Richmond Flying Squirrels | 3001 N Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA 23230 | 804-359-3866 | SquirrelsBaseball.com | @GoSquirrels Reading Fightin Phils (23-17) vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (15-26) LHP Bailey Falter (3-2, 3.34) vs. RHP Brandon Lawson (1-0, 4.35) Thursday, May 23, 2019 | Game #42 | Home Game #26 6:35 p.m. | The Diamond | Richmond, Va. Radio: Sports Radio 910 The Fan | TV: MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PROBABLE PITCHERS Fri., May 24 at Akron 6:35 p.m. LHP Caleb Baragar (1-0, 3.38) vs. LHP Tanner Tully (3-4, 3.50) Sat., May 25 at Akron 6:35 p.m. LHP Conner Menez (2-2, 2.38) vs. RHP Jake Paulson (2-2, 4.19) Sun., May 26 at Akron 6:35 p.m. RHP Alfred Gutierrez (0-2, 5.06) vs. LHP Sam Hentges (1-5, 4.78) Mon., May 27 at Akron 1:05 p.m. LHP Garrett Williams (1-4, 5.40) vs. RHP Eli Morgan (1-0, 1.59) YESTERDAY: The Flying Squirrels saw their three-game winning streak end with a 9-1 loss to the Reading Fightin Phils. 2019 FLYING SQUIRRELS Reading opened the scoring in the first inning with RBI singles by Adam Haseley and Austin Listi. In the second, Mickey Moniak and Haseley each hit RBI singles to open a 4-0 lead and close the line on Richmond starter Garrett Williams, Overall Record .............................. 15-26 who lasted just 1.2 innings. Reading opened the lead to 5-0 with a sac fly in the third. Richmond scored its only run in Home ...................................................9-16 the sixth inning on an RBI groundout by Jonah Arenado. Reading added on in the top of the eighth with an RBI single Road ....................................................6-10 by Luke Williams and a bases-loaded walk by Moniak, and they scored a ninth run on the third RBI single of the game by Haseley in the top of the ninth. Richmond reliever Tyler Cyr pitched 2.0 scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Place (E.L. Western) ............T-5th/-12.0 Streak ......................................................L1 TODAY’S GAME: The Flying Squirrels play the finale and rubber game of a three-game series against the Reading Last 5 .................................................... 3-2 Fightin Phils, Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. It is also the last of a seven-game homestand against Akron (2-2) and Reading (1-1). Richmond is aiming to win its first series since taking two of three in Bowie from May 29-April 1. Last 10 .................................................. 4-6 The Flying Squirrels and Fightin Phils split a rain-shortened, two-game series at FirstEnergy Stadium on April 13 and 14. Reading swept a three-game series in Richmond from April 22-24. The two teams face each other again for a five-game HOME ATTENDANCE INFO series in Reading from May 31-June 3 and again in Richmond from July 4-7. The Flying Squirrels have won consecutive games for the third straight stretch this season and have tied a season-high three-game win streak. 2019 Home Attendance ...............141,845 Home Openings ..................................23 THE FLYING SQUIRRELS saw their season-high-tying three-game win streak snapped with Thursday’s 9-1 loss. Since Average Attendance .................... 6,167 May 16, the Flying Squirrels have gone 10-24. The Richmond offense ranks ninth in the league with a .229 batting av- erage and are tied for fourth with 34 homers. The pitching staff has combined for a 4.28 team ERA, which is 11th in the circuit. The Flying Squirrels are looking for their first series win since taking two of three from April 29-May 1 in Bowie and their third overall this season. They snapped a four-series losing streak with a four-game split against Akron over RICHMOND vs. READING the weekend. 2019 vs. Reading .............................. 2-5 at Richmond ....................................1-4 THE FIGHTIN PHILS had a four-game winning streak snapped with the loss to Richmond on Tuesday, but have now won five of the last six games. The Fightin Phils rank last in the league with a .216 team batting average and sit sixth at Reading .........................................1-1 with a 3.45 team ERA. Reading’s roster includes eight of MLB.com’s Top-30 Philadelphia prospects, including Adonis All-Time vs. Reading....................62-78 Medina (2), Adam Haseley (3), JoJo Romero (7), Mickey Moniak (9), Arquimedes Gamboa (13), Mauricio Liovera (15), at Richmond ..............................36-34 David Parkinson (21) and Cornelius Randolph (25) at Reading ................................. 26-44 FOR RICHMOND: Right-hander Brandon Lawson makes his sixth start with the Flying Squirrels and his first against the Fightin Phils. Last time out, he worked 4.0 innings and allowed two earned runs in a no-decision against Akron. Over ON THE HOMESTAND his last three starts, Lawson is 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA (7 ER/14.0 IP). Lawson was signed as a minor-league free agent by Games ...................................................... 