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MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Green Sets Down 15 Straight To Pick Up Win

August 4, 2014 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


EASTLAKE, OH - Chad Green dealt six dominant innings and out-dueled his former college teammate on Monday night at Classic Park, leading the West Michigan Whitecaps to a 5-4 victory over the Lake County Captains in the opener of a seven-game road trip.

West Michigan (28-15, 69-44) jumped out to a 4-0 lead by the second inning and out-hit Lake County (19-23, 46-66), 10-5, but still had to strand potential game-tying runs in scoring position in both the eighth and ninth innings.

The starting pitching match-up featured a battle of former University of Louisville pitchers in Green and Dace Kime, who were part of the talented staff that led the Cardinals to a rare College World Series appearance in 2013. That same summer, Kime was drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Indians while Green was an 11th-round selection of the Detroit Tigers.

Despite their respective positions in the draft, Green (5-4) shined brighter on Monday. The hard-throwing righty retired the final 15 batters he faced and 18 of 21 overall, setting down the side in order in five of his six innings. Green struck out seven and was charged with two runs on one hit and two walks.

The only baserunners he allowed reached consecutively in the bottom of the second inning, when a double sandwiched between two walks loaded the bases with nobody out. While the next two batters each drove in runs on a sacrifice fly and a groundout, Green countered with the stretch of 15 straight batters retired and cruised through six strong innings.

Meanwhile, Raph Rhymes and Dominic Ficociello drove in all five Whitecaps' runs as the heart of the order powered the offense to an early lead.

Rhymes drew a two-out walk in the top of the first inning before advancing to second on a wild pitch and scoring on Ficociello's single. One inning later, a single by Domingo Leyba and a pair of walks helped West Michigan load the bases with two outs. Rhymes stepped in and promptly cleared the bases with a three-run double to left that pushed the advantage to 4-0.

The score was 4-2 when rehabbing Detroit Tigers' outfielder Andy Dirks capped his 1-for-4 night with a leadoff double in the seventh. Later in the frame, Ficociello singled him home to push the lead to 5-2.

That turned out to be a key insurance run, because Lake County plated two runs in the bottom of the eighth to shave the Whitecaps' lead to 5-4.

But Julio Felix (12) answered the bell, ending both the eighth and ninth innings with swinging strikeouts while the Captains left potential game-tying runners at second base. Felix struck out three in 1.1 innings and gave up one run on three hits.

While Kime (6-13) shrugged off the shaky start and finished his outing with three scoreless frames, he nevertheless took the loss with four runs allowed on six hits over five innings.

The Whitecaps continue a seven-game road trip on Tuesday night with a 7:00 p.m. first pitch against the Lake County Captains. RHP Jonathon Crawford (6-3, 3.12) is scheduled to pitch for West Michigan against LHP Luis Lugo (5-9, 5.92) of Lake County. The next home game at Fifth Third Ballpark is a Dime Dog Night on Tuesday, August 12 at 7:00 p.m. Group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

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