Savannah Sand Gnats Game Notes May 15, 2010
Published on May 15, 2010 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release
Tonight: The first-place Gnats look for a sweep of their four-game series against the Rome Braves. The Gnats lead Augusta, their next opponent, by three games for first place in the SAL Southern Division. Savannah has won four games in a row and five of their last six games. It is the third time the Gnats have won four games in a row, but the Gnats are still looking for their first five game winning streak.
Last Night: Big nights from Wilmer Flores and Juan Lagares led the Savannah Sand Gnats to an 8-3 win over the Rome Braves. Lagares was 3-4 with a walk, a triple, an RBI and three runs scored while Flores was 4-5 with a double and three RBI. Jimmy Fuller held Rome to two runs in six innings to earn his fifth win of the year.
Now Pitching: Taylor Whitenton will make his fourth start for Savannah. Whitenton and Darin Gorski are "piggy-backing," sharing the fifth spot in the Gnats rotation. Whitenton threw in four games in the Gulf Coast League last year. The Mets drafted him in the 39th round of the 2009 draft out of Darton College in Albany, GA. Whitenton had committed to play for Kennesaw State. Whitenton played for the powerful program at Heritage High School, in Conyers, GA. He was originally drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 40th round of the 2007 draft.
Vs. Rome: The Gnats are 6-1 against Rome, 3-0 at home and 3-1 on the road. The Gnats and the Braves are scheduled for 23 games this year. Gnats pitching owns a 1.86 ERA in seven games against Rome and has held the Braves to 14 runs (2 runs per game) with 55 strikeouts against 12 walks. Gnats pitching has held Rome's batters to a .222/.281/.278 (AVG/OBP/SLG) line. Last year, the Gnats and Braves split their season series 11-11.
Big Flo: Wilmer Flores has hit safely in eight straight games and leads the league in batting average (.359), slugging percentage (.592), OPS (.997), hits (51), extra-base hits (21), total bases (84) and is sixth in OBP (.405). Over his eight-game hitting streak, Flores is hitting .500 (18-for-36) with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and nine RBI.
Highwater: The Gnats are eleven games over .500 for the first time this year at 23-12.
Friday Highs and Lows: Last night was the first time that Gnats pitchers have not issued a walk in a game... Nick Santomauro became the first Gnat to strike out four times in a contest.
Saturday Night Fever: the Gnats are a perfect 5-0 on Saturdays in 2010, 3-0 on the home and 2-0 on the road.
Pitching In: Savannah leads the SAL with a 2.61 ERA. Gnats pitching has allowed 118 runs and 272 hits overall, also the best marks in the league. Rome has the second-lowest ERA in the SAL at 3.11, but has allowed 37 unearned runs, the second-highest mark in the league behind Lakewood's 40.
South Atlantic League Stories from May 15, 2010
- Wild Walk-off, Intimidators Win 11-10 - Kannapolis Cannon Ballers
- Drive Rally Comes Up Short Versus BlueClaws, 5-4 - Greenville Drive
- Shorebirds Drop Heartbreaker, 11-10 - Delmarva Shorebirds
- Cosart Fans 10; Claws Win 5-4 - Jersey Shore BlueClaws
- Suns Fall to Power in 10 - Hagerstown Suns
- Legends, Tourists split - Lexington Legends
- GreenJackets Sting RiverDogs, 3-1 - Charleston RiverDogs
- Savannah Wins Season-High Fifth In a Row - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Sanchez Home Run Boosts Jackets to 3-1 Win - Augusta GreenJackets
- Savannah Sand Gnats Game Notes May 15, 2010 - Savannah Sand Gnats
- Weber Activated - Rome Emperors
- Be Your Own Fans to Vote for All-Stars - Charleston RiverDogs
- Shorebirds Game Notes for May 15, 2010 - Delmarva Shorebirds
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