PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes Vs. Colorado Springs Sky Sox

Published on May 20, 2011 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (25-15) vs. COLORADO SPRINGS SKY SOX (16-25)

GAME 41 | 20 MAY ‚¬Ë†2011 | 7:05 P.M. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND | ROUND ROCK, TEXAS

TONIGHT'S GAME

Round Rock hosts the Colorado Springs Sky Sox (Colorado Rockies) for the second game of a four-game series at The Dell Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT. The Express have won five straight home games and are 11-6 at The Dell Diamond. The Sky Sox have lost five straight overall and are 4-13 on the road this season.

PROMOTIONS

Friday Fireworks presented by Bud Light

RADIO BROADCAST INFORMATION

Tonight's game airs on 104.9 FM The Horn ESPN ‚¬Ë†Radio Austin. Online audio also is available at www.espnaustin.com. Express Director of Broadcasting Mike Capps provides play-by-play alongside color analyst Jerry Grote.

TELEVISION BROADCAST INFORMATION

Tonight's game is broadcast live on YNN Sports Austin, available on Time Warner Cable channel 408 (HD 1509).

EXPRESS-SKY SOX SERIES

Round Rock won Thursday night's series opener 8-3 behind Chad Tracy's two-homer, four-RBI performance.

GAME ‚¬Ë†40 | THURSDAY, MAY 19

Express 8, Sky Sox 3

WP: Feldman (1-0). LP: Vargas (0-2). SV: None.

GAME ‚¬Ë†41 | FRIDAY, MAY 20 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Seth McClung (2-0, 3.69 ERA)

Sky Sox: RHP Alan Johnson (1-2, 7.13 ERA)

GAME ‚¬Ë†42 | SATURDAY, MAY 21 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (3-1, 3.28 ERA)

Sky Sox: RHP Greg Reynolds (3-1, 6.29 ERA)

GAME ‚¬Ë†43 | SUNDAY, MAY 22 | 1:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (2-1, 5.77 ERA)

Sky Sox: LHP Josh Muecke (2-3, 6.29 ERA)

STARTING PITCHERS

EXPRESS: RHP Seth McClung (2-0, 3.69 ERA)

Last Outing: No-decision in May 13 start at Tucson ‚¬Â¦ Worked season-high 7.0 innings and allowed two runs on six hits - one home run - with no walks and two strikeouts ‚¬Â¦ Left with game tied 2-2 ‚¬Â¦ Tucson won game 3-2 with walk-off single in the ninth.

2011: Makes 10th appearance, sixth start tonight ‚¬Â¦ Began season in bullpen but moved to rotation with April 17 start against Oklahoma City ‚¬Â¦ Express are 4-1 in his starts ‚¬Â¦ Averages 7.40 runs of support per start ‚¬Â¦ 2-0, 3.67 ERA as a starter with a .245 opponents' batting average ‚¬Â¦ Faced exactly 27 batters in each of last three starts ‚¬Â¦ 1-0, 2.57 ERA in four appearances - all starts - at The Dell Diamond; 1-0, 5.27 ERA in five outings - one start - on the road ‚¬Â¦ 26 strikeouts against 16 walks over 34.2 innings, .248 opponents' batting average.

2010: Did not play after being released by Florida Marlins during Spring Training.

Notable: Tampa Bay Rays fifth-round pick in 1999 out of Greenbrier East High School in Lewisburg, W.Va. ‚¬Â¦ MLB debut March 31, 2003 ‚¬Â¦ Traded to Milwaukee during 2007 season ‚¬Â¦ Went 6-6 with Brewers in 2008, followed by a 3-3 mark in 2009 ‚¬Â¦ Signed minor league contract with Rangers following 2010 season ‚¬Â¦ Nickname is "Big Red" ‚¬Â¦ Brother played football at Virginia Tech and in the CFL ‚¬Â¦ Head coach of the girls basketball team at Pinellas Park High School in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area.

SKY SOX: RHP Alan Johnson 91-2, 7.13 ERA)

Last Outing: Did not factor in decision of May 14 start against Omaha, a 16-11 Colorado Springs loss ‚¬Â¦ Allowed nine runs on 10 hits - two home runs - and two walks with one strikeout over 2.1 innings ‚¬Â¦ Left game trailing 9-6 but Sky Sox later took lead before losing.

2011: Makes sixth start with Colorado Springs tonight ‚¬Â¦ Did not allow a home run in any of season's first four starts ‚¬Â¦ Lost lone road start May 9 at Sacramento ‚¬Â¦ 1.62 ERA (3 ER / 16.2 IP) in season's first three starts, 19.64 ERA (16 ER / 7.1 IP) in last two outings ‚¬Â¦ Opponents hitting .364 over 24.0 innings with 16 strikeouts against seven walks ‚¬Â¦ Also made MLB debut with April 17 start against Chicago Cubs ‚¬Â¦ Allowed five runs - four earned - on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts over 4.0 innings but did not factor in decision of 9-5 Rockies victory.

