Gnats Game Notes: Friday, July 16 Vs. Greenville

Published on July 16, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (9-12/51-40, 7th, Southern) vs. Greenville Drive (14-7/50-41, 1st, Southern)

Game #92 - Home Game #47 - Friday - 7:05

RHP John Church (5-0, 1.01) vs. RHP Pete Ruiz (5-6, 5.28)

Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA

Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, sandgnats.com

Tonight: The first-half champion Gnats look to make it two wins in a row in game three of their five-game series against the Greenville Drive, the Boston Red Sox SAL affiliate.

Last Night: A total team effort pushed the Gnats past the Greenville Drive 3-2. Every one of the nine batters in the Savannah lineup had a hit, while Taylor Whitenton won his second straight start and the bullpen combined to yield just one run over the final four innings of play. SS Wilfredo Tovar, who was 2-4 with an RBI, was the only Gnat with multiple hits.

Now Pitching: John Church is scheduled to make his fourth start of the year for the Sand Gnats. Church has yet to allow a run in his 17 innings as a starter. Overall, he has not allowed an earned run since May 30, a span of 22.1 innings. As a starter, Church has struck out 10, walked five and given up just 11 hits in 17 innings. Church leads all Gnats pitchers who have made more than four appearances with his 1.01 ERA. If he had enough innings to qualify, he would lead the SAL in ERA, but he is 36.2 innings short of qualifying for the league leader board. Church made 22 relief appearances before his first start in 2010 and made 21 relief appearances with Savannah last year and one with Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League. With Savannah last year, Church was 1-4 with a 5.28 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks in 29 innings. The Mets drafted Church in the 23rd round of the 2009 amateur draft out of the University of West Florida.

Puello's Progress: Cesar Puello was 1-3 last night. At the conclusion of May, Puello was hitting .234/.316/.280 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with eight doubles in 47 games. Since June 1, he is hitting .302/.399/.373 with nine doubles in 36 games. In the second two months of the season, versus the first two months, Puello has raised his bating average by 68 points, his OBP by 83 points and his slugging by 93 points. A big reason for his rise in production is that Puello is putting the ball in play more often; in April and May, he struck out in 21% of his plate appearances, a rate that has dropped to 15% in June and July.

Jet Plane: With his 1-4 last night, infielder Jet Butler has now hit safely in his first seven games as a Gnat. The Mets drafted the 22-year old Butler in the 28th round of the June 2010 draft out of Mississippi State where he made the 2010 Spring Sports Academic Honor Roll.

Friday Night Fun: The Gnats are a perfect 5-0 at home on Friday, but just 2-7 on the road. After tonight, in the regular season, the Gnats have five home Friday dates and just two on the road. The Gnats will host game two of the Southern Division Championship Series on Friday, September 10.

Pitching and Defense: The Gnats lead the SAL with a 2.64 ERA and 782 strikeouts. Savannah has allowed just 312 runs overall, 61 fewer than Hickory (373), which has allowed the second-fewest runs in the league. Only five teams in the SAL have allowed fewer than 400 runs. Defensively, the Gnats are third in the SAL in fielding percentage at .971, one thousandth of a point behind the Augusta GreenJackets for the top spot in the league. The Gnats' 105 errors are third-fewest in the league.

Vs. Greenville: The Gnats are 3-4 against the Drive this year. Tonight is game three of the second and final five-game series between the two teams this season. Savannah is 19-20 against the Drive since becoming a Mets affiliate before the 2007 season.

Playoffs: By virtue of winning the first half, the Gnats will have home-field advantage in the Southern Division Championship Series. The second half winner will host game one on Wednesday, September 8. The series return to Savannah for game two on Friday, September 10 and game three, if necessary, on Saturday, September 11.

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 16, 2010


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