Fireflies Game Notes: May 7 vs. Lakewood (Game 30)

Columbia Fireflies (14-15) vs. Lakewood BlueClaws (18-12)

RHP Harol Gonzalez (1-1, 7.65) vs. RHP Sixto Sanchez (0-2, 2.79)

Sunday, May 7, 2017 — Spirit Communications Park — First Pitch 2:05 p.m. — Game 30

LISTEN: ESPN Columbia 94.9 FM & 1230 AM / ColumbiaFireflies.com / TuneIn Radio App

WATCH: MiLB.TV

ABOUT LAST GAME: Lakewood took game two of the four-game series on Saturday, winning by a final score of 1-0. Lefty Blake Taylor tossed six shut-out innings and allowed just three hits.

STREAKING: Andres Gimenez has now reached safely in each of his first six games as a Columbia Firefly after drawing a walk on Saturday night. The shortstop is five off the team-high this season (accomplished by three other Fireflies):

            11 - Michael Paez (April 21-May 5)

            11 - Gene Cone (April 12-24)

            11 - Dash Winningham (April 6-16)

DEFENSE: Columbia has the second-best fielding percentage (.979) in the South Atlantic League. The Fireflies have commit just 22 errors in 29 games this year.

DEFENSE, Pt. II: Fireflies catcher Ali Sanchez has made base-stealers think twice when running against Columbia. The Mets prospect threw out a pair on the base-paths on Saturday and has now thrown out nine runners attempting to steal in just 17 chances (.529). Only three others catchers in the league have thrown out more, but two of those three have worse caught stealing percentages than Sanchez. Only Lakewood’s Edgar Cabral (14 runners thrown out, .560 caught stealing percentage) has been more efficient behind the plate this season. Cabral is a year and a half older than Sanchez, though.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Out of the 48 low-A, advanced-A and double-A minor league games last night, the crowd of 6,621 at Spirit Communications Park was the fourth-largest. Columbia is averaging 5,184 fans per game, best in the SAL and 8th-best out of the 90 low-A, advanced-A and double-A clubs. Columbia has even out-drawn 12 of the 30 triple-A teams.