PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes vs. Albuquerque Isotopes

Published on June 4, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


*** PDF GAME NOTES ATTACHED ***

GAME 59 | 4 JUNE 2012 | 7:05 P.M. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (27-31) vs. ALBUQUERQUE ISOTOPES (31-27)

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

EXPRESS: LHP Martin Perez (3-4, 5.37 ERA) | ISOTOPES: RHP Stephen Fife (4-4, 5.43 ERA)

TONIGHT'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock continues a four-game series against division rival Albuquerque (Los Angeles Dodgers). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at The Dell Diamond. This is the first of two single-series home stands this season for the Express. Round Rock has won four straight, matching its longest streak of the season, and six of their last eight after last night's 7-3 victory. The Express are 15-11 at The Dell Diamond, winning five of their last six home games. Albuquerque has lost four straight and five of their last six. The Isotopes are 13-17 on the road, losing seven of their last eight road games. Albuquerque has lost six straight at The Dell Diamond, dating back to last season. The Express are fourth in the PCL's American Southern Division, seven-and-a-half games back of Oklahoma City and two-and-a-half games behind New Orleans. Albuquerque is second in the division, three-and-a-half games behind the Oklahoma City.

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-ISOTOPES SERIES

This is the first of four series between the two teams this season. The Express travel to Albuquerque for a three-game set June 11-13 and return to Isotopes Park for a five-game series July 4-8 immediately followed by the All-Star break. The Isotopes return to The Dell Diamond for a four-game series July 24-27, closing Round Rock's antepenultimate home stand. ... SERIES NOTES: Albuquerque leads the all-time series 59-55, but Round Rock has won six straight. The series has been dominated by the home team with the Express leading the series 36-22 at The Dell Diamond and the Isotopes leading 37-19 in Albuquerque. Round Rock won season series in 2006 (10-6) and 2008 (9-7). Albuquerque won series in 2005 (9-7), 2007 (10-6), 2009 (10-6) and 2010 (9-7). The Express swept four-game series at home in 2008 and last season, and a three-game home series in 2006. The Isotopes swept four-game series at home in 2005 and 2007. ... 2011 SERIES: The teams split last season's series eight games apiece with both teams going 5-3 at home. Joey Butler was 15-for-53 (.283) with a home run, seven RBI, two doubles and four runs in 14 games. Matt Kata was 19-for-58 (.328) with a home run, seven RBI, six doubles and 14 runs scored in 15 games. Val Majewski was 11-for-28 (.393) with two homers, nine RBI, two doubles, a triple and seven runs scored in seven games. Majewski also made his second career appearance on the mound, pitching a scoreless inning of relief with one strikeout at Isotopes Park. Brad Nelson struggled against Albuquerque, going 7-for-48 (.146) with a homer, seven RBI, a double and four runs scored in 13 games. Derek Hankins made three starts and one relief appearance, going 1-2 with a 6.75 ERA (11 ER/14.2 IP). Zach Jackson was 1-2 with a 7.84 ERA (18 ER/20.2 IP) and five home runs allowed in three starts. Jackson tossed a complete-game in the regular season's final game for a win at The Dell Diamond. Michael Kirkman made one start and three relief outings, going 1-0 with a 7.45 ERA (8 ER/9.2 IP) and 13 strikeouts against no walks. Neil Ramirez was 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA (2 ER/7.0 IP) in two starts. Tanner Scheppers made three relief appearances, going 1-0 with a 7.20 ERA (4 ER/5.0 IP) and one save.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ57 | SATURDAY, JUNE 2

Express 3, Isotopes 2

WP: Kirkman (5-1). LP: Nieve (2-3). SV: Heilman (1).

GAME"ˆ58 | SUNDAY, JUNE 3

Express 7, Isotopes 3

WP: Ramirez (6-5). LP: Savage (7-3). SV: None.

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)

EXPRESS STARTER

LHP MARTIN PEREZ (3-4, 5.37 ERA)

2012: Non-roster invite to Rangers spring training ... started two games, 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; allowed one run on four hits over six innings ... also claimed wins April 27 at Oklahoma City and May 7 vs. Memphis (both starts) ... lost starts April 16 vs. Iowa, April 21 at New Orleans, May 14 at Tacoma and May 20 vs. Fresno ... worked seven innings May 7 vs. Memphis, longest career Triple-A start; longest start at any level since May 26, 2010, with Frisco (AA) ... 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 nine innings over three starts May 14-25 ... 0-2, 9.20 ERA (15 ER/14.2 IP), 12 walks, 11 strikeouts, .385 opponents' average (25-for-65) over last four starts ... 8.18 ERA in first inning (10 ER/11.0 IP); also allowed six unearned first-inning runs ... opponents hitting .250 (12-for-48) when leading off inning with two homers, seven strikeouts and nine walks (.368 on-base percentage) ... opponents hitting .405 (15-for-37) with runners on base and two outs, .379 (11-for-29) with runners in scoring position and two outs ... 1-2, 4.29 ERA (10 ER/21.0 IP), .220 opponents' average in four starts at The Dell Diamond.

