Game #97 - Home Game #39 - Friday - 7:05
RHP Yohan Almonte (3-5, 3.82) vs. RHP Tyler Waldron (6-5, 4.87)
Historic Grayson Stadium, Savannah, GA
Radio: News/Talk 630 and sandgnats.com =
Tonight: The first-half champion Gnats look for a series win in the finale of a three-game series against the West Virginia Power, SAL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Lexington Legends come to Savannah for four games Saturday through Tuesday to finish the Gnats’ seven-game home stand.
Last Night: The Gnats scored an unearned run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to beat the Power 3-2. C Blake Forsythe was 3-for-4, with a double and scored the winning run in his first three-hit game of 2011. Adam Kolarek worked the final three innings without allowing a hit or a run to earn his fourth win.
Now Pitching: Yohan Almonte is scheduled to make his 16th start of the year tonight. Almonte has given up three runs on seven hits in each of his last two starts. Almonte has walked 1.85 batters/9 IP, which would be good enough for fourth among SAL starting pitchers. After tonight’s start, will need 4.2 innings to appear on the league leader board tomorrow morning. In 2010, Almonte led the New York-Penn League in ERA (1.91), IP (89.2) and WHIP (0.93), averaging nearly six innings per start. He had the second-lowest batting average against among New York-Penn League starters at .207 and the third-lowest unintentional walk/9 IP (1.41) with a K/BB ratio of 4 (60 K/15 BB). The Mets signed Almonte as a non-drafted free agent in 2007. The Gnats are 7-8 when Almonte starts and have supported him with 3.33 runs per game.
Close Calls: Each of the first two games of the series between the Gnats and Power have been decided by one run. The Gnats are 16-4 in one-run games at home and 19-12 overall. Savannah is 35-22 in games decided by two runs or less, and 27-9 at home in such contests.
Aderlin’s Longballs: Aderlin Rodriguez drilled his 12th home run of the year last night. His 12 home runs in a season are the second-most by a Gnat since becoming a Mets affiliate in the 2007 season trailing only Sean Ratliff’s 15 homers in 2009. Only four Gnats in the last five seasons have reached double-digits in homeruns: Brahiam Maldonado (10 – 2007), Jose Jimenez (11 – 2008), Ratliff and Rodriguez.
Hot Harris: Alonzo Harris rides a personal season-best six-game hitting streak over which time he is 7-for-22 (.318) with one walk, four strikeouts, one run and two RBI.
Alumni Update: Former Gnat 2B Josh Satin was promoted to AAA Buffalo today. The 26-year old Satin was hittting .325/.423/.538 (AVG/OBP/SLG) with 35 doubles, tops in the Eastern League, and 11 homers in 94 games for Binghamton this season. In 2009, Satin hit .284/.385/.418 with 38 doubles and seven home runs in 125 games with the Gnats.
Low Scoring: Last night was the 52nd time in 96 games this year that Gnats pitching has allowed three runs or fewer. Savannah is 43-9 in such contests, accounting for 78% of the team’s wins this season.
Strong Arms: The Gnats still lead the SAL in ERA at 3.21, 38 hundredths better than second-best Hickory. The Gnats also lead the League in WHIP at 1.22, and have allowed the fewest hits (740) 11 fewer than second-best Hickory. The Asheville Tourists have allowed 993 hits, 253 more than the Gnats. The Gnats are back to fifth in the SAL in strikeouts (753). The Power have allowed the fewest walks of any team in the SAL, just 211, 39 in front of second-place Hagerstown.
From team press release
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