2010: Spent entire season with Colorado Springs, going 10-8 with a 5.91 ERA in 25 starts and three relief outings ‚¬Â¦ Tossed one complete game ‚¬Â¦ Logged 141.2 innings with 100 strikeouts and 43 walks, allowing a .326 opponents' batting average.

Notable: Born in Birmingham, Ala. ‚¬Â¦ Pitched collegiately at Mississippi State after beginning collegiate career at Jefferson State [Ala.] Community College ‚¬Â¦ Signed as a non-drafted free agent with Colorado Rockies in 2007.

CRUZ, HAMILTON JOIN EXPRESS ON REHAB ASSIGNMENTS

Texas Rangers outfielders Nelson Cruz and Josh Hamilton begin rehab assignments with the Round Rock Express tonight. They are expected to play all three games this weekend. Cruz was placed on the 15-day disabled list on May 7 with a strained right quadriceps muscle. He began a rehab assignment Monday at Double-A Frisco and was 2-for-11 with a double and one RBI in three games. Cruz was the RoughRiders designated hitter Monday and Tuesday, and he played right field Wednesday. Hamilton, who sustained a non-displaced fracture of the right humerus bone April 13, began rehabilitation work Wednesday night with the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders. He was 2-for-7 with one home run, three RBI, one walk, three strikeouts and three runs scored in two games as the designated hitter with the RoughRiders.

HOME AT LAST

The Express continues a 12-game home stand tonight, the season's longest and penultimate multiple-series home stand. Round Rock has played only 16 of the season's first 39 games at The Dell Diamond, playing 23 of 31 games on the road after a season-opening, eight-game home stand. The Express are 11-6 at home this season and have won five straight at The Dell Diamond.

ROUND ROCK AMONG TOP PCL TEAMS

Round Rock (25-15) owns the second-best record in the Pacific Coast League, one-half game behind Sacramento (26-15) and one-half game ahead of Reno (25-16). The next closest team in the overall league standings is Omaha (23-16). The Express lead the American Southern Division by two-and-a-games over Albuquerque (22-17) and three-and-a-half games over New Orleans (22-19). Columbus (27-13) of the International League owns the best Triple-A record.

EXPRESS ENJOY STRONG START

The Express have posted the second-best 40-game start in the franchise's Triple-A history (since 2005). The 2006 squad started 26-14 and improved to 31-18 before a five-game losing streak. Only one other Round Rock Triple-A team was above .500 through 40 games; the 2005 team was 23-17 (.575).

LAST-MINUTE DECISIONS

Five of the last nine and seven of the last 13 Round Rock games were decided in the winning team's final at bat. Five of those seven games ended in walk-off fashion with the Express winning twice. Nearly one-third of Round Rock's games (13 of 40) have been decided in the winning team's final at bat; the Express have won eight of those games.

ROAD WARRIORS

Round Rock is 14-9 (.609) away from home, tied for the PCL lead in road wins and third in the league in road winning percentage behind Sacramento (14-6, .700) and Reno (13-8, .619). Only three other PCL teams are above .500 on road - Salt Lake (12-8, .600), New Orleans (9-8, .529) and Omaha (12-11, .522).

TEAM NOTES

* Round Rock is 7-4 in one-run games, losing three straight, and 13-8 in games decided by two or fewer runs.

* The Express have eight last-at-bat wins, including three walk-off victories.

* Round Rock is 4-1 in extra-inning games, including a 3-1 mark on the road.

* The Express are 19-6 when holding the opponent to fewer than six runs.

* Round Rock is 15-5 when scoring first and 13-4 when scoring in the first inning.

* The Express are 11-4 when allowing a first-inning run.

* Round Rock is 18-3 when out-hitting the opponent.

* The Express are 19-3 when leading after six innings, 18-1 when leading after seven innings and 18-1 when leading after eight innings.

* Round Rock has won six of nine games when tied after eight innings.

* The Express have out-scored their opponents 106-59 in innings four through six, including a 41-20 edge in both the fourth and sixth innings.

* The Express have not lost three straight games, losing consecutive games only five times.

* Round Rock has homered in 23 of 40 games, hitting at least two home runs 15 times. The Express are 12-3 when hitting two-plus homers.

* The Express are hitting .327 (18-for-55) with the bases loaded, producing six doubles, one triple, one grand slam and 55 RBI in that situation. Round Rock also has drawn nine bases-loaded walks.

* Round Rock is hitting .316 (124-for-393) with runners in scoring position, including a .324 mark (59-for-182) with runners in scoring position and two outs. The Express average 2.4 two-out RBI per game.

* The Express are fifth in the PCL in batting average (.290), second in fewest strikeouts (261), second in home runs (48) and first in stolen base percentage (.879, 29-of-33).

* Round Rock is sixth in the PCL in staff ERA (4.55), tied for third in saves (12) and tied for second in fewest walks (146).

* Express pitchers average 2.81 walks per nine innings (49 BB / 157.0 IP) at home but 4.22 walks per nine innings (97 BB / 207.0 IP) on the road.

PLAYER NOTES

* Brian Barden is ninth in the PCL with a .362 batting average. He is hitting 25-for-59 (.424) with eight multiple-hit outings over his last 13 games. Barden leads the team with 19 two-out hits and 16 multiple-hit outings. He has not gone hitless in consecutive games, hitting safely in 27 of 34 played.

