Savannah Sand Gnats Season Pass

[Guest Edgy DC]

Durkin! Four hitless is sweet!

[MFS62]

Thanks, gnat.
Josh Thole was signed as a catcher. How did he look around the bag at first?
Pellot shows up on several lists of Mets prospects. He had terrible numbers last year and now he's batting ninth? Did he look like a prospect to you?
And Durkin is closing? Has much been made about this in the local papers?

Later

[Sandgnat]

62 - I haven't seen Thole play at 1B yet. The two games I have been to so far, Wabick was at first. I may go tonight, and I am definitely going tomorrow night to see Lester pitch so I will get back to you on that.

The biggest problem with Pellot is he can't field. I believe he led the Sallie in errors for a 2B last year with 28 or something like that, and he is in mid-season form in that regard already this year with 4. It should probably be 5 or 6 as he committed the other 2 errors on Tuesday night that were changed to hits. He is a thin, burner type whose speed most likely keeps him around, but with no glove I don't see him making it too far. He doesn't have much pop in his bat to DH at a higher level. Unless he can transition to the outfield, I think Hector will be looking for a new profession sooner rather then later.

Durkin isn't closing. He only got the save by going 4 innings. This was his first good appearance so far this year. He has been horrible prior to last night.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Hector was way over his head in the SALlie last year. Some of their guys have responded to being pushed. He's one who was treated as a "quickie" and didn't respond. It's a catchup year for him. I doubt they're looking to DH himi all year.

[Guest Johnny Dickshot]

I discovered recently that Puerto Rican bb legend Vic Power's given name was "Pellot" and wondered if somehow he's related to Hector, also from Puerto Rico and IIRC, a considered peculiar choice of the Mets to draft when they did, as if they knew something.

[Sandgnat]

http://savannahnow.com/node/268728

Sand Gnats drop 10th game of young season
Sports
MIKE BROWN | Friday, April 20, 2007 at 12:30 am

Drive 13, Sand Gnats 9

If the Savannah Sand Gnats could somehow manage to get a game started in the fifth inning, they could be a contender in the South Atlantic League race.

Todd Privett, who started Thursday night's game with the Greenville Drive at Grayson Stadium, continued a disturbing trend for Sand Gnats starters. In a 13-9 loss to Greenville, the lanky left-hander continued his early inning struggles. Privett was unable to get out of the third inning as the Drive jumped on him for eight runs, four in the third when he allowed four hits, including a pair of home runs.

Rated as the 24th-best prospect in the New York Mets system, Privett, who had 60 strikeouts in 68 innings last year while splitting time with Rookie League Kingsport (Tenn.) and Class A Brooklyn (N.Y.), finds himself with a myriad of questions that right now have no answers.

When he turned things over to Jeremy Mizell with two out in the third, Privett (0-2) had seen his ERA as a starter jump to 29.42. He has now allowed 18 runs, 17 earned, in 5.2 innings while allowing 22 hits. As a reliever, he has allowed only one run in 3.2 innings.

The loss dropped the Gnats to 4-10 on the season going into tonight's series closer with the Drive. The first pitch is set for 7:05 p.m., and there will be a fireworks show following the game.

A Thirsty Thursday crowd of 1,854 had not yet made its first run through the beer line when the Drive jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first, as it got to Privett for three hits. The Gnats answered with one in their half of the inning.

However, Lars Anderson countered with a two-run double for Greenville in the second, and then Privett got hammered in the third. Zak Farkes, who had two homers on the night, followed Jonathan Egan's leadoff single with a long shot to left.

After Mickey Hall singled with one out, second baseman Pedro Vasquez got his first home run of the season when he deposited a Privett fastball in the condemned left-field bleachers.

The Drive wound up hitting five homers on the night. Jon Still hit a pair, a solo shot in the seventh and a two-run job in the eighth. Farkes got his fourth of the year in the seventh. Greenville had 14 hits, while the Gnats had 11. Second baseman Hector Pellot collected three singles.

In innings one through four, Sand Gnats pitchers have an 8.15 ERA while in innings five to nine it drops to 3.24.

