That’ll Work, Man – Familiar Face Powers 7-6 Win
SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed the return of infielder Gage Workman, who collected three hits, including a solo home run, as part of a 7-6 win over the South Bend Cubs in front of 8,003 fans at Four Winds Field on Thursday night. Workman, the Detroit
SOUTH BEND, IN – The West Michigan Whitecaps enjoyed the return of infielder Gage Workman, who collected three hits, including a solo home run, as part of a 7-6 win over the South Bend Cubs in front of 8,003 fans at Four Winds Field on Thursday night.
Workman, the Detroit Tigers No. 27 Prospect, according to MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, was added to the Whitecaps from Double-A Erie before the ballgame and posted a 3-for-5 performance with two runs scored, a double and two RBI in the victory.
The ‘Caps opened the scoring with Workman plated Roberto Campos with a single in the first inning. After the Cubs plated a run in the second, Luis Santana sparked a two-out rally with an RBI-single in a fourth frame that saw West Michigan score five times. Two-run singles by Dom Johnson and Campos extended the ‘Caps edge to 6-1. South Bend plated two runs in the fourth, beginning with a run-scoring triple from Yohendrick Pinango before tallying two more in the sixth with RBI-doubles from Moises Ballesteros and Luis Verdugo to whittle the ‘Caps five-run lead down to 6-5. In the seventh, Workman blasted his first home run as a Whitecap since September 19, 2021, at LMCU Ballpark, providing an essential insurance run and a 7-5 lead. In the ninth, Kevin Made brought South Bend within a run with an RBI-single, but reliever Elvis Alvarado induced a game-ending groundout by James Triantos to give the ‘Caps wins in two of the first three games of the series.
The Whitecaps record improves to 42-44 overall and 10-11 in the second half, while the Cubs drop to 37-49 and 7-14 in the second half. West Michigan used six relief pitchers to cover the nine-inning contest on Thursday, with Angel Reyes opening the ballgame with three innings of one-run baseball. Dario Gardea (1-2) tossed two scoreless frames out of the bullpen, while Cade Horton (3-3) took his third loss. Alvarado picked up his first save of the season. Campos and Dillon Paulson each collected a pair of hits in the victory. Base umpire Brandon Tipton ejected Cubs manager Lance Rymel for arguing a potential home run in the fifth inning.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this series Friday night against the South Bend Cubs from Four Winds Field at 7:05 pm. Pitchers Troy Melton and Brandon Birdsell get the starts for West Michigan and South Bend. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network beginning at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2023 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.