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MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Hot Rods Pitching Stymies Loons Offense

April 28, 2015 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


MIDLAND, Mich. - To say pitching was on full display Tuesday might be an understatement. Quality starts from Brent Honeywell of the Bowling Green Hot Rods and Great Lakes Loons starter Brock Stewart were the story, but a single run was the difference as the Loons fell to the Hot Rods 1-0 at Dow Diamond.

"We, as a team, just need to do a better job because we strike out way too much," said Loons manager Luis Matos. "I've been saying that since the first week of the season. You need to put the ball in play to make their defense make a play and make mistakes."

Stewart (1-1) turned in yet another good outing for Great Lakes on the mound, allowing just one run on six hits in six innings, taking the tough-luck loss in the process. He did not issue a walk and struck out a season-high eight batters.

"My first few starts I left some balls up (in the strike zone), not keeping the ball down like I usually do," Stewart said. "Today, I got back to that. I had pretty good command of all of my pitches. I have been working on my slider and I finally felt like I could throw it whenever I wanted to. It was one of those days where everything was working for me."

The eight strikeouts were also a career high for Stewart as a professional. The sixth round draft pick by the Los Angeles Dodgers lowered his earned run average to 3.00 on the season and now has 25 strikeouts through four starts.

"The first couple innings they were looking for fastballs; that's why they got to him a little bit," Matos said. "Then, he figured it out. That's when he started throwing that changeup and getting ahead in counts and mixing up his pitches. He really settled down after that."

Honeywell (2-1) was just as a good on the other side for Bowling Green. The No. 8 prospect in the Tampa Bay Rays minor league system pitched six shutout innings, allowing just one Great Lakes hit. He too, did not walk a batter and registered seven strikeouts.

Hunter Wood was almost perfect in three innings of relief for the Hot Rods, allowing just one hit and striking out five batters in three innings. Wood earned his first save of the season.

It was that one run in the top of the 1st inning that proved to be the difference when Jace Conrad singled off Stewart and brought in Thomas Milone to score for Bowling Green (11-8). Both teams combined for nine hits.

The Loons (8-8) scoreless streak is now at 25 innings dating back to the 2nd inning of their game on Saturday against the Lake County Captains. They have also dropped the first game of each home series so far this season.

J.D. Underwood and David Reid-Foley combined to toss three shutout innings following Stewart's exit for Great lakes.

Tomorrow night the Loons will send Grant Holmes to mound for his fourth start of the season. The 2014 Dodgers first round pick has not been tabbed with a win or loss yet this season and has a 4.50 ERA. The Conway, S.C., native has struck out 16 in 12 innings, while opponents are hitting .271 against him.

Greg Harris will be the starter for Bowling Green. Harris is also a Dodgers draft pick, picked in the 17th round of the 2013 draft, and spent the entire 2014 season in Midland playing for Great Lakes. Harris went 7-6 with 4.45 ERA in 22 appearances, 16 of which were starts last season. The former Loon was traded to the Rays last November, along with Jose Dominguez, in a deal where the Dodgers acquired Joel Peralta and Adam Liberatore. Harris is 1-2 with a 2.12 ERA this season pitching for the Hot Rods.

It will be a Hump Day Happy Hour at Dow Diamond with select domestic drafts available for $2 from the time gates open until one hour after first pitch (5-7 p.m.) at the ballpark.

The Great Lakes Loons are a ninth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers. For tickets and more information, call 989-837-BALL or visit loons.com.

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