Richmond Flying Squirrels Game Notes
Published on May 14, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release
RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS (21-13) VS. ALTOONA CURVE (20-13)
LHP CRAIG CLARK (1-2, 4.76) VS. LHP RUDY OWENS (3-1, 3.74)
May 14, 2010 -- 7:05 PM
The Diamond
Game #35/Home #16
Radio Broadcast -- Sports Radio 910 WRNL
Internet Webcast -- www.sportsradio910.com
TONIGHT: The Richmond Flying Squirrels and Altoona Curve will meet in game two of a four-game series...The Flying Squirrels overtook the Curve for first place in the Western Division with a 4-2 win in the opener of the series Thursday night at The Diamond.
TONIGHT'S STARTERS: Left-hander Craig Clark gets the start in game two of the series for the Flying Squirrels...Received a no-decision on 5/9 at Harrisburg...Allowed three runs on six hits in five innings of work...Struck out three and walked one...All three runs allowed came with two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning on a pair of home runs hit by Jhonatan Solano and Brad Coon...Had previously allowed just three singles over his first 4 2/3 innings...Retired the leadoff batter in all five innings...Went three balls in the count to just three of the 21 batters he faced...Recorded six fly outs and five ground outs...Has received just eight runs of support in his six starts (1.33R/GS)...Is 0-2 against Altoona...Has allowed 11 runs, eight earned, on 11 hits in in 7 2/3 innings (9.39 ERA) with five walks and just one strike out.
Left-hander Rudy Owens gets the nod in game two of the series for the Curve...Allowed a season-high five runs on six hits in just five innings of work and suffered the loss against Erie 5/9...Had allowed just three runs on 10 hits in 18 innings of work in his previous three starts (all wins) including throwing six hitless innings and striking out a career-high 11 batters against Richmond on 5/4....Has struck out 37 and walked six in 33 2/3 innings of work this season...Ranks second in the Eastern League in strike outs...Dominated the Low-A South Atlantic League while with West Virginia in 2009...Went 10-1 with a 1.70 ERA in 19 starts...Opponents hit just .197 against him...Struck out 91 and walked 15 in 100 2/3 innings of work...Went 1-1 with a 3.86 ERA in six starts following a promotion to Advanced-A Lynchburg...Allowed 29 hits in 23 1/3 innings of work...Struck out 22 and walked two...Helped Lynchburg to Carolina League Championship...Enters the 2010 season rated as the #9 prospect in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization according to Baseball America...Originally selected by the Pirates in the 28th round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft...Attended Chandler-Gilbert (Ariz.) Community College.
RISING WATER: Richmond is now a season-best eight games over .500 at 21-13...The club is the second team in the Eastern League to 21 wins...The Flying Squirrels are 20-7 over their last 27 games after starting the season 1-6...Richmond is 6-1-1 over its last eight series...The club is in first place for the first time this season after trailing by five games on April 17th.
NO NEAL-ING DOWN: Outfielder Thomas Neal has hits in each of his last nine games, his longest hitting streak of the season...The 22-year-old is 13-for-38 (.342) over his last nine games with six RBI and four runs scored...Neal has raised his batting average from .223 to .258 over the course of the streak...The California native leads the club with 10 multi-hit games...He has appeared in all 34 games for the Flying Squirrels this season including 30 games in left field and four games as the designated hitter...His four stolen bases match his season are a new career-high...Neal stole 12 bases in 15 tries in the Arizona Fall League this past offseason.
ROGER THAT: Outfielder Roger Kieschnick has hits in each of his last five games, one short of matching his longest hit streak of the season...The 23-year-old is 8-for-15 (.533) over his last five games with three home runs, nine RBI, and three runs scored...He has walked five times and has struck out just once...He is second on the club with nine multi-hit games and has raised his batting average from .274 to .306.
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Richmond improved to 12-3 at The Diamond after its 4-2 win over Altoona last night...The Flying Squirrels are the first team in the Eastern League to win 12 games at home and the club's .800 winning percentage at home is tops in the league.
MAKING THEIR PITCH: The Flying Squirrels' pitching staff leads the Eastern League with a 2.66 ERA...The club has also allowed an Eastern League-low 97 runs...The 244 hits allowed by Richmond are second-fewest in the league (Trenton-229)...Flying Squirrel pitching has allowed just 39 runs, 36 earned, on 132 hits over 185 innings in the club's 21 wins (1.75 ERA)...In the team's 13 losses, the pitchers have allowed 60 runs, 54 earned, on 118 hits over 112 2/3 innings (4.31 ERA)...Richmond pitching leads the Eastern League with six shutouts.
DOUBLETREE DOWNTOWN DOUBLE PLAYS: The Richmond Flying Squirrels have turned 44 double plays in their first 34 games including six on 5/7 in Harrisburg...The club leads the Eastern League in double plays turned and has not gone more than two games without turning two.
ERROR MESSAGE: The Flying Squirrels have committed just 17 errors in their first 34 games...Richmond has committed the fewest errors in the Eastern League and currently leads the league with a .987 fielding percentage.
CFS STAT OF THE NIGHT: The Flying Squirrels enjoyed their most fruitful offensive inning of the season in the bottom of the fifth last night...Richmond sent a season-high nine batters to the plate...The four runs and four hits each matched season-highs for an inning.
HAPPY BIRTHDY TO YOU: Catcher Jackson Williams turns 24 today.
DIRTY SQUIRREL OF THE GAME: Right-hander David Mixon was named the Puritan Cleaners Dirty Squirrel of the Game after beating out a bunt for an infield single and scoring the go-ahead run on a feet-first slide into home in the bottom of the fifth.
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