Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Sunday (1:05 PM at Great Lakes)

Sports stats



Dayton Dragons

Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Sunday (1:05 PM at Great Lakes)

September 8, 2024 - Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Sunday, Sept. 8, 2024 l Game # 66 (132)

Dow Diamond l Midland, Mich. l 1:05 p.m.

Radio: Fox Sports 980 WONE

Dayton Dragons (40-25, 74-57) at Great Lakes Loons (34-29, 68-61)

RH Gabriel Aguilera (4-4, 4.24) vs. RH Peter Huebeck (2-5, 2.85)

Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) meet the Great Lakes Loons (affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers) in the last game of a six-game series and final regular season game of 2024.

Standings/Playoffs: The Dragons have clinched a playoff position as the East Division Second Half representative.

The MWL Playoffs consist of two rounds, and each series is best-of-three. The Dragons open the first round at Day Air Ballpark against the Lake County Captains on Tuesday, September 10 at 7:05 pm. Game two and (if necessary) game three will be played at Lake County on September 12-13, both at 6:35 pm. The championship round of the playoffs will begin on September 15 at the West Division champion. The series will conclude in the East Division ballpark on September 17 and (if necessary) September 18.

Dragons Playoff History: The Dragons have gone to the Midwest League playoffs seven previous times, in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2007, 2008, 2011, and 2017. They have reached the semi-final round four times, in 2000, 2001, 2008, and 2017, but have never reached the championship round (note that the playoffs featured three rounds prior to 2020).

Other Historical Notes: The Dragons current winning percentage in the Second Half of .615 would rank third in franchise history for best winning percentage in a half season, trailing only 2011, 2nd Half (48-22, .686); and 2007, 1st Half (44-26, .629). The Dragons have won 40 games in a half for the first time since the 1st Half in 2017 when they went 41-29 (Half-Seasons were 70 games prior to 2021; they are now 66 games). The Dragons will finish with a winning record in both halves for the second time in franchise history (2001: 41-29 & 41-28). The Dragons current full-season winning percentage of .565 ranks third in franchise history, trailing 2011 (.593) and 2001 (.590). The Dragons have won the Second Half East Division title for just the second time in franchise history (2011). They have two first half division titles (2001, 2007) and four playoff berths as a wildcard team (second place teams qualified for post-season prior to the 2021 season).

Last Game: Saturday: Great Lakes 3, Dayton 0. The Dragons avoided a no-hitter when Cade Hunter singled to start the eighth. They finished with three hits.

Team Notes

The Dragons are 13-1 in one-run games in the second half, and 23-8 for the full season.

Dayton is 63-18 when scoring at least four runs. They are 16-2 when their starting pitcher goes 6+ innings; 47-11 when the starter goes 5+. On the road, they are 25-10 when scoring first.

The Dragons rank second in Minor League Baseball (120 teams) in average attendance (8,012), trailing #1 Indianapolis (8,236).

Player Notes

Ethan O'Donnell was selected as Reds Minor League Player of the Month for August when he batted .373 with 6 HR, 21 RBI in 27 G. Over his last 36 games: 50 for 144 (.347), 6 HR, 6 2B, 4 3B, 25 RBI.

Leo Balcazar over his last 38 games: 49 for 151 (.325), 6 HR, 7 2B, 1 3B, 28 RBI, 4 SB.

Cam Collier over his last 32 games: 33 for 103 (.320), 7 HR, 26 RBI, 7 2B, 1 3B, 30 BB.

John Michael Faile finished his five-year college career at North Greenville University as the all-time leader in home runs and RBI for the NCAA Division II level, hitting over .400 two times and winning his conference's triple crown once. Faile hit home runs in each of his first three games with the Dragons.

Simon Miller's 1.47 ERA is the best in the MWL among pitchers with at least 30 innings. Miller since joining the Dragons: 18 G, 8 Sv, 30.2 IP, 17 H, 10 BB, 37 SO.

John Murphy has allowed earned runs in only two of 28 appearances since May 1. His 1.79 ERA in 2024 is tied for third among MWL pitchers with at least 40 innings.

Brody Jessee over his last 7 G: 16.1 IP, 10 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0.00 ERA.

Ryan Cardona since July 1: 9 GS, 6-1, 1.88 ERA, 48 IP, 26 H, 11 R, 10 ER, 15 BB, 49 SO.

Upcoming Probable Pitchers (Game times are Dayton time) (All games on WONE 980 AM and www.daytondragons.com)

Tuesday, Sept. 10 (7:05 pm): Lake County TBA at Dayton RH Ryan Cardona (9-5, 3.29) (MWL Playoffs, Game 1)

Thursday, Sept. 12 (6:35 pm): Dayton TBA at Lake County TBA (MWL Playoffs, Game 2)

Friday, Sept. 13 (6:35 pm, if necessary): Dayton TBA at Lake County TBA (MWL Playoffs, Game 3)

How to Watch/Listen: All home and road Dragons games including all playoff games will be available free of charge on the Bally Live app (look for Bally Live Ohio) or on the internet at Ballylive.com (in the Channel Guide, click on Bally Live Ohio or the MiLB Zone). Games in Dayton will be Dragons productions, while games on the road will be produced by the opposing team. Dragons radio broadcasts of all home and road games will also be available on FOX Sports 980 WONE (980 AM), at daytondragons.com, and via the Dragons Mobile App.

Dragons Ticket Information: daytondragons.com/tickets Dragons 2024 Schedule: milb.com/dayton/schedule

Check out the Dayton Dragons Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Midwest League message board...

Midwest League Stories from September 8, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central