EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Richmond Flying Squirrels Game Notes

Published on June 22, 2010 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS (32-38) VS. AKRON AEROS (34-35)

RHP MIKE MACDONALD (1-6, 4.96) VS. LHP ERIC BERGER (3-4, 5.25)

June 22, 2010 -- 7:05 PM

Canal Park

Game #71/Road #34

Radio Broadcast -- Sports Radio 910 WRNL

Internet Webcast -- www.sportsradio910.com

TONIGHT: The Richmond Flying Squirrels and Akron Aeros will meet for the first time this season in the opener of a three-game series...The Altoona Curve completed a sweep of the Flying Squirrels with a four-run sixth inning including a sun-aided three-run triple en route to a 6-2 win in the finale of a three-game series on Sunday night at The Diamond.

TONIGHT'S STARTERS: Right-hander Mike MacDonald gets the start in the series opener for the Flying Squirrels...Suffered his second consecutive loss 6/16 against Binghamton...Allowed four runs on 10 hits in five innings plus two batters...Struck out two batters and walked one...Gave up multiple hits in five of his six innings on the mound including a two-run homer to Eric Campbell in the top of the fourth inning...Recorded six ground outs and six fly outs...Allowed the leadoff man to reach in three of his six innings on the mound...Threw 81 pitches, 50 strikes...Ten hits allowed for the second consecutive start matched both a personal and team season high...Left-handed batters are hitting .452 (42-for-93) against him...Richmond is 1-12 in his 13 outings...Averaging 1.46 runs of support during his appearances...Has not won since 4/30 against Bowie...Is 0-4 with a 7.02 ERA over his last eight outings...Began the season 1-2 with a 2.54 ERA in his first five starts...Facing the Aeros for the first time in 55 appearances in the Eastern League.

Left-hander Eric Berger gets the nod in the opener of the series for the Aeros...Received a no-decision in his last start at New Hampshire 6/16...Allowed one run on four hits in five innings...Struck out three batters and walked one...Is 2-0 in three starts in June with a 1.45 ERA (3R/18.2 IP)...Was 1-4 with a 7.67 ERA (25R/29.1 IP) in his first seven starts and allowed 35 hits in his first 29 1/3 innings of work (.294 BAA)...Began the 2010 season on the Disabled List and was activated 4/26...Made six starts with Akron in 2009 and went 3-1 with a 2.67 ERA...Struck out 33 batters and walked 16 in 33 2/3 innings...Started Game 3 of the ELCS against Connecticut and took the loss giving up six runs, five earned, on five hits in three innings...Walked four batters and struck out two...Spent the majority of the 2009 season with Advanced-A Kinston and went 7-8 with a 2.45 ERA in 21 starts...Struck out 100 batters and walked 45 in 110 1/3 innings of work...Named a Carolina League Mid-Season All-Star...Made pro debut with Short-Season A Mahoning Valley and went 2-0 with a 2.12 ERA in eight starts...Named a New York-Penn League Mid-Season All-Star...Selected by the Cleveland Indians in the eighth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft...Attended the University of Arizona...Enters the 2010 season rated as the #30 prospect in the Cleveland Indians farm system according to Baseball America.

AT A LOSS: Richmond has matched its longest losing streak of the season at five games...It's the third time this season that the Flying Squirrels have dropped three straight games including 4/10-4/14 and 5/30-6/3...With Altoona's sweep of Richmond, the club was swept for the third time this season...Flying Squirrels' manager Andy Skeels has not lost more than five consecutive games over the last three seasons...The longest losing streak he as endured was five in-a-row while with Low-A Augusta in 2008...The GreenJackets dropped at least four straight just twice...The Flying Squirrels have lost a least four straight games five times this season.

ALL DRIED UP: The Flying Squirrels have dropped to a season-low six games under .500 at 32-38...The club had previously been five games under .500 twice (1-6, 32-37)...The lowest under .500 an Andy Skeels-led club had been over the previous two seasons was four games...The 2008 Augusta GreenJackets were 11-15 before finishing the season 88-50.

BEHIND THE CURVE: The Flying Squirrels were 22-13 and had a 1 1/2 game lead in the Western Division through the first 35 games; however, the club is 10-25 (.286) over its last 35 games...No other team has a lower winning percentage since 5/14...Richmond has lost 15 games in the standings since 5/14 and is a season-high 13 1/2 games out of first...Akron, which had the second-worst record in the Eastern League at the time (13-22), is 21-13 since 5/14, the third-best winning percentage in the league.

SERIE-OUS SKID: Richmond is 1-8-2 over its last 11 series from 5/13-6/17 after losing five of six games on its recent home stand...The lone series win for the Flying Squirrels over that stretch came against New Britain 6/8-6/10 when the club took two of three games...Prior to the skid, Richmond had gone 6-1-1 over its previous eight series spanning from 4/15-5/2.

NO "O": The Flying Squirrels have scored just eight runs over the course of their five-game losing streak and have been outscored 28-8 over the last five games...Richmond has scored the fewest runs in the Eastern League (233) and has hit the fewest home runs (34) while also hitting the second-fewest extra base hits (161) and having the lowest slugging percentage (.352) and third-lowest batting average (.245).

HITTER BY DESIGNATION: The Flying Squirrels are hitting .253 (236-for-931) with the designated hitter in the line up...The club is batting .239 (328-for-1374) with the pitcher batting...Richmond DHs are batting just .218 (22-for-101) on the season; however, the DHs are just 2-for-45 over the last 13 games against American League affiliates (since 5/18)...The Flying Squirrel DHs were hitting .357 (20-for-56) over their first 16 games...Richmond pitchers are hitting just .130 (12-for-92) at the plate with 52 strikeouts...The Flying Squirrels are 17-12 against American League affiliates and will face an AL affiliate over the next 13 games.

WELL RESTED: The Flying Squirrels are 3-1 after scheduled off days this season...Richmond lone loss after an off day came 5/18 against Erie...The club's next scheduled day off is the Eastern League All-Star break 7/13-7/14.

DARREN HIM TO RUN: Outfielder Darren Ford went 3-for-5 for the second straight game including a RBI and a stolen base...He leads the club with six three-hit games...The 24-year-old is 6-for-10 over his last two games with two RBI, a run scored and four stolen bases...Ford is second in the Eastern League with 23 stolen bases and he leads the league with 33 stolen base attempts.

DOUBLETREE DOWNTOWN DOUBLE PLAYS: The Richmond Flying Squirrels have turned 90 double plays in 70 games including six on 5/7 in Harrisburg...The club leads the Eastern League in double plays turned and has not gone more than two games without turning a double play.

CFS STAT OF THE NIGHT: The Flying Squirrels scored first in each game of the three-game set with the Altoona Curve; however, the club dropped all three contests...Richmond is now 23-17 when scoring first.

Check out the Richmond Flying Squirrels Statistics

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Eastern League Stories from June 22, 2010


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