Game Notes - Savannah

from press release:
Tonight: The first-half-champion Gnats host the Augusta GreenJackets in their first meeting of the second half since the Gnats beat Augusta on the final day of the first half to clinch the title. Savannah enters play today on the heels of a 3-5 road trip to West Virginia and Lexington.

Tuesday Night: After Savannah scored four runs in the top of the first, Lexington answered with two each in the first and second innings against starter Taylor Whitenton and then five unearned runs in the third against reliever Pedro P. Martinez to take a 9-5 lead on the way to a 13-6 victory on Tuesday night. DH Robbie Shields was 2-5 with his first Savannah home run.



Now Pitching: John Church is scheduled to make his sixth start of the year for the Sand Gnats after 22 relief appearances. Church gave up three runs, two earned, on four hits in 4.2 innings in his last start, which Savannah lost 7-6 to West Virginia in 15 innings. Two of the runs charged to Church scored in the fifth inning after he left the game on a double given up by reliever Marcos Tabata. Church did not allow a run of any kind in his first 16 innings as a starter. Church’s 1.46 ERA would be good enough for second in the SAL, behind former Gnat Mark Cohoon, but Church is 20 innings short of qualifying for the league leaders. Church made 21 relief appearances with Savannah last year and one with Brooklyn in the New York-Penn League. With Savannah last year, Church was 1-4 with a 5.28 ERA with 34 strikeouts and 14 walks in 29 innings. The Mets drafted Church in the 23rd round of the 2009 amateur draft out of the University of West Florida.



Vs. Augusta: Savannah is 6-10 against Augusta this year, 1-3 at home and 5-7 on the road. The Gnats are 24-39 against Augusta since becoming a Mets affiliate prior to the 2007 season.



After a 2-4 game Tuesday, Cesar Puello has hit safely in seven straight and 15 of his last 16 games. He’s hitting .337/.427/.432 (AVG/OBP/SLG) in 25 games in July. In the second half, Puello’s OBP of .413 is ninth in the SAL. Puello has raised his batting average 18 points in his last 16 games. He’s is part of a two-way tie for fourth in the SAL with 37 stolen bases, three behind Jeremy Hazelbaker of Greenville who leads the league with 40.