PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express Game Notes vs. Sacramento River Cats

Published on May 22, 2012 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


GAME 46 | 22 MAY 2012 | 7:05 P.M. CDT | THE DELL DIAMOND | ROUND ROCK, TEXAS

ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (19-26) vs. SACRAMENTO RIVER CATS (29-16)

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

EXPRESS: LHP Michael Kirkman (2-1, 6.68 ERA) | RIVER CATS: RHP Brad Peacock (5-1, 4.17 ERA)

TONIGHT'S"ˆGAME

Round Rock continues an eight-game home stand Tuesday with the second of four games against the Sacramento River Cats (Oakland Athletics). First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT at The Dell Diamond. The Express snapped a four-game skid with a 6-5 victory in last night's series opener. It was Round Rock's second victory in the last 12 games. The River Cats suffered only their third loss in 12 series openers last night. Round Rock is 11-10 at home, while Sacramento is 14-7 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. SERIES NOTES: Round Rock leads the all-time series 16-13, including a 7-6 mark at The Dell Diamond. The Express won three of four in West Sacramento last season, and 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 .382 average (13-for-34) in 10 career games against Sacramento with three 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 27 career games against Sacramento, going 24-for-99 (.242) with four homers, 16 RBI, 10 doubles and 12 runs scored. Ryan Spilborghs has played 14 career games against the River Cats, going 15-for-54 (.278) with two RBI, a double, a triple and 11 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 last night; he is 0-0 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 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Michael Kirkman (2-1, 6.68 ERA)

River Cats: RHP Brad Peacock (5-1, 4.17 ERA)

GAME"ˆ47 | WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 | 7:05 p.m. CDT

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (1-4, 4.28 ERA)

River Cats: RHP Graham Godfrey (3-0, 1.21 ERA)

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

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 ... 2-0, 4.05 ERA (9 ER/20.0 IP) over last four starts with a .191 opponents' average (13-for-68) ... 10.80 strikeouts per nine innings over last three starts (18 K/15.0 IP) ... 2-0 with a 3.60 ERA (8 ER/20.0 IP) and a .232 opponents' average in four starts, one relief appearance at The Dell Diamond ... has not allowed a first-inning earned run (6.0 IP) ... opponents hitting .450 (9-for-2) when leading off inning with two homers, 12 walks and seven strikeouts for a .656 on-base percentage ... limits opponents to a .091 average (2-for-22) with runners on base and two outs, including a .125 mark (2-for-16) with runners in scoring position and two outs ... opponents are 4-for-6 with the bases loaded, producing 10 RBI with one walk.

LAST START: No-decision in May 17 start vs. Fresno at The Dell Diamond, a 10-5 Express loss ... allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over four innings with six strikeouts ... left game leading 4-3 ... used 80 pitches, 44 strikes.

2011 vs. SACRAMENTO: Made one relief appearance and did not factor in a decision or record a save ... worked one scoreless inning on one hit and no walks with no strikeouts

CAREER vs. SACRAMENTO: 0-0, 7.20 ERA (4 ER/5.0 IP) in two outings, one start ... no-decision in 2010 start; allowed six runs (four earned) on three hits and seven walks over four innings with three 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).

ANATOMY OF A SLIDE

Round Rock has lost 10 of its last 12 games, a stretch that began with a six-game losing streak. The Express are hitting .269 (114-for-424) during the last 12 games, averaging 4.9 runs per game. Meanwhile, Round Rock's opponents are averaging 8.0 runs per game in that time. Express pitchers have a 7.36 ERA (84 ER/102.2 IP) over the last 12 games and have allowed at least one home run in nine straight games. A closer look into the numbers shows the Express are 30-for-122 (.246) with runners in scoring position during this skid; 13 of the 30 hits came in the two wins, meaning Round Rock is hitting .183 (17-for-93) with runners in scoring position in the 10 losses. Conversely, opponents are hitting .301 (43-for-143) with runners in scoring position during that time, going 3-for-20 in the lone Express win. Round Rock is 5-for-18 (.277) with the bases loaded over the last 11 games, while opponents are 6-for-10 (.600) with two grand slams.

