Whitecaps One-Hit Loons, 2-0
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps got one giant swing from Luis Santana as the pitching staff paved the way to a 2-0 shutout win over the Great Lakes Loons in front of a season-high 7,545 fans Wednesday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark. Santana added a two-run blast –
COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps got one giant swing from Luis Santana as the pitching staff paved the way to a 2-0 shutout win over the Great Lakes Loons in front of a season-high 7,545 fans Wednesday afternoon at LMCU Ballpark.
Santana added a two-run blast – his third long ball in just six games since returning to the ‘Caps as part of an MiLB rehab assignment. Meanwhile, ‘Caps pitchers held the Loons to just 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position – allowing just three baserunners the entire game – as they compiled nine strikeouts in their second-consecutive shutout.
WATCH: LUIS SANTANA’S TWO-RUN HOMER
Whitecaps starter Jaden Hamm – who came into the game boasting a league-best 1.04 ERA – continued to dominate, tossing three scoreless frames with four punchouts as Santana delivered his two-run shot in the second, jumping in front 2-0. The Whitecaps couldn’t generate any offense past the third – managing just one hit the remainder of the ballgame – as the Loons pitching staff racked up 12 punchouts. Fortunately, however, the Whitecaps bullpen picked up where Hamm left off, as relievers Michael Bienlien, Max Alba, Connor Holden, and Marco Jimenez stifled the Loons lineup, allowing just one base hit through six innings with no walks and five strikeouts to help West Michigan cruise to the shutout win.
WATCH: JADEN HAMM GETS A STRIKEOUT
The ‘Caps improve to 24-23 on the season and are one game away from tying their best mark of the season, while the Loons fall to 26-21. Bienlien (1-0) secures his first win of the season with three scoreless innings of work, while Jimenez gets his first save, retiring the Loons in order in the ninth. Wednesday’s win marks the first time the Whitecaps have pitched a one-hitter since June 17, 2023, in a 7-0 win at Lake County. After posting three scoreless innings with four strikeouts, Hamm’s ERA remains the best in the Midwest League (0.96), posting 51 strikeouts (Top-3) and walking just five batters this season. The Whitecaps sit 3.5 games out of first place in the Midwest League Eastern division – currently tied with the Lansing Lugnuts with a 24-23 first-half record.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps and Great Lakes Loons continue this series on Medical Professionals Night, scheduled for Thursday at 6:35 pm. Pitchers Dylan Smith and Jackson Ferris square off for the Whitecaps and Loons. To catch all the action, tune into the broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty and Nate Wangler on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm on 106.1 FM ‘The Ticket’ and 1340 WJRW-AM in Grand Rapids. Don’t miss out on the excitement; get your tickets for all 2024 home contests or listen to the games live at whitecapsbaseball.com.