Loons Playoff Debut a Smashing Success
September 9, 2009 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release
MIDLAND, MI - Aaron Miller dazzled on the mound, throwing six shutout innings with a career-high nine strikeouts, and the Great Lakes Loons offense rocked West Michigan Whitecaps starter Casey Crosby in a 7-2 win in the first Midwest League playoff game in Loons franchise history. A crowd of 4,801 at Dow Diamond saw the Loons take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three first round series.
Crosby, the No. 3 prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization according to Baseball America, struggled in his first start since August 18, allowing five runs on six hits with a pair of walks. He lasted only 2 1/3 innings, getting chased from the game after a two-run single by Jerry Sands made it a 5-0 Loons lead in the bottom of the third.
Anthony Hatch and Alfredo Silverio also had run-scoring singles in the third, as all nine Loons batted in the frame. Victor Larez came in from the Whitecaps bullpen to get the final two outs and prevent any more runs from scoring in the inning.
Joe Becker gave the Loons a 1-0 lead with a big two-out single in the bottom of the second inning. After Kyle Russell led off with a triple, Crosby got Silverio to fly to shallow right field and Sands to pop out to second, but was unable to escape the frame thanks to Becker's clutch hit.
Great Lakes tacked on single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to extend their advantage. Dee Gordon delivered a sacrifice fly to score one in the sixth, and Kyle Russell led off the bottom of the seventh with a solo home run.
Miller held the Whitecaps hitless for the first 4.2 innings of the game, giving him 10.2 consecutive hitless innings at Dow Diamond going back to his last home start against Fort Wayne on Aug. 27 (6 IP, 0 H). He allowed only two hits over his six innings of work. Geison Aguasviva pitched two scoreless relief innings behind Miller. Robert Boothe pitched the ninth, allowing a pair of unearned runs.
Russell finished 2-for-3 with a homer, a triple, a walk, an RBI and three runs scored, while Becker went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI. Every Loons starter had a hit and six players drove in a run to pace a balanced offensive attack.
Brandon Douglas delivered the only two Whitecaps runs with a two-out double in the top of the ninth. He had two of his team's three hits in the ballgame.
The Loons and Whitecaps head across the state to Comstock Park for Thursday night's Game Two at Fifth Third Ballpark. Great Lakes hands the ball to the Midwest League co-leader in wins, JonMichael Redding (16-3, 4.60), to try and close out the series. Left-hander Adam Wilk (2-1, 1.49) starts for the Whitecaps in a must-win situation. Game time is 7:00 p.m., with pre-game coverage starting at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 100.9-FM and at Loons.com.
The Great Lakes Loons are the third-year Single-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League. For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.
Midwest League Stories from September 9, 2009
- Bees Score 12 Runs in Playoff Opener - Burlington Bees
- Chiefs Rally in Ninth, But Open Playoffs with 6-4 Extra-Inning Loss - Peoria Chiefs
- Loons Playoff Debut a Smashing Success - Great Lakes Loons
- Cougars' Rally Falls Short in Game 1 - Kane County Cougars
- TinCaps' Pitching Dominant in 3-1 Win - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Hawks Held to Two Hits in Game One Loss - South Bend Silver Hawks
- Great Lakes Grabs Game One - West Michigan Whitecaps
- West Bend Mutual and the Snappers Team Up For the United Way - Beloit Sky Carp
- TinCaps Rewrite Franchise Record Book - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Dragons Announce 2010 Schedule - Dayton Dragons
- Rall E. Camel to Appear at Dow Diamond - Great Lakes Loons
- Kernels set playoff roster as Townsend activated; Richards to DL - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Justin Turner Becomes 38th Former Dragons Player to Reach Majors - Dayton Dragons
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