Contreras, Whitecaps Rough Up Knuckleballing Viola
Published on June 25, 2014 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release
LANSING, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps knocked out the Lansing Lugnuts on Wednesday night, breaking through against 30-year-old knuckleballer Frank Viola III for an 8-2 win at Cooley Law School Stadium.
West Michigan (3-3, 44-32) was led by the lower part of their batting order. Francisco Contreras was 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI and Willy Adames reached base four times.
The Whitecaps became the first Midwest League team to beat Viola in his fourth start with Lansing (3-3, 35-40). The son of 15-year Major League veteran and 1988 American League Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola, the younger Viola is in affiliated professional baseball for the first time in seven years after reinventing himself as a knuckleballer and attempting a comeback.
Trailing 1-0, Contreras tagged him for a three-run homer in the second inning. After Grayson Greiner singled and Willy Adames drew a walk, Contreras lifted a 1-1 knuckleball high and out of the ballpark to left field for a 3-1 advantage.
The margin was 3-2 when the Whitecaps chased Viola from the game in the fifth inning and broke through for three more runs. Raph Rhymes led off the inning by lining a knuckleball through the left side of the infield for a single. A hit batsman and a wild pitch put runners at second and third for Jeff Holm, who pulled a groundout to the right side to bring home a run. A wild pitch allowed another run to score and Contreras added a two-out single, plating Adames for his fourth RBI and putting the 'Caps ahead, 6-2.
Adames added a two-out single that scored a run in the seventh and Dominic Ficociello doubled home a run in the eighth as West Michigan pulled away for the 8-2 victory.
Kevin Ziomek (6-5) earned the win with six strikeouts over five innings, limiting the Lugnuts to two runs on four hits.
The bullpen was even better. Julio Felix and Joe Mantiply each threw two innings of shutout baseball, combining to allow just one baserunner. In all, the three Whitecaps' hurlers retired 16 of the last 17 Lansing hitters that came to the plate.
Viola (2-1) was charged with six runs on five hits over 4.2 innings for his first Midwest League loss.
The Whitecaps wrap up their three-game road series against the Lansing Lugnuts at 7:05 p.m. on Thursday night at Cooley Law School Stadium. RHP Chad Green (2-2, 3.08) is scheduled to pitch for West Michigan against RHP Chase De Jong (0-4, 4.40) of Lansing. The next home game at Fifth Third Ballpark will be a Tiger Friday featuring Glenn Wilson and a Living Baseball Card giveaway on Friday, June 27, at 7:00 p.m. Season, group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
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