The Gnats gave their second-largest crowd of the season reason to cheer in the seventh when they rallied for four runs, two scoring on Juan Lagares' triple, his second of the series. They added two in the eighth, but the damage had already been done.

Greenville's starting pitcher tonight will be left-hander Jon Lester, who will be making the third of four scheduled starts for the Drive as he tries to make it back to the majors after being diagnosed with cancer last August.

Lester was 7-2 with a 4.76 ERA for the parent Boston Red Sox when doctors informed him he had anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a cancer in the body's lymph system.

The 23-year-old Lester underwent six chemotherapy treatments between the discovery and Dec. 21. Previous tests have shown him without cancer, and he is due for his next checkup later this month.

In starts against Charleston and Columbus, both of which lasted four innings, Lester has allowed only five hits while striking out 10 and walking none.

The Gnats will counter with right-hander Greg Mullens who is 1-0 with a 1.86 ERA. The 6-foot-6, 225 pound Mullens beat Kannapolis in his last outing. This will be his second start, and he has one appearance coming out of the bullpen.

[Sandgnat]

If you are really interested in superfluous information about Tobi Stoner, click here: http://savannahnow.com/node/271450

[Sandgnat]

Gnats are now 4-13 after losing thier fourth game in a row Sunday at Charleston, 4-2. Tobi Stoner took the loss and is now 0-3 with a 4.41 ERA. He gave up 3 runs on 5 hits in 4 1/3. He did strike out 4 and walked 2. Thole played first in the game (of course, because it was on the road so I didn't get to see it) and went 2-4 with 2 doubles and a run scored.

Savannah was blanked 4-0 on Saturday. Josh Stinson went 4 1/3 and gave up 2 runs on 5 hits in the loss. Catcher Shawn McGraw was 2-3. Thole was 1-3 and again was at 1st with Wabick playing in right.

Went to the game Friday night to see Lester pitch. It was his third rehab start and he went 5 innings, his longest outing so far. Greenville got on top 2-0 with two outs in the top of the first with a double, walk, wild pitch and a 2-run single. Lester went 1-2-3 in the bottom half. Our friend Hector Pellot had a dubious 2nd inning. He committed an error in the top half, then was picked off first after a single in the bottom half. Brahiam Maldonado hit a two run shot with Pena on 1st prior to Pellot's miscue on the basepaths to tie the game at 2. Savannah took the lead in the bottom of the 5th when Lester gave up another home run, this time to Hector Pellot. The left-hander allowed three runs on six hits with five strikeouts and no walks in his 5 innings of work. D. J. Wabick hit his first home run of the season, an opposite field shot in the bottom of the 6th to extend the lead to 4-2, where it stayed until the 8th when the Drive mounted a three-run rally. Manuel Arambarris started with a leadoff single off Nelson Portillo (0-2). Zak Farkes followed with a one-out base hit, Jason Place delivered an RBI double and Carlos Fernandez-Oliva had a two-out, two-run double to give Greenville the lead for good. There were over 2700 people in the stadium, beating out the 1800 who attended the night before for Thirsty Thursday, traditionally the biggest crowd for the week. The entire third base line box seats were Bosox fans, which was really annoying considering my seats on just on the third base side of homeplate.


11 pages of Met's prospect goodness can be found here:
http://sandgnats.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Game%20Notes%20PDFs/4-22-07%20at%20CHA.pdf

[Sandgnat]

Matt Durkin to start today for the Gnats:

http://www.sandgnats.com/news/archives/index.html?article_id=422

CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Savannah Sand Gnats (4-14) will send Matt Durkin (0-0, 4.76) to the mound for his first start of 2007 today in Charleston. It is a special Education Day 10:35 a.m. start from The Joe as Savannah looks to stop its 5-game losing streak.

Gnats Drop Fifth In A Row
The Gnats (4-14) struggled for just four hits off of ’Dogs starter Mike Dunn and five hits total. The Gnats lone run came on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. Savannah has scored just three runs in the series, two off wild pitches. On the plus side, the Gnats played their fourth errorless game of the season. Juan Lagares extended his hit streak to a personal best five games.

Happy Days
Savannah is 1-1 in day games this season and 3-13 in night games. The Gnats lone win during the day came on Sunday, April 8 at home against Asheville. During that game, catcher Francisco Pena and first baseman Leivi Ventura both recorded season-high four-hit games. On the year, the Gnats are hitting .292 in day games compared to .238 in night games.

