Gnats Game Notes: Thursday, August 25 at Rome

August 25, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (35-24/74-54, 1st, Southern) @ Rome Braves (29-29/54-74, 5th, Southern)

Game #129 - Road Game #64 - Thursday - 7:00

RHP Taylor Whitenton (4-3, 2.70) vs. LHP Ronan Pacheco (4-7, 4.73)

State Mutual Stadium, Rome, GA

Radio: News/Talk 630 WBMQ and sandgnats.com

Today: The first-half champion Gnats try to snap a four-game losing streak in the finale of a four-game series in Rome. The Gnats are 2-5 on their current eight-game road trip which began in to Greenville. This weekend, the Gnats are scheduled to host the Charleston RiverDogs for five games Friday-Tuesday in the final home series of the 2011 regular season.

Yesterday: Rome scored in third, fourth, fifth and sixth innings against starter Gonzalez Germen and reliever Ryan Fraser on their way to a 5-3 defeat of Savannah, despite two Gnats' home runs.

Now Pitching: RHP Taylor Whitenton will make his 20th start of the year, coming off the SAL Pitcher of the Week award for his 10 combined scoreless innings on August 15 and 20. If Whitenton had enough innings to qualify (he's 3.1 short) his 2.70 ERA would be second in the SAL and his .190 batting average against would be the best in the League. Since June 11, in his last 54.1 innings over 11 starts, he owns a 1.79 ERA (11 ER/54.1 IP) with 23 walks, 46 strikeouts and 33 hits for an opponents' batting average of .168 (33 H/197 AB). In 2010 with the Gnats, Whitenton walked 5.7 batters/9 IP (68 BB/108.1 IP). This year, he's walked 4.0 BB/9 (44 BB/100 IP). Last year with Savannah, Whitenton was 8-9 with a 4.57 ERA in 18 starts and eight relief appearances. He fanned 113 batters and walked 68, the second-most in the SAL, in 108.1 innings. 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 13-6 when Whitenton starts and have supported him with 3.42 runs per game.

Terrific Tovar: Wilfredo Tovar collected his third-straight two-hit game Wednesday to push his batting line to .321/.394/.407 in 21 games in August. He is the third-toughest player in the SAL to strikeout with one whiff every 10.24 plate appearances.

Four Down: The Gnats have dropped four straight games, matching their longest skid of the second half. Savannah had three losing streaks of four games or longer in the first half.

Aderlin's Homers: Aderlin Rodriguez drilled his 15th home run of the year last night, tying Sean Ratliff for the most by a Gnat since the team became a Mets affiliate in 2007. Only four Gnats in the last five seasons have reached double-digits in homeruns: Brahiam Maldonado (10 - 2007), Jose Jimenez (11 - 2008), Ratliff and Rodriguez.

Win Counting: The Gnats' next win will be their 75th, equaling their total from 2010, when the team finished 75-64 in the team's first winning season since 2000. The Gnats are chasing the 1994 team that won 82 games as part of an 82-55 campaign.

Playoff Scenario: The Gnats' lead for first place in the Southern Division is down to one game, their smallest advantage since holding a half game lead following the games on July 23. 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 number two seed will be the second half winner, or if the Gnats win the half, the team with the next best overall record. The Gnats currently lead the second half standings by 1.0 game over the Augusta GreenJackets, and 3.0 games over the Greenville Drive with 11 games to play in the half. The Drive are currently 5.0 games better than the GreenJackets with the two teams scheduled for five games August 26-30. The Gnats are 15-6 against Augusta and 11-9 against Greenville.

Arms Race: The Gnats still lead the SAL in ERA (3.19), WHIP (1.21) and fewest hits allowed (984), and are the only team with fewer than 1,000 hits allowed.

Vs. Rome: The Gnats are 15-7 against the Braves this year, 8-3 at home and 7-4 on the road. Savannah's 15 wins against Rome are tied with their 15 victories against Augusta for their most against any single opponent this year.



South Atlantic League Stories from August 25, 2011


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