Express' Teagarden hits three homers

Taylor Teagarden obviously isn't moping about his return to the Pacific Coast League. He's too busy bashing home runs.

Two days after he was optioned to Triple-A, Teagarden went yard in three consecutive innings and collected seven RBIs on Sunday, powering the Round Rock Express to an 18-8 romp over Nashville Sounds.

"I don't know how it was working out for me today, but it's nuts," Teagarden said. "It was just one of these crazy days. Everything went my way."

The 27-year-old backstop started the year with Round Rock, homering in consecutive tilts and hitting .389 in six games before getting call up by the Rangers. He went 0-for-4 in two big league games and returned to the Express when Neftali Felix came off the disabled list.

"I've been swinging the bat pretty good since start of the season," Teagarden said. "I got some good pitches to hit and some fastball counts, and I scored up on the ball pretty good today."

It was Teagarden's first three-homer game as a pro and his first multiple-homer game since going yard twice in the California League on July 24, 2007.

Facing Sounds left-hander Chase Wright with one out in the second inning, Teagarden drilled a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right-center field for a solo shot. He also took Wright over the center-field fence for a three-run homer in the third.

An inning later, Teagarden stepped in against reliever Jim Henderson with runners on first and second and two outs. Was he thinking homer No. 3?

"No, because I never thought I'd ever do it," the University of Texas product said. "After the first two, I thought, 'Wow, that's a great start. Now let's just try to stay on track.'"

With a 3-1 count, he got an inside heater.

"I don't even know how I hit that one out. The guy was trying to come in on me and I just kind of reacted to it and got the barrel on it."

Teagarden pulled the ball and didn't need to wait to see it clear the left-field wall to know it was gone.

"I hit that one better than the first two, to be honest with you," he said.

He walked in his next plate appearance and grounded into a forceout in the seventh.

Teagarden admitted it was especially nice to have a good game in his return to Triple-A.

"I mean, yeah, it feels good for myself," he said. "I just want to come down here and play as good as I can and build up as much confidence as I can. I can't really control all the decisions that are made in terms of my career in the big leagues, but I can play as hard as I can.

"I want to be ready whenever that time comes when I have the chance to go back up. Circumstances are a little different with the Rangers and all the catching depth up there this year, but I feel like I can play up there."

Still, he doesn't feel any resentment about playing in the PCL.

"I want that [big league] opportunity, but I'm not going to be a 'me' guy," he said. "I'm with the Rangers and I want whatever's best for the team."