Gnats Game Notes: Thursday, August 4 Vs. Augusta
Published on August 4, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Savannah Sand Gnats (25-14/64-44, 1st, Southern) vs. Augusta GreenJackets (20-18/51-57, 4th, Southern)
Game #109 - Home Game #57 - Thursday - 7:05
RHP Taylor Whitenton (4-2, 2.61) vs. RHP Taylor Rogers (7-9, 3.20)
Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA
Radio: News/Talk 630 and sandgnats.com
Tonight: The first-half champion Gnats look for their third straight win in the final game of a four-game series against the Augusta GreenJackets, SAL affiliate of the San Francisco Giants. The GreenJackets sit 4.5 games behind the Gnats in fourth place of the SAL Southern Division with 31 games to play in the second half. The Gnats begin a weekend series in Charleston Friday. After an off day on Tuesday, Savannah opens an eight-game home stand on Wednesday, August 10.
Last Night: Gnats' pitcher Ryan Fraser and reliever Michael Hebertcombined on a four-hit shutout to lead Savannah to a 2-0 win.
Now Pitching: RHP Taylor Whitenton, who missed two starts with a strained right forearm, will make his second start since his return to the rotation tonight. Last Saturday, he shut out Greensboro for three innings on one hit, striking out three without walking a batter. Whitenton's 2.71 ERA would be good enough for third in the SAL in ERA, but he will need 4.2 innings tonight to qualify for the League leader board tomorrow. Similarly, his opponents' batting average of .179 would be good enough to lead the league. Since June 11, in his last 37 innings over seven starts, he owns a 1.22 ERA (5 ER/37 IP) with 17 walks, 30 strikeouts and 17 hits for an opponents' batting average of .133 (17 H/128 AB). In 2010 with the Gnats, Whitenton walked 5.7 batters/9 IP (68 BB/108.1 IP). This year, he's walked 4.1 BB/9 (38 BB/82.2 IP). Last year with Savannah, Whitenton was 8-9 with a 4.57 ERA in 18 starts and eight relief appearances with the Gnats. 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 10-5 when Whitenton starts and have supported him with 3.5 runs per game.
Twenty Over: The Gnats have tied a season-high by going 20 games over .500. The Gnats were last 20 games over .500 at 51-31 after beating Rome 1-0 on July 5.
Cordero Coming On: After going 2-3 last night, Albert Cordero is hitting .325/.359/.447 in 32 games in the second half with as many extra-base hits (8) as he had in 45 games in the first half when he hit .219/.248/.297 (AVG/OBP/SLG). He's dropped his strikeout rate from 22.7% (37 SO/163 total plate appearances) in the first half to 11.3% (15 SO/132 TPA) in the second half.
Chasing History: The Gnats, with 64 wins in 108 games, are on pace for 82 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 108 games, the Gnats were 57-51 and 15-23 in the second half on their way to a record of 33-36 in the 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 3.0 games over the Greenville Drive, 4.0 over the Asheville Tourists and 4.5 games over the GreenJackets. 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 7.5 games better than the Asheville Tourists and 8.5 better than the GreenJackets.
Strong Arms: The Gnats still lead the SAL in ERA (3.13), WHIP (1.20) and hits allowed (821). The Gnats are fifth in the SAL in strikeouts (852), 22 behind fourth-place Lakewood and have allowed the sixth fewest walks (334).
Vs. Augusta: The Gnats are 14-6 against the GreenJackets, 8-2 at home and 6-4 on the road. Tonight's game concludes the season series between the Gnats and GreenJackets.
South Atlantic League Stories from August 4, 2011
- Hickory Takes Game Four Tilt, Evens Series - Hagerstown Suns
- Crawdads Dim Suns With 8-1 Win - Hickory Crawdads
- Torres Drives Home Go Ahead Run in Eighth in 5-3 Gnats Win - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Late Error Stings GreenJackets; Augusta Falls 5-3 - Augusta GreenJackets
- Power End Stand with Win - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Tanos and Tourists Defeat R'Dogs in Dramatic Series Finale - Charleston RiverDogs
- Kannapolis Earns Series Split with 8-2 Win Over Legends - Lexington Legends
- Lakewood Falls 4-2 to Delmarva - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Late Runs Vault Shorebirds to 4-2 Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Lakewood Falls 4-2 to Delmarva - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Late Runs Vault Shorebirds to 4-2 Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Gnats Game Notes: Thursday, August 4 Vs. Augusta - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Drive, Braves Finale Rained out at State Mutual Stadium - Greenville Drive
- Miss Babe Ruth Auction Won by Local Fan - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Tonight's Game Cancelled - Rome Emperors
- Strasburg to Pitch in Hagerstown Sunday - Hagerstown Suns
- GreenJackets Return Home Friday - Augusta GreenJackets
- Shorebirds Game Notes: Vs. Lakewood - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Gary Moran Promoted to Lynchburg - Rome Emperors
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