TinCaps Game Information: August 7 at Great Lakes
August 7, 2021 - Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release
Fort Wayne TinCaps (38-44) @ Great Lakes Loons (45-37)
Saturday, Aug. 7 (7:05 p.m.) | Dow Diamond | Midland, Mich. | Game 5 of 6 in Series | Road Game 41 of 60 | Game 83 of 120
LHP Danny Denz (2.20 ERA) vs. LHP Jose Hernandez (4.75 ERA - Low-A)
TV: MiLB.TV | Radio: 1380 The Fan & 100.9 FM / TinCapsRadio.com (John Nolan & Jack McMullen)
LAST NIGHT: The TinCaps beat the Loons, 8-7, in 10 innings. Fort Wayne got out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, powered by a Zack Mathis grand slam and an Ethan Skender solo shot - back-to-back (the first time a pair of FW hitters did that since 2017). But Great Lakes rallied with 7 consecutive runs between the second and fifth innings. The 'Caps equalized in the seventh on a 2-out, 2-run single from Rey Ilarraza. The TinCaps won it in the 10th thanks to a Skender sac fly, while Austin Smith capped off 6 innings of scoreless relief by the bullpen. Smith, Edwuin Bencomo, and Sam Williams each threw 2 no-run innings.
CLOSE CALLS: The TinCaps are 12-6 in games decided by 1 run, and 6-9 in 2-run games... The 'Caps are 3-1 in extra-innings.
PITCHING IMPROVING: Over their last 26 games, since July 9, TinCaps pitchers have the lowest ERA in High-A Central at 3.42 as the team has gone 14-12. (Over their first 56 games, they ranked 10th out of 12 at 5.26, and had a 24-32 record.) Fort Wayne pitchers have done this despite having the fewest strikeouts in the league during the stretch (230 in 224 innings). But in this time, 'Caps pitchers have yielded the fewest home runs (12) and 3rd fewest free passes (walks and hit by pitches).
NEW TO THE CREW: Prior to Friday's game, the Padres transferred right-handed pitcher Luke Boyd to the TinCaps from the Arizona Complex League (ACL). Boyd was selected in the 17th Round of last month's MLB Draft out of Baylor University, making him the first 2021 draftee to join the TinCaps. Boyd is the 47th player on the roster this season (26th pitcher).
STEALING HISTORY: On Wednesday night, outfielder Grant Little set Fort Wayne's franchise record for stolen bases in a single game with 5. He accomplished the feat in just the 3rd inning. Prior to Little's performance earlier this week, the franchise record was 4, set by Jeremy Owens on April 28, 1999. Through the first 155 games of his MiLB career, Little had never stolen more than 2 bases in a game.
PATIENT APPROACH: The TinCaps lead the HAC in free passes (walks and hit by pitches), averaging more than 5 per game. Fort Wayne is walking in about 12% of its plate appearances. The rest of the league has walked at a 10% rate. For more context, the Yankees lead MLB in BB% (10.7%). The Padres rank 3rd (10.1%).
DOUBLES LEADER: As a team, the TinCaps lead the HAC in doubles with 158 (2 ahead of Quad Cities). Individually, outfielder Tirso Ornelas leads the league in 2B with 25. Infielder Justin Lopez and catcher Jonny Homza both rank 10th with 16.
RANKING RUIZ: Outfielder Agustin Ruiz ranks 4th in HAC in home runs (15), 5th in RBIs (56), 5th in runs (51), 8th in total bases (129), 9th in extra-base hits (29), and 10th in hits (70).
PROJECTING RUIZ: After a 3-run shot on Wednesday, Ruiz is on pace to hit 21.9 home runs this season. Fort Wayne's single-season franchise record is 21, set by Fernando Tatis Jr. in 2017. Of course this isn't apples to apples, as Tatis accomplished that at the Low-A level, while the TinCaps are now in High-A. That was also in a 140-game season, though Tatis was promoted to Double-A with 2 weeks left in the regular season.
REY RUNS: Reinaldo Ilarraza ranks 5th in the HAC in stolen bases (27).
260 TO TOKYO: 3 former Fort Wayne players competed in the Olympics. Left-handed pitcher Oliver Pérez, who pitched for the Wizards in 2001, represented Mexico, while Diego Gorís, a TinCaps infielder in 2013, won a bronze medal with the Dominican Republic. Big league veteran Tim Federowicz spent a week at Parkview Field in 2015 on a rehab assignment. He claimed silver as a catcher for Team USA.
260 TO THE SHOW: 52 former Fort Wayne players have appeared in the big leagues so far this season, including All-Stars Fernando Tatis Jr. and Trea Turner. Since the franchise was founded in 1993, a total of 197 past players have ascended to The Show.
MiLB RELIEF: After losing the entirety of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season and having attendance limited to begin 2021, the TinCaps and other teams are asking fans to visit MinorLeagueBaseballRelief.com and tell Congress to support the bipartisan Minor League Baseball Relief Act.
Midwest League Stories from August 7, 2021
- Cubs Win Two and Take Series Lead - South Bend Cubs
- Rivera Slays Dragons in 6-4 Win - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Bandits Survive Delay, Secure 10th Series Win - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Snappers Clinch First Series Win at ABC Supply Stadium - Beloit Sky Carp
- River Bandit Blasts Beat Kernels - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- South Bend Takes Pair from Chiefs on Saturday - Peoria Chiefs
- Saturday Shutout Gives TinCaps Series Edge - Great Lakes Loons
- Dragons Fall to Whitecaps on Late Home Run Saturday Night - Dayton Dragons
- Lugnuts' pitching quintet sinks Captains, 5-2 - Lansing Lugnuts
- Early Runs Cost Captains in Second Straight Loss - Lake County Captains
- Wisconsin's Early Lead Disappears at Beloit - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- TinCaps Shut Out Loons - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- TinCaps Game Information: August 7 at Great Lakes - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Jair Camargo Goes on Injured List - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Jeferson Morales Added to Cedar Rapids - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Dayton Dragons Game Notes for Saturday - Dayton Dragons
- Snappers Cruise to Third Win In-A-Row Over Timber Rattlers - Beloit Sky Carp
- 'Caps Enjoy Walkoff Win in Split - West Michigan Whitecaps
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