Chiang's gem wasted in shutout loss

(South Bend, IN) - Shao-Ching Chiang turned in one of his better starts this season, but it was not enough for the Lake County Captains on Tuesday night at Four Winds Field. Chiang's only misfire over seven innings was a two-run home run by Tyler Alamo, but the Captains' offense came up empty in a 3-0 loss to the South Bend Cubs.

The Lake County offense had the first opportunity to produce runs, but it went by the wayside. The Captains loaded the bases with nobody out in the second inning on singles by Connor Marabell and Jose Medina and an error by South Bend third baseman Adonis Paula. Cubs starting pitcher Carson Sands got out of the inning, however. After Sands struck out Angel Miguel, Ordomar Valdez ripped a hard line drive right at Paula for the third out.

South Bend wasted no time taking advantage of the Captains' missed opportunity. Eloy Jimenez worked his way on with an infield single to leadoff the inning. The next batter was Alamo and he tanked a home run over the left field wall to give South Bend a 2-0 advantage.

Lake County's hitters found no more luck against Sands the rest of the way. The lefty retired nine straight men from the end of the second until Miguel broke up the string with a double in the fifth. He then stranded Miguel on third and proceeded to set down the next eight men he faced to finish his outing. Sands (6-1) earned the win, as he shutout the Captains over seven innings. The southpaw gave up only three hits, walked one and struck out four.

Chiang (4-6) was a tough-luck loser. After the home run, the Captains' starter set down the next 15 Cubs hitters in a row. Once that run ended with a leadoff single by Donnie Dewees in the seventh, Chiang had to work out of his biggest jam of the game. Chiang sailed a pickoff throw to send Dewees to third base and later intentionally walked Alamo to put runners on the corners with one out. The right-hander then struck out Eddy Martinez and got Josh Silver to ground to third to escape the inning without a run. Chiang ended up pitching seven innings and only gave up two runs on three hits. He walked one and struck out five.

Scott Effross nailed down the save for South Bend. Effross pitched a pair of scoreless innings and only allowed two hits. He struck out two Captains en route to his second save of the year.

Marabell and Miguel had the best days at the dish for Lake County. Both contributed two-hit games and Miguel's knocks were both doubles. Miguel went 2-for-3 at the plate with a stolen base, while Marabell was 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.

Lake County and South Bend have split the first two games of this four-game series, sending the Captains to a 3-3 record to start the second half. The Cubs, who won the Eastern Division in the first half, are once again atop the division with a 5-1 record. The two sides meet again on Wednesday afternoon. First pitch at Four Winds Field is at 1:05 p.m.

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.