Struggling Express start final homestand
The Round Rock Express, nearing the end of a frustrating season on the field, return Tuesday night to Dell Diamond for the first of what could be their final 10 home games as a Texas Rangers affiliate.
Round Rock (57-69), which faces Nashville, sits in last place in its Pacific Coast League division, 19 games out of first. Only Sacramento (50-76) and Iowa (46-79) have worse records in the 16-team Triple-A league.
It’s the worst record the Express have had since a 57-87 mark in 2010, their final season as the Houston Astros’ top farm club.
The fortunes of the World Series champion Astros and cellar-dwelling Rangers have flipped, and the Express could jump back to the Stros after their affiliation agreement ends with Texas next month. That is to be determined.
For the next 10 days, though, Express fans can catch a team fronted by popular left fielder Willie Calhoun, recently returned to Round Rock after hitting .275 with one homer and nine RBIs in 69 at-bats for the Rangers over the last month.
Power-hitting first baseman Tommy Joseph also is back after missing nearly 40 games on the disabled list. Joseph, in just 72 games, easily leads the team in home runs with 18 and is second to Hanser Alberto with 54 RBIs.
The team’s struggles haven’t hurt ticket sales. Round Rock’s average home attendance of 8,908 leads the PCL, with only Nashville (8,653) in the vicinity. Zach Shackelford and right guard Elijah Rodriguez are locked in.
If offensive linemen start to get hurt, “that’s when the shell game begins,” Herman said. Offensive line coach Herb Hand has been training multiple players at guard and tackle to increase their versatility.
There is still no clear-cut starter at running back. Herman said all seven candidates can be broken down into three tiers. Daniel Young, Tre Watson and Keaontay Ingram are the leaders. Then come Kyle Porter and Toniel Carter in the second group. Kirk Johnson and Tristian Houston are in the third group, per the coach.
“I don’t know if that’s a pecking order or not,” Herman said, “but I think in terms of amount of reps that guys get in practice, the percentages will reflect that.”
On defense, Herman conceded what has been obvious all August — talented freshman Caden Sterns will start at safety alongside Brandon Jones. What’s more, fellow freshman B.J. Foster will be Sterns’ backup.
Herman expects senior Davante Davis, who has been slowed by a hamstring, to return to practice this week and will start opposite Kris Boyd. While Davis was out, redshirt freshman Kobe Boyce was working with the first-team defense along with freshman Anthony Cook.
Herman said he does not expect to rotate Ehlinger and Buechele during the Maryland game. This is Ehlinger’s job to lose henceforth. “If there’s a scenario if things aren’t going well, we could throw Shane in there for a spark,” Herman said “But we’re certainly not going to guarantee that.”
Buechele started the season opener at home against Maryland last season. He completed 34 of 52 passes for 375 yards and two touchdowns but suffered a bruised shoulder in the process. Ehlinger started the next two games and then he got hurt. Buechele ended up starting seven games while Ehlinger started the other six.
For his career, Buechele is 10-9 as a starter with 4,363 career yards with 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Ehlinger was 2-4 last season as a starter while throwing for 1,915 yards with 11 touchdowns
Texas ranked No. 23: Herman’s decision-making and Ehlinger’s talents may be two reasons why college pollsters believe in the Longhorns.
The program will start the year ranked 23rd in the Associated Press Top 25 poll. That’s where UT started last year but dropped out after the season-opening loss to Maryland. The Horns finished 7-6.