House helps power Express over Cubs

He hits home run, double against Iowa.

By William Wilkerson
AMERICAN-STATESMAN CORRESPONDENT
Friday, August 18, 2006

ROUND ROCK — Witha a .434 batting average after 20 games in Triple A, J.R. House has lost the element of surprise when he faces Pacific Coast League pitchers.

His results at the plate, however, are growing familiar.

On Thursday night at Dell Diamond, House hit a two-run homer and a double as Round Rock defeated Iowa 6-1. Since his callup from Double-A Corpus Christi, House has smacked 12 doubles, driven in 22 runs and scored 19.

With Joe McEwing at first in the opening inning, House hit his third home run with Round Rock to left field to put the Express up 2-0. The drive came on the first pitch House saw from Sean Marshall.

Though he is playing first base for the Express, House's normal position is behind the plate, which he says has helped him at the plate.

"Being a catcher I know how pitchers want to throw and think," he said "and I know they always want to get ahead. So that's why I like to jump on the first pitch."

Marshall, who was making his second rehab start since being placed on the 15-day disabled list by the Chicago Cubs because of a strained left oblique muscle, had location problems in the fourth inning that cost Iowa two more runs.

House doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third on a wild pitch. Cody Ransom followed with a walk, and he advanced to second on another wild pitch. Humberto Quintero's groundout scored House, and Ransom trotted home on the third wild pitch by the left-handed Marshall to extend the lead to 4-0.

Augie Ojeda and Geovany Soto hit consecutive singles to start Iowa's fifth, when the Cubs scored a run. Felix Pie's RBI single deflected off the glove of a diving Brooks Conrad at second base to make the score 4-1.

Taylor Buchholz (1-2) escaped from the jam by striking out Freddie Bynum and Michael Restovich. The right-hander struck out six in seven innings.

Ransom drew a two-out walk in the sixth and then scored from first on a triple to right field by Quintero. Buck Coats laid out for the ball, which dropped under his glove and rolled to the wall.

Brian Gordon, who singled in Quintero to close the scoring, threw out Iowa's Luis Montanez at home in the seventh. Montanez was trying to score from first on a double by Pie.

Note: The Express announced that individual-game tickets for potential PCL playoff games will go on sale at 9 a.m. Monday.

As it stands now, the Express would play either Iowa or Nashville in the opening five-game series, which would begin with two road games before shifting to Dell Diamond for a 7:05 p.m. game on Sept. 8.