Savannah Sand Gnats Game Notes

Published on May 7, 2011 under South Atlantic League (SAL1)
Savannah Sand Gnats News Release


Tonight: The Gnats, SAL affiliate of the New York Mets, play game three of a four-game series against the Rome Braves, SAL affiliate of the Atlanta Braves on Pink-in-the-Park Night, presented by the Lasky Law Group. This is the third game of an eight-game home stand.

Last Night: The Gnats scored twice in the first inning after loading the bases with no one out. RHP Taylor Whitenton and relievers Josh Edgin and Ronny Morla made it stand up with a four-hit shutout. Whitenton's seven-inning outing was the longest by a Gnats starter this year. Gnats' pitching allowed just one runner to second base all night.

Now Pitching: RHP Ryan Fraser is scheduled to make his fifth Savannah start and his sixth appearance. Fraser is coming off his best outing of the year, when he allowed just one run on six hits in six innings in the Gnats' 5-1 win in Lakewood last Saturday. His one strikeout in that start was a season-low. Fraser pitched exclusively out of the bullpen for short-season Brooklyn in 2010. With the Cyclones, he was 3-3 with a 1.44 ERA and 12 saves in 31.1 IP. He struck out 39, walked 20 and yielded just 16 hits. In ratio form, that's 4.6 H/9 IP, 5.7 BB/9 and 11.2 K/9. The Mets drafted Fraser in the 16th round of the 2010 draft out of Memphis. The Rays originally drafted Fraser out of Walker Valley HS in the 49th round in 2006, but he chose to attend Gulf Coast Community College and then Memphis. At Memphis, he led the Tigers with 93 strikeouts and 92 IP in 2010 on his way to three C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors and a Second Team All C-USA selection. In the classroom, he was a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team in 2010 and ran a 4.0 grade point average in high school where he was a member of the National Honor Society. The Gnats are 1-3 when Fraser starts, and have supported him 2.25 runs per game (9 runs/4 games).

Strong Starting: In the first two game of the Gnats' home stand, starters Taylor Whitenton and Greg Peavey have combined on 13 scoreless innings with just six hits allowed. In the last seven games, Gnats starters are 3-0 with a 1.22 ERA with 30 strikeouts, eight walks and just 29 hits allowed. In those seven games, Gnats starters have a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.75 and have given up as many as two runs just once. Three times Gnats starters have held their opponent without a run and three times they have held their opponent to one run.

Sharp Whit! After his performance last night, Taylor Whitenton is up to second in the SAL in ERA (0.77) and opponents' batting average (.156) and is fourth in WHIP (0.90).

Starting and Finishing: In the first three innings of games this year, Savannah has outscored their opponents 36-28. In the last three innings of games, the Gnats have been outscored 43-30.

Low Scoring Offenses: The matchup between the Gnats and Braves pairs the two lowest-scoring offenses in the SAL. The Gnats are now the only team in the SAL who have not scored 100 runs. Savannah averages 3.56 runs per game (96 runs/27 games) while Rome is a fraction better at 3.61 runs per game (101 runs/28 games). The Gnats are last in the SAL in AVG (.227) while Rome is last in slugging (.331). The Gnats are 13th in OBP (.297) while the Braves are 12th (.298). The Braves are 11th in average (.244). Savannah is 13th in slugging (.362). Savannah is sixth in doubles (52).

Vs. Rome: The Gnats are 1-1 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.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



South Atlantic League Stories from May 7, 2011


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.

OurSports Central