Bullpen Strong Again as Loons Win Third Straight

Sometimes in baseball, you have to take what you’re given.

On Thursday night at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Mich., the Great Lakes Loons did just that.

The Loons scored four unearned runs against the West Michigan Whitecaps, taking advantage of two Whitecaps errors to win their third-straight game, 4-1.

West Michigan (7-11) got out to an early lead for the third day in a row, seeing its only offense early on, in the third inning. Wenceel Perez hit a solo home run to lead off the third inning and give the home side a 1-0 lead.

That was the lone run allowed by Loons lefty Lael Lockhart. The southpaw starter tossed four innings of four-hit baseball, allowing one earned run and one walk while striking out seven Whitecaps. He becomes just the third Great Lakes pitcher to complete four innings in a start.

The Loons (8-10) started their offense in the fifth inning, when Ismael Alcantara reached on a dropped third strike. On the throw, West Michigan first baseman Jake Holton committed a missed catch error. Two Loons in a row were retired before Eddys Leonard stepped to the plate, and he belted his first home run of the year, giving Great Lakes a 2-1 lead. Those two unearned runs are all that Ty Madden (L, 1-2) would allow. The first-round draft pick of the Detroit Tigers last summer, Madden allowed just three hits and a walk while striking out four over five frames.

Great Lakes, High-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers, would immediately add to their advantage the very next inning, again taking advantage of an error. Aldrich De Jongh and Zac Ching both reached on one-out singles. After a second out in the inning, Alcantara reached on a fielding error by third baseman Wenceel Perez to load the bases. West Michigan reliever Bryce Tassin then walked the next two batters for another pair of unearned runs, and the Loons led 4-1, a score that would be the final. Ryan January and Leonel Valera each notched an RBI for their base on balls.

To keep the Loons in front, their bullpen pitched excellently. For the second night in a row, the Great Lakes relievers did not allow a run, and the Loons bullpen now has a combined 13 scoreless innings in a row. First out of the bullpen was right-hander Carlos Alejo (W, 1-0), who allowed a hit and a walk in his one inning, striking out one batter as well.

Jacob Cantleberry gave up three hits and a walk in his two frames, but picked up an impressive four strikeouts, including three in the sixth inning. In that frame, the Whitecaps loaded the bases on singles before Cantleberry notched his final strikeout to end the threat.

Braydon Fisher and Jose Hernandez (SV, 2) each tossed a hitless inning to finish the game, with only one baserunner between them: a walk by Fisher. Each of those Loons relievers notched a strikeout as well.

The Loons pitching staff has been excellent to begin the six-game series against West Michigan. Over 27 innings, Great Lakes has allowed just four earned runs, which calculates to a 1.33 ERA over that stretch. Loons arms have also struck out 39 batters in these three games, an average of 13 per contest. Relief pitching specifically has only allowed one earned run in 18 1-3 innings of work in Comstock Park this week.

Great Lakes has a 3-0 lead in this six-game set, and now a 4-2 lead in the season series over West Michigan, the Tigers’ High-A partner. The series continues Friday night, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 p.m. The Loons are scheduled to start right-hander Gavin Stone (0-1, 3.00 ERA), opposing fellow righty Keider Montero (0-0, 13.50 ERA). The Loons On-Deck Circle driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland begins the pregame coverage at 6:20 p.m. on ESPN 100.9-FM.

The Great Lakes Loons have been a Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team’s inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team’s home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.