PCL1 Round Rock Express

Round Rock Express Game Notes

Published on July 2, 2011 under Pacific Coast League (PCL1)
Round Rock Express News Release


TONIGHT'S GAME

Round Rock and Nashville (Milwaukee Brewers) continue a four-game series at The Dell Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CDT. The Express lead the series two games to none after a 5-3 victory last night. Round Rock is 7-3 in its last 10 games, winning six of its last seven and 10 of its last 13. Nashville is 5-5 in its last 10 games, dropping two straight after coming to Round Rock with a five-game winning streak. The Express are 25-17 at home, while the Sounds are 12-26 on the road.

PROMOTIONS

St. David's Round Rock Express Summer Concert Series presented by Dell - Bob Schneider Community Expo (United Heritage Center)

RADIO BROADCAST INFORMATION

Tonight's game airs on 104.9 FM The Horn ESPN Radio Austin. Online audio also is available at www.espnaustin.com. Express Director of Broadcasting Mike Capps provides play-by-play while former Major League catcher Jerry Grote provides color analysis.

TELEVISION BROADCAST INFORMATION

Tonight's game also airs live on KBVO Austin, the sports-specific sister station of KXAN NBC Austin. KBVO is available on Time Warner Cable HD channel 1525, DirecTV channel 51, AT&T Uverse channel 7 (HD 1007), Grande channel 18 (HD 318), Suddenlink channel 15 (HD 725) and Northland Cable channel 97. Express Director of Broadcasting Mike Capps provides play-by-play for tonight's game, while former Major League pitcher Kelly Wunsch provides color analysis.

EXPRESS-SOUNDS SERIES

This is the penultimate of four series between Round Rock and Nashville this season. The Express lead the season series 7-3. Round Rock has won all six meetings at The Dell Diamond, sweeping a four-game series in early May and winning each of the first two games of this series. The Express dropped three of four at Nashville in mid-June. Round Rock returns to Nashville for the teams' final series July 30-Aug. 2.

STARTING PITCHERS

EXPRESS: RHP Eric Hurley (1-0, 3.77 ERA)

Last Outing: Earned victory in June 26 start vs. Oklahoma City, a 14-2 Express win ... First victory since July 18, 2008 (Double-A Frisco) ... Allowed one unearned run on three hits and two walks over 5.0 innings with three strikeouts ... Used 85 pitches, 50 strikes.

2011: Makes fifth start tonight ... No-decision in season's first start April 8 vs. Iowa ... Allowed two runs on six hits over 5.0 innings with one walk and seven strikeouts ... Left game tied 2-2 ... Iowa won game 6-4 ... Missed second scheduled start April 13 vs. Omaha due to a viral infection ... Sustained small skull fracture after taking a comebacker just above right temple on fourth pitch of April 18 start at New Orleans ... Placed on disabled list April 20 ... No-decision in first game back - June 20 vs. Omaha ... Allowed four runs on eight hits, including one home run, over 4.0 innings with one strikeout and no walks ... Opponents are 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, 0-for-4 with RISP and two outs.

2011 vs. Nashville: First meeting.

2010: Missed entire season due to injury.

Notable: Rangers 2004 first-round draft pick (30th overall) out of Wolfson High School in Jacksonville, Fla. ... 2004 first-team High School All-American ... MLB debut June 12, 2008, vs. Kansas City ... Missed each of last two seasons due to injury.

SOUNDS: RHP Amaury Rivas (6-7, 4.18 ERA)

Last Outing: Earned victory in June 26 start vs. New Orleans, a 9-2 Sounds win ... Allowed two runs on eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts over 6.0 innings ... Used 99 pitches, 66 strikes.

