Flores Dominant Again in 3-2 Loss
DAYTON, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps got another impressive performance from pitcher and Detroit Tigers prospect Wilmer Flores, and a late rally came up short as part of a 3-2 loss to the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark on Tuesday night. Flores, the Tigers no. 15 prospect, repeated
DAYTON, OH – The West Michigan Whitecaps got another impressive performance from pitcher and Detroit Tigers prospect Wilmer Flores, and a late rally came up short as part of a 3-2 loss to the Dayton Dragons at Day Air Ballpark on Tuesday night.
Flores, the Tigers no. 15 prospect, repeated many of his impressive numbers on Tuesday, tossing three scoreless frames while striking out seven without walking a batter. Meanwhile, the Dragons quartet of starting pitcher Joe Boyle and relievers Manuel Cachutt, Myles Gayman, and Nick Hanson combined to strike out 14 batters in a winning performance.
After Flores’ masterful three innings, the Dragons offense struck for three runs in the next three innings. In the fourth, Alex McGarry blasted his third home run of the season, and a run-scoring double by Allan Cerda helped build the all-important 3-0 lead. Jake Holton’s infield single broke up a potential no-hitter in the seventh. The score remained the same until the ninth, when the ‘Caps scored twice without the benefit of a base hit. Three walks and a hit batsman allowed West Michigan to score a run on a fielding error and sacrifice fly to bring the score to 3-2, but the rally ended there as the Dragons held on to win the first game of the six-game series.
Dayton takes control of first place in the Midwest League Eastern Division, improving to 7-3 with the win, while the Whitecaps fall to 6-4. Manuel Cachutt (1-0) collects the win for Dayton with three scoreless innings, while Jordan Marks (0-2) suffers his second loss allowing all three Dragons runs through four innings with seven strikeouts. Nick Hanson pitched through a bumpy ninth inning to secure his first save for Dayton. In an equally impressive performance, Boyle struck out 10 Whitecaps hitters in his four shutout frames to begin the contest. Holton reached base twice with a hit and a walk in a losing effort.
UP NEXT
This six-game series between the Whitecaps and Dayton Dragons continues Wednesday night from Day Air Ballpark at 7:05 pm. West Michigan sends starting pitcher Carlos Guzman to the mound against Dayton’s James Proctor. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2022 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.