Gnats vs. Braves Game Notes
Published on May 8, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Today: The Gnats, SAL affiliate of the New York Mets, will try to finish a series win against the Rome Braves, SAL affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Gnats have won two of the first three games in the four-game set and eight-game home stand.
Last Night: Ryan Fraser survived six hits, four walks and two batters hit by pitches, to hold the Rome Braves to one run in 5.2 innings as the Gnats won 3-1. Savannah threw out seven Rome runners on the bases last night, including four outfield assists, two double plays and two caught stealings. Sam Honeck was 2-4 with a pair of RBI singles.
Now Pitching: RHP Erik Goeddel is scheduled to make his sixth start of the year for Savannah tonight. Goeddel is coming off his best start of the year, when he held Lakewood scoreless on three hits and a walk through six innings with nine strikeouts. It was his first scoreless start and the nine strikeouts are a season-high for a Gnats' pitcher. The Mets drafted Goeddel in the 24th round of the 2010 draft out of UCLA. He made only one appearance for the GCL Mets on August 14, 2010 throwing one inning with one hit and one strikeout. Goeddel underwent Tommy John surgery during his senior year of high school at San Jose's Bellarmine Prep in 2007 and missed most of the next two years at UCLA. In 2010 he was excellent for the Bruins out of the bullpen, striking out 59 and walking 23 while giving up 44 hits in 50 innings. In ratio form, he had a 10.6 K/9, 4.1 BB/9 and 7.9 H/9. Coming into the 2011 season, Goeddel was ranked as the Mets' 17th best prospect by Baseball America, and the team's 16th best by Baseball Prospectus. The Gnats are 3-2 when Goeddel starts and have supported him with 3.6 runs per game.
Cory's Control: For the fourth time in a game this year, Cory Vaughn drew two walks last night. His 14 walks drawn place him in a nine-way tie for 11th in the SAL in the category.
Hot and Cold Honeck: With two hits last night, Sam Honeck has two multi-hit games in his last six. In his last six games, he is hitting .286 (6-for-21) with a double and five RBI. That came on the heels of a 1-for-37 (.027) skid which followed a .500/.552/.762 (AVG/OBP/SLG) start to the year over his first 11 games of the year.
Strong Starting: In the first three games of the Gnats' home stand, starters Taylor Whitenton, Greg Peavey, and Ryan Fraser have combined on 18.2 innings yielding just one run on 12 hits allowed. In the last eight games, Savannah starters are 4-0 with a 1.05 ERA with 32 strikeouts, 12 walks and just 35 hits allowed in 42.2 innings. In those eight games, Gnats starters have a strikeout to walk ratio of 2.67 and have given up as many as two runs just once. Three times Gnats starters have held their opponent without a run and four times they have held their opponent to one run.
Low Scoring Offenses: The matchup between the Gnats and Braves pairs the two lowest-scoring offenses in the SAL. The Gnats remain the only team in the SAL who have not scored 100 runs. Savannah averages 3.54 runs per game (99 runs/28 games) while Rome has actually scored fewer runs on a per game basis at 3.48 runs per game (102 runs/29 games). The Gnats are last in the SAL in AVG (.228) while Rome is last in slugging (.331). The Gnats are 13th in OBP (.298) while the Braves are 12th (.304). The Braves are 11th in average (.244). Savannah is 13th in slugging (.360). Savannah is sixth in doubles (54).
Vs. Rome: The Gnats are 2-1 against Rome. The two teams are scheduled for 23 games in 2011. Savannah will host 11 of the team's games, while Rome will host the other 12. The Gnats were 14-9 against Rome in 2010 and 9-2 at home. Savannah's nine wins at home and 14 overall against Rome were their most against any single opponent.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 8, 2011
- Slugfest in Hagerstown Swings Towards Suns - Hagerstown Suns
- Drive Endure Third One-Run Loss of Series to Intimidators - Greenville Drive
- BlueClaws Take Series Finale from Charleston 4-2 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Biddle and Lakewood Bullpen Muzzle 'Dogs, 4-2 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Burnside's Strong Start Puts Parking Brake on Drive - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- 'Hoppers Come Back Late for 4-3 Win on Sunday - Hickory Crawdads
- Braves Earn Split with 3-0 Win Sunday - Savannah Sand Gnats
- West Virginia Powers Way to Series Split Against The GreenJackets - Augusta GreenJackets
- Delmarva Took Third Straight Game from Asheville - Asheville Tourists
- Catcher Hits First Shorebirds Grand Slam Since 2008 in 10-5 Win Against The Tourists - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Hagerstown Takes Slugfest over Legends 12-11 - Lexington Legends
- Gnats vs. Braves Game Notes - Savannah Sand Gnats
- West Virginia Power Game Notes - Charleston Dirty Birds
- Suns Come Up Just Short in Game 3 Standoff with Legends - Hagerstown Suns
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
