Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Sunday (1:05 vs South Bend)
MWL Dayton Dragons

Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Sunday (1:05 vs South Bend)

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


Sunday, April 26, 2026 l Game # 20

Day Air Ballpark l Dayton, Ohio l 1:05 pm

Radio: Fox Sports 980 WONE

TV: MLB App, MiLB TV, Bally Sports Live Ohio

South Bend Cubs (11-6) at Dayton Dragons (9-10)

LH Ethan Flanagan (0-1, 3.48) vs. LH Nick Lodolo (no record)/RH Nestor Lorant (0-2, 4.50)

Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) host the South Bend Cubs (affiliate of the Chicago Cubs) in the last game of a six-game series at Day Air Ballpark in the heart of the Water Street District.

Last Game: Saturday: South Bend 6, Dayton 1. The Cubs hit three home runs and limited the Dragons to one run on five hits as they went up three-games-to-two in the series. Carlos Sanchez doubled to start the first inning, the only extra base hit the Dragons had in the game. Dragons starter Beau Blanchard pitched well but took the loss (5 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 4 SO).

Hardest-hit fair ball by Dayton: Yerlin Confidan, 110.2 mph. Fastest pitch by Dayton: Drew Pestka, 97.6 mph.

Current Series vs. South Bend (4/21-4/26): South Bend 3, Dayton 2. The Cubs have outscored the Dragons 41-29 in this high-scoring series. Dayton is batting .258 as a team (.197 with runners in scoring position). They have hit four home runs. They have seven stolen bases, a team ERA of 8.16, and four errors. The Dragons top hitter in the South Bend series has been Carlos Sanchez (.400, 2 2B, 4 BB, 3 SB).

Reds Pitcher Nick Lodolo Joins Dragons on Injury Assignment: Left-handed starting pitcher Nick Lodolo has joined the Dragons on a Major League injury rehabilitation assignment and will start today's game. He will become the 47th Reds player to play for the Dragons on an MLB injury rehab assignment. Lodolo, who pitched for the Dragons in 2019 shortly after being selected in the first round of the draft that summer out of TCU, has spent the last four years as a member of the Reds starting rotation. He has made 75 starts in the Major Leagues. Last season, Lodolo was 9-8 with a 3.33 ERA for the Reds. He has not pitched in a Major League game in 2026.

2026 Team Notes:

Outfielder Anthony Stephan and starting pitcher Luke Hayden have both been placed on the seven-day injured list.

The Dragons have scored 35 runs in their last six games (5.8 runs per game). They have scored at least four runs in 13 of their last 15 games.

The Dragons are batting .265 vs. right-handed pitchers. They are hitting .205 vs. left-handed pitchers.

The Dragons rank seventh in the MWL in team batting average (.244). They are sixth in team ERA (4.76). Dayton starting pitchers are sixth in ERA (4.54). Dayton relievers are sixth (5.00).

2026 Player Notes

Carlos Sanchez ranks seventh in the MWL lead in batting average at .348. Sanchez's 11-game hitting streak ended Friday night. He hit .422 (19 for 45) during the streak with 15 runs scored. In his last five games, Sanchez is 8 for 18 (.444 with six walks and four stolen bases. Sanchez is tied for second in the MWL in hits (23), tied for third in runs scored (18), and tied for third in stolen bases (11).

Ryan McCrystal is batting .321 (tied for 15th in MWL). He is tied for ninth in RBI (14).

The Dragons Batter of the Week for 4/13-4/19 was Carlos Sanchez (for the week: .360, 6 SB, 8 R, .829 OPS). Yerlin Confidan was strong as well (.316, 4 RBI). The Pitcher of the Week was Victor Diaz (for the week: 1-0, 4.1 IP, 0 R, 0.69 WHIP, stranded two inherited runners in clutch spot in Sunday win). Reynardo Cruz was also strong with five shutout innings as a starter.

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

Tuesday, April 28 (6:05 pm): Dayton RH Reynardo Cruz (0-1, 3.95) at Lansing TBA

Wednesday, April 29 (11:05 am DH): Dayton RH J.P. Ortiz (1-1, 5.93) and LH Jacob Edwards (0-1, 1.86) at Lansing TBA and TBA

The seven-game series with Lansing continues with games through Sunday, May 3.

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). First telecast is May 15. 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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