EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Flying Squirrels Game Notes at Altoona

Published on July 29, 2015 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF) (53-49) vs. Altoona Curve (PIT) (56-48)

Wednesday, July 29th -- 12:00 PM

Peoples Natural Gas Field -- Altoona, PA

Game #103 - Road Game #49

Radio: Fox Sports 910 (11:30 AM) Internet: FoxSportsRichmond.com

LHP Matt Gage (2-0, 1.64) vs. LHP Zack Dodson (4-7, 4.02)

Thursday, July 30th BIN 7:05 PM LHP Adalberto Mejia (5-2, 2.58) vs. RHP Rainy Lara (5-3, 3.57)

Friday, July 31th BIN 7:05 PM RHP Joe Biagini (8-5, 2.15) vs. RHP Seth Lugo (6-4, 3.20)

TODAY'S FEED:

This day in sports history - The Boston Red Sox set a major league record with 12 doubles in a game (1990).

Giants update - Six-game winning streak came to and end last night in a 5-2 loss to the Brewers, but still remain just 0.5 GB of the Dodgers. San Francisco takes on the Milwaukee at 3:45 pm EST today.

SERIES AT A GLANCE: Curve southpaw Steven Brault stole the stage in game two as the Squirrels were held to a blank scorecard in the 3-0 loss on Tuesday evening. Brault logged six shutout innings, held Richmond to two hits, and recorded nine strikeouts. He also drove in two of the three Altoona runs with a pair of singles. The Squirrels only produced three hits, which is the fewest in a game since July 16 (three hits in a 5-0 loss to Altoona). This contest was played in a rapid two hours and eight minutes, which is now the shortest game Richmond has participated in all season. The RVA fell short, 3-2, to the Curve in game one of this three-game set on Monday night. Engel Beltre's hitting streak came to close at 17 games. The Squirrels posted five hitless frames and only had one inning with more than one hit. Richmond claimed three of the five games in the most recent series at The Diamond about a week ago (7/16-7/19). Pitching manipulated this entire series for the most part. The five winning hurlers were all starters in this series and they allowed just three earned runs over 30 innings total. Prior to this, the Squirrels grabbed five of the six contests played earlier this season as part of two other series (4/13-4/15, 5/4-5/7). The battle in May resulted in a Richmond sweep over Altoona and the first win of this series marked the conclusion of the treacherous 15-game losing skid. The Squirrels will tangle with the Curve seven more times and all of these meetings occur within the next 20 days. Richmond finds Peoples Natural Gas Field again for a three-game set in early August (8/7-8/9) and then they'll play back at The Diamond (8/14-8/16).

LACKING THE "W": The Flying Squirrels are currently on a four-game losing streak and that is tied for the second longest skid this season. Aside from the 15-game debacle, Richmond dropped four consecutive contests in late June (6/24-6/29) and that became the second longest. The Squirrels lost the final three games of a four-game series with the Trenton Thunder and then game one of a weekend showdown with the New Britain Rock Cats. Richmond was outhit 15-3 in the defeats to the Thunder. The battle against the Rock Cats originally started on June 27 and then was suspended due to rain. Incliment weather resumed the next day and it forced another postponement, so the game ultimately picked back up on June 29. The club compiled a forgetful 29 scoreless innings offensively in late June and that occured during most of this losing stretch. Richmond erased this scoreless drought in game two of a doubleheader on June 29 in the seventh inning and eventually won that game to stop the losing streak.

UNCHARTERED TERRITORY: The trips away from The Diamond have not been that kind to the Squirrels in July. Richmond is 4-9 on the road during this month. This includes three losses in extra inning games and five defeats handed to them in walk-off fashion. Rando Moreno is 5-36 in his previous nine road games. The Squirrels are 8-46 with runners in scoring position in their last six road games. Richmond has scored two runs or less in six of their previous 10 games away from home. Hunter Cole and Mitch Delfino have been keeping Richmond afloat away from home recently. Cole has eight hits in just four games played in this current trip (two days off, 7/25 & 7/26). Delfino has the most hits so far on this road trip with nine (two three-hit performances). Ricky Oropesa has provided patience at the plate as well. The first baseman has drawn at least one walk in hist last five games. This includes July 26 where he walked three times in one game for the first time all season.

PUT IT IN THE REARVIEW: It was a difficult ending for the Squirrels to digest as they departed Jerry Uht Park in Erie, PA for the final time during the regular season. Richmond dropped the last two games in the four-game series. On Saturday, the club fought back from a four-run deficit and tallied four unanswered runs only to fall in walk-off fashion, 5-4. On Sunday, the SeaWolves trounced the Squirrels 10-1. That was not only the largest margin of defeat this season (nine runs), but also the largest since August 31, 2013 (12-3 loss). Richmond outhit Erie 12-10, but managed to leave a season high 14 runners on base. Tyler Beede only lasted 0.1 innings on the mound and that is tied Kelvin Marte for the shortest outing by a starter this year. However, Marte's start May 28 was cut short due to inclement weather.

UPCOMING HOMESTAND PROMOTIONS: (7/30) Thursday Night In Your Face Fireworks Survivor Night & Superhero Jerseys presented by Your Local Ford Dealers. (7/31) "Up For Whatever" Night, Free Shirt Fridays and Happy Hour presented by Bud Light. (8/1) Superblast Saturday/Star Wars Night. (8/2) Kids Club Nutzy Cape Giveaway & ASK Night. (8/4) Charlottesville Community Night. (8/5) Tri-Cities Community Night, Tribute to Peanuts. (8/6) Thursday Night In Your Face Fireworks and Faith Night #2

ALTOONA STARTING PITCHER: LHP Zack Dodson (4-7, 4.02)

A fourth-round selection of the Pirates in the 2009 MLB draft out of Medina Valley High School in Castroville, TX, Dodson was signed away from what was believed to be a firm commitment to pitch at Baylor with a $600,000 signing bonus. Baseball America had rated him as a top-30 prospect in the Pirates' chain early in his career (#18 - 2010, #23 - 2011). However, he suffered a broken hand in the middle of the 2011 season that sidelined him for nearly two months. With the Curve last year, he made 24 appearances - 23 starts - and posted a 4-8 record and ERA of 4.62. More troubling however, was his contact rate, as he conceded a league average of .290 and allowed 139 hits in 122.2 innings. His BB:K ratio was also relatively poor as he walked 46 and struck out just 76. Dodson will make his 20th start this season and fourth against the Squirrels. In two early season starts against Richmond, he threw 12 innings total and surrendered three runs (4/13, 5/4). He then struggled in the third start on July 19 (5 IP, 9 H, 5 R). The 25-year-old has given up the most hits on the team (119) and has logged the second most innings this year from an Altoona starter (114.1).

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Eastern League Stories from July 29, 2015


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