MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end as Great Lakes Loons pitching dominated in a 5-1 loss in front of 2,497 fans Wednesday night at Dow Diamond.
West Michigan struggled to generate any offense as Loons pitchers compiled 12 strikeouts while
MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps saw their eight-game winning streak come to an end as Great Lakes Loons pitching dominated in a 5-1 loss in front of 2,497 fans Wednesday night at Dow Diamond.
West Michigan struggled to generate any offense as Loons pitchers compiled 12 strikeouts while holding the ‘Caps to just two hits and an 0-for-6 mark with runners in scoring position in the defeat.
The Loons struck first with a pair of runs in the second inning – featuring an RBI single from Luis Guerra – taking the 2-0 advantage. Great Lakes added an insurance tally in the third as Taylor Young stole third base before an errant throw allowed him to come home, extending the lead to 3-0. West Michigan finally cracked the scoreboard in the fourth as catcher Josh Crouch added an RBI, trimming the Loons lead to 3-1. Great Lakes added to their total with an RBI single from Guerra in the seventh before outfielder Chris Alleyne collected an RBI in the eighth – making it 5-1 Loons. The Whitecaps couldn’t rally, failing to record a hit through the final five innings as Great Lakes closer Lucas Wepf slammed the door with a scoreless ninth inning to secure the 5-1 win.
The Whitecaps fall to 52-50 overall and 20-17 in the second half, while the Loons improve to 64-39 overall and 19-19 in the second half. Loons reliever Jack Dreyer (5-0) secures his fifth win of the year, tossing 2.2 scoreless innings with three strikeouts, while Whitecaps starter Wilkel Hernandez (3-8) suffers his eighth loss of the season, allowing three runs through five innings of work. The Whitecaps win streak ends at eight straight, tying their longest winning streak under manager Brayan Pena. West Michigan now sits 1.5 games out of first place in the Midwest League East Division and is tied with the Dayton Dragons in second place.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps move this six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons from Dow Diamond to Thursday night at 7:05 pm. Detroit Tigers Top-10 Prospect Troy Melton takes the mound for West Michigan against the Loons Hyun-il Choi. Broadcast coverage with Nate Wangler begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.