Captains Win Fourth Straight, Defeat Chiefs 6-5
MWL Lake County Captains

Captains Win Fourth Straight, Defeat Chiefs 6-5

Published on August 15, 2025 under Midwest League (MWL)
Lake County Captains News Release


EASTLAKE, Ohio - In the third game of a scheduled six-game series, the Lake County Captains (28-17, 63-48) defeated the Peoria Chiefs (17-27, 43-66) by a final score of 6-5 on Thursday night at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake.

Headlined by a seven-out save recorded by Captains RHP Xavier Martinez (S, 1), it was a mix of stellar pitching and a balanced offensive attack that led to Lake County's fourth straight victory.

The first three innings were scoreless due to strong starting pitching from both teams.

Chiefs RHP Chen-Wei Lin, MLB Pipeline 's No. 16 Cardinals prospect, struck out four Captains and allowed just two hits in three scoreless frames of work.

Lake County LHP Caden Favors (W, 6-8) also had a stellar first three innings, striking out six Peoria hitters and allowing just two baserunners. He eventually earned his sixth win of the season, allowing just one run on four hits, while throwing eight strikeouts to just two walks in five innings pitched.

The scoring for the night got started in the top of the fourth, when Peoria 3B Deniel Ortiz, MLB Pipeline 's No. 24 Cardinals prospect, delivered a two-out RBI single to put the Chiefs in front 1-0.

The Captains would waste no time responding, however, thanks to an RBI single from DH Jose Devers, a two-run infield single from 1B Maick Collado, and another RBI single from 2B Jeffrey Mercedes in the home half of the fourth inning, which gave Lake County a 4-1 lead.

An inning later, 3B Juan Benjamin tacked on insurance for the Captains with an RBI groundout to extend their lead to 5-1.

In the top of the sixth, 1B Josh Kross would provide a spark for the Chiefs with a two-out, two-run single to shrink Peoria's deficit to 5-3. Lake County prevented further damage in the inning, however, thanks to an outfield assist from CF Jaison Chourio, MLB Pipeline 's No. 6 Guardians prospect. The 20-year-old's throw to third base prevented Ortiz from advancing from first to third.

In the bottom half of the frame, Devers delivered an RBI infield single to give Lake County a three-run cushion at 6-3.

The top of the seventh would feature a pair of Peoria runs on an RBI groundout from DH Jesus Baez, MLB Pipeline 's No. 7 Cardinals prospect, and a two-out RBI triple from C Ryan Campos.

Martinez then entered the game and induced a groundout from Chiefs RF Travis Honeyman, stranding the potential tying run at third base.

In his High-A home debut, the USC product logged 2.1 scoreless innings en route to his first career High-A save. Martinez struck out the final five Chiefs he faced to secure the 6-5 win for Lake County.

Peoria RHP Gerardo Salas (L, 4-11) suffered his 11 th loss of the season, allowing four runs on five hits in the fourth inning.

The fourth game of this week's scheduled six-game series between the Captains and Chiefs is scheduled for Friday night at 7 p.m. It will be Fireworks Friday at the ballpark, where Lake County will host a postgame fireworks show. The Captains will also be celebrating State Fair Weekend, and All-Star LHP John Means is also slated to make a rehab start for Lake County. The game will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App and MiLB.com, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

Notes to Know

- RHP Xavier Martinez earned his first career High-A save with 2.1 scoreless innings of relief on Thursday night. The 22-year-old has not allowed a run in his first four High-A appearances, holding opponents to a .174 batting average in 7.1 innings of work.

- LHP Caden Favors earned his third straight win to begin the month of August on Thursday night. Over his last four starts, the 2024 sixth-round pick out of Wichita State has logged a 0.82 ERA and 21 strikeouts to five walks in 22.0 innings pitched.

- INF Jeffrey Mercedes went a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI single on Thursday night, tallying his first three career High-A hits and his first career High-A RBI. This performance marked the 20-year-old's fourth three-hit game of the season across Lake County and Single-A Lynchburg.

Check out the Lake County Captains Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from August 15, 2025


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