Ruoff Mortgage Homestand Preview: May 24-29
South Bend Cubs (23-16) Great Lakes Loons (23-16) Affiliation: Dodgers A huge series begins Tuesday night at Four Winds Field as a pair of 23-16 teams square off in a six-game series in South Bend. The Loons have won four-straight series and sit in second place in the East, 3.5
South Bend Cubs (23-16)
Great Lakes Loons (23-16)
Affiliation: Dodgers
A huge series begins Tuesday night at Four Winds Field as a pair of 23-16 teams square off in a six-game series in South Bend. The Loons have won four-straight series and sit in second place in the East, 3.5 games behind Dayton. The Cubs also haven’t dropped a series in May and have been the best team at home in the Midwest League this season, sporting a record of 16-5 and coming off a last homestand that saw them go 11-1 against Peoria and Fort Wayne.
A slew of top prospects, warm weather, and two great teams. Should be quite the series this week in the Bend.
Players to watch out for on Great Lakes…
RHP Nick Nastrini and LHP Lael Lockhart: This combo has proven lethal in the early going of the season. Nastrini, a fourth-round pick by the Dodgers last year out of UCLA, shined as a rookie. Across two levels last season he made seven starts and logged a 1.93 ERA in 14 innings (he’d just tossed a full collegiate season, hence the low usage). This year in eight starts the Dodgers #13 prospect has gone 24 innings while striking out 41, allowing an opposing batting average of a mere .189, and registering a 3.75 ERA. Lockhart was selected five rounds later in the same draft after pitching at Arkansas. The left-hander has shined even brighter to the tune of a 1.45 ERA across a team-high 31 innings.
OF Jonny DeLuca: The former Oregon Duck supplanted himself as a rising star in the organization with a stellar sophomore campaign in which he slashed .264/.348/.519 with 22 HR and 64 RBI. Vicious power combined with great wheels led to not only great slugging numbers but 20 stolen bases in 22 tries. This season DeLuca isn’t displaying the same consistent bat-to-ball skills but nevertheless paces the league with 12 homers and is top 10 in runs scored (24, T-4th), total bases (77, 4th), XBH (18, T-6th), and RBIs (24, T-9th). What an awfully impressive start to a career for a 25th-rounder.
SS Eddys Leonard: The top prospect on the Loons, Eddys Leonard currently stands as the Dodgers #8 prospect and is on the Dodgers 40-man roster after a stellar 2021. Last year across two levels of full-season baseball Leonard ripped 22 homers, drove in 81, walked 51 times and completed the year with a .929 OPS. This season begins in high-A for the 21-year-old but certainly could see him promoted in the months to come. His numbers are a bit down from last year, but that’s largely just because last season he was unstoppable.
Players to watch out for on South Bend…
OF Owen Caissie: A big piece of the five-player return for Yu Darvish, the 19-year-old Caissie is knocking the cover off the ball the last two weeks. Over the last two series the 6-foot-4 lefty is batting .400 with three homers and 17 RBIs. He’s tallied multiple hits in three-straight games and six of his last nine starts. Ask anyone on the team this season and it was always just a matter of time before Caissie broke out. Well it’s happening, and he’s delivering for an offense that has seen its two most productive hitters promoted the past two weeks.
LHP Jordan Wicks: The Cubs first round pick from last year’s draft shoved last week. He logged a career-high five innings and punched out a career-best eight batters. When he exited he was in line for his first career victory. The changeup dazzles as it always has but the slider is improving seemingly every start and now gives him yet another killer weapon. Watch out.
C Pablo Aliendo: Aliendo came out of the blocks slow, but his May is nothing to shy away from. In April the 20-year-old batted .152 and slugged .196. Then came May and this month Aliendo is batting .308 with an on-base percentage at .413. Now the Venezuelan returns home where he’s been at his absolute best. He’s as athletic a catcher as you’ll find in the Midwest League but the catalysts for this surge have been his discipline and selectivity at the plate.
Schedule…
Tuesday, May 24 - 6:05 ET: RHP Daniel Palencia vs. RHP Emmet Sheehan
Wednesday, May 25 - 11:05 AM: LHP Jordan Wicks vs. RHP Kyle Hurt
Thursday, May 26 - 7:05 ET: LHP DJ Herz vs. RHP Kendall Williams
Friday, May 27 - 7:05 ET: RHP Manuel Espinoza vs. RHP Nick Nastrini
Saturday, May 28 - 7:05 ET: RHP Kohl Franklin vs. LHP Lael Lockhart
Sunday, May 29 - 7:05 ET: RHP Daniel Palencia vs RHP Emmet Sheehan
Catch the entire six-game series on Sports Radio 960 AM WSBT, online at wsbtradio.com, or at MiLB.com. Saturday's game is also on TV and can be found locally on My Michiana.