EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Flying Squirrels Game Notes: at Bowie

Published on April 20, 2015 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF) (3-6) vs. Bowie Baysox (BAL) (5-6)

Monday, April 20th -- 6:35 PM

Prince George's Stadium -- Bowie, MD

Game #10 - Road Game #4

Radio: Fox Sports 910 (6:05 PM) Internet: FoxSportsRichmond.com

RHP Joe Biagini (0-0, 0.00) vs. RHP Elih Villanueva (1-1, 2.53)

SERIES AT A GLANCE: The Squirrels pull into Bowie, MD, for their second series of the season against the Baysox. It is the first visit to the Squirrels home away from home this season, and will be a short one. This scheduled two-game series is the first time in franchise history that the Squirrels have played a scheduled two-game series. The two teams split four games to open the season at The Diamond (4/9-4/12). Richmond took the first two games, but the Baysox responded by grabbing the final two. Two of the four games lasted 14 innings, with the Squirrels prevailing in 14 innings, 3-2 (4/9), and the Baysox scoring a, 7-6, win in 14 innings on 4/11. With that series split, the all-time series remains deadlocked, with each team having won 65 times in 130 total meetings. The two clubs will play 21 times during the 2015 season, with games 5 and 6 a part of this set.

AN EARLY SLIDE: Since getting off to the first 2-0 start in franchise history, the Squirrels have scuffled. They have dropped six of their last seven games, including their current four-game losing skid. During the four-game slide, the Squirrels have been outscored 22-6, enduring their first two blowout (5+ run differential) losses and have also been shut out twice. Richmond is currently spending their first day of the 2015 season in the Western Division cellar.

EXTRA, EXTRA, READ ALL ABOUT IT: The Squirrels have played three extra-inning games in their first nine contests, including a 10-inning loss on Saturday night. The team played two 14-inning games in their season-opening four-game series against the Bowie Baysox. The Squirrels claimed the first game of the season in 14 innings, but have since dropped their last two extra-inning affairs. The 2014 Squirrels did not play their third extra-inning game until June 30th, when they fell in 12 innings to Harrisburg at Metro Bank Park.

WEARY IS THE ROAD WARRIOR: The Squirrels have dropped their first three road contests of the 2015 season. While it is certainly too early to read much into it, it does continue a trend of road struggles for Richmond since their inception in 2010. Over the first five seasons of their existence, the Squirrels have posted a road record of 161-194 (.453), 33 games under .500. That stands in startling contrast to their home field advantage that they have enjoyed at The Diamond where the team has gone 202-151 all-time (.572). The team has enjoyed a winning road record just once in five seasons, and that came last year when the Squirrels went 37-34 away from home. The largest discrepancy between home and road came in 2011 when the Squirrels claimed the wild-card spot in the Western Division by going 45-26 at home and 31-40 on the road.

KELBY THE KONQUERER: Kelby Tomlinson is having no trouble getting started away from The Diamond, as he opened his road campaign with back-to-back three-hit performances. He went 3-for-4 in the series opener against Reading and backed that up with a 3-for-5 showing on Saturday night. Tomlinson leads the Squirrels with four multi-hit games, and has already racked up three three-hit games in the team's first nine contests. He also blasted his first home run of the season on Saturday. He only hit one home run all of last season, and that didn't occur until August 2nd at Peoples Natural Gas Stadium in Altoona, PA.

BITE THOSE NAILS: Through nine games, the Squirrels have had their share of close games. Five of their nine contests thus far have been decided by one run. That included all four games in their season-opening four-game set against Bowie, and Saturday night's 10-inning game against Reading. The Squirrels and Baysox split those four games, and with Saturday's loss, Richmond stands 2-3 in one-run affairs.

SOCKING SOME DINGERS: The Squirrels did not hit a home run in their season-opening series against the Baysox, nor did they allow a home run. Both things occurred in the first game against Altoona. Mitch Delfino blasted his - and the Squirrels - first home run of the season, leading off the seventh inning against Tyler Sample. It opened the floodgates for the Squirrels, who went on to score seven times in the inning. The first home run of the year came in the fifth game of the season, matching the longest amount of time at the outset of a season that it took the team to leave the yard. It also happened in 2011 and 2012. Jose Flores belted the first of the year for the Squirrels in 2011, while Chris Dominguez put Richmond on the board in 2012. RHP Tyler Rogers conceded the first home run of the season for Richmond, as Gift Ngoepe lifted a solo-home run in the ninth inning. The Squirrels' staff did last longer than any previous Richmond staff in terms of giving up their first long ball.

BOWIE STARTING PITCHER: RHP Elih Villanueva (1-1, 2.53)

Villanueva, 28, made his Orioles' organizational debut against the Squirrels on 4/10 after spending the first seven seasons of his professional career with the Florida/Miami Marlins organization. That outing also marked the first time he had pitched below the Triple-A level since he was a member of the Jacksonville Suns Southern League championship team in 2010. However, that may be a season he wishes to remember, as he was named a Topps Double-A All-Star, as well as a mid-season and post-season Southern League All-Star. He pitched well in that outing (5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, BB, 3 K), but took the loss as the Squirrels won, 1-0, behind five scoreless innings from Jack Snodgrass. He picked up his first win in his next start (4/15 vs. HAR), He has spent the last four season almost exclusively with the New Orleans Zephyrs (AAA) in the Marlins' chain, making 95 appearances (79 starts) for New Orleans. Most recently, he posted a 10-10 record with a 4.47 ERA over 27 starts in 2014. He made one appearance in the big leagues for then Florida in 2011. He made his Major League debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on June 15th of that year, starting and lasting three innings. He surrendered eight runs on five hits, but did record two strikeouts, the first of which came at the expense of Shane Victorino. He was originally selected in the 27th round of the 2008 draft by the Marlins out of Florida State University. He also pitched for Miami-Dade Community College as an amateur. He was signed by the Orioles as a minor league free agent in the off-season.

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