Game #55 - Home Game #28 - Saturday – 6:05
RHP Gonzalez Germen (4-1, 3.22) vs. RHP Paul Burnside (4-2, 3.29)
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, finish their seven-game home stand and four-game series with the Kannapolis Intimidators, SAL affiliate of the Chicago White Sox. The Gnats are 5-1 on their current seven-game home stand and have won 11 of 13 games overall. A win tonight would take the Gnats seven games over .500 for the first time in 2011.
Last Night: Starter Chase Huchingson held the Intimidators to one hit through five shutout innings to win his third game of the year in Savannah’s 3-1 win. The Gnats scored two runs in the third inning thanks to a pair of wild pitches from Kannapolis starter Dexter Carter.
Now Pitching: RHP Gonzalez Germen is scheduled to make his 11th appearance and his ninth start tonight. Germen has been durable, going five innings or more in each of his last six starts and 6.2 innings or more in four of those six. Germen enjoyed a much better May than April. In April, he had a 5.68 ERA (8 ER/12.2 IP), allowed a .351 opponents’ batting average and had a K/BB ratio of 2.1 (15 K/7 BB). In May, he had a 2.39 ERA (10 ER/37.2 IP) with a .237 opponents’ average and a K/BB of 3.5 (35 K/10 BB).
Germen spent most of the 2010 season with Kingsport in the Appalachian League where he was 2-5 with a 3.69 ERA in 61 innings over 10 starts. He struck out 54 and walked 11 for a healthy K/BB ratio of 4.9. He made two starts with Savannah to finish out the year. On August 27th, in his Savannah debut, in game two of a double-header, he took a no-hitter into the sixth inning and a shutout into the seventh. The Gnats are 4-4 when Germen starts and have supported him with 4.63 runs per game (37 runs/8 starts), the best run support of any Savannah starter.
Standings Update: After losses last night by the Greenville Drive and Lexington Legends, the Gnats lead both the Drive and the Legends by 4.5 games for first place with 15 to play in the first half. The 4.5 game lead is the Gnats’ largest of the half. Last year’s First Half Champion Gnats never had a lead larger than three games, and did not have a lead larger than two games in June.
Cory Crushing It: Cory Vaughn leads the Gnats in all three major rate categories: average (.332), on-base percentage (.454) and slugging percentage (.477) and stolen bases (8). He is seventh in the SAL in average, second in on-base percentage, tied for fourth in walks (31) and tops in HBP (13).
Close at Home: After last night’s win, the Gnats are 16-4 at home in games decided by two runs or less, and 3-8 on the road in such contests. The Gnats’ 19 wins in games decided by two runs or less are the most in the SAL.
Where the Homers Happen: The Gnats have hit 29 home runs in 27 games on the road this year and four in 27 games at home. Aderlin Rodriguez hit the Gnats’ last home homer at home on April 23, 18 games ago. Vaughn hit the Gnats’ last home run overall, May 26th in a 6-0 win in Augusta, eight games ago.
Strong Arms: The Gnats have the SAL’s best ERA (3.12) and WHIP (1.22). After eight strikeouts last night, the Gnats are now alone in second in the League in strikeouts (472).
Versus Kannapolis: This is the first and only series between the Gnats and Intimidators in 2011 and the only four games of the last 36 in the first half that the Gnats will play against a Northern Division opponent. The Gnats were 8-5 against Kannapolis in 2010, all at home.
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