* Joey Butler has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games and in 15 of 18 played with the Express. He has not struck out in two straight games for the first time this season.

* Kevin Cash is hitting .321 (9-for-28) over the last nine games and has reached safely in 12 of his last 14 games. He has gone hitless in consecutive games only once this season (April 16, 18). Cash is 2-for-3 with two walks and eight RBI with the bases loaded, delivering a three-run double and a three-run triple.

* Luis Cruz has hit safely in three straight, going 6-for-12 (.500) in that time. He is hitting .311 (19-for-61) in May after a .222 mark (20-for-90) in the season's first month. Cruz is hitting .364 with 0.24 RBI per at bat in eight day games but .229 with 0.12 RBI per at bat in 28 night games.

* Doug Deeds has hit safely in three straight, going 4-for-10 (.400). He is hitting .245 (13-for-53) prior to the fifth inning and .298 (17-for-57) from the fifth inning on. Deeds hits .333 (10-for-30) with two outs; he snapped a 1-for-13 two-out slump with his third-inning single Thursday night.

* Robinzon Diaz suffered only his second hitless game Monday night in 12 with the Express, going 0-for-4. His home run Sunday at Las Vegas was his first extra-base hit with the Express after 16 singles.

* Esteban German has hit safely in four straight, going 7-for-14 (.500). His four-hit game Thursday night was Round Rock's second of the season (Brian Barden May 5 at Iowa). He is third on the team with 12 multiple-hit games. His four-hit night Thursday was his second over the last 16 games and third since April 24 (21 games). German is 9-for-21 (.429) with runners in scoring position and two outs, producing 10 RBI and a .600 on base percentage with nine walks.

* Matt Kata has hit safely in nine of 11 games with four multiple-hit outings, including a pair of three-hit games. He has reached safely in 14 of 16 games. Kata is hitting .333 (18-for-54) in his last 14 games. He has struck out looking only once in 95 at bats and has advanced a runner with an out 16 times.

* Brad Nelson has hit safely in five straight, going 8-for-19 (.421) in that time. He is hitting 22-for-63 (.349) over his last 16 games, going hitless only twice in that span. Nelson hits .208 (15-for-72) prior to the sixth inning; his fifth-inning single Tuesday at Las Vegas was his first fifth-inning hit in 12 at bats this season. He hits .389 (21-for-54) from the sixth inning on, going 3-for-4 in extra inning.

* Omar Quintanilla has hit safely in eight of nine games, including five multiple-hit outings. He has reached safely in 18 of 41 plate appearances and scored 10 runs. Quintanilla is 4-for-9 with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-3 with the bases loaded.

* Chad Tracy's two-homer game Thursday night was his first multiple-homer game of the season and Round Rock's fourth. He has hit safely in four straight, going 7-for-16 (.438) with three homers, seven RBI and six runs scored in that time. Tracy is hitting .364 (28-for-77) with runners on base but only .159 (11-for-69) with the bases empty. Tracy leads the team in hits with runners in scoring position (22) and totes a .423 average in that situation - best among Express players with at least 10 such at bats. He is second on the team with 16 two-out hits and leads the team with 17 two-out RBI - seven more than any other player.

* Derek Hankins is tied for the PCL lead with five wins. Interestingly, he is five games over .500 despite a 6.48 ERA and 6.33 runs of support per start. Hankins is 4-0 with a 4.18 ERA in five road outings but 1-1 with a 10.32 ERA in three games at The Dell Diamond. He is 2-0 in his last four starts with a 5.66 ERA (13 ER / 20.2 IP) in that time. Hankins is tied for third in the PCL with 10 home runs allowed, surrendering at least one in seven of eight appearances.

* Michael Kirkman owns a 3.57 ERA (12 ER / 30.1 IP) since allowing a career-high 10 runs in season's first game, including a 1.65 ERA (3 ER / 16.1 IP) over his last four outings.

* Neil Ramirez is 10th in the PCL with a 3.28 ERA. He also is third in the league in opponents' batting average (.211). Among league starters, Ramirez ranks third in strikeouts per nine innings (10.09).

* Yoshi Tateyama leads PCL relievers in fewest walks per nine innings (1.80). He has 24 strikeouts over 19.0 innings in his last 12 appearances, notching at least two strikeouts in eight of those outings.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock continues a 12-game home stand with a four-game series against the Reno Aces (Arizona Diamondbacks). The series begins Monday and runs through Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch each day.

GAME ‚¬Ë†44 | MONDAY, MAY 23 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Derek Hankins (5-1, 5.95 ERA)

Aces: TBA

GAME ‚¬Ë†45 | TUESDAY, MAY 24 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Scott Feldman (1-0, 4.50 ERA)

Aces: TBA

GAME ‚¬Ë†46 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Seth McClung (starts tonight)

Aces: TBA

GAME ‚¬Ë†47 | THURSDAY, MAY 26 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (starts tomorrow)

Aces: TBA

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 20, 2011


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