SPILBORGHS STEADY AS A ROCK

Ryan Spilborghs, who joined the Express when he was traded May 4 from Cleveland to the Rangers, has hit safely in each of his first 15 games with Round Rock. That is Round Rock's fifth streak of at least 11 games and third of at least 15 games this season. Spilborghs is hitting .383 (23-for-60) during the streak with seven multiple-hit games, including a three-hit effort May 15 at Tacoma. Spilborghs produced an RBI in seven of the 15 games. He is 6-for-15 (.400) with one home run when leading off an inning and 2-for-3 with the bases loaded. He is hitting .455 (15-for-33) with runners on base, including a .381 mark (8-for-21) with runners in scoring position. Spilborghs, who also spent parts of five seasons with Colorado Springs, has played 198 career games in the Pacific Coast League; he owns a .344 average (260-for-755) in the league with 21 homers, 108 RBI and 60 doubles.

BORBON ON A TEAR

Julio Borbon has hit safely in nine straight games (.425, 17-for-40), matching his longest streak of the season. Borbon has five multiple-hit outings during the streak with a trio of three-hit games, at least one run scored in each of the last seven games (10 total) and at least one extra-base hit in each of the last five games (three doubles, one triple, two home runs). He also has hit safely in 19 of his last 21 games (.370, 34-for-92) with 11 multiple-hit outings, four three-hit games, three home runs, 13 RBI, five doubles, three triples, 16 runs scored and seven stolen bases. He clubbed two home runs May 17 vs. Fresno - the second multiple-homer game of his professional career (Sept. 8, 2009, Rangers at Indians). Borbon also tied his professional career high with four RBI that night (Sept. 10, 2010, Rangers vs. Yankees; May 7, 2008, Bakersfield (Class A-Advanced) vs. Modesto). He is hitting .423 (22-for-52) during innings four through six with two of his four home runs and 12 of his 21 RBI; however, he is hitting .220 (28-for-127) outside the middle frames, including a .151 mark (8-for-53) after the sixth inning. Borbon's second-inning, bases-loaded, two-run double last night was his third hit in eight bases-loaded at bats. He has hit safely in 12 consecutive home games, tied for the PCL's third-longest active streak.

CATCH 22

Yangervis Solarte snapped a 22-game hitting streak May 12 when he was 0-for-4 at Tacoma. The streak was the longest in Round Rock's Triple-A history (since 2005), eclipsing the former mark posted by Mark Saccomanno in 2008 (18 games), and stands as the PCL's longest this season. It was the league's 10th streak of at least 22 games since the start of the 2009 season. He hit .376 (35-for-93) during the streak with five homers, 13 RBI, seven doubles, 16 runs scored and six walks against six strikeouts. Solarte had 10 multiple-hit outings during the streak, including three consecutive three-hit games in the second, third and fourth games of the run; however, five of his last seven games were one-hit efforts. He also snapped a streak 15-game hitting streak in road games, the first three of which were not part of the 22-game streak. Additionally, Solarte had his 25-game on-base streak snapped; it, too, was the PCL's longest streak this season. He has reached safely in 38 of 41 games played. Solarte got right back on the horse May 13, going 2-for-4 with a double that produced Round Rock's lone run and has hit safely in seven straight games since (.379, 11-for-29) with four multiple-hit outings. He has hit safely in 29 of his last 30 games (.365, 46-for-126). Solarte also has hit safely in 14 consecutive home games, the PCL's longest active streak and tied for the league's second-longest streak this season. He has gone hitless in consecutive games only twice this season with no three-game skids. Solarte is hitting .217 (13-for-60) through the first three innings but .360 (41-for-114) thereafter with five of his six home runs and all but three of his 24 RBI. Solarte is tied seventh in the league with 85 total bases and third in plate appearances per strikeout (12.00).