6 the Giants on April 23 after being released by the Tampa Bay Rays near the end of spring training. He was originally drafted by the Rays in the 12th round in 2016 out of the University of South Florida and reached Double-A for 14 outings Record ...................................................3-3 (five starts) last season with the Montgomery Biscuits.For more on Lawson, see page two. Batters FOR READING: Left-hander Bailey Falter makes his seventh start of the season for the Fightin Phils and his second against the Flying Squirrels. He pitched at The Diamond on April 24 and allowed two unearned runs over 4.0 innings in Batting Average .............. .245 (47/192) a no-decision. Last time out, he allowed a season-high five earned runs over 5.1 innings in a loss at New Hampshire last RISP ....................................... .292 (14/48) Wednesday. Falter was drafted by the Phillies in the fifth round in 2015 out of Chino Hills (Calif.) High School. Runs/Runs Per Game ..................23/3.9 RISPROBLEMS: For the season, the Flying Squirrels are batting .208 (69-for-331) with runners in scoring position, Home Runs .............................................. 1 which is ranked last in the Eastern League. With runners in scoring position and two outs, Richmond is batting .199 (32- for-161) for the season, which is also last in the league. When the bases are empty, the Flying Squirrels are batting .246 Pitchers (183-for-744), which is second in the circuit. Overall with runners on base, the team is batting .207 (116-for-560), which is also last in the E.L. However, over the last four games, the Richmond offense has hit .355 (11-for-31) with runners in ERA .........................5.00 (30 ER/54.0 IP) scoring position. Starter W/L .......................................... 2-2 Starter ERA ..............5.47 (16 ER/26.1 IP) HEYWARD HEATS UP: Since May 15, Jacob Heyward has compiled a seven-game hitting streak, during which he is batting .391 (9-for-23) with a homer, four RBIs and five walks. That streak followed a span where Heyward went hitless Reliever W/L ...........................................1-1 for five games, combining to go 0-for-19 with 13 strikeouts, including ten straight plate appearances with a strikeout. Reliever ERA ...........4.55 (14 ER/27.2 IP) Heyward is ranked second in the league in on-base percentage (.438), ninth in slugging percentage (.495), sixth in OPS Saves/Opps .........................................3/3 (.933) and tied for fifth in walks (25). Heyward has walked in 20.7 percent of his plate appearances this season, which is the highest in Double-A and ranks fourth in all of minor league baseball. His .426 BABIP is second in the league. THIS DATE IN HISTORY ARENADO COMES ALIVE: Over his last seven games since May 14, Jonah Arenado has hit .333 (9-for-27) with one In 2013, the Flying Squirrels beat the homer, two doubles, five RBIs and four walks. Arenado was hitting .329 through May 4, but hit .136 (3-for-22) over his next seven games, which dipped his average to .288. His current surge has raised his batting average to .298, which Trenton Thunder, 9-4. The Richmond leads the qualified hitters on the Flying Squirrels roster. offense combined for 13 hits. Javier BRUSA IS BACK: After going hitless over his first five Double-A games,Gio Brusa has hit safely in each of his last sev- Herrera went 3-for-5 with a double en games started since May 13. During that span, Brusa is hitting .400 (10-for-25) with two homers, a double and four and three RBIs. Joe Panik was 3-for- RBIs. Brusa was with the Flying Squirrels for the first series of the season before being assigned to A-Adv. San Jose, where he hit .115 over 19 games. He joined Triple-A Sacramento on May 9 for one game before returning to the Flying 4 with an RBI, two walks and scored Squirrels the next day. twice. Ryan Lollis also had three hits, SHAWESOME: Over his last 11 games, Chris Shaw is batting .316 (12-for-38) with two homers, eight RBIs and seven going 3-for-3 with a double, two RBIs runs scored, which has raised his batting average from .255 to .273. For the season, Shaw is tied for the team lead and a walk. Mark Minicozzi picked up with seven homers, which is tied for eighth in the league. He is also ranked eighth in the league with a .515 slugging two RBIs. Starting pitcher Chris Gloor percentage and tied for ninth with an .871 OPS. allowed three runs over six innings to HOME IS WHERE THE HOMERS AREN’T: The Flying Squirrels have hit 10 home runs at home this season through 25 pick up his third win of the season.