Lugnuts end slide, win 1600th game

LANSING, Mich. - In a Monday matinee at Cooley Law School Stadium, Jordan Barrett tossed a professional high seven scoreless innings and the Lansing Lugnuts (14-17, 57-44) shut out the Cedar Rapids Kernels (22-9, 54-46), 2-0, to end a nine-game losing streak and reach a franchise milestone: their 1,600th all-time win.

The Lugnuts improved to 1,600-1,548 in 23 seasons, a .508 all-time winning percentage.

Ryan Gold lined an RBI single in the second inning, scoring Chavez Young , and bounced a fielder's choice in the sixth inning that was thrown away by shortstop Michael Davis, scoring Brandon Grudzielanek . Both runs were scored against Randy Dobnak (Loss, 7-3), who tossed six innings, allowing seven hits and one walk with four strikeouts.

On the other side, Barrett (Win, 1-1) was brilliant in his third start with the Nuts. The left-hander from Margate, Fla., needed only 78 pitches to record 21 outs, holding the Kernels to two hits and one walk, striking out four.

Dalton Rodriguez followed with a perfect eighth inning and Dany Jimenez pitched around a walk in the ninth to secure the Lugnuts' fifth shutout victory of the year.

In the triumph, Gold finished the game 2-for-3, his third straight game with two hits. Samad Taylor added a single and a triple, and Grudzielanek notched a pair of singles.

The Lugnuts enjoy a league-wide off day on Tuesday before opening a seven-game road trip Wednesday with the first of a three-game series at South Bend's Four Winds Field.

The Nuts return home to Cooley Law School Stadium from August 1st-3rd, welcoming in the South Bend Cubs for a brief homestand: Wednesday, August 1st, is a Winning Wednesday; Thursday, August 2nd, is a Labatt Thirsty Thursday - Young Professionals Night; and Friday, August 3rd, is a Family Faith Night with postgame LAFCU Fireworks. To purchase tickets and live the Lug Life, visit lansinglugnuts.com or call (517) 485-4500.
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