PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express - Game Notes vs. Sacramento River Cats

Published on May 24, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


*** PDF GAME NOTES ATTACHED ***

GAME 48 | 24 MAY 2012 | 7:05 P.M. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND | ROUND ROCK, TEXAS

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (20-27) vs. SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS (30-17)

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

EXPRESS: RHP Neil Ramirez (4-4, 6.75 ERA) | RIVER CATS: RHP A.J. Griffin (0-1, 7.36 ERA)

TONIGHT'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock concludes an eight-game home stand Thursday with the finale of a four-game series against the Sacramento River Cats (Oakland Athletics). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at The Dell Diamond. The Express won each of the series' first two games, but the River Cats responded with an 8-2 victory last night. Round Rock is 12-11 at home, while Sacramento is 15-8 on the road. The Express are fourth in the PCL's American Southern Division, seven games back of Albuquerque. Sacramento trails only Fresno in the Pacific Southern Division by a game and a half.

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-RIVER CATS SERIES

This is the lone series between the two squads this season. The Express have won each of the first two games, 6-5 and 11-5, respectively, but the River Cats took last night's game 8-2. Round Rock is hitting .317 (33-for-104) in the series with two homers and six doubles. Express pitchers have 26 strikeouts against eight walks in 27.0 innings, holding the River Cats to a .271 average (29-for-107). Sacramento has eight home runs, six of which were solo shots. SERIES NOTES: Round Rock leads the all-time series 17-14, including an 8-7 mark at The Dell Diamond. The Express have won five of the last seven meetings after taking three of four in West Sacramento last season. The teams split a four-game series in Round Rock two years ago. Round Rock also won series in 2008 (3-1) and 2007 (3-1). Sacramento won series in 2009 (3-1) and 2006). There has never been a sweep in the series as the teams split four games in 2005. ... 2011 SERIES: The Express won each of the series' first three games last season, winning by scores of 7-3, 6-3 and 9-3 before a 5-3 loss in the finale. Zach Jackson was the only Express pitcher to record a decision that is with the team this year. He earned the victory in the series opener with 3.2 innings of relief, allowing three runs on eight hits (two homers) and two walks with three strikeouts. Jackson followed Mark Hamburger, who tossed four scoreless innings on one hit and a walk with five strikeouts in his first career start. No other current Express pitcher worked more than one inning in last year's series. Brad Nelson was 5-for-12 (.417) in three games at Raley Field last season with one homer, five RBI, two doubles, a walk and four runs scored. ... CAREER vs. SACRAMENTO: Matt Kata owns a .368 average (14-for-38) in 11 career games against Sacramento with five RBI, a double and four runs scored. Kata's numbers do not include his 2003 season with Tucson, for which statistics are not available. Nelson has played 29 career games against Sacramento, going 25-for-106 (.236) with four homers, 16 RBI, 11 doubles and 14 runs scored. Ryan Spilborghs has played 16 career games against the River Cats, going 17-for-61 (.279) with three RBI, two doubles, a triple and 12 runs scored. Sean Green is 0-2 with a 1.23 ERA (2 ER/14.2 IP) and two saves in 12 career relief appearances vs. Sacramento. Jackson is 1-2 with a 7.06 ERA (17 ER/21.2 IP) in six career outings (three starts) against the River Cats. Tanner Scheppers made his third career relief appearance vs. Sacramento in the series opener; he is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and one save in 4.2 innings with five walks and six strikeouts.

SERIES"ˆINFORMATION

GAME"ˆ45 | MONDAY, MAY 21

Express 6, River Cats 5

WP: Scheppers (1-0). LP: Threets (3-1). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ46 | TUESDAY, MAY 22

Express 11, River Cats 5

WP: Kirkman (3-1). LP: Peacock (5-2). SV: Hamburger (1).

GAME"ˆ47 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 23

River Cats 8, Express 2

WP: Castro (2-4). LP: Jackson (1-5). SV: None.

