PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes at New Orleans Zephyrs

Published on April 23, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 19 | 23 APRIL 2012 | 7:05 P.M. CDT | ZEPHYR FIELD | METAIRIE, LA.

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (7-11) at NEW ORLEANS ZEPHYRS (12-5)

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

EXPRESS: RHP Greg Reynolds (0-2, 3.79 ERA) | ZEPHYRS: LHP Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 2.00 ERA)

TONIGHT'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock continues a nine-day, eight-game road trip Monday, with the third of four games against the New Orleans Zephyrs (Miami Marlins). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at Zephyr Field in Metairie, La. The Express picked up their third road win of the season yesterday with a 10-0, series-evening win. The Zephyrs have won four of their last six. This is the third of 16 meetings between Round Rock and New Orleans this season.

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-ZEPHYRS SERIES

The teams split the first two games. New Orleans plated seven two-out runs for an 8-5 victory in Saturday's series opener, while Round Rock posted its first shutout of the season with a 10-0 victory Sunday afternoon. This is the first of four series between the teams this season. The Zephyrs visit The Dell Diamond April 30-May 3 and return June 30-July 3. The Express return to Zephyr Field in the season's penultimate series Aug. 27-30.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ17 | SATURDAY, APRIL 21

Zephyrs 8, Express 5

WP: Sanabia (2-0). LP: Perez (1-2). SV: Rosario (7).

GAME"ˆ18 | SUNDAY, APRIL 22

Express 10, Zephyrs 10

WP: Ramirez (2-1). LP: Hand (2-1). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ19 | MONDAY, APRIL 23 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP"ˆGreg Reynolds (0-2, 3.79 ERA)

Zephyrs: LHP Wade LeBlanc (1-0, 2.00 ERA)

GAME"ˆ20 | TUESDAY, APRIL 24 | 11:30 a.m. CDT

Express: LHP"ˆZach Jackson (0-2, 7.31 ERA)

Zephyrs: RHP Tom Koehler (0-2, 6.60 ERA)

EXPRESS STARTER

RHP GREG REYNOLDS (0-2, 3.79 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) and allowed five runs on six hits over three innings with one walk and two strikeouts ... all five runs scored on homers - a three-run Adrian Beltre blast in the first and a two-run shot from Josh Hamilton in the third ... no-decision in April 8 series finale at Iowa, a 6-5 Express loss ... left game in line for win (5-2), but Express bullpen surrendered three runs in the eighth and one in the ninth to give Iowa the win ... suffered loss in April 13 start vs. Iowa, a 6-5 Cubs win ... surrendered three home runs in that outing over six innings and left game trailing 5-1 ... third on Express staff with 19.0 innings ... has worked at least six innings in all three starts.

LAST START: 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 with one strikeout ... lone earned run was on Chris Robinson's sixth-inning leadoff homer ... other three runs scored on one hit, two errors and a wild pitch in the first inning ... used 88 pitches, 57 strikes.

2011: Split season between Colorado Rockies and Triple-A Colorado Springs ... broke camp with Rockies before being optioned to Colorado Springs two weeks later ... returned to Denver for a spot start July 2, a one-outing stint in early August, and returned to the Rockies bullpen for September ... appeared in 13 games (three starts)"ˆwith Colorado, going 3-0 with a 6.19 ERA"ˆ(22 ER/32.0 IP) and 18 strikeouts against 10 walks ... major league batters hit .303 (40-for-132) against him ... no-decision in season's first start at Pittsburgh, going six innings and allowing two runs on three hits and two walks with two strikeouts ... won next start at New York (NL), allowing two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings with one strikeout ... won spot start July 7 vs. Kansas City despite allowing five runs on eight hits, including two homers, over five innings; struck out three, walked a batter and hit a batter ... posted a 8.47 ERA (16 ER/17.0 IP) in nine appearances (one start)"ˆat Coors Field but a 3.60 ERA"ˆ(6 ER/15.0 IP) in four road outings (two starts)"ˆ... made 19 starts with Colorado Springs, going 6-7 with a 6.81 ERA"ˆ(83 ER/109.2 IP) and 65 strikeouts against 32 walks ... PCL"ˆopponents hit .343 (160-for-466) with 10 home runs ... won each of first three decisions, including first two starts ... lost five of last six decisions, all coming a six-start stretch from July 15 to Aug. 21 ... 10 home runs allowed came in 10 different starts ... best outing was July 7 vs. Salt Lake, tossing seven scoreless innings on seven hits and a walk with seven strikeouts ... surrendered at least four runs in 14 of 19 starts, including season-high eight runs June 26 at Salt Lake ... did not face Round Rock ... posted a 3.32 first-inning ERA"ˆ(7 ER/19.0 IP) but a 7.54 ERA"ˆ(76 ER/90.2 IP) thereafter ... opponents were 4-for-8 with the bases loaded but did not homer.

