Augusta Green Jackets @ Columbia Fireflies
May 31, 2017
Teams
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
4
|
5
|
6
|
7
|
8
|
9
|
R
|
H
|
E
|
|
Augusta
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
11
|
3
|
|
Columbia
|
2
|
1
|
0
|
1
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
X
|
4
|
8
|
0
|
W: Gonzalez (7-1,
1.73 ERA); L: Adon (0-5, 3.79 ERA); Save: Kuhns (3)
 |
| Merandy Gonzalez!! |
The Highlights:
Pitchers
Merandy Gonzalez
(W, 7-1, 1.73 ERA) – 6 IP, 9 H, 2 R (1 ER), 1 2B, 2 3B, 14 TB, 1 BB, 10 K (8
K/Sw), 6 GB: 6 FB: 3 LD: 2 PU, 98 Pitches (73 Strikes), 17 Swinging, 18 Called,
17.3% SwStr, 30.9% Whiff/Swing, 16.3 Pitches/IP, 28 BF
Adam Atkins (H, 1, 3.86 ERA) – 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 TB,
1 K (1 K/Sw), 3 GB: 1 LD, 16 Pitches (13 Strikes), 2 Swinging, 3 Called, 12.5%
SwStr, 20% Whiff/Swing, 16 Pitches/IP, 5 BF
Joseph Zanghi (H, 1, 3.18 ERA) – 1 IP, 2 K (1 K/Sw), 1 FB,
10 Pitches (7 Strikes), 1 Swinging, 3 Called, 10% SwStr, 25% Whiff/Swing, 10
Pitches/IP, 3 BF
Max Kuhns (S, 3, 1.25 ERA) – 1 IP, 1 K (0 K/Sw), 2 GB, 13
Pitches (9 Strikes), 0 Swinging, 5 Called, 0% SwStr, 0% Whiff/Swing, 13
Pitches/IP, 3 BF
Batters
RF - Gene Cone - 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4.75 Pitches/PA
SS - Andres Gimenez - 1-3, 1 R, 1 HBP, 1 K, 20% SwStr, 33.3%
Whiff/Swing, 2.5 Pitches/PA
DH - Michael Paez - 1-4, 1 2B, 3.75 Pitches/PA
1B - Dash Winningham - 1-4, 8.3% SwStr, 14.3% Whiff/Swing, 3
Pitches/PA
2B - Luis Carpio - 1-4, 1 RBI, 7.1% SwStr, 14.3%
Whiff/Swing, 3.5 Pitches/PA
C - Ali Sanchez - 0-4, 3 Pitches/PA
CF - Desmond Lindsay - 0-4, 2 K, 15.8% SwStr, 42.9%
Whiff/Swing, 4.75 Pitches/PA
LF - Tim Tebow - 1-4, 1 R, 1 K, 15.8% SwStr, 30% Whiff/Swing,
4.75 Pitches/PA
3B - Reed Gamache - 1-3, 1 R, 11.1% SwStr, 20% Whiff/Swing,
3 Pitches/PA
Recapish
Up
two games to none over Augusta in the three game series, the Columbia Fireflies
turned to Merandy Gonzalez to finish a sweep of the Green Jackets Wednesday
night, and he came through with a career high ten strikeouts. It was already
the third time Merandy beat the Green Jackets this year, though he hadn’t faced
them since his second start of the year. After scoring 22 runs in the first two
games of this series, the Fireflies were held to just four Wednesday, but that
proved to be just enough for Merandy and the Cola pen.
Though
Merandy was inducing swinging strikes all night long (17 total, Augusta had
just a 69% contact rate against him), the Green Jackets got to him for nine
hits, which is two more than he allowed in his first 13.2 IP against them. He
dealt with scoring threats throughout the game, stranding the bases loaded in
the 1st, two in scoring position during the 4th, and a
runner at second in the 6th.
The first three hits Merandy
allowed were not well struck, but well placed, and they loaded up the bases for
Augusta with one out in the 1st inning. Merandy responded by
striking out Jacob Heyward before a groundout ended the threat.
Just
like Tuesday, the Fireflies offense did their work early. Gene Cone led off the
1st with a single, went to second base when Andres Gimenez took a
HBP, and then scored on a throwing error. Gimenez came home on a Luis Carpio
groundout one batter later to make it 2-0.
The
2nd inning featured an uncommon sequence, though one that happened
against Jordan Humphreys in exactly the same way Tuesday. Merandy Gonzalez
struck out Zack Bowers and Johneshwy Fargas for the last two outs of the 2nd,
but Christian Paulino tripled and scored on a passed ball in between those
strikeouts (Paulino had been at the plate for the passed ball Tuesday).
Paulino’s triple was tagged to the CF wall.
Tim
Tebow could smell an infield hit on a weakly hit grounder in the 2nd
and his hustle led to a throwing error, which put Tebow on second. Tebow went
to third on a groundout and then scored on Gene Cone’s second hit in as many
innings.
The
Green Jackets connected for a leadoff single against Merandy in the 3rd,
but he set the next three down quickly, striking out Jose Vizcaino and Heyward
again to end the frame.
Dash
Winningham and Carpio went back-to-back with singles in the top of the 3rd,
but the Fireflies couldn’t get anything out of it.
The
first two Green Jackets reached in the top of the 4th, but Merandy
set the next three down quickly to escape the threat, striking out Paulino and
Fargas back-to-back with two in scoring position.
Columbia
added one more run to their total in the 4th, and another Augusta
error was committed on a key play. Reed Gamache reached on a one out single,
went to second on a walk to Cone, and then scored on Gimenez’s RBI single into
CF.
Merandy
struck out Fabian and Michael Bernal in the 5th, but allowed another
two out triple that led to a run in the frame. His final strikeout came against
Zach Bowers before he allowed a two out double in the 6th, but
Merandy stranded Paulino at second in the frame and left the game with a 4-2
lead.
 |
| Reed Gamache at third |
Adam
Atkins took over for Merandy in the 7th and immediately found
himself in trouble. Fabian led off with a single, went to second on a
groundout, to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a Vizcaino single to
LF. Atkins then made Heyward look bad before a groundout ended the inning.
Michael
Paez flared a double to CF in the 7th but was stranded at third in
the frame.
With
a 4-3 lead, Manager Jose Leger turned to Joseph Zanghi for the 8th
and Max Kuhns for the 9th to finish off the sweep. Zanghi struck out
two during a perfect 8th, including Zack Bowers, who then went into
the dugout and flipped off the camera. Kuhns also worked a perfect inning, and
he finished the game with a strikeout of Kelvin Beltre, pushing the Fireflies
total to 14 for the night.
With
this series on ice the Columbia Fireflies are heading to Hagerstown to start a
weekend series with the Suns. There is no MiLB.tv coverage for Hagerstown
games, so Fireflies highlights won’t be back until they are next week.
Pitcher Coverage
Table 1 – Merandy pitch stats by inning
1st
|
2nd
|
3rd
|
4th
|
5th
|
6th
|
Total
|
|
Total
|
24
|
16
|
11
|
21
|
14
|
12
|
98
|
Strikes
|
17
|
11
|
9
|
15
|
12
|
9
|
73
|
Swinging*
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
4
|
2
|
3
|
17
|
*17.3% Swinging strike rate; 30.9% Whiff/Swing strike rate
NICER to launch to ISS #today aboard @SpaceX Dragon. Chandra/NICER will make a great team, studying neutron stars and #BlackHoles #together! pic.twitter.com/YOZn6Or1NO— Chandra Observatory (@chandraxray) June 1, 2017
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