Esparza fans career-high 12 in 1-0 win
(Eastlake, OH) - Matt Esparza was simply dominant on the mound for the Lake County Captains on Saturday night at Classic Park. Esparza struck out 12 Great Lakes Loons hitters over seven shutout innings, setting career highs in both categories, as the Captains shutout the Loons, 1-0.
Esparza was practically unhittable from the start. The right-hander struck out two men in each of the first two frames and did not allow a hit. In the third, Esparza worked out of trouble by getting another timely strikeout. The inning after the Captains scored the game's only run, Esparza struck out the Midwest League's leading home run hitter Ariel Sandoval to leave two runners in scoring position and keep Lake County in front.
The Loons did not threaten against Esparza again after their chance in the third. Esparza's strikeout of Sandoval set off a string of 10 consecutive batters retired by the Captains' starter. He capped his third straight one-two-three inning in the sixth with another strikeout of Sandoval to tie a career-high with 10 punch-outs.
After tossing six shutout frames, Esparza found himself in the seventh inning for the first time in his professional career. Esparza gave up a leadoff single to Eric Meza, but then he returned to his old form. The starter got Matt Jones to commit just enough on a check swing at a curveball in the dirt for his 11th strikeout. Esparza then froze Omar Estevez on fastball on the outside corner for strikeout number 12. The starter finally finished his outing by inducing a ground ball to shortstop off the bat of Cristian Gomez.
Esparza (7-3) picked up his team-leading seventh win by holding the Loons scoreless over seven innings. In addition to his 12 strikeouts, Esparza allowed just four hits and did not issue a walk, though he hit one batter.
Esparza has a history of carving up the Loons. His previous career-high performance of 10 strikeouts came against Great Lakes on June 4 at Dow Diamond. In three starts against the Loons this year, Esparza is 3-0 and has tossed 18 shutout innings. Esparza has struck out 27 Loons hitters and has walked only two. The right-hander has surrendered just six hits to Great Lakes batters.
After Dominic DeMasi pitched a scoreless eighth, Yoiber Marquina took care of the ninth. Marquina gave up a one-out single to Sandoval, but then struck out Meza looking and Jones swinging to end the game and earn his sixth save of the season.
The Captains also had a milestone mark on the offensive side on Saturday. Francisco Mejia pushed his hitting streak to 23 games with a single in the third inning. Mejia is now tied with teammate Tyler Krieger for the longest hitting streak in the Midwest League this year. Krieger hit safely in 23 straight games from May 20 to June 13. Mejia has had a hit in every game since May 27.
Mejia also contributed to the Captains' offense by scoring their only run. The switch-hitter battled with Loons starting pitcher Michael Boyle to work a leadoff walk in the second inning and Connor Marabell followed with a single to put a pair on. Martin Cervenka then gave the Captains what turned out to be the lone run of the game with an RBI single to score Mejia.
Boyle (4-5) suffered a tough-luck loss. The Loons lefty allowed just one run over six strong innings on the hill. Boyle gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out three.
The Captains won their first 1-0 decision of the year and, in doing so, snapped a three-game losing streak and earned their first win of the second half. With a 1-2 record in the second half, the Captains will look to split the four-game series with Great Lakes when the two teams meet again Sunday afternoon at Classic Park.
Sunday is Family Fun Sunday and new this year is the pre-game catch on the field. Fans will be allowed to play catch in the outfield from 12:30-12:50 PM. Family Fun Sunday's include pre-game player autograph sessions, concourse entertainment, and the opportunity for kids to run the bases after the game. First pitch is at 1:30 and gates open at 12:30 PM.
Sunday, is the first of three Bark-In-The-Park days at Classic Park. Fans are encouraged to bring their canine friends to the game. A Pooch Pass is just $5 with proceeds benefiting local charities. The two other Bark-In-The-Park games are August 8th and August 28th.
Individual game tickets are on sale at the Classic Park box office, online at captainsbaseball.com and by phone at 440-954-WINS (9467). 12-, 20-, and 35-game mini ticket plans for the 2016 season are on sale now at great prices complete with several exclusive benefits. Information can be found at the Captains website www.captainsbaseball.com.