Richmond Flying Squirrels | 3001 N Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA 23230 | 804-359-3866 | SquirrelsBaseball.com | @GoSquirrels Richmond Flying Squirrels (38-64, 15-20) vs. Altoona Curve (52-50, 17-18) RHP Alfred Gutierrez (6-4, 4.29) vs. RHP Beau Sulser (7-1, 2.57) Saturday, July 27, 2019 | Game #103 | Road Game #50 6 p.m. | Peoples Natural Gas Field | Altoona, Pa. Radio: Sports Radio 910 The Fan & 105.1 FM | TV: MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PROBABLE PITCHERS Sun., July 28 at Altoona 6 p.m. TBD vs. RHP Cody Bolton (0-1, 5.79) Mon., July 29 OFF DAY Tues., July 30 Portland 6:35 p.m. RHP Bryan Mata (1-3, 4.21) vs. RHP Brandon Lawson (4-5, 3.64) Wed., July 31 Portland 6:35 p.m. RHP Denyi Reyes (6-9, 3.81) vs. RHP LHP Caleb Baragar (3-3, 3.73) YESTERDAY: The Flying Squirrels picked up their second straight win with a 5-3 victory over the Altoona Curve. Richmond 2019 FLYING SQUIRRELS scored the game’s first run in the second inning on a sac bunt byCaleb Baragar that scored Johneshwy Fargas. In the bottom of the inning, Robbie Glendinning hit a three-run homer to put the Curve ahead, 5-3. The Flying Squirrels rallied in the sixth. Overall Record ..............................38-64 Jonah Arenado and Bryce Johnson hit RBI doubles to tie the score at 3-3. Gio Brusa gave the Flying Squirrels a 4-3 lead with First Half ..........................................23-44 an RBI single. In the seventh, Zach Houchins added an insurance run with a sac fly. Second Half .................................... 15-20 TODAY’S GAME: The Flying Squirrels play the third of a four-game road series against the Altoona Curve, Double-A affiliate of Home ................................................ 15-38 the Pittsburgh Pirates. Tonight’s game is the 16th of 21 total match-ups between the two teams this season. Altoona won two of Road ................................................ 23-26 three at The Diamond from April 18-20, two of three in Altoona from April 26-28, three of four in Richmond from May 2-5 and ................ 5th/-11.0 two of three in Richmond from May 24-26. The Flying Squirrels are 14-22 in games following a win this season. Place (E.L. Western) Streak ................................................... W2 THE FLYING SQUIRRELS have lost six of their last nine games since July 21. Overall this season, the Richmond offense ranks Last 5 .................................................... 2-3 last in the league with a .219 batting average. The pitching staff has combined for a 3.84 team ERA, which is 11th in the circuit. .................................................. 4-6 Richmond’s -122 run differential is last in the league (next closest is New Hampshire at -17). The previous franchise-worst is -80 Last 10 in 2017. HOME ATTENDANCE INFO THE CURVE have lost five consecutive games since Monday and 11 of the last 14 since July 14. Altoona’s offense is ranked fifth ..............292,108 in the league with a .242 batting average. The team’s pitching staff is ranked eighth in the league with a 3.70 ERA on the year. 2019 Home Attendance Altoona’s roster includes four of MLB.com’s top-30 Pirates prospects, including Jared Oliva (9), Stephen Alemais (22 - on IL), Home Openings ..................................49 Cody Bolton (23) and Blake Cederlind (30). Average Attendance ....................5,961 FOR RICHMOND: Right-hander Alfred Gutierrez makes his 20th start of the season for the Flying Squirrels and his third against the Curve. Last time out, he pitched 5.0 innings and allowed three runs in a no-decision against Erie on Sunday. He has won six RICHMOND vs. ALTOONA of his last 11 starts, going 6-2 with a 3.83 ERA (23 ER/54.0 IP) since May 26. He faced the Curve in back-to-back starts on April 2019 vs. Altoona ............................... 6-9 28 and May 3, combining for a 6.48 ERA (6 ER/8.1 IP). Gutierrez is in his first season with the Giants organization after spending the previous seven with the Detroit Tigers. Last year, he spent time at three levels and made seven starts for the Erie SeaWolves at Richmond ...................................3-7 in the Eastern League. He spent most of the season split between the starting rotation and bullpen with A-Adv. Lakeland and at Altoona ....................................... 3-2 was named a Florida State League Mid-Season All-Star. For more on Gutierrez, see page two. All-Time vs. Altoona .................. 87-107 FOR ALTOONA: Right-hander Beau Sulser makes his second start of the season and his 26th overall appearance for the Curve at Richmond ..............................48-44 this season. His only other start of the year came on July 20 at Bowie, and he allowed four runs over four innings. Sulser started at Altoona .................................. 