Champ and Cruzado Lead Savannah's Siege of Rome (Whalen Coverage, gifs)

Savannah Sand Gnats @ Rome Braves

August 19, 2014

Robert Whalen @ Steve Janas

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Savannah	2	3	0	0	0	4	0	2	0	11	17	1
Rome	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	0	3	6	0

Win: Whalen (8-1, 1.94 ERA); Loss: Janas (2-6, 5.00 ERA); Save: Paul Paez (1)

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Robert Whalen – 5.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 5 SO, HBP, 9 GO: 2 FO

Paul Paez (4.60 ERA) – 3.1 IP, BB, 3 SO, 5 GO, 1 IR – 0 S

Batters

Yeixon Ruiz – 2-5, 2 R, HR (5), 3 RBI (34), BB, SB (14), SO

Champ Stuart – 2-6, 2 R, 2B (4), 3B (3), RBI (21), SB (24), 3 SO

Dominic Smith – 2-6, R, RBI (41)

Matt Oberste – 2-4, 2 R, 2B (19), RBI (43), BB

Victor Cruzado – 3-5, 2 R, HR (7), 4 RBI (47), SO

Nelfi Zapata – 1-4, 2B (10), RBI (11), BB

Colton Plaia – 2-5, R

Patrick Biondi – 3-5, R, 2B (11), SO

Recap:

The Gnats jumped out to a quick lead in the Rome opener Tuesday night, giving starter Robert Whalen all the offense he’d need by the end of the 2^nd inning. Of course, that didn’t stop them from piling on more offense. Every Gnats starter had a hit except 2B Jon Johnson, and only 3B Nelfi Zapata was limited to just one hit. That was more than enough for Whalen, who used a heavy diet of breaking balls to keep the Rome batters off balance most of the game. He ran into some trouble in the 6^th, although he could have easily finished the inning with a little help from his defense. Whalen’s fastball command was a little spotty throughout, and this prolonged some of his innings, which shortened his start – with such a big lead, I’m sure he would’ve liked to finish 6-7 innings. Back from his short stint with Brooklyn, reliever Paul Paez came in for the long 3.1 IP save when Whalen reached his pitch count in the 6^th. He’d face one over the minimum, allowing just a walk against three strikeouts and five groundouts.

After Yeixon Ruiz led off the game with a walk, Champ Stuart tripled him in to make it 1-0 before most fans found their seats.

3 feet shy of a homerun

Stuart would score on a Matt Oberste groundout, and Whalen would start his night with a 2-0 lead. Colton Plaia started a two-out rally in the 2^nd with this single.

Whoever was keeping track of score in Rome was drunk all game

Patrick Biondi followed with a single of his own.

And Ruiz continued his surprisingly strong season with a homerun to RF, his 5^th of the season with the Gnats.

Just does get out - that is homerun hill

Dominic Smith started the 3^rd inning off with a single to LF, although he’d end up stranded on 2B.

Plaia got the 4^th inning started with his second single of the night.

Two batters later, Ruiz picked up this infield single, reaching base for a third straight time.

The Gnats couldn’t capitalize on leadoff hits in the 3^rd or 4^th innings, but they got another two-out rally started in the 6^th with this Champ double.

Displayed his power and speed well Tuesday night

Smith followed with an RBI single.

Then Oberste doubled into the LF corner to put two runners on for Victor Cruzado.

Cruzado picked up his first two RBI’s of the game when he singled Smith and Oberste home against a new pitcher.

Nelfi Zapata would follow and double home Cruzado from 1B to make it a 9-1 Sand Gnats lead.

The Z-Man with Zee big double

Biondi picked up another hit in the 7^th when he lined this double into the LF corner.

The Gnats put a cherry on top of the game in the 8^th, and Oberste got this rally started with a one-out single.

Cruzado followed with a long at bat that ended with a 3-2 rally-killer – the good kind!

