First-Place Captains to Host TinCaps in Midwest League East Battle at Classic Auto Group Park

EASTLAKE, OH – With nine games left in the first half of the season, the Midwest League East-leading Lake County Captains (34-23) will clash against the Fort Wayne TinCaps (25-32) for the second series at home, and third time overall this year at Classic Auto Group Park starting Tuesday.

IN THE STANDINGS

• Heading into the first half’s penultimate series and final six-game set, the Captains have a three-game lead for first place in the Midwest League East in front of the Great Lakes Loons (High-A Affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers).
• The TinCaps sit in last place in the Midwest League East, trailing the fifth-place Dayton Dragons (High-A Affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) by three games.

LAST TIME OUT

• The Captains won their third straight series by taking four out of six road games against the Beloit Sky Carp (High-A Affiliate of the Miami Marlins), closing their season-long 12-game road trip with an 8-4 record.
• Lake County pitching posted a Midwest League-best 2.63 ERA in its series against the Sky Carp.
• The Captains bullpen pitched 15.1 straight shutout innings to close the series.
• Fort Wayne lost two out of four games versus the Peoria Chiefs (High-A Affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals), but defeated the Chiefs in two of the last three contests.

2024 AGAINST FORT WAYNE

• Lake County leads the season series 7-5, going 5-2 at home and 2-3 on the road.
• The two teams played seven times at Classic Auto Group Park from April 30-May 5 due to an extra makeup game of April 11’s postponed matchup in Fort Wayne. The Captains won five of seven in the series, outscoring the TinCaps 31-17 while pitching two shutouts.

5 PLAYERS TO KNOW – LAKE COUNTY

• INF Angel Genao, MLB Pipeline’s No. 11 Cleveland prospect, is batting .300 (6-for-20) with one home run and two RBI with Lake County after being promoted from Single-A Lynchburg on June 3. In 2024, Baseball America’s No. 61 overall prospect ranks 15^th in MiLB with a .337 average.
• OF Jonah Advincula batted a team-best .417 (5-for-12) in the series against Beloit, the fifth-best clip in the Midwest League with 15-plus plate appearances. Advincula tallied one home run, one triple, one double, six RBI and robbed a home run in left field on June 5 against the Sky Carp.
• LHP Parker Messick, MLB Pipeline’s No. 21 Cleveland prospect, ranks tied for third in Minor League Baseball with 27 strikeouts since May 24. The 2022 second-round pick out of Florida State has posted a 0.51 ERA in his last three starts, the fifth-lowest among MiLB pitchers with three-plus starts during this span.
• LHP Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson earned his first High-A victory in his third start on June 7 at Beloit, fanning a Lake County-high nine batters in five shutout innings. He leads Minor League Baseball with 96 strikeouts, and is tied for fifth with a 1.63 ERA between Single-A Lynchburg and Lake County.
• RHP Jay Driver has recorded 12 straight scoreless appearances out of the Captains bullpen, the longest scoreless appearance streak in the Midwest League this season. Cleveland’s ninth-round pick in 2023 out of Harvard has blanked opponents for 15.1 straight innings dating back to April 17.

5 PLAYERS TO KNOW – FORT WAYNE

• OF Homer Bush Jr., MLB Pipeline’s No. 8 San Diego prospect, leads the Midwest League with 27 stolen bases and is riding a 16-game on-base streak, the fourth-longest active streak in the MWL.
• C Ethan Salas (MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 San Diego and No. 5 MLB prospect, is riding a six-game on-base streak and has thrown out 12 runners behind the plate, the eighth-most in the MWL. Salas turned 18 on June 1, and was named a San Diego Organization All-Star in 2023 at just 17 years old.
• OF Kai Murphy batted .348 (8-for-23) from April 30-May 5 at Lake County. Murphy has clubbed a team-high 12 doubles for the TinCaps.
• RHP Enmanuel Pinales has posted a 3.02 ERA, the sixth-lowest in the Midwest League among pitchers with 40-plus innings pitched. Pinales has posted three quality starts, including his most recent start on June 4 versus Peoria.
• OF Tyler Robertson is batting .385 (15-for-39) over his last 10 games, the seventh-highest clip in the Midwest League during this span.

SCHEDULE

• Tuesday, June 11: 6:35 p.m.
  • Picantes Night
  • Free mini golf
• Wednesday, June 12: 12:05 p.m.
  • Spectacular Senior Day (presented by Medical Mutual)
  • Free mini golf
• Thursday, June 13: 7 p.m.
  • Dawg Day – Boxers
  • Dental Appreciation Night
  • Free Mini Golf
• Friday, June 14: 7 p.m.
  • Friday Night Fireworks (presented by Minute Men)
  • Hockey Night
    • Captains will wear special Cleveland Lumberjacks-themed jerseys
  • Faith Night
    • Exclusive postgame testimony given by some Captains players
• Saturday, June 15: 7 p.m.
  • NEO Wrestling Night
  • Triston McKenzie Jersey Giveaway (presented by Sysco)
    • First 1,000 fans
• Sunday, June 16: 4 p.m.
  • Family Fun Sunday (presented by Classic Auto Group)
    • Pregame autographs (3-3:20 p.m.)
    • Pregame catch on the field (3:10-3:30 p.m.)
    • Postgame kids run the bases
  • We Love Dads Day
    • Postgame dads run the bases

First pitch for the opening game of this week’s scheduled six-game series between the Captains and TinCaps is scheduled for Tuesday night at 6:35 p.m. Lake County will play as its Copa de la Diversión alternate identity, Los Picantes de Lake County. The series will be broadcast on both the Bally Live app and MiLB.TV, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on both X and Instagram.