Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Friday (7:05 PM vs. West Michigan)
MWL Dayton Dragons

Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Friday (7:05 PM vs. West Michigan)

Published on June 26, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Friday, June 26, 2026 l Game # 72 (6)

Day Air Ballpark l Dayton, Ohio l 7:05 pm

TV: Dayton's CW (26), MLB.TV, MLB+, Bally Sports Live Ohio

Radio: Fox Sports 980 WONE

West Michigan Whitecaps (4-2, 28-42) at Dayton Dragons (3-2, 42-29)

LH Jake Miller (0-0, 2.25) vs. RH Reynardo Cruz (3-2, 5.28)

Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) host the West Michigan Whitecaps (affiliate of the Detroit Tigers) in the fourth game of a six-game series at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District. Season Series: Dayton 10, West Michigan 5.

Dragons First Half Summary: Record: 39-27, East Division champs. By winning 8 of their last 9 games in the half including 2 elimination games on the final night, the Dragons overtook Great Lakes and Lake County to win the division by 1 game. The Dragons outscored their opponents 90-26 in those nine games. The Dragons previously won First Half division titles in 2001 and '07. The Dragons First Half winning percentage of .591 tied for second best in franchise history (44-26, .629 in 2007; 39-27, .591 in 2022)

Last Game: Thursday: West Michigan 11, Dayton 4. The Whitecaps produced a pair of five-run innings as they picked up their first win in the series. Clayton Campbell's three-run home run in the third inning was the big hit. Dayton's Carlos Sanchez had four hits and Carter Graham had a home run and double.

Current Series: vs. West Michigan (June 23-28): Dayton 2, West Michigan 1. The Dragons have outscored the Whitecaps 24-22. Dayton team stats in the series: .330 batting avg. (.333 with runners in scoring position); 4 HR, 4 SB, 7.33 ERA, 2 E.

Dragons Team and Player Trending Notes:

The Dragons are 11-3 over their last 14 games, outscoring their opponents 121-57 in those 14 G. Over those 14 G, the Dragons lead Full-Season Minor League Baseball (120 teams) in home runs (36) and OPS (1.007) while ranking second in runs scored. Meanwhile, their 57 runs allowed is the fourth fewest in the minor leagues.

The Dragons are 29-15 since May 5. Since May 5, the Dragons lead the MWL in home runs (80 in 44 games) and OPS (.875).

The Dragons have hit 94 HR in 71 G, on pace to finish the year with 173 (club record: 152 in 2022).

The Dragons have scored 435 runs, on pace to finish the year with 802 (club record is 730 in 2000).

-- Carter Graham broke the Dragons club record for highest batting average in a First Half season at .330. Graham has also broken the club record for most grand slam home runs in a season with three. For the year, Graham has three 2-homer games and five games with at least 5 RBI. He tied the club record on May 28 for most RBI in a game with 8 (a record that was also tied on June 18 (Game 2) by Jacob Friend. Graham has five 4-hit games in 2026. If Graham stayed on his current pace, he would finish the year at .329, 31 HR, 107 RBI.

--Since May 1, Carter Graham in 47 G leads the MWL and is tied for first in all MiLB in RBI (53-12 more than any other MWL player). He also leads the MWL and ranks second in MiLB in extra base hits (31). He is second in the MWL and second in MiLB in OPS (1.196) while batting .353 (3rd in MWL), with 16 HR (1 st in MWL).

-- Starting with a bang: Mason Neville played in his first game with the Dragons Wednesday night and hit a home run on his very first swing. Neville tied for the lead among all NCAA D1 players in home runs (26) in 2025.

MWL Leading Dragons (full season): Carlos Sanchez leads the MWL in hits and is second in runs...Carter Graham leads in RBI and is second in home runs. Reds Organization Leading Dragons: Graham leads the Reds farm system in RBI, OPS, SLG pct. and On-Base pct...Carlos Sanchez leads in runs.

Dragons Hottest Hitters:

Alfredo Alcantara over his last 13 G (since June 9) is batting .306, 5 HR, 3 2B, 13 RBI.

Yerlin Confidan in his last 14 G is batting .300, 3 HR, after going 2 for his previous 45. Prior to that, he hit .350 (35 for 100) over the previous 26 G.

Alfredo Duno in his last 40 games (since May 3) is batting .288, 13 HR, 9 2B, 34 RBI.

Jacob Friend in his last 10 G is batting .333, 3 HR, 3 2B, 16 RBI, 12 BB. In 2026 (Dayton/Daytona), Friend has 14 HR (5 th in Reds org), 53 RBI (tied-2 in org.).

Carter Graham in his last 24 G (since May 28) is batting .360 with 12 HR and 35 RBI. He has 8 HR in his last 14 G.

Mason Neville hit a home run on his first swing as a member of the Dragons on Wednesday. He has drawn four walks in his eight plate appearances.

Peyton Stovall in his last 18 G is batting .322 with 5 HR, 5 2B, 2 3B, and 16 RBI.

Carlos Sanchez is 9 for 14 (.643) with a grand slam home run, 2 2B, 1 3B, and 8 RBI in his 3 G in the current series vs. West Michigan.

Kien Vu in his last 26 G is batting .302 with 6 HR, 6 2B, 4 3B, 17 BB, and 7 HBP.

Upcoming Probable Pitchers (Game times are Dayton time) (All games on WONE 980 AM)

Saturday, June 27 (7:05 pm): West Michigan RH Charlie Christensen (2-1, 2.55 w/Lakeland) at Dayton RH Jose Montero (3-1, 3.16)

Sunday, June 28 (7:05 pm): West Michigan RH Rayner Castillo (1-5, 5.98) at Dayton RH J.P. Ortiz (4-1, 5.16) TV: Dayton's CW (26)

How to Watch/Listen: Dragons radio broadcasts of all home and road games are also available on FOX Sports 980 WONE (980 AM), at daytondragons.com, and via the Dragons Mobile App. Additionally, the Dragons will televise 15 games locally over-the-air on Dayton's CW (Channel 26; Spectrum Cable channels 13 and 1013). All 2026 home and road Dragons can be viewed free of charge on the Bally Sports Live app (look for Bally Live Ohio) or on the internet at Ballysportslive.com (click on Bally Sports Live Ohio or the MiLB Zone). All games are also available by subscription on the MLB App and the MiLB App. Games in Dayton will be Dragons productions; games on the road will be produced by the opposing team.

Dragons Ticket Information: daytondragons.com/tickets Dragons 2026 Schedule: milb.com/dayton/schedule

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

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