GAME"ˆ48 | THURSDAY, MAY 24 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: RHP Neil Ramirez (4-4, 6.75 ERA)

River Cats: RHP A.J. Griffin (0-1, 7.36 ERA)

EXPRESS STARTER

RHP NEIL RAMIREZ (4-4, 6.75 ERA)

2012: Appeared in two games at Rangers spring training ... allowed seven runs on nine hits over four innings, posting a 15.75 ERA ... walked three and struck out two ... no-decision in season's first start April 7 at Iowa, a 7-2 Express win ... tagged with loss in April 12 start at Omaha, a 5-4 Storm Chasers win ... earned season's first victory in April 17 start with six shutout innings vs. Omaha ... tossed six shutout innings for victory in April 22 start at New Orleans, a 10-0 Express win ... suffered loss in April 28 start at Oklahoma City, an 11-5 RedHawks win; allowed six runs in one inning of work ... earned victory in May 3 start vs. New Orleans at The Dell Diamond, a 5-4 Express win; allowed two runs on three hits over seven innings ... credited with victory in May 8 start at Salt Lake, an 11-9 Express win; surrendered six runs over 5.1 innings ... lost May 13 start at Tacoma, a 9-1 Rainiers win; allowed eight runs (seven earned)"ˆover 3.1 innings ... most runs allowed in professional career ... allowed six-plus runs in four of last five starts (16.0 innings) ... yielded seven runs over 28.0 innings in other five starts ... one home run surrendered in each of last five starts ... career-high tying seven earned runs in each of last two starts ... 2-1, 4.19 ERA"ˆ(9 ER/19.1 IP) in three home starts ... opponents hitting .125 (3-for-24) with runners on base and two outs, .154 (2-for-13) with RISP and two outs ... opponents hitting .250 (11-for-44) when leading off an inning with two walks, 10 strikeouts and one homer ... opponents are 13-for-28 (.464) with RISP and fewer than two outs ... PCL Pitcher of the Week (April 16-22).

LAST START: Lost May 19 start vs. Fresno at The Dell Diamond, a 10-4 Grizzlies win ... allowed seven runs on seven hits, including one home run, over 6.1 innings with two walks and three strikeouts ... surrendered two-run homer to Todd Linden with no outs in the second inning ... left game trailing 5-1 ... both bequeathed runners scored ... used 92 pitches, 57 strikes.

2011 vs. SACRAMENTO: Did not appear in the four-game series at Fresno.

NOTABLE: Neil Andrew Ramirez ... hobbies include fishing, reading, and golf ... attended Kempsville [Va.] High School ... named 2006 first-team all-district by the Virginia High School Baseball Coaches Association after going 4-3 with a 1.05 ERA and 67 strikeouts against 15 walks during his junior season ... also saw time at first base, shortstop and left field ... played with the Maryland Orioles in the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League, where he ranked as the No. 1 prospect as a high school player ... selected to play in the 2006 Aflac All-American High School Baseball Classic ... earned a silver medal with Team USA in the 2006 World Junior Championship, along with fellow 2007 Rangers draftees Blake Beavan and Michael Main ... went 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA"ˆ(3 ER/9.1 IP) and 10 strikeouts against eight walks in the tournament (two starts) ... went 6-2, 1.46 (11 ER/52.2 IP) with 74 strikeouts during his senior season ... did not allow a run in 15.1 postseason innings ... named the 2007 Gatorade Virginia Baseball Player of the Year ... ranked as the No. 71 prospect in the 2007 draft by Baseball America ... originally signed a letter of intent to attend Georgia Tech.

GOOD TIMES ON BORBON STREAK

Julio Borbon is riding an 11-game hitting streak (.408, 20-for-49), his longest this season and Round Rock's sixth of at least 10 games. Borbon has six multiple-hit outings during the streak, including a trio of three-hit games, and nine RBI. He scored at least one run in eight consecutive games (11 runs) prior to last night's game, in which he also snapped a streak of six straight games with at least one extra-base hit (three doubles, one triple, three home runs). Borbon also has hit safely in 21 of his last 23 games (.366, 37-for-101) with 12 multiple-hit outings, four three-hit games, four home runs, 16 RBI, five doubles, three triples, 17 runs scored and seven stolen bases. His average skyrocketed from .186 to .282 in that time. Borbon is hitting .436 (24-for-55) during innings four through six with three of his five home runs and 15 of his 24 RBI. However, he is hitting .218 (29-for-133) outside the middle frames, including a .145 mark (8-for-55) after the sixth inning. He is 3-for-8 with the bases loaded. Borbon has hit safely in 14 consecutive home games, tied for the PCL's longest active streak and tied for fourth-longest this season.