RARE SKID FOR BUTLER

Joey Butler snapped an 0-for-12 skid with his sixth-inning single last night. It was the longest hitless stretch of his 157-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 .364 (16-for-44) over his last 13 games, but he has not produced a multiple-hit game in any of the last nine games. Butler is hitting .414 (48-for-116) when putting the ball in play; he has hit safely in 15 of 31 such at bats (.484) since May 8. However, he has hit into eight double plays, most of any player in the PCL; four of the eight came in a three-game span April 9-11. He is hitting .336 (38-for-113) after the third inning with all eight of his home runs and 22 of his 26 RBI. Butler is tied for fifth in the PCL with 21 extra-base hits; he also is tied for fifth in runs (35) and second in walks (30).

IT'S A LOADED QUESTION

The Express produced multiple bases-loaded hits in a game for the first time this season last 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-43 (.279) with the bases loaded, producing no grand slams and drawing eight walks against eight strikeouts. Mendonca's single last 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-6) and Ryan Spilborghs (2-for-3) are the only Round Rock players with multiple bases-loaded hits. The rest of the team is 4-for-26 (.154). Meanwhile, opposing batters are 18-for-36 (.500) with the bases loaded, including four grand slams. Opponents are 14-for-23 (.609) with the bases loaded since April 21, including a 5-for-5 series by Oklahoma City (April 26-29).

BULLPEN STRUGGLES CONTINUE

After going 22 consecutive games without a loss, Round Rock's bullpen has taken five on the chin over the last 16 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 6.71 ERA (42 ER/56.1 IP) in the 16 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 4.68 ERA (85 ER/163.1 IP) this season. The pen yielded four-plus runs five times in the last 12 games and six-plus three times, including a season-high seven runs May 17 vs. Fresno.

DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE

Round Rock has at least one double in every game since the season opener - a 44-game run, including a season-high six two-baggers May 11 at Salt Lake. Luis Martinez kept the streak alive May 17 with a one-out, ninth-inning double. Round Rock clubbed at least two doubles in 30 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 with Albuquerque for second in the PCL with 103 doubles, trailing only Sacramento (104).

"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 21 home dates this season and has not homered in four straight 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; they clubbed 15 homers in that span. Round Rock has homered in all but six road games this season, clubbing at least two homers eight times. Meanwhile, the Express have homered more than once in only three of 20 home games (two April 14 vs. Iowa, three May 3 vs. New Orleans, three May 17 vs. Fresno). 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 9.67 runs per game at The Dell Diamond this season as opposed to the 11.90 average in 2011. The Express average 4.71 runs per game at home this season and 5.79 runs per game on the road.