LAST"ˆSTART: No-decision in May 30 start at Memphis, a 4-3 Express loss ... allowed one run on five hits and two walks over 5.2 innings with four strikeouts ... also hit one batter ... made use of two double plays ... walked consecutive batters to start the sixth inning; first batter eventually scored on sacrifice fly ... left game after lone run scored with game tied 1-1 ... bequeathed runner did not score ... used 90 pitches, 54 strikes.

2011 vs. ALBUQUERQUE: Suffered loss in lone outing, a start Aug. 27 at Isotopes Park ... surrendered four runs on eight hits, including one home run, over 5.1 innings with three walks and five strikeouts ... two of four runs scored in sixth inning ... left game trailing 3-1; lone bequeathed runner scored.

CAREER: The left-hander reached Triple-A at the age of 20 last season and once again enters the campaign as one of the Texas' top prospects ... has been rated as one of the Rangers' top five prospects by Baseball America in four straight seasons (2009-2012), including the top billing last season and the number two spot entering 2012 ... the same publication tabbed the southpaw's curveball as best in the farm system and ranked him 24th on its annual Top 100 Prospects list entering 2011 (No. 37 this season) ... has been involved in a pair of no-hitters in his four-year minor league career, including a six-inning perfect game April 19, 2011, with Double-A Frisco ... won Triple-A debut July 16, 2011, at Memphis, allowing one run on six hits and no walks with four strikeouts over five innings ... finished season 4-4 with a 6.43 ERA (35 ER/49.0 IP) in 10 starts for the Express ... was added to the 40-man roster Nov. 18, 2011.

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

BRAD NELSON: ROAD WARRIOR

Brad Nelson is hitting more than 100 points higher on the road (.333, 40-for-120) than at home (.222, 20-for-90). All seven of his homers and 23 of his 30 RBI were in road games, and his OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) is .992 on the road as opposed to .575 at The Dell Diamond. Nelson was 13-for-33 (.394) on Round Rock's most recent road trip, hitting safely in all eight games with three multiple-hit outings, four homers, 12 RBI, a double, five walks and 12 runs scored. He scored in seven of eight games on the road trip and nine of his last 10 road games. Nelson has hit safely in 21 consecutive road games, the PCL's longest streak this season; he is 33-for-86 (.384) in those games with seven homers, 20 RBI, seven doubles and 27 runs scored. He has not gone hitless in consecutive games regardless of location since a three-game spell April 19-21. Nelson has hit safely in 33 of 37 games since, enjoying hitting streaks of 11 games, nine games and eight games.

KATA KEY IN CLUTCH SITUATIONS

Matt Kata is hitting .488 (20-for-41) with runners in scoring position, delivering 29 RBI. He is even more deadly with runners in scoring position and two outs, going 8-for-15 (.533) with 16 RBI. Kata's grand slam May 31 at Memphis was Round Rock's first this season. He is 4-for-6 with a double and 11 RBI with the bases loaded, going 3-for-3 since delivering a game-winning, three-run double May 24 vs. Sacramento. Furthermore, Kata gets better as the game goes along, hitting .356 (36-for-101) after the third inning; he is 12-for-32 (.375) after the seventh inning with eight RBI. Kata is riding a 10-game hitting streak (.467, 21-for-45), his longest of the season, with two homers and 14 RBI. He has seven multiple-hit outings, including three games of three-plus hits, three multiple-RBI games and five extra-base hits (three doubles, two homers) during the streak. Kata tallied five RBI May 31 at Memphis, his most since a five-RBI outing June 4, 2010, against Iowa while with the Houston Astros-affiliated Express. Kata is hitting .355 (33-for-93) since May 2, hitting safely in 18 of 20 starts (one pinch-running appearance).

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 5-0 with a 3.50 ERA (14 ER/36.0 IP) in his last seven outings (six starts), holding the opponent to three or fewer earned runs in each appearance. Kirkman also has limited opponents to a .202 average (25-for-124) in that time with 9.00 strikeouts per nine innings (36 strikeouts). Opponents are 4-for-24 (.167) against Kirkman this season with runners in scoring position and two outs. However, they are 4-for-6 with the bases loaded.