SPILBORGHS, SOLARTE SNAP STREAKS

Ryan Spilborghs, who joined the Express when he was traded May 4 from Cleveland to the Rangers, snapped a 16-game hitting streak last night, going 0-for-2 with two walks. It was his first hitless game with the Express. Spilborghs hit .385 (25-for-65) during the streak with eight multiple-hit games. He also produced at least one RBI in eight of the games. It was one of three Express hitting streaks of 15-plus games this season. Yangervis Solarte, who earlier this season enjoyed a franchise-record, 22-game hitting streak and a 25-game on-base streak, snapped an eight-game streak last night, going 0-for-4. He hit .353 (12-for-34) during the streak, which was one game removed from the 22-game run. He hit safely in 30 of 31 games (.359, 47-for-131). Solarte also snapped a 15-game home hitting streak, tied for the PCL's longest streak this season. He has gone hitless in consecutive games only twice this season with no three-game skids and reached safely in 39 of 43 games played, snapping an 18-game home streak last night.

MENDONCA BE MISLEAD

Tommy Mendonca's .231 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 .306 (11-for-36) with runners in scoring position, including a .400 mark (6-for-15) with runners in scoring position and two outs. He is tied with Julio Borbon for the team lead with three bases-loaded hits (eight at bats). Furthermore, Mendonca is hitting .303 (10-for-33) after the seventh inning. His current four-game hitting streak (.467, 7-for-15) matches his longest of the season; he has scored at least once in each game (six runs) and produced at least one RBI in each game (seven RBI) with two doubles and a home run.

RARE SKID FOR BUTLER

Joey Butler snapped an 0-for-12 skid with his sixth-inning single Monday night. It was the longest hitless stretch of his 159-game Triple-A career by three at bats. Butler had gone three straight games without a hit, also the longest slump of his Triple-A career. Nonetheless, he is hitting .373 (19-for-51) over his last 15 games, hitting safely in each three straight since the three-game skid. Last night's two-hit game was his first multiple-hit outing since May 11, ending a 10-game drought. Butler is hitting .418 (51-for-122) when putting the ball in play; he has hit safely in 18 of 37 such at bats (.486) since May 8. He is hitting .345 (41-for-119) after the third inning with all eight of his home runs and 22 of his 27 RBI. Butler is tied for fourth in the PCL in runs (37) and fourth in walks (30).

KEY NUMBERS TELL THE STORY

Round Rock has lost 11 of its last 14 games, a stretch that began with a six-game losing streak. The Express have been outscored 109-72 in that span, surrendering double-digit runs five times. Express pitchers have a 7.25 ERA (97 ER/120.2 IP) over the last 14 games and have allowed at least one home run in 11 straight games (19 homers). A closer look into the numbers shows the Express are hitting .188 (18-for-96) with runners in scoring position in the 10 losses and .447 (17-for-38) in the three wins. Conversely, opponents are hitting .331 (43-for-130) with runners in scoring position in the 10 Express losses and .167 (4-for-24) in Round Rock's three wins. Round Rock is 5-for-20 (.250) with the bases loaded over the last 14 games with three of the five hits coming in the three wins; opponents are 6-for-11 (.545) with two grand slams over the last 14 games.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

Round Rock has at least one double in every game since the season opener "" a 46-game run, including a season-high six two-baggers May 11 at Salt Lake. Twice in the last six games, the Express have maintained the streak in the ninth inning. Luis Martinez had a one-out double May 17 vs. Fresno, and Brad Nelson had a two-out double last night. Round Rock clubbed at least two doubles in 31 of those games, collecting three or more 16 times, four or more 10 times and five or more four times. The Express tallied three doubles in the first inning alone May 4 vs. Memphis en route to a five-double night. Round Rock is tied for second in the PCL with 106 doubles, trailing only Albuquerque (114).

"HOME" RUNS SCARCE

In stark contrast to last season, The Dell Diamond has not been a launching pad for the Express. Round Rock averages 0.74 homers per game through 23 home dates this season. The Express have not homered in five of their last six home games. Conversely, Round Rock averages 1.38 homers in 24 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 eight 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 9.96 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 Monday night. Tommy Mendonca (single) and Julio Borbon (double) produced the hits in successive at bats during Round Rock's five-run second inning. Borbon's double was one of only three extra-base hits with the bases loaded by the Express this season. Round Rock is 12-for-45 (.267) with the bases loaded, producing no grand slams and drawing nine walks against eight strikeouts. Mendonca's single Monday night snapped a 1-for-13 bases-load skid for the Express, who earlier this season suffered an 0-for-11 slump. Borbon (3-for-8), Mendonca (3-for-8) and Ryan Spilborghs (2-for-3) 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-25 (.160). Meanwhile, opposing batters are 18-for-37 (.486) with the bases loaded, including four grand slams. Opponents are 14-for-24 (.583) 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 five on the chin over the last 18 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 0-5 with a 6.54 ERA (46 ER/63.1 IP) in the 18 games since, also surrendering six unearned runs. 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 5-9 with a 4.70 ERA (89 ER/170.1 IP) this season. The pen yielded four-plus runs five times in the last 14 games and six-plus three times, including a season-high seven runs May 17 vs. Fresno.

