Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Thursday (11:05 Am at West Michigan)
MWL Dayton Dragons

Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Thursday (11:05 Am at West Michigan)

Published on May 7, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Thursday, May 7, 2026 l Game # 30

LMCU Ballpark l Grand Rapids, Mich. l 11:05 am

Radio: Fox Sports 980 WONE

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

Dayton Dragons (15-14) at West Michigan Whitecaps (12-17)

RH Ovis Portes (1-1, 3.18 w/Daytona) vs. RH Lucas Elissalt (0-2, 5.21)

Today's Game: The Dayton Dragons (affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds) battle the West Michigan Whitecaps (affiliate of the Detroit Tigers) in the third game of a six-game series. Season Series: Dayton 2, West Michigan 0.

Dragons in the Standings: W-L Record: 15-14, second place in MWL East Division, 3 1/2 games behind first place Great Lakes.

Last Game: Wednesday: Dayton 4, West Michigan 3. The Dragons rallied for three runs with two outs in the ninth inning to overcome a 3-1 deficit and defeat Whitecaps for the second straight night. With the bases loaded and two outs, Esmith Pineda delivered a single to left. All three runners scored on the hit and an error by the WM left fielder. Cody Adcock pitched a perfect bottom of the ninth. Kien Vu had a first inning homer for Dayton.

Current Series at West Michigan (5/5-5/10): Dayton 2, West Michigan 0. The Dragons have outscored the Whitecaps 9-7. Dayton is batting .250 as a team (.217 with runners in scoring position). They have hit two home runs with no stolen bases, a team ERA of 3.50, and committed 1 error.

2026 Team Notes:

Jekyll & Hyde Road Trip: In the Dragons five wins on the road trip, they have allowed a total of 12 runs (2.4/G), 16 walks (3.2/G), and committed 4 errors (0.8/G). In the four losses on the trip, they have allowed a total of 45 runs (11.3/G), 35 walks (8.8/G) and committed 9 errors (2.3/G).

The Dragons hit .282 in the series at Lansing, by far their highest batting average in a series this season. Their previous high in 2026 was .243 vs. South Bend. They are batting .275 on the road trip (85 for 309).

The Dragons had 22 extra base hits in the first seven games at Lansing. Their previous high in a series this season was 13 vs. South Bend (6-game series). They have 27 extra base hits on the road trip (3.0/G) after averaging 2.2/G prior to the start of the trip (44 in 20 G).

The Dragons are batting .274 vs. right-handed pitchers. They are hitting .202 vs. left-handed pitchers.

2026 Player Notes

Carter Graham has a five-game hitting streak, batting .421 (8 for 19) with 2 HR, 2 2B, and 3 RBI with only 1 SO.

Yerlin Confidan in his last 11 games is batting .324 (12 for 37) with 1 HR, 3 2B, 7 RBI, and only 6 SO in 47 plate apps.

Alfredo Duno on the road trip: 7 G, batting .345 (10 for 29), 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI. Prior to the start of the trip, he was 4 for his last 36 in 10 games.

Esmith Pineda in his last 11 games is batting .342 (13 for 38). For the year, he is hitting .348 with runners in scoring position (8 for 23).

Kien Vu in his last 12 games is batting .298 (14 for 47) with 3 HR, 9 RBI, 10 R.

Victor Diaz has not allowed an earned run in his last six games (10.2 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 7 BB, 14 SO, 3 Sv, 1-0).

Carter Graham is the Dragons Batter of the Week for April 28-May 3 (series at Lansing). Graham hit .450 (9 for 20) for the week with one home run, three doubles, and an OPS of 1.272. The Pitcher of the Week is Nestor Lorant for the second straight week. He made one start, tossing 5.2 scoreless innings to earn the win while striking out seven, surrendering three hits and two walks.

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

Friday, May 8 (6:35 pm): Dayton RH Nestor Lorant (1-2, 2.66) at West Michigan RH Rayner Castillo (0-3, 7.11)

Saturday, May 9 (2:00 pm): Dayton RH Reynardo Cruz (0-1, 6.87) at West Michigan LH Gabriel Reyes (0-2, 5.06)

Sunday, May 10 (2:00 pm): Dayton RH J.P. Ortiz (3-1, 5.11) at West Michigan RH Carlos Marcano (0-1, 3.06)

Next Home Series: vs. Lake County (6 games), May 12-17

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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