GIMME FIVE

The Express are 20-3 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 7-28 when allowing at least five runs. Round Rock's 4-3 loss May 31 at Memphis was its first loss when holding an opponent to fewer than five runs since a 4-0 loss April 18 vs. Omaha. The Express are 5-17 when scoring fewer than five runs; two of the five wins were in the last week (3-0 at Memphis, 3-2 vs. Albuquerque).

KEY NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

Round Rock is 10-15 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 160-143 over the last 25 games, surrendering double-digit runs five times. Express pitchers have a 5.94 ERA (142 ER/215.0 IP) in that time. The staff has allowed at least one home run in 19 of the last 22 games (29 homers), including 10 straight at The Dell Diamond. 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 .423 (47-for-111) in the 10 wins. Conversely, opponents are hitting .314 (53-for-169) with runners in scoring position in the 15 Express losses and .145 (12-for-83) in Round Rock's 10 victories.

"HOME" RUNS SCARCE

In stark contrast to last season, The Dell Diamond has not been a launching pad for the Express. Round Rock averages 0.69 homers per game through 26 home dates this season. The Express have not homered in seven of their last nine home games. Conversely, Round Rock averages 1.44 homers in 32 road games, including a season-high five May 8 at Salt Lake. The Express have homered in 17 of their last 20 road games, including streaks of seven and eight 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 9.69 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 .348 (23-for-68) with the bases loaded. The Express are 13-for-28 (.464) with the bases loaded since May 21, collecting nine bases-loaded hits over the last six games. Matt Kata delivered Round Rock's first grand slam of the season May 31 at Memphis. The Express have 11 walks against 10 strikeouts with the bases loaded. Kata (4-for-6) and Mike Bianucci (4-for-11) lead the team in bases-loaded hits; Bianucci also has walked twice. Dusty Brown has three walks and two sacrifice flies in five bases-loaded plate appearances. Meanwhile, opposing batters are 22-for-57 (.386) with the bases loaded, including five grand slams. However, opponents are 2-for-10 (.200) with the bases loaded over the last seven games.

POSITION PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci hit safely in eight of his last 10 games (.400, 14-for-35) with four multiple-hit games, two home runs, 14 RBI, five doubles and six runs scored. He has gone hitless in consecutive games twice this season (April 17-18, April 24-26). Bianucci, who is tied for the team lead with 11 home runs, has two homers in his last 83 at bats since homering in four of six games May 6-11. He is hitting .333 (20-for-60) with runners in scoring position, and he is 4-for-11 (.364) with the bases loaded with two doubles, two walks and 10 RBI. Bianucci is 45-for-144 (.313) after the third inning but five of his 11 homers were in the first three frames. ... Dusty Brown is hitless in his last six games (0-for-18) with four walks, six strikeouts and one sacrifice fly. His last hit was a seventh-inning double in his last at bat May 22 vs. Sacramento. Brown is 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position; both hits came with two outs. He owns a .480 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .316 (6-for-19) with one homer and six walks against three strikeouts. Brown has three walks and two sacrifice flies in five bases-loaded plate appearances. ... Joey Butler has three multiple-hit outings in 22 games since May 11. He is 10-for-33 (.303) over his last nine games with three homers, nine RBI, one double and 12 runs scored. Butler did not walk last night, snapping an eight-game streak, but he has nine walks against four strikeouts over his last nine games. He is hitting .408 (62-for-152) when putting the ball in play. Butler is hitting .326 (47-for-144) after the third inning with 10 of his 11 home runs and 30 of his 38 RBI. He is hitting .382 (21-for-55) with runners in scoring position, producing four homers, 30 RBI and six doubles. However, he is hitting .281 (9-for-32) with runners in scoring position and two outs, producing no homers and 11 RBI. Butler is 11-for-21 (.524) in the fifth inning with four homers and eight RBI. He is tied for the team lead with 11 home runs. ... Luis Hernandez has eight extra-base hits (five doubles, one triple, three homers) over a 42-game stretch since April 15. He also has 27 strikeouts in that time and has not walked since May 19, a span of 15 games and 71 plate appearances. Hernandez has a .289 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .220 (9-for-41) with three walks. He is 8-for-47 (.170) with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-17 (.118) with RISP and two outs. Hernandez is hitting .179 (12-for-67) after the sixth inning, hitting into three double plays. Meanwhile, he leads all PCL shortstops with a .991 fielding percentage (two errors, 232 total chances). ... Val Majewski has hit safely in each of his four three games since being promoted from Double-A Frisco (May 30). He has one double in each game and is 2-for-3 with runners in scoring position. ... 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-24 (.458) in the third and fourth innings but 13-for-75 (.173) 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 (one walk, one hit-by-pitch, one sacrifice fly). ... Yangervis Solarte has one multiple-hit game since May 21 (two hits May 30 at Memphis), a 13-game span. He has not gone consecutive games without a hit since April 13-15 (two games). Solarte is 2-for-15 (.133) over his last four games. He is hitting .190 (15-for-79) in the first three innings but .329 (48-for-146) 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 (.444 on-base percentage). However, he is hitting .200 (12-for-60) with runners in scoring position. Five of his six home runs were solo shots. ... Ryan Spilborghs has hit safely in eight of his last 10 games (.444, 16-for-36) with four multiple-hit outings, two homers, six RBI, two doubles and 14 runs scored. He snapped a streak of five straight games with a walk last night (eight walks), but he has scored in nine of his last 10 games (15 runs). Spilborghs has reached safely in all but one of his 28 games with the Express (May 24 vs. Sacramento) and managed a sacrifice fly in that game. He has hit safely in 24 of 28 games since joining the Express (May 5) with 13 multiple-hit games, a trio of three-hit outings and a four-hit outing (May 27 at Nashville). Spilborghs is 25-for-56 (.446) with runners on base, going 13-for-34 (.382) with runners in scoring position. Spilborghs owns a .514 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, going 11-for-29 (.379) with seven walks and two home runs. He is hitting .300 or better in every inning except the third (.273, 3-for-11) and eighth (.158, 3-for-19). Spilborghs has played 211 career PCL games, hitting .348 (277-for-797) with 24 homers, 116 RBI and 63 doubles.

