Tavarez Trounces Whitecaps
August 24, 2018 - Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release
COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. - Right-hander Alfredo Tavarez tossed seven one-hit innings, and the Loons pulled away late from West Michigan for an 8-0 win at Fifth Third Ballpark on a rainy Friday night.
The fourth straight win for the Loons pads the team's lead in the Midwest League Eastern Division playoff chase; the Loons lead West Michigan by a game and a half for home-field advantage in the first round of the postseason, and they also lead Fort Wayne by three games in the Wild Card standings.
Whitecaps' starter Carson Lance struggled with his command and walked five batters in the first three innings Friday night. After the Loons snared a 1-0 lead in the second inning, Romer Cuadrado pummeled a ball over the left-field wall in the third for a three-run home run (the first two batters had walked to start the frame). The Loons have struck a three-run home run in back-to-back games. Previously, the Loons had not hit a "jimmy jack" since July 7.
As Tavarez locked down the Whitecaps' offense (he has now thrown 14 straight shutout innings against the Tigers' affiliate), the Loons stretched their lead to 5-0 in a sloppy seventh inning for West Michigan's defense. A two-out error on third baseman Colby Bortles allowed Jacob Amaya to advance to third, and Amaya later scored on a strike-three wild pitch that also should have ended the inning.
Rain in the sixth and seventh innings chased a sizable portion of the 7,000-strong crowd to the cover of the concourse. A noticeable exception was a vocal cluster of Loons' fans in the stands above the third-base dugout. The Loons' celebratory cheer, the Funky Feather, was especially visible in the ninth, in both the seating bowl and in the third-base dugout, when the Loons rattled off five straight hits and scored three more runs to put the game away.
The streaking Loons improved to 17-6 in August and won for just the fourth time in 17 tries against West Michigan (Friday's victory was the first of the season at Fifth Third Ballpark). Three games remain in the series with game two scheduled for Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. EDT.
The Great Lakes Loons have been the Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers since the team's inception in 2007. Dow Diamond serves as the team's home and also houses the Michigan Baseball Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity, and ESPN 100.9-FM. For tickets or information about the Loons, call 989-837-BALL or visit Loons.com.
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