MIDLAND, Mich. - Gavin Lux sent the fifth pitch of the game for the Great Lakes Loons out of the ballpark for his fourth home run of the season. But that would be all the offense the hosts could muster as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers bats came alive for the
MIDLAND, Mich. - Gavin Lux sent the fifth pitch of the game for the Great Lakes Loons out of the ballpark for his fourth home run of the season. But that would be all the offense the hosts could muster as the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers bats came alive for the second straight night to bury the Loons 9-1 on Thursday at Dow Diamond.
With the loss, the losing streak for Great Lakes continues and now sits at seven games. The Loons (8-13, 44-46) have fallen below .500 during this current homestand for the first time since early June when they were 27-28. It is also the first time since July 11-18, 2016 that the Loons have lost seven games in a row.
Drafted in the 5th round by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft, Zack Brown (W, 3-4) stifled the Loons through 6.1 innings allowing just the one run on Lux's home run and the only two hits for Great Lakes all night. Brown also tied a career high with eight strikeouts, matching his total from Opening Day back on April 6 against the Quad Cities River Bandits. Parker Berberet and Andrew Vernon combined to face one over the minimum for the Timber Rattlers (9-12, 35-54) the rest of the way.
Imani Abdullah (L, 0-2) made his fifth start for the Loons in 2017 after joining the rotation in mid-June and wasn't able to make it out of the 1st inning allowing two runs (one earned) on 28 pitches. Christian Stolo and Chris Mathewson were called upon to do the heavy lifting through the middle innings before Andre Scrubb pitched a scoreless 9th for the Loons.
It was those two runs early, followed by three more in the 3rd for Wisconsin that put the visitors in the driver seat from the beginning. The Timber Rattlers clobbered seven extra-base hits as Weston Wilson went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run. Ryan Aguilar turned in a three-hit performance and Tucker Neuhaus had a pair of doubles.
Friday night will see one of the Loons' best take the mound in A.J. Alexy (2-3, 2.42 ERA) on Latino Night at the ballpark. The Timber Rattlers are set to counter with Josh Pennington (0-0, 2.25). It will also be Fridays at Five when fans can take advantage of $3 craft beer specials in The Cove bar area beginning at 5 p.m. when gates open.
The Great Lakes Loons are the 2016 Midwest League Champions and have been a Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2007. Dow Diamond, home of the Loons, also houses ESPN 100.9-FM and the Michigan Baseball Foundation. For tickets and more information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.
