The Flying Squirrels, first place is oh, so close!

With nine games in seven days a team hopes to just survive. Going 7-2 during that stretch is a damn near miracle. That’s what the Squirrels accomplished.

July 26, 2011; 6:00 AM • by Matt Sadler

With nine games in seven days a team hopes to just survive. Going 7-2 during that stretch is a damn near miracle. That’s what the Squirrels accomplished. Still, the bad news is that they are still in 3rd place. The good news, however, is that they are only one and a half games back from the first place Senators and one game back from the second place Baysox. Remember, the top two teams in each division are heading to the postseason [The regular season ends September 5th — Ed.].

Last week

@ New Britain Rock Cats

Of all the games that Richmond would lose, no one would have expected to see it when Eric Surkamp was pitching; however, the Rock Cats were able to get to him and chase him from the game after surrendering five runs (four earned). Lefty Wilmin Rodriguez was a last-minute replacement because the Giants had traded away Henry Sosa, and he kept New Britain at bay in game two as Richmond won 4-1. It took a five run 9th inning, but it was enough to overcome New Britain one more time and gain a series victory in the series finale.

vs Harrisburg Senators

This series was a marathon thanks to multiple rainouts in previous series, and yet rain was able to impact this series one more time. In game one, Sharlon Schoop hit his first dinger of the year and the Squirrels outmuscled Harrisburg 8-5. Game two was controlled by Justin Fitzgerald in the 3-1 victory. In the second game of the double header Daryl Maday walked across the only run of the game as Richmond fell 1-0. Game four was part of a day-night double header, and Chuck Lofgren made his Flying Squirrels debut a good one as he kept Harrisburg at bay in the 5-1 victory.

The evening game was pushed till Sunday, where Eric Surkamp found his mojo again and led Richmond to a 4-1 victory. The final game of the series, had Wilmin Rodriguez winning his second straight start.

Next week

@ Erie Sea Wolves

Richmond heads to Erie where the Sea Wolves are beginning to get desperate. They have gone 3-7 over there last 10 games and quickly losing postseason hope. The team still has some offensive fire power, and they are 3rd in the league with a .268 batting average. Deik Scram is helping with those numbers, and he sports a .389 On Base Percentage and has hit two homers over the past ten games. Reliever Luis Marte holds the lowest ERA for Erie, and it has been his ability to strikeout batters (35 k’s in 26 innings) that has helped keep his numbers low.

@Trenton Thunder

Trenton had a rough weekend against the Baysox as Bowie took 3 of 4 from, but they will have a 3 game set with Akron to straighten things out. Right fielder, Raymond Kruml, continues to hit the ball well as he is hitting .301 with 7 three baggers. Although his record does not reflect his talent, Manuel Banuelos is another Yankee prospect that needs to be reckoned with. He is currently 3-5 but has a 3.74 ERA along with 89 k’s on the season.

Squirrels to watch

• Wendell Fairley: The outfielder has hits in five straight games, going 6-for-14 (.429) at the plate over that span with two doubles, an RBI, and five runs scored.
• Juan Perez: Another outfielder, he is 11-for-23 (.478) with five doubles, a triple, nine RBIs, and five runs scored over his last eight games. The 24-year-old drove in a career-high four runs Thursday against Harrisburg.

At The Diamond

Nothing. Wait until next week, and in the meantime go enjoy some of the neat, new restaurants that have been popping up around town.

July 26, 2011 6:00 AM 0