Loons Streak Ends With Extra-Innings Loss
MIDLAND, Mich. - When Webster Rivas' long fly ball to left field was misplayed into a triple by Fort Wayne leftfielder Jose Carlos Urena, it looked like the Great Lakes Loons had another comeback brewing Thursday.
Instead, the visiting TinCaps shut the door on the Loons to avoid a four-game sweep with a 2-1 extra-innings win in front of 1,418 fans at Dow Diamond.
Rivas led off the bottom of the 11th by crushing a ball into the teeth of a strong wind. Urena seemed to lose the ball in the lights and it fell a few feet from him on the warning track as Rivas chugged into third base.
But, with the infield pulled in, Fort Wayne reliever Nick Mutz retired Alex Santana and Brandon Trinkwon on ground balls to short, then ended the game by getting Dillon Moyer to fly out to left.
The loss was only the second in 11 games for the Loons, who are 13-7 on the season. Reliever Michael Johnson, who gave up an unearned run in the top of the 11th, took the loss for Great Lakes, while Tony Rizzotti got the win in relief for the TinCaps.
"We're certainly not going to win all the rest of our games either," noted Loons manager Bill Haselman. "But we'll be ready to play tomorrow."
Fort Wayne scored the go-ahead run in the 11th when Josh VanMeter singled with one out, took third on Dustin Peterson's double, then sprinted home when a swinging strike three to batter Fernando Perez eluded Loons catcher Kyle Farmer.
"I just didn't get my glove down to block it," said Farmer. "It was a curveball … a good pitch that he swung at and missed."
"He's a converted infielder learning how to catch," said Haselman, a former big league catcher. "He's done a great job so far, and I expect by the end of the year he'll make that play every time."
The Loons had nine hits and stole four more bases - given them 57 on the season - but managed only a single run against four Fort Wayne pitchers. Farmer drove in Dillon Moyer with a two-out double in the second inning, which tied the game after the TinCaps scored in the first after a leadoff walk to Mallex Smith, who stole second and then came home on two ground outs.
With that, the game turned into a pitching duel between starters Luis Chirinos for the Loons and Fort Wayne right-hander Pete Kelich. Chirinos pitched six innings and gave up just three hits, while Kelich pitched 5.2 innings and struck out nine Loons.
Loons relievers Victor Aruajo and Jacob Rhame then combined to pitch four scoreless innings - before Johnson (1-1) came on in the ninth. Fort Wayne used Genison Reyes, Erik Cabrera, Rizzotti and Mutz to hold the Loons in check after Kelich departed.
Jacob Scavuzzo had three hits for the Loons while Rivas, who was four-for-four Wednesday, had two more hits.
The Loons begin a three-game series at Dow Diamond on Friday night when Midwest League Eastern Division rival Dayton comes to down. Great Lakes leads the division at 13-7, while Dayton (12-7) is just a half-game behind.
Loons right-hander Greg Harris gets the start Friday, he's 1-1 with a 4.32 ERA. Harris has struck out 12 batters in 16.2 innings pitched and walked just four. He'll be opposed by Dayton righty Nick Traviseo (2-0, 1.59). Traviseo was ranked in the preseason as the No. 8 prospect in the Cincinnati Reds' organization by Baseball America.
The Great Lakes Loons are an eighth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. For tickets and more information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL, or visit loons.com.