Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Tuesday (7:05 PM vs South Bend)
MWL Dayton Dragons

Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes for Tuesday (7:05 PM vs South Bend)

Published on April 21, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Dayton Dragons News Release


Tuesday, April 21, 2026 l Game # 15

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

Radio: Fox Sports 980 WONE

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

South Bend Cubs (8-4) at Dayton Dragons (7-7)

RH Kevin Valdez (0-0, 3.86) vs. RH Reynardo Cruz (0-1, 3.00)

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

Last Game: Sunday: Dayton 6, Great Lakes 5. The Dragons came from behind to win by scoring two runs in the top of the ninth inning on RBI singles by Alfredo Duno and Yerlin Confidan. Victor Diaz, who had entered the game in the eighth in a tough jam and kept the team within one run, worked a perfect bottom of the ninth to close out the win as the Dragons earned a split of the series.

Hardest-hit fair ball by Dayton: Ariel Almonte, 100.7 mph. Fastest pitch by Dayton: Brody Jessee, 96.5 mph.

Last Series at Great Lakes (4/14-4/19): Dayton 3, Great Lakes 3. The Dragons outscored the Loons 27-20. Dayton batted .236 as a team (.197 with runners in scoring position). They did not hit a home run, stole 12 stolen bases, had a team ERA of 3.59, and had 6 errors (5 came in 1 game).

2026 Team Notes:

In each of the last two sets (both 6-game series), the Dragons lost the first two games before battling back to earn a series split and get their record back to the .500 mark.

The Dragons bullpen ERA of 2.89 ranks first in the MWL and 7 th in all MiLB (120 teams).

Overall, the Dragons rank second in the Midwest League in team ERA (3.53). Dayton starting pitchers rank sixth in ERA (4.10).

The Dragons are batting .263 (.705 OPS) vs. RHP. They are hitting .205 (.612 OPS) vs. LHP.

The Dragons are batting .272 against opposing relievers. They are hitting .195 against opposing starters.

The Dragons have scored at least four runs in nine of their last 10 games, going 6-4 in those contests.

2026 Player Notes

The Dragons Batter of the Week for 4/13-4/19 is 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 is 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.

Carlos Sanchez has hit safely in nine straight games, batting .378 (14 for 37) with 11 runs scored. He has stolen six bases in his last four games to give him eight steals on the year (tied for second in the MWL). Overall, he is batting .333 (tied for 9 th in the MWL) and is second in the MWL in runs scored (14).

Ryan McCrystal is batting .325 to rank 13th in the MWL. He is tied for seventh in RBI (11).

Kien Vu is 5 for 13 (.385) with 4 RBI in his last 4 games to raise his batting average from .182 to .239.

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

Wednesday, April 22 (7:05 pm): South Bend RH Nazier Mulé (0-0, 2.45) at Dayton RH J.P. Ortiz (0-1, 7.27)

Thursday, April 23 (7:05 pm): South Bend LH Cole Reynolds (0-0, 5.14) at Dayton RH Luke Hayden (1-0, 3.00)

Friday, April 24 (7:05 pm): South Bend RH Koen Moreno (0-1, 8.31) at Dayton RH Cole Schoenwetter (1-0, 4.66)

Saturday, April 25 (1:05 pm): South Bend RH Brooks Caple (2-1, 3.95) at Dayton RH Beau Blanchard (2-0, 3.31)

Sunday, April 26 (1:05 pm): South Bend LH Ethan Flanagan (0-1, 4.26) at Dayton RH Nestor Lorant (0-2, 4.50)

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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