There is just something about the Round Rock Express this year that the Sky Sox can’t figure out. It has been a season-long problem and as a result the Sky Sox have dropped 8 of 11 to the Express in the series. Loss number eight came Wednesday night in the form of a 2-1 affair, in which the Express notched their runs on one swing in the home half of the seventh. The Sox haven’t won a game since Saturday and have five more tune ups scheduled in the regular season before the 2017 postseason is upon us.

Junior Guerra climbed the hill and was outstanding again for the Sky Sox. He was limited to just four and one-third innings, but made them count giving up a pair of hits and a pair of walks, while striking out four. Adrian Sampson was just as good in the starting role for Round Rock and went five scoreless innings, despite allowing seven hits and a walk. He also tallied four Ks.

For the second straight night the game became a battle of the bullpens, and the Express ‘pen was just a little better. The Sox used a Nate Orf solo shot in the sixth to take a 1-0 lead, while the home team picked up a two-run blast off the bat of Ryan Rua for their offensive output in the bottom of the seventh. Dario Alvarez gave up the homer to Orf and Tyler Webb allowed the bomb to Rua. Ballgame.

Game Story Here

Hitting Notes –

The Sky Sox notched only one run, but banged out 11 hits (at least one in every inning), and had two hitters with multi-hit affairs. The big numbers of the night came in the form of 0-for-9 with RISP and 9 men left on base. Not going to win many games with those bad boys.

Nate Orf continues to put up big numbers in his career year. He patrolled second base and went 4-for-4 from the sixth spot in the order. He tallied two singles, a double, and smacked his ninth homer of the season.

Quintin Berry went 3-for-4 at the dish with three singles.

Kyle Wren went 1-for-5 with a double.

Ivan De Jesus, Brett Phillips, and Rene Garcia had the other knocks, all singles, for the Sox.

Pitching Notes –

Junior Guerra was very solid again in what might have been his final start with Colorado Springs. The right-hander worked the first four and one-third innings in shutout fashion and scattered two hits, walked two and fanned four. He threw 58 pitches, 38 of which went for strikes.

Tyler Cravy was first out of the pen and worked two scoreless innings.

Tyler Webb took over for Cravy with one down in the seventh and was greeted by a Jared Hoying double and Ryan Rua’s homer. He did get the final two of the frame, one on a strikeout.

David Goforth tossed a perfect eighth.

Play of the Game –

Pregame Interview with Dan Karcher and Doug Bernier –

Colorado Springs Sky Sox (77-55) at Round Rock Express (63-70) – 6:00 p.m. 

Game Notes / Listen Live at 5:30 p.m.

Pitching Probables:  RHP Taylor Jungmann (8-2, 2.77) at RHP David Ledbetter (3-3, 4.29)

Sky Sox Starter: Right-hander Taylor Jungmann gets the call in the final road game of the regular season tonight in Round Rock. In 14 starts and two relief appearances with the Sox he’s accrued an 8-2 record and a 2.77 ERA, allowing 28 runs (26 earned) on 64 hits, walking 38 and fanning 77. PCL opponents are hitting .215 against the 2011 first round pick. He opened the season with the Brewers and went two-thirds of an inning before being optioned to Double-A Biloxi. There he went 1-2 with a 4.36 ERA with the Shuckers in the Southern League. He is 4-2 with a 2.40 ERA in eight road appearances and has yet to face the Express this season. Jungmann is 4-1 over his 10 outings.

Drafted by the Brewers in the 1st round of the 2011 draft out of the University of Texas, Jungmann has made 137 MiLB appearances, 129 starts, and is 48-40 with a 4.04 ERA. He’s 9-13 with a 4.54 ERA in 30 MLB outings.

Last Time Out – August 22 – No decision vs. Oklahoma City  –

Jungmann was again outstanding and again did not factor into the decision. He allowed a run on four hits in six innings of work, walked five and struck out eight on 97 pitches, 63 went for strikes.

Express Starting Arm: Round Rock will counter with a righty of its own in David Ledbetter. The 25-year old is set to make the 13th Triple-A start of his career and enters 3-3 with a 4.29 ERA in 65 PCL innings. He’s yielded 31 runs on 61 hits, hit four batters, walked 33 and fanned 43. Opponents are hitting .257 against him and he holds a 1.47 ground out to air out ratio. Prior to joining the Express, Ledbetter made 16 appearances four Double-A Frisco, four of which were starts. He compiled a 1-4 record with a save and a 5.72 ERA in 39 1/3 innings. He squared off against the Sox on July 7 and took the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings at Dell Diamond.

Ledbetter was drafted by the Rangers in the 3rd round of the 2013 draft out of Cedarville University, 16 rounds ahead of his twin brother Ryan. In 114 professional outings, 93 starts, Round Rock’s Ledbetter is 23-35 with a 5.36 ERA and has yet to make his big league debut.

Last Time Out – August 25 – No Decision at Nashville – 

Ledbetter went the first four and two-thirds and allowed three runs on six hits to the Sounds. He was tagged for a homer, hit a batter, walked one and struck out seven on 94 pitches, 65 of which went for strikes.

Lineups

Dan Karcher (@SkySoxKarch) continues his 28^th season behind the mic for Sky Sox games, he will have the call of tonight’s game from Dell Diamond at 5:30 p.m. Sky Sox Warmup will get fired up at 6:00 p.m. MDT on XTRA Sports 1300.

Thanks for reading – See you on the radio,

@Dan_Acheson