There Will Be A Test
Next week the Gnats will invite Charleston across the river for their own 10:35 a.m. Education Day. Savannah has lost each of its last two Education Days at home, including a loss to rehabbing Red Sox pitcher Wade Miller in 2005. The Gnats last win on an Education Day came on May 19, 2004 in Savannah over the Capital City Bombers.

Thole Awesome, Dude
First baseman Josh Thole is hitting .538 (7-for-13) in his last five games. He has reached base in seven of his last eight games. In his only hitless game during that stretch, he popped out as a ninth-inning pinch hitter in the ninth inning. His .461 average would put him at 7th best in the league, but entering the morning, he is 5 plate appearances short of qualifying for the batting race.

Who's on First?
Apparently the opposing hitters are, because the Sand Gnats have been outscored 27-4 in the first inning alone. If you break down the Gnats pitching staff’s ERA by inning, the worst inning is the first with a 10.00 ERA. It isn’t fair to say that all the blame falls on the pitching staff as only 20 of those 27 first-inning runs are earned. The Gnats have made 9 errors in the first frame. This has led to the Sand Gnats having to play from behind as they have been trailing at the end of the first inning in more than 50 percent of their games (10-of-18).

http://www.sandgnats.com/news/archives/index.html?article_id=422

[Sandgnat]

ELVIS LEAVES THE BUILDING....GNATS BREAK LOSING AND SCORING STREAK...

The Gnats won a 10:35am game yesterday at Grayson Stadium 4-3 against the Charleston Riverdogs to snap a 5 game losing streak and bring their record to a dismal 6-20 on the seaon.

Riverdogs pitcher Angel Reyes, in his fourth year of professional baseball has a career ERA of less than 2.00 and he quickly retired the first 11 batters he faced Wednesday before giving up a harmless single to Leivi Ventura in the 4th with two outs. Pena flied out to end the inning.

Meanwhile the Riverdogs built a 3-0 lead against pitcher Josh Stinson by scoring single runs in the 3rd, 4th and 5th.

Reyes, who threw only 44 pitches in the first four innings, got the first two Gnats out in the 5th before hitting catcher Sean McCraw. Elvis Cruz followed McGraw's beaning by crushing a Reyes fastball completely out of the ballpark, clearing the left-field bleachers with ease. That shot ended a scoreless streak of 16.2 innings for the Gnats.

Luis Rivera followed with a single, stole second and came home with the tying run on Daniel Stegall's single up the middle.

Cruz followed up his home run in the 5th by plating the winning run iin the 6th. Brahiam Maldonado tripled with one out, Reyes hit McCraw for the second time to put runners on first and third, then Cruz singled up the middle to score Maldonado.

Gnats relievers Jeremy Mizell and Ryan Meyers shut the RiverDogs down the rest of the way after Stinson was lifted with one out in the 5th.

This was the annual Educational Day game, where the local elementary schools bring their students to the game, thus the 10:35am start.

62: I was at the game Tuesday night and Thole played first. He looked very comfortable in the field. He is also hitting the ball very well.

Oh yeah as an aside, DJ Wabick's girlfriend is HOT.

This link will get you caught up on everything Gnat. Hope you guys take a second to read these pdf files. I put them up here occastionally. They are very complete.

http://sandgnats.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Game%20Notes%20PDFs/5-2-07%20vs.%20CHA.pdf

[Guest Edgy DC]

=sandgnat]Oh yeah as an aside, DJ Wabick's girlfriend is HOT.

Tell us with a camera. The wifey database needs contributions.

[Willets Point]

BumpGnat.

[Sandgnat]

Sorry for slacking on my duties. I have been in Asia for the past three weeks and just flew back in from Malaysia....boy are my arms tired.

Predictably, not much has changed during my absence. The Gnats are still struggling. They are currently on a 6 game losing streak after getting man-handled by Augusta over the weekend. They are now 0-8 against the Greenjackets this year; having been outscored 65-12 and have never held a lead. The Gnats are hitting a sub-mendoza 0.194 with a 8.33 ERA against their counterparts from Mastersland. Augusta is the best team in the league posting a 45-18 record. Savannah sits at 19-44, 27 games out of first in the Sallie South division.