It was hit too deep for the cameras

Whalen Pitch Coverage:

Table 1 – Breaking down pitch count by type and inning

Count (Strikes)	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	5^th	6^th	Total
Fastball	8 (3)	10 (6)	5 (3)	6 (3)	2 (1)	8 (6)	39 (22)
Change-up	6 (4)	5 (4)	2 (2)	4 (2)	1 (1)	3 (1)	21 (14)
Breaking Ball	3 (3)	6 (2)	7 (5)	11 (7)	5 (4)	10 (5)	42 (26)
Total	17 (10)	21 (12)	14 (10)	21 (13)	8 (6)	21 (12)	102 (62)

Table 2 – Breaking down pitch results by type

Strike %
Total	Call	Sw	Foul

BIP%
LD	GB	FB	PU

Results
AB	BABIP	ISO	K

Fastball

56.4

5.1

7.7

33.0

.250

.000

Change-up

66.7

0.00

23.8

9.5

.286

.000

Breaking Ball

61.9

19.0

16.7

9.5

.375

.000

1^st inning

1) Connor Oliver walked (BB)

a. Fastball, thigh high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Change-up, thigh high and outside – ball 2-0

c. Fastball, knee high and inside corner – swinging strike 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and outside – ball 3-1

e. Change-up, thigh high and outside corner – swinging strike 3-2

f. Fastball, belt high and outside

2) Connor Lien struck out swinging (K/Sw)

a. Change-up, shin high and inside corner – ball 1-0

*Oliver stole 2B

b. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 1-1

c. Fastball, thigh high over the middle – swinging strike 1-2

d. Fastball, inside corner – swinging strike 3

3) Sean Godfrey struck out looking (K/Lo)

a. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 0-1

b. Fastball, behind the batter – ball 1-1

*Oliver went to 3B on a wild pitch

c. Curveball, belt high and inside corner – foul 1-2

d. Curveball, knee high over the middle – foul 1-2

e. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – called strike 3

4) Jacob Schrader hit a groundout to Zapata (53/G)

a. Fastball, belt high and inside – ball 1-0

b. Change-up, knee high and outside corner

2^nd inning

1) Joey Meneses flied out to Champ (8/F)

a. Fastball, shin high and inside – ball 1-0

b. Change-up, knee high and inside corner – foul 1-1

c. Fastball, belt high and inside – ball 2-1

d. Change-up, belt high and inside – ball 3-1

e. Fastball, knee high over the middle

2) Carlos Franco hit a groundout to Smith (31/G)

a. Change-up, thigh high over the middle – swinging strike 0-1

b. Curveball, shin high and outside – ball 1-1

c. Curveball, shin high over the middle

3) Sal Giardina lined a single into CF (S8/L)

a. Fastball, bounced and inside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 1-1

c. Curveball, ankle high and inside – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner – foul 2-2

e. Change-up, knee high and inside corner

4) Codey McElroy was hit with a pitch (HBP)

a. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 0-1

b. Curveball, ankle high and outside – ball 1-1

c. Curveball, thigh high and inside corner – strike 1-2

d. Fastball, knee high and inside corner – foul 1-2

e. Curveball, hit him in the helmet (no injury concerns)

5) Reed Harper hit a groundout back to the mound (13/G)

a. Fastball, shin high and outside corner – swinging strike 0-1

b. Fastball, belt high and inside corner – ball 1-1

c. Change-up, knee high and outside corner

3^rd inning

1) Oliver hit a groundout to Johnson (43/G)

a. Change-up, knee high and outside corner

2) Lien struck out looking (K/Lo)

a. Curveball, thigh high and inside corner – bunt foul 0-1

b. Curveball, thigh high and inside – ball 1-1

c. Change-up, knee high over the middle – swinging strike 1-2

d. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – strike 3 looking

3) Godfrey lined a single into LF (S7/L)

a. Fastball, shin high over the middle – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, above the belt over the middle – ball 2-0

c. Fastball, thigh high and inside – foul 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 2-2

e. Curveball, thigh high and inside corner

4) Schrader hit a groundout to Zapata (53/G)

