Richmond Flying Squirrels Game Notes
July 4, 2011 - Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release
RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS (41-39) VS. TRENTON THUNDER (48-34)
RHP JUSTIN FITZGERALD (6-4, 3.55) VS. LHP JOSH ROMANSKI (0-0, 0.00)
July 4, 2011 -- 6:35 PM
The Diamond
Game #81/Home #42
Radio Broadcast -- Sports Radio 910 WRNL
Internet Webcast -- www.sportsradio910.com
TONIGHT: The Richmond Flying Squirrels and Trenton Thunder will meet in the opener of a four-game series...The Flying Squirrels came up a run short in their attempt to come back from a 4-1 deficit, falling to the Reading Phillies 4-3 in the finale of a four-game series on Sunday night in front of 9,269 fans at FirstEnergy Stadium.
TONIGHT'S STARTERS: Right-hander Justin Fitzgerald gets the start in the series opener for the Flying Squirrels...Making his 16th start of the season...Received a no-decision in his last outing 6/28 against Harrisburg...Tossed a perfect inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced...Both strikeouts were looking...Recorded one flyout/popout...Threw 15 pitches, nine strikes...Threw first-pitch strikes to one of the three batters he faced...Outing cut short due to rain...Game was suspended in the bottom of the first inning....Named an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star...Spent the entire 2010 season with Advanced-A San Jose...First season as a starter after appearing exclusively in relief in his first two pro campaigns...Went 10-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 26 games, 25 starts...Struck out 116 batters and walked 46 in 146 innings...Ranked 4th in the California League in ERA (3.45), 3rd in opponent batting average (.258) and tied for 5th with 10 wins....Named a California League Mid-Season All-Star...Made three postseason starts with San Jose, going 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA (4R/18.2 IP)...Made 39 relief appearances with Low-A Augusta in 2009...Went 2-2 with a 3.70 ERA, striking out 63 and walking 27 in 56 innings...Made pro debut in 2008, going a combined 1-0 with a 3.86 ERA in 17 appearances...Selected in the 11th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft...Attended the University of California-Davis.
Left-hander Josh Romanski gets the start in the series opener for the Thunder...Making his first 14th start overall on the season and his first with Trenton...Has allowed two hits over two scoreless innings of relief in his first two appearances with the Thunder, walking one and striking out none...Promoted from Advanced-A Tampa 6/28...Went 6-5 with a 2.99 ERA in 13 starts with the Tampa Yankees, striking out 51 batters and walking 14 in 69 1/3 innings...Opponents hit .274 (75-for-274) against him...Began the 2010 season with Low-A Charleston and went 8-4 with a 3.16 ERA in 15 starts...Struck out 73 batters and walked 17 in 88 1/3 innings...Promoted to Advanced-A Tampa 8/21/10...Went 0-1 with a 4.50 ERA in three starts with the Yankees, striking out 12 batters and walking four in 12 innings...Signed by the New York Yankees as a minor league free agent 4/14/10...Missed the entire 2009 season after undergoing left elbow surgery 6/21/09...Made his pro debut with the Rookie Helena Brewers in 2008...Appeared in four games as a designated hitter and went 5-for-15 (.333) with three doubles and two runs scored...Originally selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft...Was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 15th round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft but did not sign...Attended the University of San Diego...Appeared in 56 games, including 36 starts, with USD and posted a 23-6 recorded and a 3.71 career ERA...Threw a no-hitter 3/24/08 against Harvard University...Also was a center fielder and posted career .318 (193-for-606) batting average with 30 doubles, four triples, 13 home runs and 99 RBIs in 163 games...Named the 2006 West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year...Was a teammate and staffmate of Baltimore Orioles left-hander Brian Matusz all three seasons at USD.
AT A LOSS: The Flying Squirrels have lost three straight games for the first time since matching their longest losing streak of the season by dropping four consecutive games 5/29-6/1...The club has lost four straight games twice this season...Richmond lost three of four games in Reading to suffer its first series defeat since dropping two of three to Bowie 6/17-6/19...The Flying Squirrels had won seven of their previous nine games prior to falling in their last three games to the R-Phils...Richmond did not lose more than two games in a row the entire month of June.
FALSE STARTS: Right-hander Henry Sosa allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings last night to suffer his first loss as a Flying Squirrel in Richmond's 4-3 defeat last night in Reading...It was the 21st time this season that a Flying Squirrels' starting pitcher has allowed four runs or more...The club fell to 4-17 when a starting pitcher allows four or more runs...Richmond is 0-10 when a starter allows more than four runs in an outing...Starting pitching has allowed three runs or less in 59 of the team's 80 games (74%) and the club is 37-22 in those contests...Flying Squirrels starters have allowed 13 runs through the first three games in July (4.3 R/G) and the club has a 6.00 ERA (16ER/24 IP) overall in those three games.
PITCHING IN: The Flying Squirrels pitching staff leads the Eastern League with a 3.01 ERA through 80 games and has allowed a league-low 285 runs...Richmond's pitching staff has allowed two runs or less in 30 of its 80 games (38%)...The club's 3.01 ERA is tied with the Low-A Burlington Bees for the lowest amongst all of the full-season MiLB teams.
FLYING START: Outfielder Francisco Peguero belted a leadoff home run to right-center field in the top of the first inning last night in Reading...It was the fourth time overall that a Richmond batter homered leading off the first inning and the second time a Flying Squirrel batter led off a road game with a home run...Super utility man Sklyer Stromsmoe is the only other batter to hit a home run the leadoff of a game on the road 6/14/10 at Reading...Center fielder Darren Ford hit a pair of leadoff home runs in the bottom of the first inning at The Diamond (4/21/10 vs. New Britain & 6/10/10 vs. New Britain).
IN A PINCH: Skyler Stromsmoe notched a pinch-hit single in the top of the eighth inning last night...It was the second pinch-hit, base hit for the 27-year-old who is now 2-for-9 (.222) in pinch hit at-bats...His nine pinch hit at-bats are tied with infielder Sharlon Schoop for the team lead...Overall, Richmond pinch hitters are batting .180 (9-for-50) this season.
NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The Flying Squirrels have begun a stretch where they will play 20 out of 27 games at home including a doubleheader against Harrisburg 7/9...The club is 26-15 at home and is batting .254 in 41 games at The Diamond while averaging 4.66 runs per game at home (191R/41G)...Overall, the club is 15-23 on the road, and is batting .207 and averaging 3.42 runs per game (130R/39G) in 39 road contests.
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