Richmond Flying Squirrels (21-19) Vs. Somerset Patriots (26-13) RHP Akeel Morris Vs

Richmond Flying Squirrels | 3001 N Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA 23230 | 804-359-3866 | SquirrelsBaseball.com | @GoSquirrels Richmond Flying Squirrels (21-19) vs. Somerset Patriots (26-13) RHP Akeel Morris vs. RHP Hayden Wesneski (AA Debut) Saturday, June 19, 2021 | Game #41 | Road Game #17 7:05 p.m. | TD Bank Ballpark | Bridgewater, N.J. Radio: Sports Radio 910 The Fan & 105.1 FM | TV: MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PROBABLE PITCHERS Sun., June 20 at Somerset 1:05 p.m. LHP Michael Plassmeyer (2-2, 4.89) vs. RHP Glenn Otto (3-0, 1.35) Mon., June 21 OFF DAY Tues., June 22 at Hartford 7:05 p.m. RHP Caleb Kilian (1-0, 2.74) vs. RHP David Hill (0-0, 9.53) Wed., June 23 at Hartford 7:05 p.m. LHP Phil Pfeifer (0-1, 5.19) vs. RHP Ryan Feltner (1-0, 0.00)

YESTERDAY: The Flying Squirrels fell for the fifth straight game, 8-1, to the Patriots. Somerset opened a 2-0 lead in the first inning on a two-run single by Oswaldo Cabrera. In the second, Luke Voit hit a two-run double and Cabrera brought him in with 2021 FLYING SQUIRRELS a double to open a 5-0 lead. Oswald Peraza hit an RBI single in the fourth to extend Somerset’s lead to 6-0. Richmond scored Overall Record...... 21-19 its only run with its first hit, a solo homer by Bruce Maxwell, in the top of the fifth. Somerset added two more runs with solo First Half...... 21-19 homers by Thomas Milone and Voit in the bottom of the sixth. Richmond relivers Phil Pheifer and Norwith Gudino combined for 2.1 scoreless innings. Somerset’s pitching staff held Richmond to three hits in the game. Home...... 13-11 Road...... 8-8 TODAY’S GAME: The Flying Squirrels play the fifth of a six-game series against the Somerset Patriots, Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees at TD Bank Ballpark. The game is the first for the Flying Squirrels against the Patriots, who are in their first Place (AA-NE Southwest) ��5th/-7.0 season as an affiliated team. This is Richmond’s only trip to Somerset this season. The Flying Squirrels will host the Patriots for Streak...... L5 a six-game series at The Diamond from July 13-18. This series features the top-two teams in the league in ERA on the season so far. Last 5...... 0-5 Last 10...... 4-6 THE FLYING SQUIRRELS have lost six of the last seven games and are riding a season-long five-game losing streak They are in fifth place in the six-team Double-A Northeast Southwest Division, 7.0 games behind first-place Bowie. For the season, the Richmond offense is ranked ninth in the league with a .228 batting average. The pitching staff is ranked third in the league with HOME ATTENDANCE INFO a 3.67 ERA for the season. 2021 Home Attendance �� 84,483 THE PATRIOTS have won five straight games and sit in first place in the Double-A Northeast Northeast Division, 2.5 games Home Openings ��22 ahead of Portland. The Somerset offense is ranked seventh in the Double-A Northeast with a .247 batting average. The Patriots’ Average Attendance ��3,840 pitching staff is leading the league with a 2.98 ERA, which is ranked second in all of the minors. The Patriots are in their first season as an affiliated team after picking up the Yankees affiliation during Major League Baseball’s restructuring of the minor leagues this past offseason. The Yankees’ Double-A affiliation was previously with the Trenton Thunder from 2003-2020. The Patriots were a founding member of the independent Atlantic League in 1998 and went on to win five league titles (2001, 2003, RICHMOND vs. SOMERSET 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2015). Somerset’s roster includes five of MLB.com’s top-30 Yankees prospects, including SS Oswald 2021 vs. Somerset �� 0-4 Peraza (4), RHP Luis Medina (7), LHP Ken Waldichuk (27), RHP Glenn Otto (28) and RHP Hayden Wesneski (30). at Richmond...... 0-0 FOR RICHMOND: Right-hander Akeel Morris makes his debut for the team and his first start in affiliated baseball since 2018. He at Somerset...... 0-4 signed with the San Francisco Giants last week from the independent Long Island Ducks, where he made two starts and combined for 11.0 scoreless innings of work. Morris, a native of St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, was drafted by the New York Mets in All-Time vs. Somerset �� 0-4 the 10th round in 2010 and reached the big league with them for the first time in 2015. He has also appeared in the big leagues at Richmond...... 0-0 with the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels. After reaching free agency following the 2018 season, Morris signed with at Somerset...... 0-4 the High Point Rockers of the independent Atlantic League to begin the 2019 season, where he pitched as a reliever. He was traded to the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs and then swapped again before making an appearance to the New Britain Bees, where he finished the year going 7-4 with a 4.94 ERA in 16 outings (13 starts). ON THE ROAD TRIP FOR SOMERSET: Right-hander Hayden Wesneski makes his Double-A debut. He was promoted earlier this week from High-A Games �� 4 Hudson Valley, where he went 1-1 with a 1.49 ERA in seven starts. He led the High-A East with a 1.49 ERA, eighth with 47 strikeouts, eighth with 36.1 innings pitched, seventh with a .194 opponents’ batting average and fifth with a 0.91 WHIP. Wesneski was Record...... 0-4 drafted by the Yankees in the sixth round in 2019 out of Sam Houston State, where he set the school’s Division I record that year as a junior with 110 strikeouts. He made his professional debut that summer in the Appalachian League with Pulaski, going 1-1 with a 4.76 ERA in 18 relief appearances. Batters Batting Average...... 149 (20/134) TOASTY: Over his last nine games since June 6, Frankie Tostado is batting .303 (10-for-33) with one homer and seven RBIs. He RISP...... 143 (5/35) is now second on the team this season with 17 RBIs. He ranked tied for second among qualified Richmond batters with a .262 batting average this year. Runs/Runs Per Game �� 10/2.5 Home Runs �� 4 FABULOUS FABIAN: Over his last 13 games since June 1, Sando Fabian is batting .368 (14-for-38) with one homer, five doubles and nine RBIs while scoring four runs. Fabian hit .184 through his first 18 games of the season, but his performance since June 1 has raised his season average to .264. Pitchers TORRES ON A TEAR: In his last nine games since June 1, Bryan Torres is batting .333 (7-for-21) with one double and two RBIs. ERA...... 6.82 (26 ER/34.1 IP) He has seen time defensively this season at catcher, second base and third base. Torres is in his first Double-A season. Prior to Starter W/L �� 0-2 2021, he had not played higher than the rookie level. Starter ERA...... 8.15 (16 ER/17.2 IP) MO’ TIME: Over his last eight games since June 5, Kyle Mottice is batting .308 (8-for-26) with a double and three RBIs. On the Reliever W/L �� 0-2 season, he is batting .371 (1