a. Curveball, thigh high over the middle – strike 0-1

b. Curveball, shin high and outside – ball 1-1

c. Fastball, knee high and outside corner – foul 1-2

d. Curveball, shin high and inside corner

4^th inning

1) Meneses walked (BB)

a. Slider, shin high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, shin high and inside corner – swinging strike 1-1

c. Curveball, bounced and outside – ball 2-1

d. Change-up, belt high and inside – ball 3-1

e. Slider, thigh high and inside – swinging strike 3-2

f. Fastball, shin high and inside corner – ball 4

2) Franco singled into RF (S9/G)

a. Change-up, shin high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, shin high over the middle – ball 2-0

c. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 2-1

d. Fastball, shin high and outside – ball 3-1

e. Fastball, belt high over the middle

3) Giardina singled into CF, which loaded the bases (S8/F)

a. Curveball, shin high and outside corner – swinging strike 0-1

b. Curveball, knee high and outside corner

4) McElroy popped out to Smith – infield fly rule called (3/P)

a. Curveball, shin high over the middle – ball 1-0

b. Curveball, bounced outside – swinging strike 1-1

c. Change-up, thigh high and outside corner

5) Harper hit an RBI groundout to Zapata (53/G)

a. Curveball, knee high over the middle – strike 0-1

b. Curveball, shin high and outside corner – swinging strike 0-2

c. Curveball, bounced and outside – ball 1-2

d. Curveball, knee high and inside corner

6) Oliver popped out to Johnson (4/P)

a. Change-up, knee high and inside corner

5^th inning

1) Lien flied out to Biondi (7/F)

a. Curveball, knee high over the middle – strike 0-1

b. Fastball, knee high and outside – ball 1-1

c. Curveball, knee high and outside corner

2) Godfrey struck out swinging (K/Sw)

a. Fastball, belt high and inside corner – bunt foul 0-1 (just rolled enough to go foul)

b. Slider, thigh high and inside – ball 1-1

c. Change-up, knee high and outside corner – foul 1-2

d. Curveball, shin high and outside corner – swinging strike 3

3) Schrader hit a groundout to Smith (3u/G)

a. Curveball, shin high and outside

6^th inning

1) Meneses singled into CF (S8/G)

a. Fastball, knee high over the middle – strike 0-1

b. Fastball, shin high and inside – ball 1-1

c. Breaking ball, bounced over the middle – ball 2-1

d. Slider, knee high and inside corner – strike 2-2

e. Curveball, knee high and inside – ball 3-2

f. Change-up, belt high over the middle

2) Franco lined a single into LF (S7/L)

a. Fastball, thigh high and outside corner

3) Giardina hit a groundout to Ruiz, which advanced the runners to 2B and 3B (63/G)

a. Change-up, shin high and outside – ball 1-0

b. Change-up, shin high and inside corner – ball 2-0

c. Slider, shin high and outside corner

4) McElroy struck out looking (K/Lo)

a. Curveball, bounced outside – ball 1-0

b. Fastball, knee high and outside corner – strike 1-1

c. Fastball, belt high and inside corner – foul 1-2

d. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner – foul 1-2

e. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – foul 1-2

f. Curveball, bounced outside – ball 2-2

*Wild pitch allowed Meneses to score from 3B

g. Curveball, knee high and inside corner – strike 3 looking

5) Harper reached on a throwing error by Ruiz, which allowed Franco to score (E6/G) – throw was too high

a. Curveball, shin high over the middle – swinging strike 0-1

b. Fastball, shin high and outside corner – ball 1-1

c. Curveball, shin high and inside corner – ball 2-1

d. Fastball, thigh high and inside corner

Today marks the 37th anniversary of the Voyager 2 spacecraft's launch! http://t.co/fdk7GcN9IE @NSFVoyager2 pic.twitter.com/DKEaJe7L4V
— In Saturn's Rings (@InSaturnsRings) August 20, 2014

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