Gnats Game Notes: Monday, August 8 at Charleston

Published on August 8, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (28-15/67-45, 1st, Southern) @ Charleston RiverDogs (17-25/43-70, 6th, Southern)

Game #113 - Road Game #56 - Monday - 7:05

RHP Ryan Fraser (7-7, 3.44) vs. RHP Steve Evarts (1-5, 5.65)

Joseph P. Riley Park, Charleston, SC

Radio: News/Talk 630 and sandgnats.com

Tonight: The first-half champion Gnats try to make it six wins in their last seven games as they finish up a four-game series in Charleston against the RiverDogs, SAL affiliate of the New York Yankees. After an off day on Tuesday, Savannah, which currently has the best record in the South Atlantic League, opens an eight-game home stand on Wednesday against the Greenville Drive.

Last Night: C Albert Cordero and RF Rafael Fernandez each hit two-run homers to help the Gnats slug their way past the RiverDogs 7-3 Sunday evening. Erik Goeddel, who had been sidelined since May 23 with a strained right shoulder, tossed four scoreless innings.

Now Pitching: RHP Ryan Fraser, who is sixth in the SAL with 117.2 innings pitched, is scheduled to make his 19th Savannah start today. After struggling to a 6.89 ERA (12 ER/15.2 IP) in his previous three starts, he turned in a gem in his last outing, holding Augusta scoreless over five innings yielding just three hits and two walks while striking out five. At home, Fraser has a 2.87 ERA (20 ER/62.2 IP) compared to 4.09 (25 ER/55 IP) on the road. In part this is due to his home run rate which is 0.43 HR/9 IP (3 HR/62.2 IP) at home and 1.47 HR/9 IP (9 HR/55 IP) on the road. Last year with short-season Brooklyn, Fraser struck out 39 batters in 31.1 innings pitched, a rate of 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. This year, he's fanned 74 in 112.2 innings, a rate of 5.7 K/9. With the Cyclones last year, working exclusively out of the bullpen, he was 3-3 with a 1.44 ERA and 12 saves in 31.1 IP and allowed more walks (20) than hits (16). The Mets drafted Fraser in the 16th round of the 2010 draft out of Memphis where he led the Tigers with 93 strikeouts and 92 IP in 2010 on his way to three C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors and a Second Team All C-USA selection. In the classroom, he was a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team in 2010 and ran a 4.0 grade point average in high school. The Gnats are 9-9 when Fraser starts, and have supported him with 2.78 runs per game (50 runs/18 games), the lowest mark of any Savannah starter.

Big Bats: The Gnats who have scored 22 runs in three games in Charleston, are hitting .351 (39 H/111 AB) in their three games in the series with five home runs, including at least one in every game.

Division Dominance: The Gnats are 52-25 against their Southern Division rivals, 32-10 at home and 20-15 on the road. Savannah is 23-9 against the Southern Division in the second half.

Chasing History: The Gnats, with 67 wins in 112 games, are on pace for 83 victories. The last time the Savannah franchise won as many as 80 games in a season was 1994, when the Savannah Cardinals finished 82-55 on their way to their second-straight SAL Championship. Last year at this point, through 112 games, the Gnats were 16-26 in the second half and 58-54 overall, on their way to a record of 33-36 in the second half and 75-64 for the year.

Playoff Scenario: The Gnats will play the second-half winner in the best-of-three Southern Division series beginning on the road on Wednesday, September 7 and returning to Savannah on Friday, September 9. The Gnats currently lead the second half standings by 3.5 games over the Greenville Drive, 4.0 over the Asheville Tourists and 4.5 games over the Augusta GreenJackets with 27 games to play in the half. If the Gnats win the second half, their first-round opponent will be the team with the next-best overall record where the Greenville Drive are currently seven games better than the Asheville Tourists and eight in front of the GreenJackets.

Strong Arms: The Gnats still lead the SAL in ERA (3.13), WHIP (1.21) and hits allowed (857). The Gnats are fifth in the SAL in strikeouts (879).

Vs. Charleston: The Gnats are 6-3 against Charleston this season, 3-0 at home and 3-3 on the road. The Gnats were 9-4 against the RiverDogs in 2010 and 6-3 on the road.

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