2011 vs. NEW ORLEANS: With Colorado Springs, suffered loss in lone start vs. New Orleans, an 8-1 Zephyrs victory Aug. 16 at Metairie ... allowed six runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings with three strikeouts ... also hit one batter ... Chris Aguila was 1-for-4 with a two-run single.

NOTABLE: Gregory Adam Reynolds ... drafted second overall by Colorado in 2006 ... acquired by Rangers following 2011 season in trade that involved former Express first baseman Chad Tracy ... went 13-10, 4.11 (94 ER/206.0 IP) in 51 games/28 starts over a three-year career for the Stanford Cardinal ... is the highest-draft pick in school history ... in final season, led team in wins, ERA, strikeouts, innings and starts ... prior to the 2006 draft, was rated by Baseball America as the fourth-best pitcher and fifth-best draft prospect overall ... tossed complete games in three consecutive starts ahead of the draft, April 30-May 12, besting Cal's Brandon Morrow (drafted fifth overall by Seattle) May 5 and Washington's Tim Lincecum (10th overall by San Francisco) May 12 ... 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 at Baylor Ballpark, striking out 10 batters over 11.0-plus innings of 4-3 loss ... pitched in Cape Cod League in summers of both 2004 and 2005 ... in his senior year (2003) at Terra Nova [Calif.] High School, was named Gatorade California Baseball Player and Bay Area Athlete of the Year, also earning all-state, first-team All-San Mateo County and Peninsula Athletic League Player of the Year honors after going 4-3 with a 0.91 ERA (85.0 IP) ... was recruited by several D-I schools as a quarterback ... played three summers (2000-2002) with Pacifica Joe DiMaggio team ... was drafted by Philadelphia out of Terra Nova High School in the 41st round of the 2003 June draft but did not sign.

RAMIREZ NAMED PCL PITCHER OF THE WEEK

Neil Ramirez was named Pacific Coast League Pitcher of the Week, the league office announced Monday. He earned wins in both starts on the week, tossing six scoreless innings in each outing. Ramirez held Omaha to four hits and no walks with four strikeouts Tuesday in Round Rock's 4-2 win. He then combined with Aaron Heilman and Mark Hamburger to post Round Rock's first shutout of the season Sunday at New Orleans. Ramirez scattered three singles and walked one with six strikeouts in a 10-0 Express win. Considered the Rangers fifth-best prospect and best among right-handed pitchers, Ramirez is 2-1 this season with a 2.14 ERA (5 ER/21.0 IP), 20 strikeouts against four walks, and a .200 opponents' batting average. He leads Round Rock in strikeouts and ranks sixth in the PCL. The Express are 3-1 in his four starts, and Ramirez leads Round Rock starters in ERA and opponents' batting average. He has held the opponent scoreless in 18 of his 21 innings worked, and the Express are 3-1 in his four starts.

BUTLER STREAKING AGAIN

Joey Butler is riding a 13-game hitting streak (.320, 16-for-50), tied for the third-longest streak in the PCL this season and tied for the second-longest active streak (Travis Snider, Las Vegas, 16 games). Sunday's two-hit effort was just the second multiple-hit game during his 13-game streak. This is his fourth streak of at least 10 games since the beginning of last season. He enjoyed a 16-game streak last season, falling two games shy of Mark Saccomanno's 2008 franchise-record, 18-game run. Butler has hit safely in 12 consecutive home games and 26 of his last 27 games at The Dell Diamond dating back to last season.

PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci is tied for second in the PCL with five homers. His ninth-inning, three-run homer Sunday was his first round-tripper since April 10 at Omaha, snapping a 10-game, 46-at bat drought. Bianucci is fourth in the league with 17 RBI. His three-run homer yesterday eclipsed his RBI total (two) from his previous seven games. He is 4-for-21 (.190) since a sixth-inning single April 16 vs. Iowa than capped a season-opening, 11-game hitting streak. Bianucci is second on the team with seven multiple-hit games, all two-hit efforts. ... Julio Borbon is 2-for-31 (.065) over his last seven games. He has not produced an RBI since April 14 (eight games); although, he has scored a run in three of his last four games. ... Five of Joey Butler's seven RBI this season came via home runs. Prior to his three-RBI outing yesterday, Butler had one RBI over his previous 13 games (since April 7). He also stopped slumps of 0-for-14 with runners on base and two outs and 0-for-10 mark with RISP and two outs to start the season yesterday. Butler has not struck out in each of the last two games after going eight consecutive games with at least one strikeout. ... Luis Hernandez snapped an 0-for-13 skid with his first-inning single Sunday. However, he is hitting .059 (1-for-17) over his last five games. Hernandez also struck out Sunday for the first time in eight games, stopping a streak of 28 consecutive at bats. ... Matt Kata has reached safely in nine of 10 games played with at least one plate appearance. He scored a season-high three runs Sunday and produced his first multiple-hit game since April 15 vs. Iowa. Kata has not produced an RBI over his last six games; however, he has scored six runs in that time. ... Leonys Martin is 2-for-15 (.133) over his last four games, going hitless in three of those contests. He leads the team with eight multiple-hit games, four of which were three-hit outings. Martin is hitting .467 (7-for-15) when leading off an inning with two home runs and one walk. He is 5-for-14 (.357) with runners in scoring position and 2-for-5 with RISP and two outs. ... Luis Martinez produced his first home run of the season Sunday; it came in his 11th game and 35th at bat. He also posted his first multiple-hit game since a four-hit outing April 11 at Omaha and collected a season-high three RBI. His two-hit day put an end to a 1-for-13 skid since that four-hit game. ... Tommy Mendonca has not produced a multiple-hit game since a four-hit outing April 10 at Omaha; he is 5-for-36 (.138) in that time with 10 strikeouts and two walks. Mendonca is 4-for-10 with runners on base and two outs, 3-for-4 with RISP and two outs, but 1-for-13 (.077) when leading off an inning and 0-for-9 with RISP and fewer than two outs. ... Brad Nelson is 1-for-18 (.056) over his last five games. He is 2-for-12 (.167) with RISP and two outs. ... Yangervis Solarte has hit safely in five of his last six games, going 12-for-21 (.571) in that time with four multiple-hit games. He has clubbed three hits in each of his last three games and produced an RBI in each of his last four games. Solarte has reached safely in seven straight games, and he is 4-for-10 with RISP and two outs. ... Sean Green has worked 7.1 consecutive scoreless innings over four outings. Opposing batters are 5-for-26 (.192) in that time with four walks and five strikeouts. ... Mark Hamburger has worked 3.2 scoreless innings over two relief outings since returning to the bullpen after yielding 17 ER over 10.1 innings (14.81 ERA) in three starts. ... Opposing batters are 0-for-7 with RISP and two outs against Derek Hankins; seven of the 13 hits he has allowed came with the bases empty. ... Aaron Heilman owns a 1.23 ERA (1 ER/7.1 IP) over his last four outings with five strikeouts against two walks. All three earned runs Heilman has surrendered this season were via home runs. ... Three of the five runs Neil Ramirez has allowed in four starts came in the same inning - a three-run fifth April 12 at Omaha. He has not allowed multiple runs in any other inning. ... Tanner Scheppers has converted each of his last three save opportunities, posting a 2.25 ERA (1 ER/4.0 IP) over that time. Opposing batters are 3-for-5 against him with RISP and two outs. ... Opponents are hitting .077 (1-for-13) with runners in scoring position against Ben Snyder. ... Yoshinori Tateyama surrendered his first hit and first run Saturday night. Opposing batters are 1-for-14 (.071) against him, going 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

TEAM"ˆNOTES

Express relievers boast a 3.33 ERA (27 ER/73.0 IP). The bullpen has allowed 11 earned runs in 45.1 innings (2.18 ERA) over the last 11 games since a ninth-inning blown save April 11 at Omaha. Round Rock relievers have allowed more than one earned run in a game only twice in that time, one of which was in a 13-inning game. ... Round Rock and Iowa have played more one-run games (10 each) than any other team in the PCL. Seven of those one-run games were against each other. The Express are 4-6 in one-run games, winning three of their last four such games. ... Eight of Round Rock's 16 home runs have been solo shots, including five to leadoff an inning; 10 came with no outs. ... Opposing batters are hitting .213 (17-for-80) with RISP and two out. Five of the 17 hits came in Saturday's loss at New Orleans. ... Express batters are 4-for-10 (.400) with the bases loaded (no home runs). Opposing batters are 6-for-16 (.375) with the bases loaded (one home run). ... Round Rock has committed 13 errors in the last seven games after committing only five errors in the season's first 11 games. The Express committed at least one error in eight of the last nine games. ... Round Rock is 0-8 when trailing after seven innings, one of seven PCL teams winless in that situation.

NEXT SERIES

After the season's first off-day, Round Rock continues a nine-day, eight-game road trip with a four-game series against the Oklahoma City RedHawks. The series runs Thursday through Sunday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch each of the first three games and a 2:05 p.m. first pitch in the finale.

GAME"ˆ21 | THURSDAY, APRIL 26 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (0-0, 7.27 ERA)

RedHawks: RHP Henry Sosa (1-0, 1.69 ERA)

GAME"ˆ22 | FRIDAY, APRIL 27 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.

Express: LHP Martin Perez (1-2, 4.03 ERA)

RedHawks: RHP Paul Clements (1-1, 1.59 ERA)

GAME"ˆ23 | SATURDAY, APRIL 28 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (2-1, 2.14 ERA)

RedHawks: RHP Aneury Rodriguez (1-2, 5.40 ERA)

GAME"ˆ24 | SUNDAY, APRIL 29 | 2:05 p.m. CDT | OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLA.

Express: RHP"ˆGreg Reynolds (0-2, 3.79 ERA; starts tonight)

RedHawks: LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-0, 0.90 ERA; starts tonight)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from April 23, 2012


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