Flying Squirrels Game Notes
Published on May 31, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release
TONIGHT: The Richmond Flying Squirrels and Bowie Baysox will meet in the finale of a four-game series...The Flying Squirrels rallied from a 2-0 deficit; however, the Baysox plated a pair of runs in the eighth and ninth innings and won game three of the series 6-2 on Sunday night at The Diamond.
TONIGHT'S STARTER: Right-hander Mike MacDonald gets the start in the finale of the series for the Flying Squirrels...Suffered his second consecutive loss 5/26 at Binghamton...Lasted just one inning plus four batters...Gave up seven runs, five earned, on eight hits while walking one and striking out none...Outing was the shortest for a Richmond pitcher this season...Allowed five runs on six hits while facing 10 batters in the first inning...Gave up a leadoff home run and didn't record an out in the second inning...Has allowed 13 runs, 10 earned, on 20 hits in eight-plus innings since coming off of the Disabled List (11.25 ERA)...Has struck out seven and walked five over that span...Has not throw more than four innings since coming off of the DL...Left-handed batters are hitting .419 (26-for-62) against him while right-handed batters are hitting .242 (23-for-95)...Richmond is 1-8 in his nine outings...Flying Squirrels have scored 11 runs during his nine appearances (1.22)...Is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in two starts against Bowie...Has allowed one run on seven hits in 11 innings against the Baysox while striking out eight and walking three.
Left-hander Zach Britton gets the nod in the series finale for the Baysox...Earned his second consecutive win after tossing seven scoreless innings 5/26 at Harrisburg...Matched a season-high with six strike outs..Outing was his longest of the season...Is 3-1 with a 2.54 ERA in five starts in May...Has allowed two earned runs or fewer in seven of his 10 appearances...Made the Opening Day start against Richmond and allowed two runs on three hits in 4 1/3 innings...Struck out three and walked none...Went 9-6 with a career-low 2.70 ERA for Adv-A FRE in 2009...Struck out 131 batters and walked 55 in 140 innings pitched...Held right-handed batters to a .228 batting average against...Totaled 10 quality starts in 25 total...Named a Carolina League Mid-Season All-Star...Selected by BAL in the 3rd round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft...Enters the 2010 season rated as the #3 prospect in the Baltimore Orioles farm system according to Baseball America.
MAY-BE A WINNING MONTH: Richmond enters the final game in May with a record of 15-14 for the month...The club is currently fourth in ERA (3.99), tenth in batting average (.246) and last in home runs (12) among Eastern League teams this month.
FOUR LEAF CLOVER?: The Flying Squirrels have not lost a four-game series since dropping three of four to open the season at Bowie...Richmond is 1-0-3 over its last four-game sets including splitting a four-game series at Binghamton prior to returning home.
BEHIND THE CURVE: The Flying Squirrels trail the Altoona Curve in the Western Division by six games entering play today...It is the farthest the club has been out of first place this season...Richmond had a 1 1/2 game lead over Altoona on 5/14..Since that date, the Flying Squirrels are 5-10 while the Curve is 13-3
ONE-SIDED: Seven of Richmond's last eight games have been decided by four runs or more...The club is 3-4 in those contests...Prior to last Sunday's series finale at Reading, 34 of the Flying Squirrels' first 42 games were decided by three runs or less...Overall on the season, Richmond is 7-8 in games decided by more than three runs...The club is 20-15 in games decided by three runs or fewer.
NO SHOCKER: Third baseman Conor Gillaspie is hitting .393 (22-for-56) over his last 14 games after being left out of the starting line up on consecutive days (5/13, 5/14) against Altoona...The 22-year-old has four doubles, two triples, 10 RBI, and 10 runs scored over his last 14 games...He has struck out just four times and has walked twice...The former first-round pick out of Wichita State is also 7-for-12 with runners in scoring position over that span with eight RBI, and he leads the club with 28 RBI on the season...Gillaspie was 7-for-35 (.200) over his previous 32 games...His average has climbed from .198 to .262.
THE DON JUAN: Super utility man Juan Ciriaco is 14-for-32 (.438) at the plate over his last 11 games with three doubles, a triple, three RBI and five runs scored...The 26-year-old has started games at third base (4), short stop (3), first base (3), second base (2) and in right field (2) and left field (1) since being sent down from Triple-A Fresno.
HERE'S THE CATCH: Catcher Jackson Williams is 0-for-10 with three strike outs through the first three games of the series with the Baysox...The 24-year-old began the season with an 11-game hit streak (14-for-34) but is batting just .100 (9-for-90) over his last 29 games...His average has dropped from .412 to .185 over that span.
NO HOMER FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Flying Squirrels have hit just two home runs over their last 14 home games...Both have been inside-the-park homers...Richmond has not hit a home run out of The Diamond since Nick Noonan's solo home run off of Ryohei Tanaka on 5/2...The club has hit an Eastern League-low 22 home runs...Only seven of the 22 homers have been hit at home including two hit in the home opener.
DOUBLETREE DOWNTOWN DOUBLE PLAYS: The Richmond Flying Squirrels have turned 63 double plays in 50 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 a double play.
CFS STAT OF THE NIGHT: Right-hander Daniel Turpen doubled his walk total last night by walking a pair of batters, one intentionally in the top of the eighth inning...He entered last night's contest having issued just two walks, one intentional, in his previous 24 2/3 innings...His 0.36 walks per nine innings was the lowest in the Eastern League entering last night's game.
Eastern League Stories from May 31, 2010
- Baysox Take Series Win over Richmond - Chesapeake Baysox
- 11 the Hard Way, Bowie Drops Squirrels in Extra Innings, 3-2 - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Curve Defeated by R-Phils, 3-2, in Finale - Altoona Curve
- Bullpen Leads Aeros to 7-6 Win, Series Split - Akron RubberDucks
- Errors Hold Back B-Mets in 7-6 Loss to Akron - Binghamton Rumble Ponies
- Sea Dogs Blast Four Home Runs In 10-6 Victory - Portland Sea Dogs
- Wolves Take Down Harrisburg 11-9 In Slugfest - Erie SeaWolves
- Drabek Works Eight Scoreless Innings In 3-0 Fisher Cats Win - New Hampshire Fisher Cats
- Thunder Silenced In Series Finale - Trenton Thunder
- Flying Squirrels Game Notes - Richmond Flying Squirrels
- Aeros Game Notes - Akron RubberDucks
- Late Rally Lifts Baysox Over Flying Squirrels - Chesapeake Baysox
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