Next up is a three game set at Charleston (34-29). The Gnats are 5-11 against Charleston so far this year.

Sand Gnats third baseman Leivi Ventura will represent Savannah on the Southern Division roster in the 48th annual South Atlantic League All-Star Game. He is the only Sand Gnat representative on the 27-man roster.

Leivi leads the Gnats in hits (57) batting average (.291) home runs (4) and RBI (30). The 23-year-old Dominican native spent last season with the Mets’ South Atlantic League affiliate in Hagerstown, Md.

The all-star game is scheduled for Tuesday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m. at State Mutual Stadium in Rome, Ga., home of the Rome Braves. The team is voted on annually by South Atlantic League managers, coaches and media relations departments.

Sand Gnats starting pitcher Tobi Stoner has been called up to the advanced Class-A St. Lucie Mets, the New York Mets announced on June 5. Stoner is 3-5 with a 3.61 ERA in 11 starts. He is the first Gnat to earn a promotion this season.

The 22-year-old righty was the Sand Gnats opening day starter this year, but started the season with a five-game losing streak due in large part to low run support. Since then, he has rebounded to win his last three decisions. He is expected to make his first start for St. Lucie on Wednesday at home versus Sarasota.

Drafted out of Davis & Elkins (W.Va.) College in the 16th round of the 2006 draft, Stoner has a career record of 9-7 with a 2.74 ERA. Entering the season he was ranked by Baseball America as the 22nd best prospect in the New York Mets organization.

The Mets have not announced any roster move to replace Stoner. He was scheduled to start Tuesday’s game at home against Charleston, but instead Jeremy Mizell will make his first career start.

Sandgnats manager Tim Tueful is currently 5 wins away from his 200th career win. This is his fourth season as a manager with a career 195-205 record.

The Sandgnats named Matt Durkin Player of the Month for the month of May. Matt Durkin led all Sand Gnats starters in May with a 2.61 ERA. In five starts, he went 1-1 and held opponents to a .212 average.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Stoner is a big loss. I'm hoping Durkin turns it on to fill the void.

This season is costing Tuefel his winning career record.

I think the activation of Elvis Cruz fills Stoner's spot.

Welcome back.

[Sandgnat]

Thank you Eduardo. Although I really do like S.E. Asia, it is good to be back.

Durkin obliges your wish, and break up the Gnats!!! :

Gnats 5, RiverDogs 1

Matt Durkin (3-3) scattered four hits in seven innings Wednesday, shutting down the RiverDogs 5-1 in Charleston last night. Joe Holden, selected in the 21st round of the 2005 draft, was 4-for-5 with a double and an RBI. Brahiam Maldonado, selected in the 10th round of the 2004 draft was 3-for-4 with a double and has now hit safely in 14 of his last 16 games.

Durkin, whose ERA is 2.90, allowed only one walk and struck out three. Reliever Emary Frederick went the rest of the way, allowing just one hit and striking out five.

The Gnats, who split their four-game series with Charleston, begin a four-game home stand against the Rome Braves tonight (Thirsty Thursday!!!!!!!!!!!)

Greg Mullens (4-3, 4.50), who didn't record an out in his last start in Augusta last week gets the start for Savannah.

[Sandgnat]

Everything Gnats: http://sandgnats.com.ismmedia.com/ISM3/std-content/repos/Top/Game%20Notes%20PDFs/6-13-07%20at%20CHA.pdf

[Sandgnat]

Up to date transactions:

