Gnats Game Notes: Monday, May 30 Vs. Charleston
Published on May 30, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Savannah Sand Gnats (26-23, 1st, Southern) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (22-28, 5th, Southern)
Game #50 -
Home Game #23 - Monday - 12:05
RHP Gonzalez Germen (3-1, 3.50) vs. RHP Shane Greene (2-4, 5.04)
Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA
Radio: News/Talk 630 and sandgnats.com
Today: The first place Gnats, SAL affiliate of the New York Mets, play game two of a three-game series and a seven-game home stand against the Charleston RiverDogs, SAL affiliate of the New York Yankees.
Last Night: The Gnats took advantage of three Charleston errors to score a pair of unearned runs in the seventh inning on their way to a 4-3 win. 1B Joe Bonfe was 2-4 with an RBI from the seven spot in the order and starter Chase Huchingson allowed one run over five innings.
Now Pitching: RHP Gonzalez Germen is scheduled to make his 10thappearance and his eighth start tonight. Germen has enjoyed a much better May than April. April, he had a 5.68 ERA (8 ER/12.2 IP), allowed a .351 opponents' batting average and had a K/BB ratio of 2.1 (15 K/7 BB). In May, he has a 2.61 ERA (9 ER/31 IP) with a .241 opponents' average and a K/BB of 4.8 (29 K/6 BB).
Germen spent most of the 2010 season with Kingsport in the Appalachian League where he was 2-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings over 10 starts. He struck out 54 and walked 11 for a healthy K/BB ratio of 4.9. He made two starts with Savannah to finish out the year. On August 27th, in his Savannah debut, in game two of a double-header, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and a shutout into the seventh. The Gnats are 3-4 when Germen starts and have supported him with 4.86 runs per game (34 runs/7 starts), the best run support of any starter.
Good Times: The Gnats have won seven of their last eight games - a run that has taken them from half a game out of first place to 1.5 games up. After losing seven in a row from April 22-29, the Gnats were 7-14 and a season-high 5.5 games out of first. Since that point, Savannah is 19-9, and has picked up seven games in the standings.
Marvelous May: After going 8-14 in April, the Gnats are 18-9 in May. The pitching staff has a 2.12 ERA, a 3.4 K/BB ratio (238 K/71 BB) and a .216 opponents' batting average. In April, the Gnats had a 4.64 ERA and a 2.5 K/BB ratio and a .278 opponents' average. The Gnats also have four position players hitting over .300 in the month of May: Luis Nieves (.429), Cory Vaughn (.365), Alonzo Harris (.317) and Robbie Shields (.314). Vaughn has hit .365/.512/.531 with ten extra-base hits, and 21 walks against 20 strikeouts in 27 games. Shields is bopping along at .314/.366/.480 with 14 extra-base hits, eight walks and 16 strikeouts in 25 games.
Strong Arms: The Gnats have the SAL's best ERA (3.21) and WHIP (1.23). Savannah's 422 strikeouts are fourth in the SAL, two behind Charleston for third place in the category. The Gnats' 402 hits allowed are fourth-fewest, and the team's 144 walks are fifth-fewest, two behind Asheville for fourth.
Patient Gnats: Savannah is tied for third in the SAL in walks at 175. Despite the League's second-lowest batting average (.238), the Gnats are fourth from the bottom in OBP (.320). However, the team is still last in the league in runs scored (193), 26 behind 13th place Augusta.
One-Run Fun: With the one-run win last night, the Gnats are 7-2 in one-run games at home and 2-5 in one-run games on the road.
Standings Update: With 20 games to play in the first half, the Gnats own a game and a half lead over the Lexington Legends and Greenville Drive for first place. All three teams, the Gnats, Drive and Legends won on Sunday.
Versus Charleston: The Gnats are 2-2 against Charleston in 2011, 1-0 at home and 1-2 on the road. The two teams are scheduled for eight games in Savannah and seven in Charleston. The Gnats finished 9-4 against Charleston in 2010, 3-1 at home and 6-3 on the road.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 30, 2011
- Drive Endure Eight-Run Eighth, Lose 9-7 to Tourists - Greenville Drive
- Kannapolis Comes from Behind to Eclipse Suns - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Hot Day Turns Cold for Rome - Rome Emperors
- 'Dads Rally But Power Hangs on for 8-6 Win - Hickory Crawdads
- Power Top Crawdads 8-6 - Charleston Dirty Birds
- GreenJackets Drop Four Deuces in 10-3 Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Gnats Pitching Quiets 'Dogs 3-1 on Memorial Day - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Greensboro Overcomes Early Deficit, Beats Legends 9-3 - Lexington Legends
- Lakewood Wins 3-2 on Memorial Day - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Burnside Tosses First CG-Shutout in SAL in 2011 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- 'Dogs Can't Loosen Germen's Grip, Fall to Gnats, 3-1 - Charleston RiverDogs
- BlueClaws Slip Past Shorebirds 3-2 on Memorial Day - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Gnats Game Notes: Monday, May 30 Vs. Charleston - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Well Balanced Attack Thwarts Intimidators 10-5 - Hagerstown Suns
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