Loons Get Back To Business After Tough Loss Against Fort Wayne
MIDLAND, Mich. - When asked if he thought if he or any of his teammates could get promoted this season, Loons reliever Jacob Rhame gave a surprising answer.
"I hope not, at least at this point," said Rhame. "We're all in a pretty good frame of mind right now, and we're going to get in the playoffs. And once you're in the playoffs, anything can happen."
Rhame didn't say "if" the Loons make the playoffs. He's convinced of it, and the battle for two available playoff berths in the Midwest League's Eastern Division is definitely on. Even after Tuesday night's excruciating 12-inning loss to Fort Wayne at Dow Diamond, the Loons are just a half-game behind Lansing, Dayton and Lake County in the Eastern race.
Even Fort Wayne, which earlier this month was mired in a franchise-record 13-game losing streak, is in the thick of things. The TinCaps have won 11 of their last 16 games and are just a game and a half out of the second playoff spot.
The two teams meet again tonight (7:05 p.m.) for the second game of a three-game series.
For the Loons, bouncing back from Tuesday's loss - in a game that was delayed 56 minutes at the start because of rain and didn't end until just before midnight - won't be easy. But the difficulty doesn't just involve the mental aspect, but also from a standpoint of sheer numbers.
For one, the Loons bullpen is strapped after five of its members pitched in Tuesday's game. Both Mark Pope and Matt Campbell pitched for the second game in a row. And the Loons had to lean heavily on the bullpen on Monday in Peoria when scheduled starter Jonathan Martinez was pulled from the lineup only minutes before he was going to take the field.
"We're a little thin (pitching-wise) but we're just going to have to get through it," said Loons manager Bill Haselman. "Hopefully Brandon (Martinez) can give us some good inning and then we can piece it together from there."
Brandon Martinez (1-6, 4.72 ERA) is tonight's scheduled starter for the Loons. He's coming off of two rough starts in which he gave up 11 earned runs in eight innings, but he also threw six strong innings against Fort Wayne on July 8.
Offensviely, the Loons will get a boost by the expected return of third baseman Paul Hoenecke, who didn't start Tuesday's game because of a bad ankle. But Hoenecke, the Loons home run leader, pinch hit Tuesday and delivered his team's lone run with an eighth-inning single.
Second baseman Jesmuel Valentin, who has a bruised thumb, is on the 7-day disabled list and could be out of the lineup for the entire six-game homestand with Fort Wayne and Lansing. Valentin is fourth in the league with 67 runs scored and fifth in triples with eight.
Fort Wayne, meanwhile, has had a big boost from shortstop Trea Turner, the San Diego Padres No. 1 pick in the June MLB draft. Turner, who was drafted out of North Carolina State University, is batting .483 in 15 games and has an on-base percentage of .559. He reached base four times on Tuesday.
The TinCaps will start right-handed pitcher Kyle Lloyd tonight. Lloyd is 4-4 with a 4.46 ERA and is coming off of a July 25 start against Beloit in which he pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings.
Tonight is Hump Day Happy Hour at Dow Diamond, and fans 21-over can enjoy drink specials from the time gates open to one hour after the official game start.
It's also Bark in the Park Night in which fans can bring their dogs to the park. There will be a Prettiest Pup contest prior to the game, while the K-9 Friz-B Crew will provide between-innings entertainment. Dogs and their owners may watch the game from the lawn seating areas.
The Great Lakes Loons are an eighth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. For tickets and more information, visit loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.