04/05 RHP Jocobo Neguilis placed on disabled list (right elbow)
04/05 RHP David Koons transferred from Savannah to Brooklyn
04/06 RHP Nelson Portillo transferred from Savannah to Brooklyn
04/06 RHP David Koons transferred from Brooklyn to Savannah
04/08 RHP Jeremy Mizell transferred from Savannah to Brooklyn
04/08 RHP Nelson Portillo transferred from Brooklyn to Savannah
04/12 RHP Jorge Reyes placed on disabled list (right shoulder)
04/12 RHP Jeremy Mizell transferred from Brooklyn to Savannah
04/30 OF Jonathan Sanchez transferred from Savannah to Brooklyn
04/30 LHP Todd Privett transferred from Savannah to Brooklyn
04/30 OF Joe Holden transferred from St. Lucie to Savannah
04/30 RHP Ryan Meyers transferred from Brooklyn to Savannah
05/03 RHP Emary Frederick placed on suspended list (Apirl 26 Incident)
05/04 IF Juan Lagares transferred from Savannah to Kingsport
05/04 IF Jacob Eigsti transferred from GCL Mets to Savannah
05/06 RHP Emary Frederick activated from suspended list
05/12 IF Jacob Eigsti transferred from Savannah to Brooklyn
05/12 IF Juan Lagares transferred from Kingsport to Savannah
05/16 OF Elvis Cruz placed on disabled list (strained left oblique)
05/16 LHP Todd Privett transferred from Brooklyn to Savannah
05/22 OF Daniel Stegall placed on suspended list (May 11 Altercation)
05/24 OF Daniel Stegall activated from suspended list
05/30 IF Luis Rivera transferred from Savannah to Brooklyn
05/30 IF Joaquin Rodriguez transferred from Brooklyn to Savannah
06/05 RHP Tobi Stoner transferred from Savannah to St. Lucie
06/05 OF Elvis Cruz activated from disabled list

[Guest Edgy DC]

I was right about Elvis. I'm getting the hang of this.

[Sandgnat]

...and that couldn't happen soon enough for Tim Tueful and the Sand Gnats. The Gnats were swept by the Rome Braves in a twinbill yesterday 5-0 and 2-1, extending their losing streak to 4 and finishing the first half of the Sallie League regular season 20-50, 30 games out of first place.

The Gnats also played both games yesterday without third baseman Leivi Ventura, who was benched when he was late arriving to the ballpark. www.sandgnats.com is also reporting the Hector Pellot has replaced Ventura as the Gnats representative on the All-Star team, although there is nothing in the report that links yesterday's benching to the replacement, and no further reason has been given.

The Gnats are on pace to break the worst all-time season record in Savannah history. Going all the way back to 1939, the worst season on record for a Savannah team came in 2002 when the Texas Rangers farm team was 49-89.

The Gnats will now be idle until Thursday as the South Atlantic League shuts down for three days to hold its All-Star game Tuesday night at Rome.

There are rumors of as many as half-dozen players being moved during the break. Pitchers Greg Mullens, David Koons and Todd Privett are players rumored to be moving on along with infielders D.J. Wabick and Greg Veloz. Pitcher Matt Durkin could also possibly be one of those finding himself in a new uniform.

Sand Gnats officials confirmed there would be some roster changes, but said they were being finalized and would be announced during the break.

Savannah will resume play with a clean slate on Thursday when it opens a four-game series at Columbus.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Ventura was the closest thing to an All Star for Savannah for much of the season, but Pellot, finally, has been coming along.

With no reports of Ventura being injured or transferred to another squadron, it's hard not to wonder if his being struck from the All Star team is related to his disciplinary benching.

[Sandgnat]

Gotta agree with you Edge. I think if you look back on this thread, somewhere I said that Ventura was one of the few people that I thought looked like he had a major league future at the plate, but his glove and conditioning would be an issue. Of all the regulars, only Thole had a higher average in the first half (.268 to .262). Ventura was third in runs scored with 26 (Pellot - 29, Thole - 27). Ventura led the team in doubles, homeruns, RBI's and total bases. Thole could have got some consideration, but his lack of power (0 homeruns) doesn't help. Interestingly, (especially to this board), after a slow start, Matt Durkin could have got some consideration too. Including last night's start (see below) he is now 4-3 with a 2.76 and a 1.14 WHIP.

The South lost to the North in the All-Star Game 3-1 with our own Hector Pellot going 0-2 including a strikeout with the bases loaded. He came in in the 6th inning and played the rest of the game.

In more encouraging news, the Sand Gnats are undefeated!!!!!

Savannah (1-0) started the second half of the season on a winning note as they defeated the Catfish, 3-2. Matt Durkin (4-3) notched the win by throwing 7.0 innings of 4-hit ball.

