Gnats Game Notes: Wednesday, September 1 at Greensboro
Published on September 1, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Savannah Sand Gnats (28-35/70-63, 6th, Southern) vs. Greensboro Grasshoppers (33-31/65-69), 2nd, Northern)
Game #134 - Road Game #69 - Wednesday - 7:00
RHP Collin McHugh (5-8, 3.63) vs. LHP Edgar Olmos (3-8, 4.39) NewBridge Bank Park, Greensboro, N.C.
Radio: News/Talk 630; sandgnats.com
Tonight: The first-half-champion Gnats play their penultimate road game of the regular season in game three of a four-game series in Greensboro. The Gnats finish the home portion of their regular season with a four-game series against Asheville Friday-Monday, September 3-6.
Last Game: The Gnats recovered from a 7-2 deficit to score 10 of the game's final 11 runs on their way to a come from behind 12-8 win. Savannah scored four times in the sixth inning to take the lead with Aderlin Rodriguez driving home the tying run and Jordan Abruzzo the go-ahead run with RBI singles to left field. Reliever Gabriel Zavala, who sports a 1.60 ERA won his first game for the Gnats.
Now Pitching: Collin McHugh will make his 19th start of the year tonight. McHugh is 13th in the SAL in ERA at 3.63 and his 119 strikeouts are tied for eighth. He held the RiverDogs to two runs, one earned, in five innings in the Gnats' 5-3 win in game one of the last Friday's doubleheader with Charleston that the Gnats swept. In his one start against Greensboro, the Grasshoppers roughed up McHugh for eight runs on seven hits and a walk in one inning in an 11-1 loss. The Gnats are 6-12 when McHugh starts and have supported him with 3.50 runs per game, the lowest of any Gnat pitcher who has made two or more starts. Last year, McHugh was 8-2 with a 2.76 ERA in 75 innings for the Brooklyn Cyclones in the New York-Penn League. McHugh was 13-9 with five saves in his career at Berry (GA) College and led the Southern States Athletic Conference in strikeout rate (9.05 K/9) in his junior year in 2008. The Mets drafted McHugh in the 18th round in 2008.
Roster Update: For the sixth straight game day, the Gnats made a roster move adding RHP Michael Hebert and 2B Ray Van Gurp from the Kingsport Mets whose season ended Tuesday night. The Mets drafted Hebert in the 7thround in 2007 out of Saugus HS, in Saugus, CA. Hebert was 3-7 with a 4.47 ERA in 11 starts for Kingsport this year with 53 strikeouts against 29 walks in 56.1 innings. Van Gurp hit .271/.340/.376 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 47 games with Kingsport this year with nine doubles, three triples, one home run and 28 RBI. The Mets signed the Van Gurp, now 21, as an international free agent in 2006.
Rockin' Robbie: Robbie Shields, with his third inning home run last night, became the first Gnat to homer in back-to-back games this year. In the two games in Greensboro, he's 5-10 with two homers and five RBI.
Vs. Greensboro: The Gnats are 3-2 against the Grasshoppers this year and are scheduled for seven games. The Gnats are 8-9 against Greensboro as a Mets affiliate. The last time Savannah played more than four games against Greensboro was 2005, when they were 6-2 against the Grasshoppers.
Playoff Chase: The Greenville Drive won and the Asheville Tourists swept a doubleheader from Hickory to pick up half a game on the Drive. The Drive are now one half game in front of Asheville for first place and the right to face the Gnats in the first round of the SAL playoffs with six games to play for both teams. The Gnats are 7-11 against Asheville and 4-6 against Greenville.
The Best of the Mets: The Gnats, at 70 wins, have set a new high as a Mets affiliate. Since Savannah lost one game to a rainout, the Gnats are guaranteed to finish with a winning record for the first time as a Mets farm team after finishing 41-94 in 2007, 61-76 in 2008 and 65-72 last year.
Playoff Schedule: 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 September 1, 2010
- Suns Surge of Runs Stand up to Legends - Hagerstown Suns
- Gnats Game Wrap: Gnats Crush Grasshoppers 11-0 - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Hagerstown Jumps on Legends Early, Wins 9-1 - Lexington Legends
- Hagerstown Jumps on Legends Early, Wins 9-0 - Lexington Legends
- Drive Cruise Past RiverDogs, 7-2 - Greenville Drive
- Crawdads Clinch Playoff Spot, Beat Asheville, 10-3 - Hickory Crawdads
- Claws Clinch Second Half Title, Thrash Augusta 14-2 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Drive Step on Gas Early, Fly Past RiverDogs, 7-2 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Crawdads hammer Tourists 10-3; clinch playoff berth - Asheville Tourists
- GreenJackets Run into Situation on Jersey Shore - Augusta GreenJackets
- Copeland Leads 'Birds to 1-0 Shutout of Intimidators - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Birds Blank Intimidators 1-0 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Gnats Game Notes: Wednesday, September 1 at Greensboro - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Flannery Promoted to High-A Tampa; Rodriguez Transferred to Charleston - Charleston RiverDogs
- Towles Elected to Legends Hall of Fame; Ceremony Set for September 3 - Lexington Legends
- Shorebirds Game Notes: September 1 Vs. Kannapolis - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Power Top Braves in Matinee - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Curley Heads to Myrtle Beach - Rome Emperors
- Asheville's Clark, Mesa Named to Year-End SAL All-Star Team - Asheville Tourists
- Greensboro Grasshoppers Donate $10,000 to Teacher Supply Warehouse - Greensboro Grasshoppers
- RiverDogs Infielder Rob Lyerly Named to 2010 SAL Postseason All-Star Team - Charleston RiverDogs
- Gnats Jimmy Fuller Named SAL Most Outstanding Pitcher - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Rome Adds Infielder to Roster - Rome Emperors
- Four BlueClaws on South Atlantic League All-Star Team - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Hazelbaker Named to 2010 SAL Annual All-Star Team - Greenville Drive
- Dominguez, Bucardo Named to SAL All-Star Team - Augusta GreenJackets
- Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
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