EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Flying Squirrels Game Notes vs. Harrisburg

Published on August 27, 2012 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


Richmond Flying Squirrels (67-67) vs. Harrisburg Senators (61-72)

Monday, August 27th -- 7:05 PM

The Diamond -- Richmond, VA

Game # 135 - Home Game # 64

Radio: Sports Radio 910 AM (6:35 PM) Internet: sportsradio910.com

RHP Craig Westcott (11-10, 4.03) vs. RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-4, 5.17)

SERIES AT A GLANCE: The Flying Squirrels will attempt to snap a two-game slide when they take on the Harrisburg Senators in the opener of a four-game set at The Diamond tonight. Last night, Altoona starter Jameson Taillon (2-0) limited Richmond to one hit and he struck out seven batters in six scoreless innings as the Curve defeated the Flying Squirrels 7-0. Jarek Cunningham went 1-for-3 with a triple and three RBIs to pace Altoona's offense. Squirrels starter Chris Gloor (4-5) suffered through his worst start of the season. He allowed six earned runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings pitched and he was charged with the loss. The defeat hurt Richmond's slim playoff hopes. The Flying Squirrels are now five and 1/2 games behind Bowie with eight games remaining on the schedule in the chase for the Western Division wild-card spot. Richmond is 27-20 all-time against the Senators and the club is 14- 10 all-time at The Diamond. The two teams will meet 20 times in 2012, 10 times in Harrisburg and 10 times in Richmond. The Flying Squirrels swept Harrisburg in an abbreviated two-game series at Metro Bank Park in early May (5/7-5/9). Harrisburg won two out of three games against the Flying Squirrels at The Diamond in mid-May (5/15-17). Richmond won four out of five games when the two clubs met in Harrisburg in mid-July (7/12-15). Harrisburg won two out of three games from Richmond at Metro Bank Park in early August (8/3-8/5). The Flying Squirrels swept a three-game set from Harrisburg at The Diamond (8/7-8/9).

TODAY'S PITCHERS: RHP Craig Westcott vs. RHP Chien-Ming Wang Westcott: Makes his twenty-seventh start of the season for the Flying Squirrels tonight. In his last start, Westcott allowed six hits and five earned runs, along with two walks and one strikeout in four innings pitched against Bowie Monday. He took the loss in Richmond's 9-3 triumph. Tonight's game will be Westcott's sixth career start against Harrisburg. He is 2-2 with a 2.97 ERA against the Senators. Westcott is currently tied for second in the Eastern League in wins (11) and ranks fourth in the circuit in innings pitched (154.0). After splitting the 2010 season between Advanced-A San Jose and Richmond, Westcott spent the entire 2011 campaign back in San Jose. Westcott enjoyed a banner year in the California League as he posted a 13-4 record with a 3.42 ERA in 25 appearances, including 24 starts. His 13 wins tied for the most in the Cal League and he finished fourth in the circuit in ERA (3.42).

As a result, Westcott was named both a Mid-Season and Postseason All-Star. He was also a Mid-Season All-Star in the Cal League in 2010 after going 6-0 with a miniscule 1.83 ERA in 13 starts with San Jose before being promoted to Richmond. Westcott did not enjoy the same level of success with the Flying Squirrels however, as he compiled a 3-3 mark with a 5.13 ERA in the second half of the season. He owns a record of 40-17 with a 3.54 ERA in 91 career minor league appearances, including 84 starts. The Chalmette, LA native was selected by the Giants in the 30th round of the 2009 June Draft out of Belhaven (MS) College.

Wang: Makes his twenty-first appearance and his eighteenth start of the season tonight. Wang opened the season with Advanced- A Potomac, where he went 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA. He also made one start for Low-A Hagerstown and went 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA and three starts for Triple-A Syracuse, where he compiled a 2-0 mark with a 4.35 ERA. Additionally, Wang has made seven appearances, including four starts, in the Major Leagues with Washington and he is 2-3 with a 7.61 ERA. In his last start, Wang allowed eight hits and five earned runs, along with two walks and eight strikeouts in five innings pitched against Reading Tuesday. He received a no-decision in Harrisburg's 11-9 setback. Tonight's game will be Wang's third career start against Richmond. He is 0-2 with an 8.31 ERA against the Flying Squirrels. Wang boasts a career record of 37-24 with a 3.43 ERA in 101 minor league appearances, including 100 starts. He is also 61-32 with one save and a 4.26 ERA in 127 Major League appearances, including 119 starts.

After beginning his career with the Yankees, Wang signed as a free agent with Washington on February 16, 2010.

SCORING SLUMP: The Flying Squirrels have struggled to score runs in their last five games. From August 22 through August 26, Richmond scored a total of six runs, an average of 1.2 runs per game. The Flying Squirrels compiled a .194 team batting average (31-for-160) with two home runs and six RBIs during this stretch. As a result, Richmond is 1-4 in these games, which includes suffering consecutive shutouts at Altoona to close out the recent four-game road trip. Richmond was outscored 10-0 in the final two games at Altoona and dropped three of the four games in the series.

AUSTIN CITY LIMITS: Richmond reliever Austin Fleet appears poised to finish the 2012 season on a positive note. Since he allowed five hits and two earned runs in 1.1 innings pitched against Reading August 1, Fleet has worked five scoreless outings. He is 1-0 with five strikeouts and one walk in eight innings pitched during this stretch, including last night's outing in which he tossed 2.1 scoreless frames at Altoona.

SHUTOUTS: Last night's 7-0 loss was the 25th shutout Richmond has been involved in, the most in the Eastern League in 2012.

The Squirrels are now 15-10 in shutouts, with the most shutout wins and they are tied for third in the league in shutout losses.

Check out the Richmond Flying Squirrels Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Eastern League Stories from August 27, 2012


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central