Gnats Game Notes: Wednesday, July 21 at West Virginia
Published on July 21, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Savannah Sand Gnats (10-15/52-43, 7th, Southern) @ West Virginia Power (9-16/40-55, 7th, Northern)
Game #96 - Road Game #47 - Wednesday - 7:05
RHP Taylor Whitenton (5-4, 3.53) vs. RHP Kyle McPherson (5-9, 4.06)
Appalachian Power Park, Charleston, WV
Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, sandgnats.com
Tonight: The first-half-champion Gnats look to snap a three-game losing streak in game two of their four-game series in Charleston, WV against the Power, the SAL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. After four games in West Virginia, the Gnats head to Lexington, KY for four games before returning home on Thursday, July 29.
Last Night: The Power scored two runs in the first inning against starter Darin Gorski and built a 7-0 advantage after five innings on their way to a 9-2 win. Pedro Zapata tripled home Alonzo Harris with the first Savannah run in the top of the eighth.
Now Pitching: Taylor Whitenton will make his tenth start of the year this evening. He held Greenville to one run in five innings despite seven hits and two walks in his last start in a game the Gnats won 3-2. Whitenton's 42 walks are fifth-most in the SAL. In his four starts since returning to the rotation over the All-Star Break, Whitenton is 2-2 with a 3.43 ERA (8 ER/21 IP) and 16 strikeouts against 11 walks. For the year, Whitenton has struck out 8.83 batters per nine innings, but walked 5.3 batters per nine. The Gnats are 4-5 when Whitenton starts and have supported him with 4.00 runs per game, the third-lowest support of any Gnats starter. Whitenton threw five scoreless innings over four games in the Gulf Coast League in 2009, 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.
Vs. West Virginia: The Gnats are 3-2 against the Power this year, 3-1 at home and 0-1 on the road. Savannah is 6-11 against the West Virginia since becoming a Mets affiliate prior to the 2007 season.
New Half: The Gnats finished the first half with a league-best 42-28 record, while the team sits at 10-15 now. Savannah spent one day, April 15, under .500 at 3-4. In the first half, Savannah outscored their opponents 329-232. Gnats' pitching allowed just 3.31 runs per game while the offense scored 4.7 runs per contest. In the second half, the team has allowed 104 runs in 15 games or 6.93 runs per game, over twice the rate as the first half. Savannah's scoring is up too: the second half team is averaging 6.4 runs per game, 1.7 runs more per game than the first half edition.
A Skid: The Gnats have dropped three games in a row and six of their last eight games. In their last eight, the Gants have been outscored 29-39. The Gnats had two four-game losing streaks in the first half, but never dropped five games in a row.
Early Jumps: After last night's loss, the Gnats fell to 2-13 on the road when their opponent scores first. By contrast, Savannah is 21-10 when scoring first on the road.
Marte Mashing: After his 1-for-4 game last night, Jefry Marte has now hit in three straight games and 12 of his last 14 games. In that time, he's hit .434 (23-for-53) with four doubles, two triples, and two home runs while raising his average from .228 to .259.
Armed and Dangerous: The Gnats lead the SAL with a 2.73 ERA and 808 strikeouts. Savannah has allowed just 336 runs overall, the fewest in the league. Savannah has also thrown the fewest wild pitches at 41 eight fewer than West Virginia (49).
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 21, 2010
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- Rome Evens Series with 9-5 Win Over Legends - Lexington Legends
- Townsend Lifts 'Birds to 10-6 Win in Game Two - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Gnats Game Notes: Wednesday, July 21 at West Virginia - Savannah Sand Gnats
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