Gnats Game Notes: Thursday, July 29 Vs. Augusta
Published on July 29, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Savannah Sand Gnats (13-19/55-47, 7th, Southern) vs. Augusta GreenJackets (16-15/57-44, 3rd, Southern)
Game #103 - Home Game #50 - Thursday - 7:05
RHP John Church (5-0, 1.46) vs. RHP Andy Reichard (1-0, 4.01)
Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA
Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, sandgnats.com
Tonight: The first-half-champion Gnats host the Augusta GreenJackets in their first meeting of the second half since the Gnats beat Augusta on the final day of the first half to clinch the title. Savannah enters play today on the heels of a 3-5 road trip to West Virginia and Lexington.
Tuesday Night: After Savannah scored four runs in the top of the first, Lexington answered with two each in the first and second innings against starter Taylor Whitenton and then five unearned runs in the third against reliever Pedro P. Martinez to take a 9-5 lead on the way to a 13-6 victory on Tuesday night. DH Robbie Shields was 2-5 with his first Savannah home run.
Now Pitching: John Church is scheduled to make his sixth start of the year for the Sand Gnats after 22 relief appearances. Church gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits in 4.2 innings in his last start, which Savannah lost 7-6 to West Virginia in 15 innings. Two of the runs charged to Church scored in the fifth inning after he left the game on a double given up by reliever Marcos Tabata. Church did not allow a run of any kind in his first 16 innings as a starter. Church's 1.46 ERA would be good enough for second in the SAL, behind former Gnat Mark Cohoon, but Church is 20 innings short of qualifying for the league leaders. Church made 21 relief appearances with Savannah last year and one with Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League. With Savannah last year, Church was 1-4 with a 5.28 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks in 29 innings. The Mets drafted Church in the 23rd round of the 2009 amateur draft out of the University of West Florida.
Vs. Augusta: Savannah is 6-10 against Augusta this year, 1-3 at home and 5-7 on the road. The Gnats are 24-39 against Augusta since becoming a Mets affiliate prior to the 2007 season.
Puello Power: After a 2-4 game Tuesday, Cesar Puello has hit safely in seven straight and 15 of his last 16 games. He's hitting .337/.427/.432 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 25 games in July. In the second half, Puello's OBP of .413 is ninth in the SAL. Puello has raised his batting average 18 points in his last 16 games. He's is part of a two-way tie for fourth in the SAL with 37 stolen bases, three behind Jeremy Hazelbaker of Greenville who leads the league with 40.
Tuesday Highs: Tuesday, Gnats pitching gave up a season-high 13 runs. Savannah had allowed 12 in 15 innings at Lakewood on May 9th and had previously given up 11 in nine inning games twice. The eight walks Savannah pitching issued Tuesday were a season-high and the game time of 3:25 was the longest nine-inning contest of 2010.
New Half: In the first half, while going 42-28, Gnats' pitching allowed just 3.3 runs per game while the offense scored 4.7 runs per contest. In the second half, the team's scoring is down to 4.1 runs per game, while Savannah pitching is allowing more runs, an average of 4.5 runs per game. In the first half, the Gnats averaged 1.4 more runs per game than their opponent, while in the second half, they are averaging 0.4 runs per game less than the opposition.
Home Cooking? The Gnats return home where they are 5-9 in the second half after a 24-11 home record in the first half. Savannah's five wins at home in the second half are the fewest of any team in the SAL.
Still at the Top: The Gnats lead the SAL in ERA (2.81), strikeouts (871) and innings pitched (945.1). At the end of the first half, the Gnats had a 2.52 ERA, so their team ERA has gone up by 0.29 in the last 32 games.
Playoffs: 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.
South Atlantic League Stories from July 29, 2010
- Suns Fall in Road Opener to Grasshoppers - Hagerstown Suns
- Drive Fall to RiverDogs for Second Straight Night - Greenville Drive
- Puello's Two Hits Not Enough for Gnats in 4-1 Defeat - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Derenne's Walk-Off Double Caps Lakewood Rally, 7-6 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Meet the Legends: Players to Sign Autographs at Southland Aquatic Center Saturday - Lexington Legends
- Castro's Sacrifice Fly Stalls Drive, 4-3 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Cruz Fans 10 as Legends Top Delmarva 4-1 - Lexington Legends
- Intimidators Top 'Dads in Series Opener, 4-1 - Hickory Crawdads
- Reichard Unreal, Unbelievable in 4-1 Augusta Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Cruz Contains Delmarva in 4-1 Lexington Win - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Collop Pitches, Vargas Hits Intimidators to 4-1 Win - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Principal Financial Group Family Fun Fest at Fieldcrest Cannon Stadium August 4th - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Gnats Game Notes: Thursday, July 29 Vs. Augusta - Savannah Sand Gnats
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