Gnats Game Notes: Sunday, September 4 at Lexington
Published on September 4, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Savannah Sand Gnats (40-28/79-58, 1st, Southern) @ Lexington Legends (22-44/57-79, 7th, Southern)
Game #138 - Road Game #68 - Sunday - 5:05
RHP Taylor Whitenton (4-4, 2.55) vs. RHP Carlos Quevedo (8-6, 4.56)
Whitaker Bank Ballpark, Lexington, KY
Radio: News/Talk630 and sandgnats.com
Tonight: The Gnats play their second-to-last regular season game of 2011 in Lexington, KY against the last-place Legends. The Gnats can clinch the second-half championship with a win and an Augusta GreenJackets loss today. The Gnats are scheduled to begin the playoffs Wednesday at the home of the #2 seed and return home Friday, September 9 for game two.
Last Night: The Gnats rolled the Legends 6-2 behind six shutout innings from starter Yohan Almonte and a 13-hit attack led by RF Rafael Fernandez who was 3-5 with a double and a triple. With three triples in his last three games, Fernandez is now alone in first place in the SAL in triples with 12.
Now Pitching: RHP Taylor Whitenton will make his 22nd start of the year tonight. Whitenton (2.51) trails Augusta RHP Shawn Sanford (2.51) by four one-hundredths of a run for the SAL ERA title. Sanford is scheduled to throw for Augusta on Sunday for the GreenJackets. Whitenton's .192 batting average against is the best in the SAL, 26 points better than Sanford's .218 and his WHIP of 1.12 is third behind two Augusta hurlers - Sanford (0.98) and Taylor Rogers (1.12). Since June 11, in his last 65.1 innings over 13 starts, he owns a 1.65 ERA (12 ER/65.1 IP) with 27 walks, 58 strikeouts and 41 hits for an opponents' batting average of .174 (41 H/235 AB). In 2010 with the Gnats, Whitenton walked 5.7 batters/9 IP (68 BB/108.1 IP) but is down to 3.9 BB/9 (48 BB/111 IP) this year. Last year, Whitenton was 8-9 with a 4.57 ERA in 18 starts and eight relief appearances. He fanned 113 batters, but his 68 walks were the second-most in the SAL. In 2009, 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. The Gnats are 14-7 when Whitenton starts and have supported him with 3.76 runs per game, the second-lowest run support among Gnats starters.
Win Counting: With one win in their final two games, the Gnats will win their 80th game, reaching the 80-win plateau for the first time since the 1994 team went 82-55 and won the SAL Championship. With 40 second half wins, the Gnats have already surpassed their 39 first half wins.
Wire-to-Wire: The Gnats are attempting to win both halves in the Southern Division, something no team has done in either division in the SAL since the Capital City Bombers accomplished the feat as a Mets affiliate in 2004.
Playoff Chase: The Gnats lead the SAL Southern Division by one game over the Augusta GreenJackets, and two games each over the Greenville Drive and the Asheville Tourists with two games to play for all three teams. If the Gnats win the second half, they will face the Greenville Drive, who have clinched the second-best overall record in the division. If Augusta, Asheville or Greenville wins the second half, that team will be the Gnats' first-round playoff opponent. The Gnats can eliminate the Tourists from playoff contention with a win Sunday. However, entering play Sunday, if the Gnats lose their final two games, there are still potential scenarios that would produce a tie at the top of the Southern Division that would necessitate a one game playoff Tuesday, or in the event of a three-way tie, a two game playoff Tuesday and Wednesday.
Arms Race: The Gnats still lead the SAL in ERA (3.26), WHIP (1.22) and fewest hits allowed (1058). The Gnats are fifth in strikeouts (1047) and have allowed the sixth fewest walks (426).
Vs. Lexington: The Gnats are 10-6 against the Legends this year, 6-3 at home and 4-3 on the road.
Playoff Schedule: Barring a three-way tie for first place in the Southern Division in the second half, Savannah will play the number two seed in the best-of-three Southern Division Championship series beginning on the road on Wednesday, September 7, returning to Savannah on Friday, September 9, for game two. Game three, if necessary, will be held Saturday, September 10. The best-of-five SAL Championship Series will begin at the home of the Northern Division team on Monday, September 12, returning to Savannah on Thursday, September 15.
South Atlantic League Stories from September 4, 2011
- Suns Swat Back-To-Back Jacks, Topple BlueClaws, 4-2 - Hagerstown Suns
- BlueClaws Drop 3rd Straight to Hagerstown - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Drive Crush Crawdads, 10-5 - Greenville Drive
- GreenJackets Run Out of Gas in 6-1 Setback - Augusta GreenJackets
- Drive Race Past 'Dads on Sunday - Hickory Crawdads
- Hoppers Homers Hamper Hopes for Playoffs - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Home Runs Not Enough as Shorebirds Fall, 6-2 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Greene Grabs Win as 'Dogs Torment Tourists - Charleston RiverDogs
- Legends-Sand Gnats Game Rained Out; Doubleheader Monday - Lexington Legends
- Rome Makes Roster Moves - Rome Emperors
- Gnats Game Notes: Sunday, September 4 at Lexington - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Bases-Loaded Walk Ends Marathon Win - Augusta GreenJackets
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