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MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Castellanos Slugs A Pair As Whitecaps Cruise

July 9, 2011 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - Nick Castellanos went 3-for-4 with his first professional multi-home run game as the West Michigan Whitecaps returned to Fifth Third Ballpark with an 11-3 blowout win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods in front of a season-high crowd of 10,528 on Saturday night.

Castellanos, the Detroit Tigers' top pick in the 2010 draft at 44th overall, cranked solo homers in the fifth and eighth innings after driving a ball off the wall in the third. The 19-year-old prospect led West Michigan (9-7, 41-44) in a 15-hit attack in which all nine position players recorded hits against the Bowling Green (8-8, 49-37) pitching staff.

The Whitecaps had just seen their five-run lead cut to 5-3 when they started to pull away in the bottom of the fifth.

Castellanos clocked his first home run of the night on the first pitch of the inning, sending a towering fly ball over the center field wall just to the left of the 402-foot marker. One out later, Clay Jones doubled past third base and Jeff Rowland pulled a groundball single through the right side to push the lead to 7-3.

A healthy lead turned into a blowout in the bottom of the eighth. Dixon Machado drew a walk to start the inning and Jason Krizan followed with a fly ball to center. Kevin Kiermaier could not find the baseball as it dropped in for a double, and Kiermaier's throw to the infield got away as Machado came around to score. Luis Castillo followed with a run-scoring triple to left-center and Hernan Perez added a sacrifice fly as the lead swelled to 10-3.

Two batters later, Castellanos turned on the first pitch of the at-bat and blasted his second bomb of the night over the left field fence. His sixth home run of the year capped the scoring and cemented the 11-3 final.

Recently named the Detroit Tigers' Player of the Month after hitting .375 with 20 RBI during a torrid June, Castellanos now leads the Midwest League with 94 hits, leads the Whitecaps with 52 RBI, and ranks among the Midwest League leaders with a .306 batting average and 23 doubles.

Alex Burgos (4-1) picked up the win with another solid outing, allowing three runs on five hits and fanning six over six innings of work. All three runs and five hits - three of which were infield singles - came during the fourth inning. Outside of the one tough frame, Burgos retired 15 of the 16 batters he faced with a leadoff walk in the second inning marking the lone exception.

Patrick Cooper (1) earned his first save of the year with 1.2 scoreless innings of relief. He induced a clutch inning-ending double play on his first pitch upon entering the game with men at the corners in the eighth before the Whitecaps pulled away.

The loss went to George Jensen (8-3), who was battered for five runs - three earned - on eight hits in a three-inning start.

The Whitecaps host the Bowling Green Hot Rods for the second game of a three-game series at Fifth Third Ballpark on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. RHP Josue Carreno (4-8, 5.05) is scheduled to take the mound for West Michigan against LHP Enny Romero (2-5, 5.13) for Bowling Green. Promotions include Harry Potter Day, an appearance from Curious George courtesy of WGVU, and a Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Family Day. Group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting whitecapsbaseball.com.

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