POSITION PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci tallied a season-high three hits Wednesday night, his first multiple-hit game since May 12 and 13th of the season. He was 4-for-29 (.138) in eight games between multiple-hit outings. Bianucci has one RBI (May 15 at Tacoma) and one extra-base hit (double May 12 at Tacoma) over his last 11 games. He 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. Bianucci is tied for sixth in the PCL with nine homers, but he is homerless in his last 40 at bats (May 11 at Salt Lake). He is 0-for-4 with the bases loaded, walking once. ... Dusty Brown has reached safely in four of his last 22 plate appearances immediately following a stretch in which he reached safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances. He is 16-for-47 (.340) over his last 16 games with five multiple-hit outings, three home runs, nine RBI, six doubles, seven runs scored and 11 walks against six strikeouts. However, he ended an 0-for16 slide with his seventh-inning double Wednesday night. Brown is 2-for-12 (.167) with runners in scoring position but has five 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. ... Luis Hernandez snapped an 0-for-14 skid with his second-inning, two-run single Monday night. Interestingly, he produced four RBI without a hit over the previous three games. He is 6-for-14 (.486) since stopping the slump, producing three straight two-hit games. Monday night's double was his sixth extra-base hit (four doubles, two homers) over a 31-game stretch since April 15. Hernandez also has 22 strikeouts in that time, fanning at least once in 12 of his last 15 games. He is 7-for-34 (.206) when leading off an inning and 7-for-37 (.189) with runners in scoring position, going 2-for-15 (.133) 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 23 of 26 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 11-for-31 (.355) with runners in scoring position, going 4-for-10 with two doubles and seven RBI with runners in scoring position and two outs. Kata is 14-for-38 (.368) during the middle innings but 15-for-72 (.208) the rest of the game. ... Luis Martinez is hitting .313 (10-for-32) over his last nine games with three multiple-hit outings, six doubles, two RBI and eight runs scored. He has hit safely in four straight games and scored once in each of his last five games. Martinez is 10-for-21 (.476) in the third and fourth innings but 11-for-60 (.183) the rest of the game. His second-inning single Monday night was his first hit in 12 second-inning at bats this season. He is 2-for-14 (.143) with runners in scoring position and two outs, and he is 0-for-5 with the bases loaded, drawing one walk. ... Brad Nelson has not gone hitless in consecutive games since a three-game spell April 19-21. He has hit safely in 23 of 26 games since, enjoying hitting streaks of 11 games and nine games in that time. However, he is 4-for-19 (.211) since snapping the nine-game streak May 19. Nelson has hit safely in 13 consecutive road games, the PCL's sixth-longest streak this season and third-longest active streak. However, he has only two multiple-hit games since May 3 and only six RBI since April 27, a 23-game span with no multiple-RBI performances. Nelson is hitting .339 (19-for-56) during the first three innings but .245 (27-for-110) after the third inning. He has a .471 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .357 (15-for-42) with one home run and nine walks. Nelson is 5-for-22 (.227) with runners in scoring position and two outs. ... Elio Sarmiento is 1-for-19 (.053) over his last five games after going 5-for-11 (.455) in his first three games. He has not played since May 18 vs. Fresno. ... Yangervis Solarte is 2-for-14 (.143) over his last three games with four strikeouts. He is hitting .222 (14-for-63) in the first three innings but .342 (41-for-120) thereafter with five of his six home runs and 21 of his 24 RBI. Solarte is hitting .393 (11-for-28) when leading off an inning with one home run; however, he is hitting .224 (11-for-49) with runners in scoring position. ... Ryan Spilborghs is 16-for-36 (.444) with runners on base, going 9-for-23 (.391) with runners in scoring position. He owns a .526 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, going 7-for-16 (.438) with two walks and a home run. His most productive inning is the sixth when he is 8-for-13 (.615) with three doubles and three RBI. Spilborghs is 14-for-35 (.400) in 10 games at The Dell Diamond ... 200 career games in the Pacific Coast League; .344 average (262-for-762) with 21 homers, 109 RBI and 61 doubles.

