Bandits lose 6th straight with Captains' shutout
EASTLAKE, Ohio - Right-hander Jordan Milbrath went six scoreless innings as the first of three Lake County Captains pitchers combining for an eight-hit shutout, and first baseman Bobby Bradley hit the first grand slam among his Midwest League-leading 24 home runs to hand the Quad Cities River Bandits their sixth straight loss in a 5-0 final at Classic Park Saturday night.
The River Bandits (29-19 second half, 74-42 overall) were shut out for the third time in four games and have lost six straight games for the first time since a similar skid July 30-Aug. 4, 2014. Lake County (23-24, 59-56) has held Quad Cities to one run in two games.
Milbrath (4-10) scattered six hits and one walk with five strikeouts in six innings. He only allowed Quad Cities to put two runners in scoring position simultaneously in the first inning. All-Star third baseman Nick Tanielu hit a two-out single to right field, and right fielder Drew Ferguson doubled to the right-field corner. But Milbrath got first baseman Bryan Muniz to pop out in foul territory to end the inning.
The next River Bandit to reach scoring position was when Muniz led off the fourth inning with a ground-rule double that bounced over the left-center field fence. Milbrath retired the next three batters to end the inning. Quad Cities put its last runner at third base in the sixth inning, when second baseman Jose Fernandez singled to right field with two outs and reached third base on Milbrath's errant pickoff throw. But Milbrath struck out designated hitter Ryan Bottger to end the inning.
The Captains broke the scoreless tie against River Bandits right-hander Joshua James in the third inning. Right fielder David Armendariz led off with a single to the shortstop hole, and designated hitter Grant Fink reached first base when Tanielu dropped a ground ball. After James struck out center fielder Greg Allen, he walked third baseman Taylor Murphy to load the bases. After left fielder Anthony Santander popped out to right field, Bradley batted in a scoreless tie with the bases loaded. Bradley sent James' 2-1 pitch to the batting cage building in right field - his second straight game with a home run against Quad Cities - for a 4-0 Captains lead. The home run off James was the first he had allowed since his Midwest League debut April 13 - a span of 94 2/3 innings. James only allowed one walk for the rest of his outing, and he finished five innings, allowing four unearned runs on two hits and three walks with four strikeouts.
Following James, right-hander Eric Peterson began the sixth inning and struck out four batters in two innings, but he allowed the final Captains run - and only earned run - in the seventh inning. Fink doubled to right-center field with one out, and Allen grounded a triple down the first-base line to score Fink for a 5-0 Lake County lead. Peterson completed the seventh inning, and right-hander Jorge Perez pitched a scoreless eighth inning with one hit and one walk.
The Captains' bullpen effort began with left-hander David Speer in the seventh inning. With one out, Speer walked shortstop Kristian Trompiz and allowed center fielder Bobby Boyd's single to left field. But Speer struck out left fielder Jason Martin and retired Tanielu on a flyout to center field.
Captains right-hander Luke Eubank began the eighth inning and struck out all three batters in that frame before working around a ninth-inning, one-out single by catcher Garrett Stubbs, who was the only River Bandit with two hits. Stubbs was left at second base as the last of 10 runners left on base by the River Bandits, who went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
The River Bandits conclude regular season interdivisional play with the series finale at 12:30 p.m. Central on Sunday in Lake County. River Bandits right-hander Brock Dykxhoorn (6-4) is scheduled to face Captains left-hander Sean Brady (7-8).
UP NEXT: The River Bandits have two specialty jerseys among the top 10 in MiLB.com's Jersey Joust contest to decide the best specialty jersey in Minor League Baseball. Visit riverbandits.com for a link to vote until Aug. 25 for the 2014 Autism Awareness Jersey and 2015 Boy Scouts Jersey. Ticket plans of 12 to 70 games - which include free parking, reserved seats, merchandise discounts, and guaranteed giveaways - are available by calling 563-324-3000.
ABOUT THE BANDITS: With the installation of the Ferris Wheel, the River Bandits ownership in 2014 made one of the biggest improvements to Modern Woodmen Park since the ballpark was first built back in 1931, and this year the club is matching that effort by opening three new areas. A two-tiered special group deck immediately behind and overlooking the corn field opened in June. A new 11,000-square-foot concourse expansion down the third-base line will open late August. Finally, the club has expanded the children's play area by an additional 5,500 square feet down the right-field line, with additional bounce houses and the newest ride - Spin Zone Bumper Cars - as the latest attraction.