Camels Fall for First Time

Outman homers twice as Whitecaps steal series opener from Loons

33 Jeff Belge (Alex Seder / Great Lakes Loons)

By Matt DeVries

August 21, 2019

MIDLAND, Mich. -- Two more home runs from James Outman wasn't enough to save the perfect record for the Great Lakes Camels as they fell 7-6 to the West Michigan Whitecaps at Dow Diamond on Wednesday night.In front of a packed crowd of 4,160 the Camels outfielder continued to put

MIDLAND, Mich. -- Two more home runs from James Outman wasn't enough to save the perfect record for the Great Lakes Camels as they fell 7-6 to the West Michigan Whitecaps at Dow Diamond on Wednesday night.
In front of a packed crowd of 4,160 the Camels outfielder continued to put on a display of power at the plate. Outman has now hit three home runs in the last four days, as well as eight home runs in his last 16 games. Few in the Midwest League are swinging a hotter bat than James Outman right now as he now leads the Camels with 16 home runs this season.
Great Lakes (75-50) jumped out to an early 4-0 advantage thanks to a lead-off homer from Outman, followed by run-scoring doubles from both Brandon Lewis and Luke Heyer. Unfortunately for the Camels, those would be the only extra-base hits in the game until Outman's second home run in the bottom of the 9th.
Stephen Kolek (L, 7-8) ran into a string of bad luck in the top of the 5th as the Detroit Tigers affiliate pushed across six runs to take the lead for good. Edward Cuello and Jeff Belge combined for 4.2 shutout innings in relief the rest of the way to keep the Camels in it down the stretch.
Chris Roller produced a multi-hit performance with two singles. Heyer drove in a pair of runs.
With the loss, the streak of 10 straight wins as the Great Lakes Camels comes to an end. It's the first lost ever when the Loons transform into their alter-ego on "hump day".
The lengthy homestand rolls on with two more games on Thursday and Friday. Both games begin at 7:05 p.m.
Aug 22: Lucky Hot Dog & Michigander Night
Aug 23: The Office Night feat. Leslie David Baker (aka Stanley Hudson)
Aug 28: BINGO Night
Aug 29: Hockey Night w/ the Saginaw Spirit
Aug 30: Hat Giveaway
Sept 5:Midwest League Playoffs vs. Lake County Captains
The Great Lakes Camels have been the Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team's home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.