MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Sellout Crowd Treated To Well-Rounded Win

Published on August 24, 2013 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps put on a show on Saturday night, kicking off their final homestand of the regular season in style for a season-high sellout crowd of 9,726 at Fifth Third Ballpark.

The offense was boosted by home runs from Jeff Holm and Lance Durham, the pitching staff did not allow a runner to reach scoring position after the third inning, and the defense played errorless baseball in a resounding 6-2 win over the Lake County Captains.

West Michigan (29-30, 62-67) and Lake County (30-31, 53-75) are now in a virtual tie in the second-half standings, though both teams sit six games out of the Eastern Division wild card spot with fading hopes for the post-season.

Edgar De La Rosa (8-6) started and threw five solid innings for the win, experiencing only a brief hiccup in the top of the third. Moments after being called for his league-leading eighth balk, the 22-year-old right-hander was touched for back-to-back RBI-doubles as the Captains seized a 2-0 lead.

But De La Rosa bounced back by picking off the runner at second base and combining with four relievers to set down 18 of the next 21 Lake County batters. The Captains were unable to advance a runner past first base the rest of the night.

Meanwhile, the offense took advantage of some erratic pitching to quickly erase the deficit in the bottom of the third.

Captains' starter Jake Sisco gave up singles to Connor Harrell and David Gonzalez before losing his command and issuing three straight walks, two of which came with the bases loaded. After a pitching change, Jason King smacked the first pitch he saw into center field for a sacrifice fly that gave the Whitecaps a 3-2 lead.

From that point forward, West Michigan used a pair of longballs and lock-down relief to complete the victory.

Jeff Holm drilled a solo homer to right field in the fourth inning, clearing the roof of the Pioneer State Mutual Insurance Deck for his first home run since June 28. In the eighth, Lance Durham lifted a towering two-run homer to right-center - his team-leading 14th bomb of the year - to cement the 6-2 victory.

Relievers Chad Smith, Angel Nesbitt, Guido Knudson and Corey Knebel each threw a scoreless inning of relief to prevent Lake County from attempting a comeback. The quartet combined to retire 11 of the 13 batters they faced as the West Michigan bullpen lowered its collective ERA to an even 3.00 on the season.

Sisco (4-11) was charged with three runs on two hits and four walks in the loss.

The Whitecaps continue their final homestand of the regular season on Sunday afternoon with a suspended-game doubleheader at 1:00 p.m. against the Lake County Captains. RHP Jake Thompson (3-3, 3.10) is scheduled to pitch the first game for West Michigan while RHP Calvin Drummond (2-2, 2.59) will take the mound for Game 2. The game will feature a pre-game Webkinz giveaway and an appearance by Caillou of WGVU on a Helen DeVos Children's Hospital Family Day. 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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Midwest League Stories from August 24, 2013


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