PITCHER"ˆNOTES

Sean Green allowed 14 earned runs in 9.2 innings over his last eight appearances (13.04 ERA) after surrendering two earned runs in his first eight outings. Opposing batters are 3-for-18 (.167) with runners in scoring position and two outs but 8-for-20 (.400) when leading off an inning and 17-for-39 (.436) with the bases empty. Opponents also are 4-for-8 (.500) with the bases loaded, producing one grand slam and eight RBI. Green walked 10 batters over his last six appearances (8.0 innings) after issuing five free passes over his first 10 outings (14.0 innings). ... Mark Hamburger tallied seven strikeouts Wednesday night, a career high. His previous career high was six in two innings Aug. 6, 2010, with Double-A Frisco. Hamburger also had six strikeouts in three innings June 26, 2008, with rookie-league Elizabeth in the Twins organization. His previous Triple-A career high was five strikeouts Aug. 12, 2011, at Sacramento in his first career start. He also struck out five as a reliever May 9, 2011, in his last appearance with Double-A Frisco. Hamburger surrendered 10 runs in 10.1 innings (8.71 ERA) over his last four 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 .458 (11-for-24) with runners in scoring position, producing two home runs and 20 RBI. He surrendered three home runs in his last two outings after going eight consecutive appearances without yielding a tater. ... Derek Hankins has two strikeouts in 8.2 innings over his last four 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-11 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 last 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 has allowed a run in four of 19 outings (nine runs total), surrendering multiple runs three times. He has one walk in his last 14 appearances, a 15.1-inning stretch, with 16 strikeouts in that time. Scheppers logged three strikeouts last 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 18 games finished. Opposing batters are 6-for-14 (.429) with runners in scoring position and two outs. ... Ben Snyder has not allowed a run over his last eight outings (10.1 innings) since surrendering four runs in 1.1 innings April 28 at Oklahoma City. Opponents are 6-for-35 (.171) in that time with three singles and three doubles. Snyder has held the opposition scoreless in 11 of his last 12 appearances. However, five of his last eight inherited runners scored. Opponents are 9-for-24 (.375) with runners on base and two outs but 4-for-24 (.167) when leading off an inning. ... Tyler Tufts allowed at least one run in each of his last three outings and six of 11 appearances on the season. He surrendered a season-high six runs in just two-thirds of an inning May 11 at Salt Lake, matching his total over his first eight appearances. Tufts is 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA (2 ER/8.1 IP) in five outings at The Dell Diamond but 1-1 with a 10.13 ERA (12 ER/10.2 IP) in six road appearances. Opponents are 7-for-16 (.438) with runners in scoring position. Tufts had two strikeouts May 20 vs. Fresno, his first since April 26 "" a five-outing span.

TEAM"ˆNOTES

Express pitchers tallied a season-high 12 strikeouts Wednesday night and have 37 strikeouts over the last four games (9.25 per nine innings). ... Round Rock is third in the PCL with 50 home runs behind only Oklahoma City (53) and Sacramento (53). Of Round Rock's 50 home runs, 27 have been solo shots, including 12 to leadoff an inning; 21 came with no outs. ... The Express are second in the league with 356 runners left on base. ... The Express are 14-2 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 6-25 when allowing at least five runs, snapping a 10-game skid in that situation with Monday night's 6-5 win. ... Monday's 6-5 victory was Round Rock's first one-run game since a 10-9 loss May 9 at Salt Lake. The Express are 6-7 in one-run games, seven of which were against Iowa. ... Express relievers have allowed 19 runs (15 earned) after the seventh inning over the last 14 games. ... The Express are 4-8 in series openers. ... Round Rock is 1-20 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 23 games when leading after seven innings.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock embarks on an eight-game road trip, starting with a four-game series against the Nashville Sounds (Milwaukee Brewers). The series begins Friday with a 7:05 p.m. CDT first pitch at scenic Herschel Greer Stadium and continues Saturday at 6:35 p.m., Sunday at 2:05 p.m. and Monday at 2:05 p.m. This is the first of four series between the Express and Sounds this season.

GAME"ˆ49 | FRIDAY, MAY 25 | 7:05 p.m. CDT | NASHVILLE, TENN.

Express: LHP Martin Perez (3-4, 5.72 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Seth McClung (1-4, 5.12 ERA)

GAME"ˆ50 | SATURDAY, MAY 26 | 6:35 p.m. CDT | NASHVILLE, TENN.

Express: RHP Greg Reynolds (3-3, 4.15 ERA)

Sounds: RHP Mark Rogers (0-2, 5.29 ERA)

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

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 | NASHVILLE, TENN.

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

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

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 24, 2012


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