PITCHER"ˆNOTES

John Gaub has not allowed a run in his first four outings with the Express (3.1 innings), surrendering three hits and two walks against four strikeouts. He has stranded two of three inherited runners. All three hits against him were with the bases empty (one double). ... Mark Hamburger has at least one strikeout in 16 of 17 appearances, including each of his last eight outings. Hamburger surrendered 13 runs in 17.0 innings (6.88 ERA) over his last seven appearances after yielding only one run over his first 9.2 innings (0.93 ERA) as a reliever. Opponents are hitting .467 (14-for-30) with runners in scoring position, producing two home runs and 22 RBI. He has stranded all three inherited runners. ... 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 1.08 ERA (1 ER/8.1 IP) over his last six outings. The lone run was a solo homer May 23 vs. Sacramento. He recorded at least one strikeout in 15 of 16 appearances since failing to do so in each of the season's first two outings, including a season-high three strikeouts in his first save last night. He has 23 strikeouts in his last 18.2 innings. Heilman has retired 19 of his last 22 batters faced (two hits, one walk). 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 24 outings (11 runs total), surrendering multiple runs four times. He has walked one of his last 79 batters faced over 20 appearances (21.0 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 11 inherited runners to score. He leads the PCL with 23 games finished. Opposing batters are 6-for-16 (.375) 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 have won five of six home games since being swept May 17-20 by Fresno. It was Round Rock's first home sweep since 2009. ... Round Rock is 5-10 in series openers. ... Of Round Rock's 64 home runs, 34 have been solo shots, including 16 to leadoff an inning; 28 came with no outs. ... The Express have at least one double in 55 of 58 games, including a 47-game streak after not getting a double in the season opener. Round Rock has at least one double in all 26 home games. ... Round Rock is 7-10 in one-run games. Seven of the 17 games were against Iowa. ... Express relievers have allowed 25 runs (21 earned) after the seventh inning over the last 25 games. ... Round Rock is 1-23 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 29 games when leading after seven innings.

NEXT SERIES

Following the season's third of five off-days, Round Rock embarks on an eight-game road trip that starts with a four-game series at Omaha. The series begins Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch and continues Friday at 7:05 p.m., Saturday at 7:05 p.m. and Sunday at 2:05 p.m. The Storm Chasers swept a four-game series April 9-12 at Papillion in the season's second series. The teams split a four-game series April 17-20 at The Dell Diamond. The Storm Chasers return to The Dell Diamond for a four-game series July 20-23.

GAME"ˆ61 | THURSDAY, JUNE 7 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

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

Storm Chasers: LHP Ryan Verdugo (3-1, 3.61 ERA)

GAME"ˆ62 | FRIDAY, JUNE 8 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Greg Reynolds (4-4, 4.19 ERA)

Storm Chasers: RHP Jake Odorizzi (2-0, 2.49 ERA)

GAME"ˆ63 | SATURDAY, JUNE 9 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (6-5, 7.25 ERA)

Storm Chasers: RHP Nate Adcock (3-1, 1.37 ERA; starts tonight)

GAME"ˆ64 | SUNDAY, JUNE 10 | 2:05 p.m. CDT

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

Storm Chasers: LHP Mike Montgomery (3-2, 4.74 ERA; starts tomorrow)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from June 4, 2012


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