Leblanc, 'pen blank Whitecaps
Leblanc (1-0) was dominant early, retiring the first 11 Whitecaps he faced before giving up a two-out infield single to Cameron Maybin in the fourth inning. Leblanc, whose repertoire includes a fastball, change-up, curveball and cutter, said his best pitches could be described with just one word.
"Strikes," said Leblanc, who pitched for Alabama in college. "I think that's about as simple and easy as it gets. If you're throwing strikes and working fast, it keeps your defense a little sharper, and if you're pitching well, your offense is a little better because the pressure isn't as great."
The 22-year-old left-hander scattered three hits and fanned seven over 5 2/3 scoreless innings. Jon Link, Brandon Higelin, Alfredo Fernandez and John Madden closed out the contest, with Madden striking out the side in the ninth.
While the Wizards lost Game 1, Leblanc said that he didn't feel any extra pressure in what could have been the team's final game of the year.
"I really don't think there's more pressure someone can feel than what they put on themselves," Leblanc said. "It's really up to you to keep your emotions in check. Not letting yourself get too high or too low, but just to stay within yourself."
Whatever pressure the Wizards felt David Freese eliminated with a two-run double in the top of the third. The third baseman's liner to left off West Michigan left-hander Lucas French made it 2-0.
Freese said he was confident facing French.
"I had already seen him three times this year, so I had a basic idea about how he was going to go after me," he said. "Whenever I go up against a lefty, I always try to get a pitch where I can get some good extension. I got a fastball in on the first pitch, but it was still something that I could drive."
Freese went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBIs, a walk and a run scored, and Will Venable was 3-for-5 with a double and a run scored.
Michael Hollimon was just one of two Whitecaps runners to reach second, he doubled in the sixth. French (0-1) took the loss, giving up three runs on seven hits in six innings while striking out two.
West Michigan hosts the final game of the series at 7 p.m. ET on Friday. -- Michael Echan/MLB.com