Richmond Flying Squirrels | 3001 N Arthur Ashe Blvd., Richmond, VA 23230 | 804-359-3866 | SquirrelsBaseball.com | @GoSquirrels Richmond Flying Squirrels (18-34) vs. Reading Fightin Phils (30-21) RHP Brandon Lawson (1-1, 3.82) vs. LHP JoJo Romero (0-2, 8.18) Sunday, June 2, 2019 | Game #53 | Road Game #24 2:15 p.m. | FirstEnergy Stadium | Reading, Pa. Radio: Sports Radio 910 The Fan | TV: MiLB.TV UPCOMING GAMES & PROBABLE PITCHERS Mon., June 3 at Reading 9:45 a.m. LHP Caleb Baragar (1-0, 2.31) vs. LHP David Parkinson (5-2, 3.02) Tues., June 4 at Portland 6 p.m. LHP Conner Menez (3-2, 2.52) vs. LHP Darwinzon Hernandez (1-4, 4.81) Wed., June 5 at Portland 6 p.m. RHP Alfred Gutierrez (2-2, 4.57) vs. TBD Thurs., June 6 at Portland 11 a.m. LHP Garrett Williams (1-6, 5.18) vs. TBD YESTERDAY: The Flying Squirrels were swept in a double-header, 2-1 and 7-6. In the first game, Gio Brusa brought in a run in the first for the Flying Squirrels. Reading tied the score in the third with a solo homer by Darick Hall and pulled ahead in the fifth 2019 FLYING SQUIRRELS with an RBI triple by Mickey Moniak. After collecting two hits in the first inning, the Richmond offense was held hitless the rest Overall Record ...............................18-34 of the way by Adonis Medina, Jakob Hernandez and Addison Russ. Starter Garrett Williams allowed two runs over 5.1 innings, Home ..................................................9-20 and he set season highs in strikeouts (7) and walks (5). He was charged with a loss for the fourth straight start. In the second game, Jalen Miller hit an RBI single in the third and Jonah Arenado added a three-run double later in the inning to open a 4-0 Road ....................................................9-14 lead. Reading picked up two runs in the bottom of the inning with RBI singles by Mickey Moniak and Cornelius Randolph. The Place (E.L. Western) ............T-5th/-14.5 Fightin Phils pulled ahead in the fifth with a three-run double by Austin Listi. In the sixth, Jose Gomez scored on a passed ball .....................................................L2 and Moniak added an RBI double to open Reading’s lead to 7-4. In the seventh, Miler hit a two-run double, but he was stranded Streak at third representing the potential tying run to end the game. Starter Brandon Beachy worked 4.0 innings and allowed two runs Last 5 ......................................................1-4 on four hits with no walks and five strikeouts in his first start since April 15. RelieverRaffi VIzcaino allowed three runs in the fifth, Last 10 ...................................................3-7 ending his scoreless streak at 10.0 innings. HOME ATTENDANCE INFO TODAY’S GAME: The Flying Squirrels play the fourth of a five-game, four-day series against the Reading Fightin Phils, Double-A 2019 Home Attendance ..............160,870 affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. It is the fourth game of an 11-game, ten-day road trip to Reading, Portland and New Hamp- Home Openings ..................................27 shire, the longest road stretch of the season for Richmond. It is Richmond’s second trip to Reading this season. The two teams split a rain-shortened, two-game set at FirstEnergy Stadium April 13 and 14. The Fightin Phils swept a three-game series at The Average Attendance ...................5,958 Diamond from April 22-24 and won two of three against the Flying Squirrels in Richmond from May 21-23. The Flying Squirrels are 11-22 in games following a loss this season, 4-2 on Sundays and 6-9 in day games. THE FLYING SQUIRRELS have lost six of their last seven games since May 27 and nine of 12 games since May 22. Since April 16, the Flying Squirrels have gone 12-30, and they’re 8-21 since May 2. The Richmond offense ranks ninth in the league with a RICHMOND vs. READING .230 batting average. The pitching staff has combined for a 4.05 team ERA, which is tenth in the circuit. The Flying Squirrels 2019 vs. Reading ...............................3-8 have lost six of the last eight series, with the exceptions being two four-game splits against Akron. The last series win for Rich- at Richmond ................................... 1-5 mond came when it won two of three in Bowie from April 29-May 1. Richmond is 8-19 in May. at Reading ...................................... 2-3 THE FIGHTIN PHILS have won 12 of their last 17 games since May 16 and seven of their last nine games at home. The Fightin All-Time vs. Reading.................... 63-81 Phils went 17-11 in May, the third-best mark in the league behind Hartford (19-8) and Binghamton (19-11). They currently sit in ............................. 