Savannah Sand Gnats (25-16, 1st, Southern) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (17-24, 5th, Southern)
Joseph P. Riley Park - Charleston, SC
Radio: WBMQ News/Talk 630, http://www.sandgnats.com/
Tonight: The Gnats play game two of their four-game series with the Charleston RiverDogs, SAL affiliate of the New York Yankees while the teams’ parent clubs square off in New York in the Interleague Subway Series. Savannah is tied with Augusta for first place in the SAL Southern Division after the Gnats won and the GreenJackets lost last night.
Last Night: The Gnats snapped their four-game losing streak with a 5-2 win. Juan Lagares singled home two runs with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning to break a 2-2 tie and put Savannah in front 4-2. DH Rafael Fernandez clubbed a solo home run leading off the ninth inning to provide Savannah a three-run cushion. Taylor Whitenton earned his second win of the year for Savannah for his four innings of sharp relief in which he allowed one run on three hits. He struck out seven and did not walk a batter.
Now Pitching: Armando Rodriguez will make his ninth start for Savannah this evening. The Gnats are 4-4 when Rodriguez starts and have supported him with 4.6 runs per game. Rodriguez fired seven shutout innings in Augusta in his last start on Sunday in a game the Gnats lost 1-0 in 18 innings. In May, Rodriguez is 1-0 with a perfect 0.00 ERA in 16 innings over three starts. He’s struck out 10, walked nine and given up four unearned runs on five hits. With Kingsport a year ago, he was 3-1 with a 2.96 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 20 walks in 45.2 innings. Promoted to Savannah on August 27th, he finished the year with a dominant three-start performance in which he allowed just five hits in 16.2 innings and struck out 24. The Mets signed Rodriguez as a non-drafted free agent June 6, 2007.
Vs. Charleston: Tonight is the second of 13 scheduled meetings between the Gnats and the RiverDogs. Savannah is 1-0 against Charleston. The ‘Dogs do not visit Savannah until August 25-28. Last year, the Gnats were 8-15 against Charleston.
Back on Top: Savannah is back into a tie for first place after dropping into second for one day. The Gnats have had a share of first for 27 of the last 28 days.
Strong Late: The Gnats scored the go-ahead runs in the eighth inning last night and tacked on a run in the ninth. Savannah has now outscored their opponents 22-6 in the eighth inning of games this year and 53-25 over the final three innings of games.
A to the Z: Alonzo Harris was 2-4 in the leadoff spot last night. As a leadoff hitter this year, in four games he is 5-for-16 (.313) with two doubles. In 35 games in the nine hole, he has hit .235 (31 H/132 AB).
Four for Sure: The Gnats are 20-3 when they score four runs or more. The Gnats are 20-9 when allowing fewer than four runs, but just 7-7 on the road.
Big Flo: After an 0-4 last night, Wilmer Flores slipped back to #2 in the SAL in batting average (.343). He is fourth in slugging (.548) and tied for second with 22 extra-base hits. Flores hit .264/.305/.332 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with three home runs in 125 games for Savannah last year as a 17 year-old.
Pitching In: Savannah leads the SAL with a 2.40 ERA and is the only team with an ERA below 3.15. Savannah is second in the league in strikeouts (372) and is now tied with Charleston as having allowed the fewest home runs (14).
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