De Los Rios Grounds Loons on Sunday

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - A Major League rehab start by Yu Darvish did not go as planned, but it was right-hander Enrique De Los Rios who frustrated the Loons offense in a 3-0 defeat to the South Bend Cubs at Four Winds Field on a hot Sunday afternoon.
Darvish, a four-time All-Star, last pitched for the Chicago Cubs on May 20 and has been sidelined with right triceps tendonitis. He started Sunday's game for South Bend and threw one inning on 19 pitches (10 strikes). Deacon Liput lined the first pitch of the game into right field, and Jacob Amaya followed with a four-pitch walk. After a wild pitch moved both men into scoring position, Darvish retired the next three batters to end the inning.
 
The 32-year-old returned to the mound to start the second inning, but did not throw a pitch. Accompanied by a member of Chicago's athletic training staff, Darvish walked off the hill before the inning began and turned the game over to De Los Rios.
Throwing a fastball with sink, De Los Rios coaxed the Loons into three double plays and five additional groundouts over seven innings of relief. The 23-year-old struck out four alongside zero walks. 
Right-hander Alfredo Tavarez delivered a quality start for the Loons, but took the loss in a six-inning outing with seven hits and two runs (one earned) allowed. South Bend played small-ball effectively and scored in three straight innings to build its three-run lead. 
 
On the heels of two Loons' errors in the fifth, a safety-squeeze bunt from Jose Gutierrez scored Rafael Narea to break the deadlock. South Bend scored its second run one inning later on a sacrifice fly from Narea, and in the eighth, a passed ball charged to catcher Gersel Pitre brought in the final run of the afternoon.
With the series tied at a game piece, Great Lakes and South Bend duel for the series on Monday night at 7:05 p.m. EDT.
The Great Lakes Loons 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.