Watson's Gem Drops Loons

MIDLAND, Mich. - Making his first Single-A appearance for the Great Lakes Loons, Los Angeles Dodgers 2018 sixth round pick Bryan Warzek struck out five hitters with a limited pitch count to work with entering Thursday's game with the Cedar Rapids Kernels. However, the Kernels' bats were too much as the Loons fell 6-3 at Dow Diamond in front of a sellout crowd of 5,410.
The Kernels (19-8) found the scoreboard first in the top of the third, as Akil Baddoo singled to score David Banuelos. The next hitter, Ben Rodriguez, launched his eighth home run of the season for a 4-0 edge against Warzek and the Loons. 
Warzek (L, 0-1) was pulled after 2.2 innings of work. He allowed three earned runs on three hits. Despite giving up a few runs, he did not allow a walk. The 21-year-old left-hander was replaced by Justin Hagenman, who allowed a solo homer to Jacob Pearson in the fourth. One inning later, the Kernels tacked on another run against the Loons (8-19) on a single from Robby Rinn to score Baddoo to take a 6-0 lead. 
Cedar Rapids starter Tyler Watson (W, 3-4) was dominant through 6.0 innings pitched. He struck out six and surrendered five hits and one walk. After being replaced by Melvi Acosta, the Loons bats came alive. 
After the sixth inning, during which the Loons loaded the bases and were unable to score, Brandon Montgomery finally put a run on the board with his seventh home run of the season off Acosta in the seventh. Once Gersel Pitre, Josh McLain and Brayan Morales reached base, Devin Mann ripped a line drive to score two runs, cutting the deficit to three runs. 
Mann's two-RBI single was his first bases-loaded at-bat of his professional career. He was picked by the Dodgers in the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Louisville. 
The final 4.0 innings pitched for Great Lakes were scoreless thanks to performances from Stephen Kolek and Devin Hemmerich. However, the Loons were unable to get the job done at the plate. 
Jose Martinez pitched a perfect 2.1 innings of baseball to end the game for the Kernels. He struck out six of the seven hitters he faced. It was his third save of the season. 
Great Lakes and Cedar Rapids finish their three-game series with the finale on Friday at Dow Diamond. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.
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.