36-35 fourth place in the E.L. East, 2.0 games behind first-place Trenton. On the season, Reading has a 3.47 team ERA, which tied for at Richmond fifth in the Eastern League, and a .221 team batting average, which is last in the league. Reading’s roster includes seven of MLB. at Reading ..................................27-46 com’s Top-30 Phillies prospects, including Adonis Medina (2), JoJo Romero (7), Mickey Moniak (9), Arquimedes Gamboa (13), Mauricio Llovera (15), David Parkinson (21) and Cornelius Randolph (25). ON THE ROAD TRIP FOR RICHMOND: Right-hander Brandon Lawson makes his eighth start with the Flying Squirrels and his second against the Games ...................................................... 3 Fightin Phils. Last time out, he pitched 5.0 scoreless innings on Tuesday against Binghamton, but the Rumble Ponies rallied to Record ................................................... 1-2 win in extras, 2-1. Lawson has worked through 5.0 innings in four of his last five starts. In that span, he has gone 1-1 with a 3.75 ERA (10 ER/24.0 IP). He faced Reading on May 23 at The Diamond and allowed a season-high six runs (three earned) in 5.0 innings in his only loss of the season. Lawson was signed as a minor-league free agent by the Giants on April 23 after being Batters 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 Batting Average ................ .232 (19/82) out of the University of South Florida and reached Double-A for 14 outings (five starts) last season with the Montgomery Biscuits. For more on Lawson, see page two. RISP ......................................... .353 (6/17) Runs/Runs Per Game .................. 16/5.3 FOR READING: Left-hander JoJo Romero makes his third start of the season for the Fightin Phils and his second against the Flying Squirrels. He began the season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he went 2-2 with a 9.64 ERA in seven starts. He was Home Runs ............................................. 2 sent to Double-A Reading and made his first start of the season for the Fightin Phils against the Flying Squirrels on May 21 at The Diamond, and he allowed six runs in 4.1 innings in the loss, but struck out a season-high six batters. Last time out, he was Pitchers charged with another loss after allowing four runs over a season-high 6.2 innings at Harrisburg on Monday. Romero was drafted by the Phillies in the fourth round in 2016 and is currently ranked by MLB.com as Philadelphia’s No. 7 prospect. ERA ............................6.60 (11 ER/15.0 IP) Starter W/L ........................................... 1-0 MAY-DAY: The Flying Squirrels went 9-19 in May, worst in the league. It was tied for the second-worst record in a single month Starter ERA ................ 4.66 (5 ER/9.2 IP) in franchise history, matching the 9-19 record in May 2016. The only month the team has posted a worse record was April 2015, when the Flying Squirrels went 3-14 to open the season and lost the last 12 games of the month as part of a franchise-record Reliever W/L ......................................... 0-1 15-game losing streak. Last month, the Flying Squirrels hit .238, which was seventh in the league, and posted a 4.40 ERA, which Reliever ERA ............... 10.13 (6 ER/5.1 IP) was 11th in the E.L. Saves/Opps ........................................ 0/0 ROAD WARRIORS: The Flying Squirrels are currently in a stretch of playing 15 of 18 games on the road dating back to May 24. In that span, the Flying Squirrels will travel approximately 2,288 miles (44 bus hours) around the northeast, almost long enough THIS DATE IN HISTORY to cover the direct distance between Richmond and San Francisco. The current 11-game road trip is the longest of the season. In 2012, the Flying Squirrels blanked EAST FEAST: From May 28-June 23, the Flying Squirrels play 23 of 26 games against teams from the Eastern Division. Today the Erie SeaWolves, 2-0, at The Dia- is the seventh game against the East in that stretch. The Flying Squirrels are 1-5 against the East in this cross-divisional span. mond. Michael Kickham picked up the Richmond is 7-17 against the opposite division this year. third complete-game shutout in Flying HEYWARD HEATING UP: Over his last seven games since May 26, Jacob Heyward is batting .333 (9-for-27) with a homer, two Squirrels franchise history, holding doubles, two RBIs, three walks and five runs scored. That stretch has raised his season batting average from .268 to .274. For the SeaWolves to two hits with one the season, Heyward is ranked tied for fourth in the Eastern League with a .407 on-base percentage, tenth with an .859 OPS walk and eight strikeouts.