Rome 4, Gnats 0

El Ramirez got his 13th start of the season. Ramirez signed in 2004 with the Mets as an international teenager, and has been quietly working his way up the organization. The 21-year old has been the SP1 in Savannah for the entire season. Has had some control problems… only 39 Ks in 59.0 IP going into tonight’s game, and 29 base-on-balls.

A three-run sixth inning broke a deadlocked game and helped the Rome Braves to a, 4-0, win over the Savannah Sand Gnats in front of 2,234 on a Monday night at State Mutual Stadium. Dismasther Delgado (1-0) earned his first win of the year while starter Elvin Ramirez (3-5) suffered his fifth loss.

It was a speedy game as the first five innings were completed in about an hour. After allowing a leadoff single to David Berres to start the game, Ramirez went on to retire the next 11 men he faced before the sixth. Delgado was equally as good, squashing Savannah’s run-scoring threat in the fourth and sixth innings.

Samuel Sime started the disastrous sixth with a ground ball to third that Jefry Marte bobbled and then threw over the head of first baseman Stefan Welch. Ramirez then balked him to second and walked Chais Fuller. Georgia Southern product Chris Shehan laid down a bunt to the third base side and Ramirez tried to cutdown the lead runner but he was ruled safe at third.

With the bases juiced, the 21-year-old Ramirez threw a wild pitch allowing Sime to score from third. After he walked Berres, Shayne Moody singled into right center to score two more runs. Rome would add one more in the seventh also charged to the starter Ramirez. All told, he allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in a season-high 6.2 innings.

The Gnats had their chances throughout the game. Marte led off the fourth with a single and was on the move with the hit and run on and Josh Satin at the plate. Satin lined one down the right field line but Marte tripped going over second base and was forced to stay at second. Delgado recovered and retired the next two Gnats to end the inning.

Savannah failed to advance a runner reach third base in the game and the shutout is also the first since August 12, 2008 when the Gnats were shut out by the Lakewood BlueClaws, 4-0, in Lakewood, N.J.