Gnats Game Notes: Saturday, September 4 Vs. Asheville

Published on September 4, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (31-35/73-63, 5th, Southern) vs. Asheville Tourists (39-28/68-68, 2nd, Southern)

Game #137 - Home Game #67 - Saturday - 6:05

RHP Taylor Whitenton (8-8, 4.62) vs. LHP Wes Musick (7-7, 4.14)

Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA

Radio: News/Talk 630; sandgnats.com

Tonight: The first-half-champion Gnats, who ride a four-game winning streak, play the second game of their final regular season home stand against the Asheville Tourists, who are still fighting for a playoff berth. The Gnats, warming up for their first playoff berth in 14 years, have won seven of their last eight games.

Last Night: The Gnats outlasted the Tourists 5-4 in 12 innings. Robbie Shields drove home Cody Holliday with an infield single in the bottom of the 12th. Luis Nieves was a perfect 4-4, with two walks, including a hit and run single in the 12th.

Now Pitching: Taylor Whitenton will make his 18th start of the year this evening trying to bounce back from an outing in which he gave up nine runs on ten hits in 1.2 innings in the Gnats' 14-9 loss at Greensboro. Whitenton, who has walked three batters in seven of his last eight starts, is tied for the second-most walks in the SAL with 65. In his 12 starts since moving to the rotation over the All-Star Break, Whitenton is 5-6 with a 4.88 ERA (33 ER/53 IP) and 52 strikeouts against 34 walks. Last year, Whitenton threw five scoreless innings over four games in the Gulf Coast League, striking out seven, walking five and yielding just one hit. The Mets drafted Whitenton in the 39th round of the 2009 draft out of Darton (GA) College.

Four More: The Gnats have won four games in a row for the third time in the second half. Twice in the first half, once in May and once in June, Savannah won five games in a row.

Hot Gnats: The Gnats have won seven of their last eight games, their second-best run of the season. Savannah won nine of ten games from June 7-17 at the end of the first half.

Rockin' Robbie: Robbie Shields has hit in five straight games. He's hit .458 (11-for-24) with a double, two home runs, seven runs and eight RBI in his last five.

Nasty Nieves: After his 4-4 game last night, Luis Nieves has hit safely in five of his last six games going .400 (10-for-25) in those six games with two doubles, five runs scored and three RBI.

Vs. Asheville: Savannah is 8-11 against Asheville, 4-6 at home and 4-5 on the road.

Roster Churn: Today, RHP Guillaume Leduc, who was placed on the disabled list with a right wrist strain on August 26th, was activated. RHP Gonzalez Germen, who started last night's game, was transferred to Kingsport. The Gnats have made 34 roster moves since August 1st after making 29 in the entire first half.

Playoff History: Savannah will play its first playoff game Wednesday since winning the 1996 SAL Championship. Savannah won three titles in four years, emerging with the League title in 1993 and 1994 as well.

Playoff Chase: With three games to play, the Greenville Drive are a game and a half in front of Asheville for first place and the right to face the Gnats in the first round of the SAL playoffs. The Drive have a magic number of two to clinch the second half title after Asheville's loss last night. The Gnats are 8-11 against Asheville and 4-6 against Greenville.

The Best of the Mets: The Gnats, at 73 wins, have set a new high as a Mets affiliate. The last time Savannah won as many as 72 games in a season was 2000, when the Gnats finished 74-65 as a Texas Rangers affiliate.

Playoff Schedule: 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 before the series returns to Savannah for game two on Friday, September 10 and game three, if necessary, on Saturday, September 11.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from September 4, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central