The Round Rock Express had one swing that traveled. They did not get another.
Keyber Rodriguez homered with one out in the bottom of the third — a line drive to left-center, 94.6 mph off the bat and 368 feet, per the official play-by-play — and Dell Diamond had a 1–0 game. That was the night for the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A club. The Sugar Land Space Cowboys scored four unanswered runs and left with a 4–1 Pacific Coast League win in front of 3,116 on a 96-degree Thursday.
Rodriguez supplies the only run
Rodriguez, a 5-foot-8 shortstop from Maracay, Venezuela, batting ninth, went 1-for-3. The homer was his only hit, his 10th of the season as listed on the official box, and his 25th RBI in an Express uniform. Orlando Martinez had struck out to open the inning. Round Rock finished with three hits and went 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position.
The Rangers signed him as a free agent on July 2, 2017, per MiLB transactions. He reached Round Rock again this year when the Express activated him from Double-A Frisco on May 29. Thursday was a reminder of the pop in a listed 5-foot-8 frame — and of how quickly a 1–0 lead can sit unused.
Sugar Land answers in the sixth and seventh
Jack Leiter started and kept it there as long as he was on the mound: 2.2 scoreless innings, one hit, one walk, three strikeouts. Marc Church recorded the last out of the top of the third.
Dalton Pence — charged with the loss — walked Joey Loperfido to open the sixth. Trenton Brooks doubled him in. Zach Cole doubled Brooks in. Sugar Land led 2–1. In the seventh, Joe Ross walked Loperfido with Raynel Delgado already in scoring position; CJ Alexander doubled both home. That was 4–1.
Jason Alexander earned the win: six innings, three hits, the Rodriguez homer, eight strikeouts. Kai-Wei Teng and Roddery Muñoz finished the last three innings without a hit. Emiliano Teodo struck out six in two scoreless frames for Round Rock after the damage was done.
The Express are 55–62. Sugar Land is 61–55. They play again Friday at Dell Diamond, per the Express schedule.
Anthony Rivera reported from Dell Diamond. Box score and play-by-play from MiLB.com.