Game #58: Preview

Barnburner on Thirsty Thursday at Zephyr Field! The Zs and the Round Rock Express, currently tied for last... well, you can fill in the rest yourselves. But seriously here, between young catcher and 2008 first-round draft pick Jason Castro and nasty bullpen arm Sammy Gervacio, the Express have a few players to watch.

The Teams:
June 10, 7:00 CT
New Orleans Zephyrs: 27-30, tied third/last in the PCL South
Round Rock Express (AAA Houston): 28-31, tied third/last in the PCL South

The Pitching Matchup:
Zs: Tom Mastny (0-0, --- ERA)








See previous post for slightly sarcastic analysis.

Express: Josh Banks (6-4, 3.33 ERA)








Like many AAA pitchers, Josh Banks strikes Mr.Z as a AAAA pitcher. He saw 85 innings as (mostly) a starter with San Diego in 2008 and after initially throwing 22 scoreless innings, he became a poster boy of the big leagues' tendency to catch up to you. He finished the season with a 4.75 ERA and walked a lot of batters. Last year he was worse and was unoficially banished from the major leagues. He became a free agent in the offseason and was signed by Houston to a minor league deal. Banks has had a nice year for Round Rock, throwing a decent percentage of ground balls and keeping the walks down. But he gives up bombs: 10 so far this year. Cue LoMo (where's LoMo's pop anyway?).

Also, Tony Gwynn says Banks throws a knuckleball.