28 with four singles and three doubles. Snyder stranded only three of his last eight inherited runners, and opponents are 9-for-24 (.375) with runners on base and two outs. He holds opponents to a .192 mark (5-for-26) when leading off an inning with one walk and five strikeouts. Snyder is 1-0 with a 0.75 ERA (1 ER/12.0 IP) in eight home outings and 0-2 with a 3.94 ERA (7 ER/16.0 IP) in 10 appearances on the road.

TEAM"ˆNOTES

The Express are 15-2 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 6-27 when allowing at least five runs. ... Round Rock is 4-9 in series openers. ... Of Round Rock's 53 home runs, 28 have been solo shots, including 14 to leadoff an inning; 23 came with no outs. ... The Express have at least one double in 48 of 50 games, including a 47-game streak after not getting a double in the season opener. ... Round Rock is 6-8 in one-run games, seven of which were against Iowa. ... Express relievers have allowed 20 runs (16 earned) after the seventh inning over the last 17 games. ... Round Rock is 1-21 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 24 games when leading after seven innings.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock continues an eight-game road trip with a four-game series against the Memphis Redbirds (St. Louis Cardinals). The series runs Tuesday through Friday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch each night. The Express won three of four against the Redbirds at The Dell Diamond in early May.

GAME"ˆ53 | TUESDAY, MAY 29 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | MEMPHIS, TENN.

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (5-4, 6.48 ERA)

Redbirds: LHP John Gast (0-0, 3.00 ERA)

GAME"ˆ54 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 30 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | MEMPHIS, TENN.

Express: LHP Martin Perez (3-4, 5.80 ERA)

Redbirds: RHP Joe Kelly (1-5, 3.30 ERA)

GAME"ˆ55 | THURSDAY, MAY 31 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | MEMPHIS, TENN.

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

Redbirds: RHP Shelby Miller (4-3, 4.38 ERA)

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

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (3-1, 6.25 ERA; starts today)

Redbirds: LHP Nick Additon (1-4, 5.68 ERA; starts today)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 27, 2012


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