Beeter Waives Five in Three Innings for 5-1 Win
August 1, 2021 - Midwest League (MWL)
Great Lakes Loons News Release
MIDLAND, MI - Clayton Beeter highlighted a season-high three innings with five strikeouts, helping the Great Lakes Loons (43-35) salvage a Sunday series split with the West Michigan Whitecaps (36-41) at Dow Diamond, winning 5-1. Ryan Ward began Sunday's scoring with a leadoff long ball, his 15th homer of the season coming in the bottom of the first. Leonel Valera also recorded a leadoff blast, his coming in the bottom of the sixth to extend the Loons lead.
Ward and Valera's blasts moves the Loons season tally to 117 through 78 games played, averaging 1.5 per game. The Great Lakes franchise record of home runs in a single season hasn't been touched in 11 years since the 2010 club whacked 127. In a shortened season, the Loons are on pace to total 180 in 120 games. Great Lakes finished the West Michigan series with nine, fresh off piling up 20 HRs the week prior in Lake County.
Beeter's three scoreless innings were followed by four relief innings from left-hander Alec Gamboa (W, 4-4), who's only run allowed came on a solo blast from Eric De La Rosa, his third of the season. Franklin De La Paz delivered the final six outs in Sunday's win with no runs on two hits, striking out two batters.
Reliever Sandel De La Cruz walked his first three Loons batters faced in the bottom of the fifth inning, loading the bases with no outs. All three walks came in to score on a Brandon Lewis sacrifice flyout, a Carson Taylor RBI hit, and a wild pitch to conclude a three-run frame on one hit. Zac Shepherd struck out four batters in the next 2 1/3 innings, only allowing Valera's solo fly. Xavier Javier finished the Whitecaps effort with a silent eighth inning.
Brandon Lewis finished with an RBI and a walk in his third game as a Loon at first base. Cameron Gibbens, Jose Martinez, Landon Knack and Justin Yurchak were all promoted to the Dodgers' AA affiliate, the Tulsa Drillers, after Friday's 5-4 win. In that game, Yurchak reached base in three of his four trips to the plate, leaving the Loons with the league-best batting average of .356, the third-best in all of Minor League Baseball.
Loons pitching helped limit the Whitecaps 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, leaving five men stranded. Great Lakes pitchers racked up 11 strikeouts and only allowing one walk in Sunday's win. Five strikeouts for Beeter was the second-consecutive time he reached that amount, which is a season-high.
A 12-game home stand at Dow Diamond continues after Monday's off day, as the Fort Wayne TinCaps invade Dow Diamond for the first time this season with six-straight games, beginning Tuesday, August 3. Great Lakes leads the season series against Fort Wayne after taking five of six contests in their only six-game set of the season on July 4 weekend.
Tuesday's series debut at Dow Diamond will be another Hometown Heroes Night, presented by Hemlock Semiconductor. August 3 is also a Small Business Tuesday, presented by Midland Business Alliance, saluting the small businesses in the Midland area.
Coverage on ESPN 100.9 FM begins with the Loons On-Deck Circle, Built by Three Rivers, at 6:30 P.M. EDT, gates open at 6 P.M. with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 P.M.
The Great Lakes Loons have been the Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team's home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.
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