Lugnuts end home losing streak, 5-1

Yeltsin Gudino went 3-for-4 to lead the Lugnuts' offense, ending a franchise record seven-game home losing streak. (Tyler Marcotte)

By Jesse Goldberg-Strassler

August 27, 2017

LANSING, Mich. - Spot-starter Juliandry Higuera outpitched top prospect Osvaldo Hernandez, and the Lansing Lugnuts (23-40, 60-69) broke a franchise-high seven-game home losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (39-24, 65-68) on Sunday afternoon at Cooley Law School Stadium.In his first start since August 29, 2016,

LANSING, Mich. - Spot-starter Juliandry Higuera outpitched top prospect Osvaldo Hernandez, and the Lansing Lugnuts (23-40, 60-69) broke a franchise-high seven-game home losing streak with a 5-1 win over the Fort Wayne TinCaps (39-24, 65-68) on Sunday afternoon at Cooley Law School Stadium.

In his first start since August 29, 2016, Higuera (Win, 4-0) struck out five batters in five efficient innings, allowing solely an unearned fourth-inning run on a Jorge Oña RBI single.

19-year-old Hernandez (Loss, 0-2), in his debut season following signing a $2.5 million contract in March, blanked the Lugnuts through the first four innings before allowing a go-ahead two-run double to Kevin Vicuña in the fifth and serving up RBI base hits to David Jacob , Yeltsin Gudino and Ridge Smith in the sixth.

Yonardo Herdenez followed Higuera with three shutout innings of one-hit ball, and Miguel Burgos pitched a scoreless ninth to wrap up the Lugnuts victory - the lowest TinCaps run total against the Nuts in 14 meetings in 2017.

Shortstop Gudino led the Nuts' offense, going 3-for-4, and Jacob added a single and a double in two at-bats.

The Lugnuts go for a split in the four-game series on a Dog Days of Summer Monday at 7:05 p.m., with right-hander Dalton Rodriguez (0-1, 11.57) facing TinCaps right-hander Reggie Lawson (5-6, 5.10). Tickets may be purchased at the Cooley Law School Stadium box office, by calling (517) 485-4500 or via lansinglugnuts.com.
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