2011: Makes 17th start tonight ... Logged 90.1 innings with 60 strikeouts, 46 walks and a .247 opponents' average ... Recorded decision in each of last seven starts (3-4), alternating wins and losses in each of last five ... Four of six wins were against New Orleans ... Other wins were April 12 vs. Oklahoma City and June 16 vs. Round Rock ... Four of seven wins were against Omaha and Albuquerque (two each) ... Other losses were May 9 at Round Rock, May 26 at Tacoma and May 31 vs. Iowa ... Worked at least 5.0 innings in 12 of 16 starts, going at least 6.0 innings nine times (each of last three) ... Longest outing was 7.0 innings on four occasions ... 2-4, 5.31 ERA, .278 opponents' average in eight road starts ... Has not allowed a home run since surrendering three May 9 at The Dell Diamond - a span of nine starts and 52.0 innings ... First-inning ERA is 5.06 (9 ER / 16.0 IP) has not allowed a second- or third-inning run this season ... 6.59 ERA (31 ER / 42.1 IP) after the third inning (8.80 fourth-inning ERA - 15 ER / 15.1 IP) ... Opponents hitting .293 (27-for-92) with one home run, four walks and 13 strikeouts when leading off an inning ... Holds opponents to a .143 average (8-for-56) with runners on base and two outs, including a .194 mark (6-for-31) with runners in scoring position and two outs ... Opponents hitting .333 (16-for-48) with runners in scoring position and fewer than two outs ... Has not allowed a hit with runners in scoring position and more than two outs ... Only bases-loaded hit allowed in 11 such at bats was a grand slam (May 9, Doug Deeds at The Dell Diamond) ... Also walked one batter, struck out three and allowed three sacrifice flies with the bases loaded.

2011 vs. Round Rock: Suffered least-effective start of season in losing effort May 9 at The Dell Diamond, surrendering nine runs on nine hits - three home runs - over 3.1 innings with season-high seven walks and two strikeouts ... Responded with season's best outing in June 16 win at Nashville, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings on three hits and two walks with season-high eight strikeouts.

2010: Pitched entire season for Double-A Huntsville Stars ... 11-6 in 25 starts with a 3.37 ERA, two complete games and one shutout ... Worked 141.2 innings with 114 strikeouts, 55 walks and a .253 opponents' batting average.

Notable: Born in La Mata de Santa Cruz, D.R. ... Non-drafted free agent signee of Milwaukee in 2005 ... Added to Brewers' 40-man roster following 2009 season ... 27-15 since start of 2009 season.

LAST NIGHT'S GAME

Omar Quintanilla's two-run triple keyed a five-run eighth inning as the Express rallied past the Sounds 5-3. Round Rock batted around in the game-deciding eighth. Matt Kata started the scoring with a two-run double, and Quintanilla's triple proved to be the game-winner. Mike Napoli capped the inning with an RBI double. Mark Hamburger earned the win with an inning of scoreless relief, and Pedro Strop worked around a leadoff single and a one-out walk in the ninth for his fourth save. It marked the third time in six games against Nashville at The Dell Diamond that the Express won in their last at bat - twice Quintanilla provided the game-winning hit (ninth-inning RBI single May 7).

EXPRESS EXTEND DIVISION LEAD

Round Rock (47-34, .580) increased its lead over Albuquerque (42-39, .519) in the American Southern Division to five games with last night's win and the Isotopes' 6-0 loss at Omaha. Albuquerque has lost nine straight and 10 of its last 12. Round Rock's current division lead is its largest of the season, and the Express have reached a high-water mark for the season at 13 games over .500. The Express have at least shared the division lead following 59 of 81 games this season. New Orleans (39-43, .476) has lost six of seven after last night's 5-2 loss at Iowa; the Zephyrs trail Round Rock by eight-and-a-half games. Oklahoma City (34-48, .415) has lost three straight; the RedHawks are 13-and-a-half games back after last night's 5-2 loss at Memphis. The Express are 16-12 against their division foes.

ROUND ROCK vs. AMERICAN NORTHERN DIVISION

The Express are 24-13 against American Northern Division teams this season. Round Rock has completed its season series against Iowa, winning nine of 16 meetings. The Express are 7-1 against Omaha - all at The Dell Diamond - and 7-3 against Nashville. Round Rock dropped two of three at Memphis in a rain-shortened series April 28 through May 1.

NASHVILLE vs. AMERICAN SOUTHERN DIVISION

The Sounds are 22-23 against American Southern Division teams this season. The bulk of those wins were against New Orleans as Nashville won 12 of 16 meetings in the season series. The Sounds have won seven of their last 10 games against American Southern Division teams. Nashville enters tonight's game seven-and-a-half games behind Omaha in the American Northern Division standings.

