Flying Squirrel lose momentum, maintain standing

All that momentum that the Flying Squirrels had last week hit a screeching halt, as they went 2-4 and are on a three game losing streak. Still thanks to the Senators, the Squirrels didn’t lose much ground in the standings.

July 5, 2011; 3:40 PM • by Matt Sadler

All that momentum that the Flying Squirrels had last week hit a screeching halt, as they went 2-4 and are on a three game losing streak. Still thanks to the Senators, the Squirrels didn’t lose much ground in the standings. The only problem is that Bowie and Erie are now only a ½ game back in the standings. Richmond, however, loves playing at home and they play their next nine games at home before taking a break for the All-Star game.

Last week

vs. Harrisburg Senators

The Squirrels started the week of well when they beat down the Senators 9-3. Henry Sosa pitched well, but it was Chris Dominguez who was the star as he hit a grand slam and 6 RBIs. Game Two was all of a half-inning into to it before the rains came down and floods came up, forcing the game to be pushed till Wednesday. Gone was Justin Fitzgerald and instead came Daryl Maday. Senators ace, Brad Peacock was also pitching that evening, and he kept the hot Richmond bats at bay as Harrisburg won 3-2.

at Reading Phillies

Richmond had the advantage against the R-Phils going into this series with a 4-2 record against them. Game One was all Richmond as Eric Surkamp continued his dominance and gave up only two runs over six innings in the 5-2 victory. That was it as far as good news for the Squirrels as they would drop the next 3 games. Reading found their offensive prowess against the league’s number one staff, and wile the Squirrels were not shut down offensively, they were held in check as they countered Reading’s 18 runs with only 12 of their own.

Next week

vs Trenton Thunder

The good news is the people will be coming into The Diamond this week. The bad news is that a lot of them will be Yankee fans. Trenton is actually the most dominant team in the league with a .593 winning percentage; however they are playing sub-.500 baseball on the road this season. That should bode well for Richmond. The sad news for Richmond fans is that Derek Jeter’s rehab assignment with Trenton ended on Sunday, and he is now back with the Yankees. Trenton will throw out the Yankees #3 prospect, Dellin Betances, on Wednesday. He gets the pleasure of squaring off against Eric Surkamp. The Thunder also has one of the many stud Yankees catchers with Austine Romine. Romine is batting .302 with 35 RBIs and should provide some challenges for Richmond basestealers.

vs Harrisburg Senators

Are you ready for five games in four days? That is what you are going to get thanks to a couple of rainouts earlier in the season. While these two teams have seen a lot of each other lately, the buzz this weekend will be surrounding OF Bryce Harper. Harper was the overall #1 draftee in 2010 and he has not disappointed with his tape-measure home runs and cocky attitude to boot. Harper was directly from low A ball, where he hit .318 along with 14 HRs. It will be interesting to see how he does against the Squirrels pitching. As far as the bigger picture is concerned, it will up to the Squirrels to use these series to make up serious ground on the division leaders.

Squirrels to watch

• Francisco Peguero — This guy has been in Richmond for 10 games since being called up, and he has not disappointed fans or the organization. He ranks #4 on the Giants prospects list, and since coming to Richmond he is batting .350 with 2 HRs.
• Justin Fitzgerald — This starting pitcher may lack the consistency of a Ryan Verdugo or Eric Surkamp, but there are days where he might be as effective as both of those guys. Fitzgerald, in his last real start, gave up 2 ER over 8 innings. Those are results that will get you promoted to the next level.

At the Diamond

As you can imagine, the early part of the week is all about the fireworks. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday wil all be fireworks nights.

• Friday — Nutzy Mask Giveaway as well as some sort of Halloween celebration. I would go ahead and dress up now, because October is a long ways away.
• Saturday — Ummmmm Cowboy Monkey
• Sunday — Soccer Ball Giveaway

July 5, 2011 3:40 PM 0