EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Flying Squirrels Game Notes: vs. Altoona

Published on April 14, 2015 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


Richmond Flying Squirrels (SF) (3-2) vs. Altoona Curve (PIT) (2-3)

Tuesday, April 14th -- 6:35 PM

The Diamond -- Richmond, VA

Game #6 - Home Game #6

Radio: Fox Sports 910 (6:00 PM) Internet: FoxSportsRichmond.com RHP Chris Stratton (0-0, 3.60) vs. RHP Angel Sanchez (0-0, 0.00)

SERIES AT A GLANCE: The Squirrels will look for the series win tonight against the Altoona Curve (Pittsburgh Pirates), after erupting offensively in the latter portion of the series-opener on Monday night. Richmond put up 10 runs in two innings to paste the Curve, 10-3. The 10 runs was a season-high offensive output, as was a seven-run 7th inning. Richmond is 0-2 thus far this season when having a chance to claim a series, falling in games 3 and 4 against Bowie after claiming each of the first two. The Squirrels will begin their second trip through the starting rotation, sending RHP Chris Stratton. LHP Kelvin Marte was originally scheduled to make the start for the Squirrels, who were set to be on a six-man rotation. However, the two 14-inning games in their first series forced them to shorten the rotation and use Marte out of the bullpen on Sunday. Stratton tossed five innings and received a no-decision in the season-opener for Richmond on Thursday. The Curve will send RHP Angel Sanchez, who threw six scoreless three-hit innings against Harrisburg in his first outing of the year (See Sanchez Bio Below).

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 2013. Jose Flores belted the first of the year for the Squirrels in 2011, while Chris Dominguez put Richmond on the board in 2013. 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.

GET A WHIFF OF THIS: The Squirrels racked up 50 strikeouts in the their season-opening four-game series with the Baysox, and were averaging 12.5 strikeouts per game following the series. That put on them pace for 1,775 for the year, which would shatter the existing franchise record for team strikeouts in a season (1,115 - 2013). However, Squirrels batters struck out just three times on Monday night, dropping their game average to 10.3, which expands to 1,505 over the course of 142 games.

NEW KIDS HANGIN' TOUGH: Thus far, the new kids on the Squirrels block have been hanging tough at the Double-A level. Four pitchers (Joe Biagini, Joan Gregorio, Stephen Johnson, Matt Lujan) have made their Double-A debuts during the course of this homestand. Combined, they have turned in 19.2 innings and allowed just three runs - two earned - for an ERA of 0.92. Biagini made his debut against Altoona on Monday night and turned in six two-hit scoreless frames. Johnson and Gregorio have each appeared twice out of the bullpen and allowed no earned runs in four innings of work. Only Lujan, who pitched well despite taking a loss in his first start, has allowed an earned run. The righty permitted two earned runs in 5.2 innings against Bowie on Sunday. Offensively, newcomers to the level, Mac Williamson and Rando Moreno, have also had success. The pair has combined to go 10-for-25 (.400) with 5 RBIs.

I'LL HAVE A DOUBLE BIG MAC...WITH CHEESE: OF Mac Williamson is making up for lost time after suffering through a lost season a year ago. The Giants' #11 prospect according to Baseball America connected for a double in each of his first two Double-A at-bats, both off of lefty Tim Berry, and added another on Saturday. He then collected three singles (3-for-4) in Sunday's series-finale. The Wake-Forest product has hit safely in each of Richmond's five games thus far on the season (8-21), the only Squirrel to do so.

UNNECESSARY ENCORE: The Squirrels and Baysox played 14 innings for the second time in three nights on Saturday night, managing to eclipse Thursday's 4:47 contest with a ballgame that Bowie claimed right as the clock struck midnight. Saturday night's game registered 4:54. Through three games of the season, the two teams were playing to an average game time of four hours and 13 minutes. Richmond ran out of available pitching on Saturday, and were forced to throw utility man Rando Moreno. Moreno flashed decent stuff, but took the loss in his first professional pitching appearance. To put the rarity of the two 14-inning games in one series in context, the Squirrels didn't play their second game that lasted more than nine innings last season until June 30th.

ALTOONA STARTING PITCHER: RHP Angel Sanchez (1-0, 0.00)

Sanchez, 25, is off to a nice start to the season after tossing 6.0 scoreless innings in his season debut against Harrisburg on opening night. He joined the Pirates in early August of last season, and made 6 appearances - 5 starts - to close the season. Two of those starts came against the Squirrels. He found relative success, going 0-2 with a 4.35 ERA. Sanchez pitched for four organizations in 2014, pitching for the White Sox, Marlins, and Rays, and the Pirates. Sanchez was originally signed by the Dodgers as a non-drafted free agent in 2011 and made his debut that season at the age of 21. He had what has been his best professional season to date as he went 8-4 with a 2.82 ERA in 20 games and 16 starts. After that season, he was ranked as the #11 prospect in the Dodgers organization by Baseball America. A 6-12 mark with a 6.58 ERA in 27 games and 23 starts in 2012, caused Baseball America to drop Sanchez to the #25 best prospect in the Dodgers system. Sanchez failed to get past advance A ball within the Los Angeles Angels farm system. Sanchez had struggled at the AA level in his career with the four prior organizations he has been with, sporting a 1-28 record with a 7.00 ERA in 43 career double-A starts prior to joining the Pirates.

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Eastern League Stories from April 14, 2015


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