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5/31/11

Savannah Sand Gnats Pre-Game Notes

Savannah Sand Gnats (27-23, 1st, Southern) vs. Charleston RiverDogs (22-29, 5th, Southern)



Game #51 - Home Game #24 - Tuesday – 7:05


RHP Greg Peavey (4-2, 3.17) vs. LHP Nik Turley (2-4, 3.51)


Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA


Radio: News/Talk 630 and http://www.sandgnats.com/



Tonight: The first place Gnats, SAL affiliate of the New York Mets, look for a sweep in the final game of a three-game series against the Charleston RiverDogs, SAL affiliate of the New York Yankees. The Kannapolis Intimidators come to Savannah to begin a four-game series Wednesday through Saturday. With a win tonight, the Gnats would go five games over .500 for the first time in 2011.



Yesterday: The Gnats scored three times in the fourth inning on their way to a 3-1 win over the Charleston RiverDogs. Starter Gonzalez Germen held the ‘Dogs to one run on five hits in his 6.2 innings of work for his fourth win of the year.


Now Pitching: RHP Greg Peavey is scheduled to make his 11th start tonight. Peavey has the second-lowest unintentional walk rate among starters in the South Atlantic League with just 1.50 BB-IBB/9 IP (9 BB/54 IP). In May, Peavey is 3-1 with a 2.10 ERA (7 ER/30 IP) with 24 strikeouts and just two walks, which works out to a BB/9 of 0.6. The Mets drafted Peavey in the 6th round in 2010 out of Oregon State. As a Beaver in 2010, Peavey was an All-Pac-10 Honorable Mention and a two-time conference Player of the Week. Peavey had been drafted twice before: in the 24th round in 2007 out of Hudson’s Bay High School by the New York Yankees and in the 32nd round in 2009 by the Houston Astros. In high school, he was named Washington’s Class 3A baseball Player of the Year in 2007. Peavey had national-level success before high school, helping the Hazel Dell Metro Little League team to the Little League World Series in 2000, and the Hazel Dell Metro Babe Ruth Championship teams in 2001 and 2002. The Gnats are 4-6 when Peavey starts and have supported him with 4.60 runs per game.

Good Times: The Gnats are four games over .500 for the first time in 2011. The team has won eight of their last nine games - a run that has taken them from half a game out of first place to 2.5 games up, their largest lead of the year. After losing seven in a row from April 22-29, the Gnats were 7-14 and a season-high 5.5 games out of first. Since that point, Savannah is 20-9, and has picked up eight games in the standings.



Marvelous May: After going 8-14 in April, the Gnats are 19-9 in May. The pitching staff has a 2.08 ERA, a 3.2 K/BB ratio (246 K/76 BB) and a .215 opponents’ batting average. In April, the Gnats had a 4.64 ERA and a 2.5 K/BB ratio and a .278 opponents’ average. The Gnats also have three position players hitting over .300 in the month of May: Luis Nieves (.429), Cory Vaughn (.360), and Robbie Shields (.311). Vaughn has hit .360/.504/.520 with ten extra-base hits, and 21 walks against 22 strikeouts in 28 games. Shields is bopping along at .311/.362/.481 with 15 extra-base hits, eight walks and 16 strikeouts in 26 games.



Strong Arms: The Gnats have the SAL’s best ERA (3.17) and WHIP (1.23). Savannah’s 430 strikeouts are fourth in the SAL, two behind Charleston for third. The Gnats’ 408 hits allowed are fourth-fewest, and the team’s 149 walks are fifth-fewest, three behind Asheville for fourth.



Patient Gnats: After five walks yesterday, the Gnats are third in the SAL in walks at 180, two behind second-place Augusta.



Standings Update: With 19 games to play in the first half, the Gnats own a two and a half game and lead over the Lexington Legends and Greenville Drive, who both lost on Monday, for first place.



Versus Charleston: The Gnats are 3-2 against Charleston in 2011, 2-0 at home and 1-2 on the road. The two teams are scheduled for eight games in Savannah and seven in Charleston. The Gnats finished 9-4 against Charleston in 2010, 3-1 at home and 6-3 on the road.
 
From team press release

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