Gnats Game Notes
June 20, 2010 - South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
** Today's Gnats-GreenJackets winner will win the first half. **
Savannah Sand Gnats (41-28, t-1st, Southern) vs. Augusta GreenJackets (41-28, t-1st, Southern)
Game #70 - Road Game #35 - Sunday - 2:05
LHP Jimmy Fuller (5-2, 1.95) vs. RHP Jeremy Toole (2-2, 2.47)
Lake Olmstead Stadium, Augusta, GA
Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, sandgnats.com
Today: The Gnats and GreenJackets will play a winner-take-all final game of the first half to decide the first half champion. The teams own identical 41-28 records. This will be Savannah's third and final chance this half to clinch its first playoff berth since 1996.
Last Night: Brandon Moore took a perfect game into the sixth inning and a no-hitter into the eighth, but the GreenJackets scored four runs in the eighth against Moore and reliever Erik Turgeon, to tie the game at 4-4. In the tenth, Luke Anders walked, Chris Dominguez singled and Daniel Cook drove home Anders with the winning run. After the first inning last night in which the Gnats scored three runs, Savannah had just five hits, including two infield singles, over the game's final nine innings.
Now Pitching: Jimmy Fuller will make his 14th start as a Gnat. He is sixth in the SAL with a 1.95 ERA and tied for second in strikeouts (77). The Gnats are 11-2 when Fuller starts, an .846 winning percentage, their best with any starting pitcher. Savannah has supported him with 4.85 runs per game, fourth among the seven pitchers who have started for Savannah. Fuller held Rome to one unearned run in 6.2 innings in his last start, fanning five and walking one. Fuller, one of six Gnats selected to the SAL Southern Division All-Star team, will be making back-to-back appearances as an All-Star after earning the honor a year ago with Brooklyn. With Brooklyn in 2009, he was 3-6 with a 2.86 ERA in 12 games, 11 of which were starts. He fanned 67 and issued 15 walks for a sterling K/BB ratio of 4.67. Fuller was a DII All-American in 2008 at Southern Connecticut State University where he led DII in strikeouts with 145, averaging 13 whiffs per nine innings. He also had a streak of 59 scoreless innings in 2008. The Mets drafted Fuller in the 28th round in 2008.
Defensive Data: The Gnats have the SAL's best fielding percentage at .972, one one-thousandth ahead of Augusta (.971). Savannah's 75 errors are the fewest by a SAL team and the Gnats' eight passed balls are tied for second-fewest and the team's 26 wild pitches are the fewest of any team in the league.
Half History: The Gnats have not won a half title in the SAL since winning the second half in 1994. The Savannah franchise won both halves of the Southern Division in 1993 and made the playoffs as a wild card in 1996.
Vs. the GreenJackets: Savannah is 5-10 against Augusta this year, 4-7 in Augusta. The Gnats have outscored the 'Jackets 58-53 in the teams' 15 games this year.
Simply the Best: The Gnats' pitching staff leads the SAL and all full-season minor league baseball teams with a 2.54 ERA and 617 strikeouts.
ZAP: After a 3-4 night last night, Pedro Zapata has hit safely in six straight games and 16 of his last 17 contests. In his last six games, Zapata is hitting .542 (13-for-24). He's hitting .429 (6-for-14) in the series against Augusta. He's up to fifth in the SAL in hits (77) and his batting line of .292/.358/.383 (AVG/OBP/SLG) represents a new season-high in all three major rate categories. He's hitting .387/.443/.452 in 15 games in June. His OPS by month: April- .645, May- .728, June- .894.
Gone Fishin: Micheal Fisher has hit in six straight games, going 9-for-26 (.346) with two doubles, a triple and two home runs, for a .731 slugging percentage in that span. Fisher has hit safely in 14 of the 15 games he has started for Savannah, and has an extra-base hit in seven of his last 11 games.
Last Championship: The Savannah franchise has not made the playoffs since winning the SAL Championship as the Savannah Cardinals in 1996. The Cardinals, who made the playoffs as a wild card that year, beat the Delmarva Shorebirds, in their first year in the league, 3-2 in that series, sweeping a doubleheader to capture the league title.
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South Atlantic League Stories from June 20, 2010
- Crawdads Drop Series Finale to Drive - Hickory Crawdads
- Gnats Win First Half Championship - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Jackets Fall Short as Gnats Clinch Crown - Augusta GreenJackets
- First Half Ends with 6-3 Loss to Lexington - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Suns Finish First Half with a Win - Hagerstown Suns
- Legends Take Final Game of Series over Delmarva, 6-3 - Lexington Legends
- Braves Sweep RiverDogs - Rome Emperors
- BlueClaws Stand Up to Intimidators, 6-3, Make Playoffs - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Rome Sweeps Charleston Again, 1-0 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Gnats Game Notes - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Shorebirds Game Notes - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Intimidators to Campaign for Clean Air on June 25th - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Delmarva takes third straight over Legends, 7-1 - Lexington Legends
- Suns Hold on for Win over Power - Hagerstown Suns
- Power Drop 7-4 Decision to Suns - Charleston Dirty Birds
- 'Dads beat Drive, 9-5, Gain Ground in Division Race - Hickory Crawdads
- Braves Offense Comes Alive - Rome Emperors
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