MWL1 Great Lakes Loons

Miller Comes Within Two Outs of No-Hitter

Published on August 8, 2008 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release


Justin Miller was two outs away from the first no-hitter in Loons' history. The Loons were one strike away from a 2-0 shutout win.

Neither happened.

With one out in the top of the ninth inning, West Michigan center fielder Kyle Peter singled just out of reach of a diving Brandon Taylor for the first Whitecaps hit of the game. Later in the inning, with the Loons ahead 2-0, Bobby Blevins on the mound and a 2-2 count, Chris Carlson clubbed a three-run home run to right-center field to give West Michigan the lead.

Carlson's homer was his first for the since June 2.

Miller departed the game following a walk to Chris White, one batter after Peter's hit broke up the no-hit bit. Amongst the sinker-baller's 25 outs, 14 were ground balls, six were strikeouts and five were fly ball outs. Just three fair balls against Miller left the infield.

Blevins (2-6) struck out Audy Ciriaco, the first batter he faced. He then worked ahead of Carlson 1-and-2 and threw a borderline pitch called a ball by Nate Thompson. On the next pitch, Carlson popped up into foul territory, third base side. Taylor went against the wall, then backpedaled and tripped on the tarpaulin. The next pitch, Carlson deposited over the wall.

The no-hitter appeared in jeopardy with two outs in the eighth. Cory Middleton hit a soft line drive into shallow center field. Loons' second baseman Parker Dalton sprinted back and made a spectacular diving catch to preserve the no-hit bid through eight.

The game was played in front of a spirited sellout crowd of 5,682 at Dow Diamond and featured a post-game fireworks show, powered by Dow Corning.

With the loss, the Loons fall to 16-31 in the second half and 46-70 overall on the season.

Next up for the Loons, a four-game series in Fort Wayne, beginning Saturday at 7pm. Left-hander Garrett White (2-2, 4.00 ERA) will make his first start of the season for the Loons against righty Wynn Pelzer (9-5, 3.12). The game will be carried live on ESPN 100.9-FM and online at Loons.com.

The Great Lakes Loons are the second-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.

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Midwest League Stories from August 8, 2008


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