Ramirez Homers as Cubs Blank Lugnuts 3-0
Lansing, MI - For the first time this season, the South Bend Cubs will take at least an even split of a series in 2024. That’s after the club has now won three of the first four games in Lansing against the Lugnuts this week. On Friday night, The Cubs
Lansing, MI - For the first time this season, the South Bend Cubs will take at least an even split of a series in 2024. That’s after the club has now won three of the first four games in Lansing against the Lugnuts this week. On Friday night, The Cubs picked up their second shutout victory of the season, whitewashing the Lugnuts by a final of 3-0.
Drew Gray got the start for South Bend, fresh off a career high 3.1 innings of work in his last start versus Quad Cities. Gray impressed early, striking out two batters in a 1-2-3 1st inning. He was opposed by Lansing right-hander Grant Judkins, who fired two shutout innings to begin his outing.
Judkins struck out four consecutive Cubs, before Reivaj Garcia reached on an error in the top of the 3rd. The next batter was Pedro Ramirez, who already stretched his hitting streak to 11-consecutive games with a base-hit in the 1st inning. With Garcia on, Ramirez launched a ball deep over the right field wall for a 2-0 South Bend lead. It was Ramirez’s first home run in the Midwest League.
At the plate, Ramirez is now 22 for his last 43 at the plate. That’s good for a .511 average in that timespan.
On the mound, Gray again set a career high on innings pitched with four shutout frames. He also walked just one batter, the lowest amount of free passes he has dealt in a start this year. He also struck out three.
Looking back, one of the biggest moments in the game was in the the bottom of the 2nd when Lansing had the bases loaded with one out. On a ground ball to second base, Ed Howard turned a double play on his own by stepping on second base and firing a strike to first base.
After Gray, Koen Moreno entered and in three shutout frames worked through each of his innings with at least one man on base. Moreno also got a double play ball with Howard, Reivaj Garcia, and Jonathon Long 4-6-3 style.
In the 9th, Rafael Morel singled home Long for a key insurance run and a 3-0 advantage. Jose Romero worked the final six outs, and in the bottom of the 9th also got the help of his own double play, once again, 4-6-3.
With the win, South Bend improves to 9-16 on the year, and can win their first series of the campaign on Saturday with another victory. Right-hander Luis Devers will get the start for the Cubs in Game 5 up in Michigan’s capital.