POSITION PLAYER"ˆNOTES

Mike Bianucci has not produced a multiple-hit game since May 12, going 4-for-29 (.138) in eight games since. He also has one RBI (May 15 at Tacoma) and no extra-base hits in that time. 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 has 12 multiple-hit games, all two-hit efforts. Bianucci is tied for sixth in the PCL with nine homers, but he is homerless in his last 33 at bats. Bianucci is 0-for-4 with the bases loaded, walking once. ... Dusty Brown has reached safely in two of his last 14 plate appearances immediately following a stretch in which he reached safely in 10 consecutive plate appearances. He is 15-for-41 (.366) over his last 14 games with five multiple-hit outings, three home runs, eight RBI, five doubles, six runs scored and 10 walks against five strikeouts; however, he is hitless in each of his last 14 at bats with two walks and five strikeouts. He has five strikeouts over his last three games. Brown is 2-for-12 (.167) with runners in scoring position but has four walks and seven RBI; both hits came with two outs, including one home run. ... Luis Hernandez snapped an 0-for-14 skid with his second-inning, two-run single last night. Interestingly, he produced four RBI without a hit over the previous three games. Last night's double was his sixth extra-base hit (four doubles, two homers) over a 29-game stretch since April 15. Hernandez also has 20 strikeouts in that time but has only two strikeouts over the last five games. He is 5-for-31 (.161) 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 22 of 25 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 10-for-30 (.333) with runners in scoring position. ... 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 last 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. ... Tommy Mendonca is 5-for-9 since snapping an 0-for-17 slump with his eighth-inning double May 19. He has hit safely in three straight games and has not hit safely in four straight since April 15-18. Mendonca has produced one RBI in each of his last three games and scored four runs in that time. He struck out twice last night, his 14th multiple-strikeout game; he also has seven outings with at least three strikeouts. Mendonca has been clutch, however, going 3-for-7 (.429) with the bases loaded and 5-for-14 (.357) with runners in scoring position and two outs. ... Brad Nelson has not gone hitless in consecutive games since a three-game spell April 19-21. He has hit safely in 22 of 24 games since, enjoying hitting streaks of 11 games and nine games in that time. Nelson has hit safely in 13 consecutive road games, the PCL's fifth-longest streak this season and third among active streak. However, he has only two multiple-hit games since May 3 and only six RBI since April 27, a 21-game span with no multiple-RBI performances. Nelson is hitting .352 (19-for-54) during the first three innings but .248 (26-for-105) after the third inning. He has a .479 on-base percentage when leading off an inning, hitting .375 (15-for-40) with one home run and eight walks. Nelson is 5-for-21 (.238) 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.

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 surrendered seven runs in 6.1 innings (9.95 ERA) over his last three outings after yielding only one run over his first 9.2 innings 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. Hamburger recorded a season-high four strikeouts May 12 at Tacoma, one shy of his Triple-A career high. ... 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 has at least two strikeouts in each of his last eight appearances, tallying 17 over 12.0 innings. He has allowed at least one runs in eight of 13 outings and allowed four of nine inherited runners to score. Opponents are 3-for-17 (.176) when leading off an inning but 10-for-28 (.357) with runners in scoring position. ... 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 seven outings (9.1 innings) since surrendering four runs in 1.1 innings April 28 at Oklahoma City. Opponents are 6-for-32 (.188) 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 eight inherited runners have scored over his last six outings. Opponents are 9-for-24 (.375) with runners on base and two outs. ... Yoshinori Tateyama has not allowed an earned run in 11 of 12 outings. He has not allowed an earned run since April 21 at New Orleans, a span of 12.0 innings over eight appearances. Tateyama has allowed four runs (one earned), all of which scored in the eighth inning. Opponents are 1-for-12 (.083) with runners in scoring position and 3-for-27 (.111) when behind in the count. ... 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

Round Rock is tied with Sacramento for second in the PCL with 48 home runs, two fewer than Oklahoma City. Of Round Rock's 48 home runs, 27 have been solo shots, including 12 to leadoff an inning; 21 came with no outs. ... The Express lead the league with 345 runners left on base. ... The Express are 14-2 when holding the opposition to fewer than five runs but 5-24 when allowing at least five runs, snapping a 10-game skid in that situation with last night's 6-5 win. ... Last night'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 the games were against Iowa. ... Express relievers have allowed 19 runs (15 earned) after the seventh inning over the last 13 games. ... The Express are 4-8 in series openers. ... Round Rock is 1-19 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 22 games when leading after seven innings.

NEXT SERIES

Round Rock begins an eight-game road trip 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 (2-1, 6.68 ERA; starts tonight)

Sounds: RHP Wily Peralta (1-4, 5.36 ERA; starts tonight)

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

Express: LHP Zach Jackson (1-4, 4.28 ERA; starts tomorrow)

Sounds: RHP Claudio Vargas (0-0, 9.00 ERA; starts tomorrow)

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from May 22, 2012


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