Two Homers Provide the Offense in Shutout Victory for Loons

MIDLAND, Mich. – The Peoria Chiefs entered this series at Dow Diamond as the team with the most runs in the Midwest League since the All-Star break, spanning the previous 15 games.

Saturday night, the Great Lakes Loons shut them out for the second time in three games, 6-0, to earn their fourth straight victory and secure the series win a day early.

The Loons (64-43, 24-17 second half) scored in the first frame for the third game in a row. Jorbit Vivas took the first pitch from right-handed Peoria starter Dionys Rodriguez (L, 3-11) and drove it into the left-center field gap for a triple. Imanol Vargas drove him in with a double down the right field line. One batter later, Jose Ramos made it a 2-0 lead for Great Lakes, driving in Vargas with a single.

Peoria (46-61, 18-23) collected three hits in the first three innings, but couldn’t score against Kendall Williams (W, 3-3). The Loons right-hander spun five scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while striking out three Chiefs.

Great Lakes, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ High-A partner, added to its advantage in the third inning. Vivas singled, as did Diego Cartaya, then Vargas walked to load the bases. Vivas scored on a ground ball double play, pushing the lead to 3-0.

The longballs started in the fifth inning. Cartaya had the only hit in that frame, a solo homer to left-center field, giving the Loons a 4-0 cushion. The No. 1 prospect in the Dodgers’ organization, Cartaya hit his 11th blast in Loons uniform and his 20th this season in total.

Vivas continued a stellar day in the seventh inning. Two batters after a leadoff walk, Vivas blasted a two-run homer over the right field fence, his ninth of the season, to put Great Lakes ahead by the final 6-0 margin. Vivas finished his day 3-for-4 with three runs, two RBIs, a triple and a homer. The top-ten prospect in the L.A. system ended a double shy of the cycle.

At the same time, the Chiefs, High-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, were stymied by the Great Lakes relievers. Antonio Knowles allowed just one baserunner, an error, in his scoreless sixth inning, picking up one strikeout. Aldry Acosta ceded two singles, but got a double play and another groundout to get out of the seventh inning. Jeff Belge got one punchout and Julian Smith punched out a pair as each southpaw spun a perfect frame: the eighth and ninth, respectively. No one in the Loons bullpen allowed a walk.

In addition to a strong day at the plate from Vivas, Cartaya had a great day at the dish, going 2-for-4 with a run, an RBI and a longball. Cartaya is now 7-for-11 in the series with three homers, six runs and five RBIs, certainly a strong contender for Midwest League Player of the Week honors.

The Loons have secured the series with a four-games-to-one lead and have a chance to even up the season series, trailing Peoria six games to five. The six-game series wraps up Sunday afternoon at Dow Diamond at 1:05 p.m., with the Loons On-Deck Circle, driven by Garber Chevrolet Midland, beginning pregame coverage at 12:50 p.m. on ESPN 100.9-FM. It’s a rematch of the starting pitching matchup from Tuesday, with Loons righty Emmet Sheehan (6-2, 3.14 ERA) taking on Peoria right-hander Inohan Paniagua (1-1, 4.70 ERA).

Dow Diamond celebrates Lou E. Loon’s birthday Sunday, presented by MyMichigan Health. As always on Sundays, kids eat free and run the bases postgame, thanks to ESPN 100.9-FM. Tickets are still available at Loons.com.

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.