EXPRESS, SOUNDS KEEP IT CLOSE

Seven of the 10 games between Round Rock and Nashville have been decided by two runs or fewer, including six one-run games. Last night's 5-3 Express victory snapped a five-game streak of one-run decisions in the series. The Express won the first two games of the season series in dramatic fashion. Esteban German's two-out, ninth-inning single gave Round Rock an 8-7 win May 6 at The Dell Diamond. The following night, Omar Quintanilla played hero with a one-out, ninth-inning single to give the Express a 9-8 victory. After blowout Round Rock wins in the next two games at The Dell Diamond (18-9, 10-2), the Express and Sounds played four straight one-run games at Nashville in mid-June. Two of the four games went to extra inning with each team winning once. The June 16 series finale at Nashville was the most intriguing meeting this season. Three Nashville pitchers combined for a three-hit shutout. Meanwhile, Scott Feldman, Derek Hankins and Beau Jones combined on a one-hitter; however, the lone hit was the game's lone run - a Brett Carroll leadoff homer in the seventh inning.

ROSTER MOVES

Brian Barden exercised a July 1 option in his contract and is a free agent. Barden hit .357 with seven home runs, 38 RBI and 18 doubles in 53 games with the Express. He led the team in doubles and was tied for second in hits (74). Barden is a Triple-A All-Star Game selection, and his batting average ranks sixth in the PCL. ... The Texas Rangers placed right-hander Neil Ramirez (arm fatigue) on the disabled list prior to Friday's game. Right-hander Derek Hankins (arm fatigue) was activated from the disabled list.

ROUND ROCK... RANGERS?

The Express roster now features five players on rehab assignments - Scott Feldman, Tommy Hunter, Mike Napoli, Darren O'Day and Brandon Webb. In all, eight Rangers have made rehab stops in Round Rock this season with Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton and Eric Hurley adding to the current list.

BIG-FLY GUYS

Round Rock enters tonight's game with 107 home runs on the season. The Express were the first PCL team to 100 home runs this season and currently rank second in the league behind Reno (108) and just ahead of Colorado Springs (106). Albuquerque is the next closest American Conference team with 97 homers. Round Rock clubbed 23 homers over the last 13 games after being shutout in consecutive games. In fact, the Express have at least one home run in 16 of their last 23 games with 39 in that time and were shutout in three of the seven homerless games. Round Rock already has eclipsed the franchise's 2009 total (97) and needs one home run to match last year's total. The Express hit 170 home runs in 2006, an average of 1.18 per game and still the club's Triple-A era (since 2005) record. The 2011 Express average 1.32 home runs per game and are on pace to hit 190 on the season.

OFFENSE STRUGGLES WITHOUT HOMERS

The Express have homered in 53 of 81 games this season, going 35-18 in those games. However, Round Rock is just 12-16 when failing to hit at least one home run. Furthermore, the Express average 4.01 runs per game when failing to homer. Meanwhile, Round Rock averages 5.87 runs per game when hitting at least one home run. The Express have homered in 16 of their last 23 games and scored a total of 13 runs in the other seven games, getting shutout three times and scoring one run twice.

MORE HOME-RUN NUMBERS

Round Rock did not homer in either of last two games. The Express have gone more than two straight games without a home run only once this season - a four-game stretch April 18-21. ... The Express have won nine straight games in which they have homered. ... Round Rock has homered at least twice 32 times, going 24-8 in those games. Eleven of the 32 games were on the road, and the Express were 8-3 in those games. ... The Express are 12-2 when hitting at least three home runs and 5-0 when hitting at least four home runs. ... Round Rock has two four-homer games (June 18 vs. Omaha, June 19 vs. Omaha), two five-homer games (May 15 at Las Vegas, June 28 vs. Oklahoma City) and one six-homer game (April 9 vs. Iowa). ... The six-homer game was the second-best game total in franchise history, a single-game Dell Diamond record and one homer shy of the club record set at Albuquerque in 2006. ... Six Express players have posted multiple-homer games this season: Chris Davis (five), Brian Barden, Luis Cruz, Esteban German, Taylor Teagarden and Chad Tracy.

Check out the Round Rock Express Statistics

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Pacific Coast League Stories from July 2, 2011


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