Durkin allowed 2 of his hits and his lone run in the second giving up back-to-back doubles to start the inning. He got out of the inning with no further damage.

Closer Ryan Meyers retired all four men he faced for his eighth save. Since being sent down from St. Lucie where in 6 appearances he carried a 7.71 ERA, Meyers, selected in the 17th round of the 2003 draft out of high school has gone 8-8 in save opportunities with a 1.96 ERA for Savannah.

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Gnat site is listing Ventura on the suspended list.

That's two freaking guys on that list.

[Sandgnat]

The winning streak and undefeated second half of the season are both officially over. Gnats got crushed by the Catfish last night 17-2 in Columbus. Joaquin Rodriguez, who came to the Gnats from Brooklyn on May 30, filled in for suspended 3B Leivi Ventura and went 2-3 and is now 6 for his first 15 AB's.


In transaction news, right-hander Jeramy Simmons has been added to the Gnats' roster, the New York Mets announced Friday. Simmons was with the Mets' high Class A affiliate in St. Lucie, Fla., before joining the Gnats.

In 15 appearances in St. Lucie, Simmons went 0-2 with a 5.66 ERA. Last season, Simmons went 3-4 with a 4.13 ERA as a starter at Hagerstown (Md.) of the South Atlantic League.

The Florida native was a 36th-round pick by the Mets in the 2005 amateur draft. He played his college ball at South Alabama.

[Sandgnat]

Comings and Goings...

As mentioned, there was going to be a lot of roster changes during the SAL All-Star break for the Gnats. The results are in:


Welcome to the Hostess City of the South:

Player Pos From

Alex Beras RHP Brooklyn

Tyler Johnstone RHP Brooklyn

Waner Mateo RHP Brooklyn

Jonathan Sanchez OF Brooklyn

Jeramy Simmons RHP St. Lucie

GOOD LUCK ELSEWHERE

Player Pos Destination

David Koons RHP Brooklyn

Todd Privett LHP Brooklyn

Daniel Stegall OF Kingsport

Tim Stronach RHP Brooklyn

Gregory Veloz 2B Kingsport

[Sandgnat]

Savannah Manager Tim Teufel earned his 200th minor league victory Tuesday night as the Gnats scored a season-high 11 runs en route to an 11-4 victory over Charleston in front of 1,811 fans at at Grayson Stadium in Savannah.

Gnats designated hitter D.J. Wabick (25th round, 2005 draft, College of Charleston) became the sixth Sand Gnat this season to collect four hits in a game as he went 4-for-5 and finished a triple shy of the cycle.

Savannah plated six runs in the second inning, tying a season-high for runs scored in an inning. They sent nine batters to the plate in the inning and scored six runs on six hits to open the scoring.

Savannah continued to pour it on as they scored at least one run in each of the next four innings.

Hector Pellot went 2-for-5 including a two-run home run deep into the left field bleachers in the fifth inning.

Starting pitcher Matt Durkin went 3 and a 1/3, giving up 2 runs on 1 hit and struck out 4 before he was forced to leave the game with a blister on his right thumb.

Recently acquired Jeramy Simmons took over and picked up the win.

[Sandgnat]

Savannah Manager Tim Teufel earned his 200th minor league victory Tuesday night as the Gnats scored a season-high 11 runs en route to an 11-4 victory over Charleston in front of 1,811 fans at at Grayson Stadium in Savannah.

Gnats designated hitter D.J. Wabick (25th round, 2005 draft, College of Charleston) became the sixth Sand Gnat this season to collect four hits in a game as he went 4-for-5 and finished a triple shy of the cycle.

Savannah plated six runs in the second inning, tying a season-high for runs scored in an inning. They sent nine batters to the plate in the inning and scored six runs on six hits to open the scoring.

Savannah continued to pour it on as they scored at least one run in each of the next four innings.

Hector Pellot went 2-for-5 including a two-run home run deep into the left field bleachers in the fifth inning.

Starting pitcher Matt Durkin went 3 and a 1/3, giving up 2 runs on 1 hit and struck out 4 before he was forced to leave the game with a blister on his right thumb.

Recently acquired Jeramy Simmons took over and picked up the win.