Sand Gnats to Face Bartolo Colon Tuesday at Grayson Stadium

The Savannah Sand Gnats will face not one, but two Major League stars when they play the Kannapolis Intimidators in a series beginning this Monday, July 13, at Historic Grayson Stadium. The Intimidators’ lineup during the series will feature Chicago White Sox All-Star Carlos Quentin, who was a leading candidate for Most Valuable Player Award last season. The starting pitcher for Tuesday’s game will be 2005 American League Cy Young Award winner Bartolo Colon.

Colon, the sixth winningest active pitcher in all of baseball, will take the ball Tuesday at Grayson Stadium for his second rehab start since being placed on the 15-day disabled list with left knee inflammation.

The 2005 Cy Young Award winner led the American League in wins that season with 21 and was fourth in winning percentage (.714) and eighth in ERA (3.48). The Altamira, D.R. native has finished in the top-10 in the American League in wins five times and also won 20 games between leagues, going 10-4 for both Cleveland and Montreal in 2002 (as a result of a mid-season trade). Colon has won three games for the White Sox so far this season and also earned the win in his one previous rehab start, with the Triple-A Charlotte Knights, throwing five innings and allowing just one run on two hits.

Joining Colon on a rehab assignment with Kannapolis will be White Sox left fielder Carlos Quentin, who has been out of action since May 25 while battling plantar fasciitis. Quentin was also rehabbing with the Charlotte Knights and was hitting .353 in 17 at bats with the Knights. The California-born Quentin will start in left field for the Intimidators during the series, beginning on Monday.

Quentin finished fifth in the MVP voting last season, hitting .288 with 36 home runs and 100 RBI. He was regarded by many as the leading candidate for the award before he had his season cut short by a fractured right wrist after being struck by a pitch from Cliff Lee on Sept. 1 at Cleveland. He earned his first Silver Slugger Award in 2008, as the top hitting left fielder in the American League. The 26-year-old Quentin was drafted out of Stanford University, the same school Sand Gnats’ Joey August and Sean Ratliff attended.

Good seats still remain for both Monday and Tuesday night’s games but with the rare opportunity to see two Major League All Stars live in Savannah, fans are encouraged to get their tickets in advance and arrive early to get the best seats. The best way to get tickets is online at www.sandgnats.com. Fans can also purchase tickets by calling 912.351.9150 or by coming to the team offices at Grayson Stadium.

Savannah concludes its four-game series with the Lexington Legends tonight at 7:05 p.m. with All-Star southpaw Robert Carson (6-6, 2.22) on the hill.