Gnats Game Notes: Thursday, June 9 Vs. Augusta

June 9, 2011 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (32-26, 1st, Southern) vs. Augusta GreenJackets (26-33, 5th, Southern) Game #59 - Home Game #29 - Thursday - 7:05 RHP Gonzalez Germen (4-2, 3.63) vs. LHP Mike Kickham (1-3, 5.11) Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA Radio: News/Talk 630 WBMQ & sandgnats.com

Tonight: The first place Gnats, SAL affiliate of the New York Mets, begin a seven-game home stand and a three-game series against the Augusta GreenJackets, SAL affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Last Game: The Gnats beat the Asheville Tourists 2-0, tossing their seventh shutout of the year. Albert Cordero's fourth-inning home run put Savannah in front.

Now Pitching: RHP Gonzalez Germen is scheduled to make his 12th appearance and his 10th start tonight. Germen has been durable, going five innings or more in each of his last seven starts and 6.2 innings or more in five of those seven. Germen's 57 innings pitched are third on the Gnats behind Greg Peavey (66) and Ryan Fraser (61). Germen gave up five runs on seven hits in his last start, tying season highs in both categories. Germen spent most of the 2010 season with Kingsport in the Appalachian League where he was 2-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings over 10 starts. He struck out 54 and walked 11 for a healthy K/BB ratio of 4.9. He made two starts with Savannah to finish out the year. On August 27th, in his Savannah debut, in game two of a double-header, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and a shutout into the seventh. The Gnats are 4-4 when Germen starts and have supported him with 4.63 runs per game (37 runs/8 starts), the best run support of any Savannah starter.

Standings Update: The Gnats lead the Greenville Drive by 3.5 games for first place with 11 games to play in the first half. Savannah's magic number, the combination of Savannah wins and Greenville losses, to clinch the first half title is eight. The Asheville Tourists and Lexington Legends are both 4.5 games behind. The Gnats end the first half with four games in Greenville.

Winning Series: The Gnats have won four straight series at home, and are 5-1-1 in their seven home series in the first half. The only series the Gnats lost at home was April 19-23 when the team dropped three of five to Lexington. Savannah has won on the road too, going 4-1 in their last five road series, dating to April 30.

See, It's Ceciliani: Darrell Ceciliani has hit safely in his last seven games, the longest active streak on the Gnats, going .333 (9-for-27) with a double and a home run in that span.

Livin' on the Edge: Closer Josh Edgin, who struck out the only batter he saw in recording a save on Tuesday, is second in the SAL in saves (12), and third among SAL relievers in both lowest batting average against (.144) and strikeout rate (12.81 K/9 IP). Edgin has not allowed a run in his last 12 appearances and has not allowed an earned run since April 26, a span of 14 appearances.

Tovar Turning it On: Wilfredo Tovar has hit safely in his last seven games going 9-24 (.375) with a double, two walks and zero strikeouts. He's raised his batting average from .185 to .208 in this span. Strong Arms: The Gnats still have the SAL's best ERA (3.27), and are now second in WHIP (1.25), tied for second in strikeouts (502) and have allowed the third-fewest hits (468) in the League.

Vs. Augusta: The Gnats are 3-1 against the GreenJackets in 2011, all in Augusta. The two teams are scheduled for 21 games, 10 in Augusta, and 11 in Savannah. The Gnats were 9-14 against Augusta last year, 4-7 at home and 5-7 on the road.

-- Toby Hyde | Director of Broadcasting and Communications Savannah Sand Gnats | Class A Affiliate of the New York Mets Phone: (912) 351-9150 | Fax: (912) 352-9722 www.sandgnats.com

--000e0ce004baecc88e04a54ec299

Savannah Sand Gnats (32-26, 1st, Southern) vs. Augusta GreenJackets (26-33, 5th, Southern) Game #59 - Home Game #29 - Thursday - 7:05 RHP Gonzalez Germen (4-2, 3.63) vs. LHP Mike Kickham (1-3, 5.11) Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA

Radio: News/Talk 630 WBMQ & sandgnats.com

Tonight: The first place Gnats, SAL affiliate of the New York Mets, begin a seven-game home stand and a three-game series against the Augusta GreenJackets, SAL affiliate of the San Francisco Giants.

Last Game: The Gnats beat the Asheville Tourists 2-0, tossing their seventh shutout of the year. Albert Cordero's fourth-inning home run put Savannah in front.

Now Pitching: RHP Gonzalez Germen is scheduled to make his 12th appearance and his 10th start tonight. Germen has been durable, going five innings or more in each of his last seven starts and 6.2 innings or more in five of those seven. Germen's 57 innings pitched are third on the Gnats behind Greg Peavey (66) and Ryan Fraser (61). Germen gave up five runs on seven hits in his last start, tying season highs in both categories. Germen spent most of the 2010 season with Kingsport in the Appalachian League where he was 2-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings over 10 starts. He struck out 54 and walked 11 for a healthy K/BB ratio of 4.9. He made two starts with Savannah to finish out the year. On August 27th, in his Savannah debut, in game two of a double-header, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and a shutout into the seventh. The Gnats are 4-4 when Germen starts and have supported him with 4.63 runs per game (37 runs/8 starts), the best run support of any Savannah starter.

Standings Update: The Gnats lead the Greenville Drive by 3.5 games for first place with 11 games to play in the first half. Savannah's magic number, the combination of Savannah wins and Greenville losses, to clinch the first half title is eight. The Asheville Tourists and Lexington Legends are both 4.5 games behind. The Gnats end the first half with four games in Greenville.

Winning Series: The Gnats have won four straight series at home, and are 5-1-1 in their seven home series in the first half. The only series the Gnats lost at home was April 19-23 when the team dropped three of five to Lexington. Savannah has won on the road too, going 4-1 in their last five road series, dating to April 30.

See, It's Ceciliani: Darrell Ceciliani has hit safely in his last seven games, the longest active streak on the Gnats, going .333 (9-for-27) with a double and a home run in that span.

Livin' on the Edge: Closer Josh Edgin, who struck out the only batter he saw in recording a save on Tuesday, is second in the SAL in saves (12), and third among SAL relievers in both lowest batting average against (.144) and strikeout rate (12.81 K/9 IP). Edgin has not allowed a run in his last 12 appearances and has not allowed an earned run since April 26, a span of 14 appearances.

Tovar Turning it On: Wilfredo Tovar has hit safely in his last seven games going 9-24 (.375) with a double, two walks and zero strikeouts. He's raised his batting average from .185 to .208 in this span.

Strong Arms: The Gnats still have the SAL's best ERA (3.27), and are now second in WHIP (1.25), tied for second in strikeouts (502) and have allowed the third-fewest hits (468) in the League.

Vs. Augusta: The Gnats are 3-1 against the GreenJackets in 2011, all in Augusta. The two teams are scheduled for 21 games, 10 in Augusta, and 11 in Savannah. The Gnats were 9-14 against Augusta last year, 4-7 at home and 5-7 on the road.



South Atlantic League Stories from June 9, 2011


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