MWL Fort Wayne TinCaps

Manzanas Luchadoras de Fort Wayne - Información Del Juego: 8 de Julio vs. Calaveras de West Michigan (Hispanic Heritage Celebration)

Published on July 8, 2023 under Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


Manzanas Luchadoras de Fort Wayne (10-3, 42-37) vs. Calaveras de West Michigan (5-8, 37-41)

sábado 8 de julio | 6:35 p.m. | Parkview Field | Fort Wayne, IN

LHP Robby Snelling (No. 4 Padres prospect) vs. RHP Troy Melton (No. 17 Tigers prospect)

Video: Bally Live app | MiLB.TV | Radio: 1380 The Fan & 100.9 FM

LAST NIGHT: Nathan Martorella racked up 3 RBIs on 3 hits, leading Fort Wayne to its 6th straight victory, 5-2, over West Michigan in front of a sellout crowd of 7,420 at Parkview Field.

HISPANIC HERITAGE CELEBRATION: The TinCaps are playing as Las Manzanas Luchadoras ("Fighting Apples" in Spanish) tonight, wearing special jerseys and hats that originally debuted last August. This is the 3rd of 4 Hispanic Heritage Nights at Parkview Field this season with the final coming Sunday, Aug. 20... The first 500 fans tonight will receive a free luchador mask. The logo for Las Manzanas Luchadoras is symbolic of lucha libre freestyle wrestling, which blends showmanship and athleticism through the luchadores' vibrant wardrobes and rapid-pace movement. Las Manzanas Luchadoras look to mimic the flair and skill of the luchadores... West Michigan's name as the Calaveras taps into family traditions surrounding Día de los Muertos. Calaveras translates to skulls, paying homage to the holiday while the logo features subtle tie-backs to the team's full-time brand, including Lake Michigan's waves, the region's area code (616) and other baseball-themed elements.

FIRST PLACE: At 10-3, the TinCaps lead the Midwest League East Division second-half standings. They lead Great Lakes (LAD) by a game, but since the Loons won the first half, they've already clinched a playoff spot. The next closest team is Dayton (CIN), which trails Fort Wayne by 4 games.

HOT CAPS: The TinCaps have won 6 in a row... It's the team's first 6-game winning streak since June 24-28, 2018... The 'Caps have won 9 of their last 11... and are 6-0-2 in their last 8 series... Since falling to 10-22, the TinCaps are 32-15 since May 14... The TinCaps are 5 games above .500 for the first time since April of last year.

THE LAST TIME: The TinCaps won 7 consecutive games was Aug. 2015.

BETTER THAN THEIR RECORD: Based off their +48 run differential for the year, the TinCaps project to have a 44-35 record (2 games better than their actual mark)... Fort Wayne is 15-19 in games decided by 1 or 2 runs this season.

POWER PERSPECTIVE: The TinCaps are tied for 1st in the MWL in home runs with 75. They're on pace to hit 125 homers in this 132-game season... The franchise record is 127, set in 2017... If the season was still 140 games long, this year's team would be on track for 133 homers... Meanwhile, TinCaps pitchers have allowed the fewest homers (40) out of 30 High-A teams.

STARTING PITCHING: TinCaps starters have the 2nd lowest ERA in the Midwest League (3.29). Fort Wayne relievers have a 4.69 ERA, 3rd highest.

FORT WAYNE FAITHFUL: The TinCaps have averaged 4,844 fans per game so far this year across 37 openings, including 7 sellouts (season-high of 8,516 on the 4th of July). Fort Wayne's average attendance ranks 4th out of 60 High-A and Single-A clubs, and is greater than 19 Double-A teams and 5 in Triple-A.

JACKSON MERRILL: MLB.com's highest-ranked prospect in the MWL (No. 11 on Top 100 list)... in Seattle for the MLB All-Star Futures Game, which takes place tonight at 7 on Peacock.

JAKOB MARSEE: Only player in the MWL to appear in all 79 games so far this year... Ranks 1st in runs (63), 2nd in walks (59; 18% BB%), 3rd in SB (28) and 4th in OBP (.393)... 2nd best BB/K (1.1) and 4th lowest SwStr% (6%).

NATHAN MARTORELLA: In the MWL, ranks 2nd in G (78) and RBIs (56), 3rd in R (49), 4th in HR (12), TB (129), BB (48; 15% BB%), 5th in OPS (.835), 6th in BB/K (0.8), H (76) and wRC+ (135), 7th in SLG (.461), 8th in OBP (.374) and 10th in XBH (28)... He's on pace to hit 20 home runs in this 132-game season. Fort Wayne's franchise record for home runs in a season is 21, set by Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2017. Tatis played in 117 games as a TinCap before a promotion to Double-A San Antonio... The schedule was 140-games long through 2019... Martorella's current .835 OPS would rank 6th highest in franchise history for a season. The record is .956, set by Jaff Decker (2009), followed by Jason Hagerty ('10, .917), Fernando Tatis Jr. ('17, .910), Rymer Liriano ('11, .882) and Will Venable ('06, .865).

MARCOS CASTAÑON: In the MWL, ranks 3rd in TB (129), 4th in HR (12), RBIs (54) and XBH (30), 5th in H (77) and G (75).

STREAKS: Martorella has a hit in 5 straight and has reached base in 7 in a row... Lucas Dunn has reached base safely in 6 games consecutively... Castañon has a hit in 5 straight.

Check out the Fort Wayne TinCaps Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from July 8, 2023


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