39-63 the season 7-0 with a 1.28 ERA through his first 22 appearances, all in relief, and was selected as an Eastern League Mid-Season All-Star. Over his three outings since, Sulser is 0-1 with a 13.30 ERA (10 ER/6.2 IP). He was drafted by the Pirates in the 10th round in 2017 out of Dartmouth and is in his third professional season. ON THE ROAD TRIP Games ...................................................... 2 HIGHS AND LOWS: The Flying Squirrels were shut out in three of the seven games on the last homestand and came one out Record .................................................. 2-0 away from being no-hit twice. Over seven games from July 5 (G2)-July 14 (1-6 record), the Flying Squirrels hit .154 (31-for-202). On July 16 and 17, the team combined for 28 hits in two games, including a season-high 15 on July 17 in Hartford. After being held to six total hits against Erie from July 18-19, the Richmond offense had 19 hits in the next two games from July 20-21. In the Batters three-game series against the Baysox from July 22-24, the Flying Squirrels were shut out twice and outscored 15-1, batting .143 Batting Average .................. .271 (19/70) (11-for-77) for the series. The team snapped a 26.1-inning scoreless steak with a homer by Gio Brusa in the ninth on Wednesday afternoon. In the two games of the current series in Altoona, the Flying Squirrels are batting .271 (19-for-70). RISP ......................................... .286 (6/21) Runs/Runs Per Game ....................8/4.0 PITCHERS’ DELIGHT: The 2019 season has been the “Year of the Pitcher” in the Eastern League. There have been seven Home Runs .............................................0 no-hitters thrown in the league this year, two shy of the record nine no-hitters in 1967. On the season, the league has combined for a 3.58 ERA, the second-lowest in all of minor league baseball, down from last year’s mark of 4.01 and the lowest in the EL since 1990 (3.33). The league’s offenses have combined to hit .239, lowest of all MiLB full-season leagues, which is down from Pitchers .253 last season and the lowest in the EL since 1971 (.234). Richmond’s offense has been held to a .219 batting average, which ERA ............................ 2.00 (4 ER/18.0 IP) would be tied for the seventh-lowest (1967 Williamsport Mets, 1967 Binghamton Triples & 1975 Trois-Rivieres Aigles) since the EL became a Double-A circuit in 1963. The last time a team had a lower batting average in the Eastern League in 1971 (Elmira Starter W/L .......................................... 2-0 Pioneers - .218). Starter ERA ................ 3.27 (4 ER/11.0 IP) Reliever W/L ........................................ 0-0 A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS: On the season, the Flying Squirrels have won five series, lost 21 and split five. Four of their five series wins have come on the road. Richmond had lost three straight series prior to winning two-of-three in Hartford Reliever ERA .............. 0.00 (0 ER/7.0 IP) last week, their first series win since a three-game sweep in Binghamton from June 21-23. They followed with a series loss to Saves/Opps ........................................ 2/2 Erie over the weekend and a three-game sweep by Bowie from Monday through Wednesday. TROUBLE AT HOME: Since May 23, the Flying Squirrels have gone 6-23 in 29 home games. Richmond has lost eight of the last THIS DATE IN HISTORY nine home series since May 21, with the only exception being a four-game split against Hartford from June 27-30. After starting In 2018, the Flying Squirrels beat the the year 5-2 at home through April 18, Richmond has posted a 10-36 record in 46 games at The Diamond since April 20. Rich- Reading Fightin Phils, 2-1. Richmond mond’s only home series win the year was their first set of the season when they won three-of-four against Hartford from April 4-7. Away from The Diamond, the Flying Squirrels are 10-6 in their last 16 road games since June 20. starter Conner Menez worked 5.2 scoreless innings and struck out 10 A LITTLE RELIEF: Over the last 42 games since June 9, the Richmond bullpen has combined to post a 2.64 ERA (45 ER/153.2 batters. John Polonius hit an RBI dou- IP) with 149 strikeouts and 64 walks. On the season, Richmond’s 3.73 bullpen ERA is the second-highest in the league. Ryan Halstead has gone 1-2 with a 0.89 ERA (3 ER/30.1 IP) in his last 19 games since May 5. Melvin Adon has posted a 1.00 ERA (3 ble to put Richmond ahead in the sec- ER/27.0) in 22 games since May 19 with 11 saves in 12 attempts, adding 34 strikeouts and 11 walks.