EL1 Richmond Flying Squirrels

Richmond Flying Squirrels Game Notes

Published on July 7, 2011 under Eastern League (EL1)
Richmond Flying Squirrels News Release


RICHMOND FLYING SQUIRRELS (43-39) VS. TRENTON THUNDER (48-36)

LHP RYAN VERDUGO (5-4, 4.04) VS. RHP DELLIN BETANCES (4-3, 2.71)

RHP JUSTIN FITZGERALD (6-4, 3.46) VS. RHP CRAIG HEYER (7-3, 3.18)

July 7, 2011 -- 5:05 PM

The Diamond

Game #83 & 84/Home #44 & 45

Radio Broadcast -- Sports Radio 910 WRNL

Internet Webcast -- www.sportsradio910.com

TONIGHT: The Richmond Flying Squirrels and Trenton Thunder will meet in games three and four of a four-game series...Game three of the series between the Flying Squirrels and Trenton Thunder was postponed Wednesday night due to unplayable grounds at The Diamond.

TONIGHT'S STARTERS: Left-hander Ryan Verdugo gets the nod in game one of the doubleheader for the Flying Squirrels...Making his 16th start of the season...Enters the 2011 season rated as the #25 prospect in the San Francisco Giants farm system according to Baseball America...Suffered the loss in his last outing 7/2 at Reading...Allowed six runs, five earned, on eight hits in five innings...Struck out three batters and walked two...Eight hits allowed matched a career-high...Four of the eight hits he allowed went for extra bases including a Matt Rizzotti two-run homer in the fifth inning and a Stephen Susdorf leadoff home run in the sixth...Allowed the leadoff batter to reach in three of his six innings on the mound (scored all three times)...Recorded seven groundouts and one flyout/popout...Threw 90 pitches, 58 strikes...Threw 47 pitches in the first two innings combined including 28 pitches in the bottom of the first...Threw first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 24 batters he faced...Is 1-3 over his last four starts with a 10.06 ERA (19ER/17 IP) and has allowed opponents to hit .362 (25-for-69) against him...Was 4-1 with a 2.36 ERA (16ER/61 IP) over his first 11 starts and limited opponents to a .232 (52-for-224) batting average against...Named the Eastern League Pitcher of the Week 5/30/11-6/5/11...Went a combined 8-1 with a 1.87 ERA in 44 games, including one start, with Low-A Augusta and San Jose...Suffered the first loss in his pro career 4/29/10 at Hagerstown...Pitched with Scottsdale in the Arizona Fall League in 2010...Went 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA in seven starts while striking out 26 batters and walking 16...Began the 2009 season in Extended Spring Training...Went 4-0 with a 1.27 ERA in 23 games with the AZL Giants and Low-A Augusta...Selected in the 9th round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft...Attended LSU and Skagit Valley (WA) College.

Right-hander Justin Fitzgerald will get the start in game two of the doubleheader for the Flying Squirrels... Received a no-decision in his last outing 7/4 against Trenton...Allowed one unearned run on two hits in two innings...Struck out one batter and walked none...Recorded three groundouts and two flyouts/popouts...Threw 33 pitches, 21 strikes...Threw first-pitch strikes to five of the nine batters he faced...Was his second straight outing cut short due to rain...Game was suspended in the bottom of the second 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.

DOUBLE DOWN: The Flying Squirrels had their fourth game of the season postponed last night...Additionally, the club has had two games suspended this season...Richmond has played only one true doubleheader this season as the team split a pair of games at New Britain 5/5...In addition to today's doubleheader, the club has three doubleheaders remaining on its schedule, 7/9 and 7/22 against Harrisburg and 8/23 at Altoona...The Flying Squirrels have lost three home openings this season after losing just one all of 2010.

GRAND FINALE: Outfielder Francisco Peguero blasted a two-out, walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the seventh inning last night to help lift the Flying Squirrels to a 9-6 win over the Thunder...It was the first career grand slam for Peguero and the second of the season for a Richmond batter as well as the second in the two-year history of the franchise (Chris Dominguez, 6/27/11 vs. Harrisburg)...It was also the second game-ending home run of year for the Flying Squirrels and just the third in the club's history (Johnny Monell, 5/12/11 vs. Harrisburg & Brandon Belt, 8/11/10 vs. New Hampshire)...The four RBIs in the game matched a season and career-high for the Domincan...The 23-year-old has hits in 10 of the 12 games he has appeared in with the Flying Squirrels including each of his last five contests...He is batting .409 (9-for-22) over his last five games with three home runs, eight RBIs, and five runs scored.

LUMBER YARD: The Flying Squirrels belted three home runs in the completion of Monday's suspended series-opener matching a season-high for most runs in a game...The club also hit three home runs 5/25 against Erie...Overall, it was the sixth time in the two-year history of the franchise that the club has his three home runs in a game...Richmond has hit 48 home runs through 82 games this season including 26 in 43 games at The Diamond...Last season the club hit an Eastern League-low 71 home runs in 141 games and managed only 21 homers in 70 games at home...Catcher Johnny Monell hit his team-leading ninth home run of the season, seven of which have been hit at The Diamond...Seven of Monell's nine home runs overall have been opposite field blasts including five opposite field home runs at home.

ONE-HORNED PEGASUS: The Flying Squirrels improved to 4-29 when trailing after six innings with Tuesday night's walkoff win against Trenton...The club was just 4-56 when trailing after six innings last season...Richmond also won for the first time when a starting pitcher allowed more than four runs (1-10)...Richmond's largest come-from-behind win is four runs which happened on Opening Day

FRESH PICKED: Left-hander Eric Surkamp picked off a pair of baserunners in the completion of Monday's suspended game...It was the 16th and 17th baserunners picked off by Richmond pitchers this season and third and fourth picked off by Surkamp.

PITCHING IN: The Flying Squirrels pitching staff leads the Eastern League with a 3.02 ERA through 82 games and has allowed a league-low 292 runs...Richmond's pitching staff has allowed two runs or less in 31 of its 82 games (38%)...Starting pitching has allowed three runs or less in 60 of the team's 82 games (73%) and the club is 38-22 in those contests...The club's 3.02 ERA is the lowest among all of the full-season MiLB teams.

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 28-15 at home and is batting .257 in 43 games at The Diamond while averaging 4.77 runs per game at home (205R/43G)...Overall, the club is 15-24 on the road, and is batting .207 and averaging 3.33 runs per game (130R/39G) in 39 road contests.

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Eastern League Stories from July 7, 2011


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