Gnats Game Notes: July 1 at Greenville
Published on July 1, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Savannah Sand Gnats (44-33/2-5, 6th, Southern) vs. Greenville Drive (42-35/6-1, t-1st, Southern)
Game #78 - Road Game #38 - Thursday - 7:00
RHP Collin McHugh (2-6, 3.56) vs. RHP Pete Ruiz (4-5, 5.76)
Fluor Field, Greenville, SC
Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, sandgnats.com
Tonight: The first half champion Savannah Sand Gnats play game three of their five-game series in Greenville against the Drive, the Red Sox SAL affiliate. The Gnats return home to take on the Rome Braves Sunday, July 4th, at 6:05 pm with a special Independence Day Fireworks Spectacular following the game.
Last Night: The Drive scored in the bottom of the ninth to slip by Savannah 2-1. The Gnats had tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the inning on an RBI single from C Dock Doyle which scored LF Nick Santomauro. Gnats' starter Armando Rodriguez gave up a run in the top of the first inning and then nothing else over his seven innings of work. His seven innings tied a personal season high, and his nine strikeouts were a new best.
Now Pitching: Collin McHugh will make his ninth start of the year, looking to snap a personal five-game losing streak over which time the Gnats have scored a combined four runs for him. In his last five starts, McHugh is 0-5 with a 4.50 ERA (13 ER/26 IP) and has allowed seven unearned runs, while the SAL has hit .318 against him (34 H/114 AB). However, his K/BB ratio of 4.75 (19 K/4 BB) has been strong. McHugh's last win was April 21 and his first and only win as a starter came back on April 16. Last year, McHugh was 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 75 innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League. He struck out 79 and walked 21. McHugh was 13-9 with five saves in his career at Berry (GA) College and led the Southern States Athletic Conference in strikeout rate (9.05 K/9) in his junior year in 2008. The Mets drafted McHugh in the 18th round in 2008.
Simply the Best and the Busiest: The Gnats' pitching staff leads the SAL in ERA (2.50), strikeouts (666), WHIP (1.11) and innings pitched (709). The Gnats are over three-quarters of a run better in ERA than second-best Rome (3.29).
Vs. Greenville: The Gnats are 1-1 against Greenville this year. The teams will play two five-game series, one in Greenville, and one in Savannah, July 14-18. The Gnats are 17-17 against the Drive since becoming a Mets affiliate before the 2007 season.
Santo-MORE-O: Nick Santomauro has a five-game hitting streak going, his best as a Gnat. In that time, by going 7-19 (.368) with three doubles, he's lifted his batting average from .150 to .183. Santomauro had three doubles in his first 28 games as a Gnat; he has the same number - three - in his last five games.
Road Data: The Gnats won their first road game of the second half last night, and at 19-18, are one of six teams in the SAL to have a winning record on the road. The Gnats are 17-10 (.630) when scoring first on the road, but just 2-8 (.200) when their opponents score first. The Gnats are 2-9 in one-run games on the road compared to 7-4 at home.
Low Scoring: The Gnats have scored 16 runs in their first seven games of the second half, an average of 2.28 runs per game, while being held to zero or one run five times. The Gnats averaged 4.7 runs per game in the first half.
Inning-by-Inning: All of the runs in last night's game scored in the first and ninth innings. The Gnats have outscored their opponents 46-34 in the first inning of games this year and by 27-22 in the ninth inning. The Gnats best inning has been the fourth, when they have a 19-run edge on their opponents.
Thirsty Thursday: The Gnats are 9-3 on Thursday, 5-2 at home and 4-1 on the road.
Playoffs: By virtue of winning the first half, the Gnats will host game two of the SAL Southern Division Championship series on Friday, September 10 and game three, if necessary, on Saturday, September 11.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 1, 2010
- Suns Down BlueClaws in the Ninth - Hagerstown Suns
- DeRatt, Sanders Promoted to Modesto; Martinez Joins Tourists; Vargas Activated - Asheville Tourists
- Suns Strike Late, Top Claws 6-4 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- RiverDogs Earn Doubleheader Sweep of Jackets - Augusta GreenJackets
- Legends Defeat 'Dads, 6-3 - Hickory Crawdads
- Dogs Sweep GreenJackets, Win 4-2 & 4-1 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Gnats Pull Away from Drive Late in 7-3 Win Thursday - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Grasshoppers Jump on Braves, 9-2 - Rome Emperors
- Power Take Down Shorebirds, 8-3 - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Drive Fall to Sand Gnats, 6-3, in Third Game of Series - Greenville Drive
- Legends Top Hickory, 6-3 - Lexington Legends
- West Virginia Tops Delmarva 8-3 in Game Three - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Intimidators Snap Streak, Win 8-7 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Murton, Marshall Activated off DL; Marquez, Milo Transferred to Staten Island - Charleston RiverDogs
- RiverDogs to Host Youth Baseball Camp - Charleston RiverDogs
- Gnats Game Notes: July 1 at Greenville - Savannah Sand Gnats
- All-Star CF Miguel Velazquez Promoted to High-A Bakersfield - Hickory Crawdads
- Shorebirds Game Notes - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Tony Pepperoni Is Back - Rome Emperors
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Suns Crown 2010 National Egg Toss Champions - Hagerstown Suns
- Gnats Roster Update - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Flores Rejoins Rome Club - Rome Emperors
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