Gnats Game Notes: Tuesday, July 26 Vs. Lexington

Published on July 26, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Savannah Sand Gnats (20-11/59-41, 1st, Southern) vs. Lexington Legends (11-20/46-55, 7th, Southern)

Game #101 - Home Game #43 - Tuesday - 11:05

LHP Angel Cuan (8-1, 3.26) vs. RHP Ruben Alaniz (5-8, 4.93)

Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA

Radio: sandgnats.com only

Today: The first-half champion Gnats look for their sixth win in a row in the finale of a four-game series and seven-game home stand against the Lexington Legends, SAL affiliate of the Houston Astros. The Gnats are 5-1 on the current seven-game home stand.

Last Night: The Gnats scored three times in the bottom of the sixth inning to come from behind for a 5-4 win. Albert Cordero, who was 1-for-3 with three RBI, singled home two runs in the sixth.

Now Pitching: LHP Angel Cuan is scheduled to make his seventh start of 2011 today after moving into the rotation after the All-Star Break. He has thrown six innings in each of his last five starts. Just once in his six starts has he allowed more than two earned runs. As a reliever he had an ERA of 3.65 in 44.1 IP, but as a starter, he owns a 2.73 ERA in 33 inning. He has an identical K/BB ratio of 6.33 across his two roles. As a reliever, he had a groundout/fly ball out ratio of 0.95, which has risen slightly to 1.14 as a starter. His walk rate as a reliever of 1.22 BB-IBB/9 IP was the fourth-best among relievers in the SAL. Last year, Cuan was second only to teammate Yohan Almonte in the New-York Penn League with a 2.03 ERA. He was fifth in the NYP in strikeouts (64) and fourth in innings pitched (79.2) and fewest baserunners/9 IP (9.94). Cuan went five innings or more in 13 of his 14 starts in Brooklyn in 2010. Cuan pitched for his native Panama in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The Gnats are 6-0 when Cuan starts and have supported him with 5.33 runs per game (32 runs/6 games), the best run support among Savannah starters.

Cordero's Cuts: After eight hits and nine RBI in his last three games, Albert Cordero is now hitting .330/.361/.418 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with five extra-base hits and three walks in 24 games in the second half. Cordero hit .219/.248/.297 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with eight extra-base hits and four walks in 45 games in the first half.

Close Calls: All six games on the Gnats' home stand have been decided by one or two runs, including four one-run games, three of which the Gnats have won. The Gnats are 18-4 in one-run games at home and 21-12 overall. Savannah is 39-22 in games decided by two runs or less, and 31-9 at home in such contests.

Sweep Dreams: The Gnats are looking for their sixth series sweep of the year today. Savannah has swept two series in the second half - both on the road - at Rome and at Augusta. All three of Savannah's first half sweeps - versus Charleston, Augusta and Rome - came at home.

Division Dominance: The Gnats are 46-23 against the Southern Division and 28-9 at home. Savannah is 17-7 against the Southern Division in the second half.

Perfect: The Gnats are a perfect 4-0 at home on Tuesdays in 2011. The four Tuesday home games so far are the fewest of any day of the week.

Strong Arms: The Gnats still lead the SAL in ERA at 3.18, 37 hundredths better than second-best Lakewood. The Gnats also lead the League in WHIP (1.22), and fewest hits allowed (770) - 25 fewer than second-best Hickory. The Gnats are fifth in the SAL in strikeouts (783).

Vs. Lexington: The Gnats are 7-5 against the Lexington Legends in 2011, 5-3 at home and 2-2 on the road. The two teams split a series in Lexington last week. The Gnats finish the 2011 regular season with five games in Lexington over Labor Day weekend September 1-5.

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South Atlantic League Stories from July 26, 2011


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