TinCaps Game Information: June 20 vs. South Bend Cubs
MWL Fort Wayne TinCaps

TinCaps Game Information: June 20 vs. South Bend Cubs

Published on June 20, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


Fort Wayne TinCaps (27-40, 0-1) vs. South Bend Cubs (40-23, 1-0)

Saturday, June 20 | Parkview Field | 7:05 PM | Game 68 of 132

RHP Abraham Parra (1-5, 45.0 IP, 6.40 ERA) vs. LHP Matthew Boyd (MLB Rehab)

WATCH: Bally Sports Live, MLB.TV, MLB+ | LISTEN: 1380 The Fan & 100.9 FM & TinCaps.com/Listen

WELCOME, MATTHEW BOYD: The Fort Wayne TinCaps are scheduled to face Chicago Cubs Opening Day starter and 2025 National League All-Star Matthew Boyd. The 13-year Major Leaguer is scheduled to make his third rehab appearance after being placed on the injured list on May 6 with a left meniscus injury. The 35-year-old left-hander played for Team USA in this year's World Baseball Classic after making three starts in the playoffs in 2025 for the Cubs. Boyd last appeared at Parkview Field on Aug. 5, 2013, as a part of the Lansing Lugnuts, making his way up the Toronto Blue Jays system. Boyd earned the loss, giving up one run across four innings while facing Zach Eflin. The right-hander, who has gone on to play in 11 Major League seasons, completed seven shutout innings against the Lugnuts.

ROUNDING THE BASES: TinCaps center fielder Kasen Wells opened up the scoring with an inside-the-park home run Friday night. It is the first inside-the-park home run by the TinCaps hitter since Jackson Merrill sped around the bases on May 30, 2023, at home against South Bend. Wells' first High-A home run came in his 93rd game and is his first since July 30, 2025, with Single-A Lake Elsinore.

A FRESH SLATE: Friday night's game marks the beginning of the second half of the 2026 Midwest League season. Fort Wayne's last playoff berth came in the second half of the 2023 campaign, with current manager Jonathan Mathews at the helm. The TinCaps finished the 2023 second half with a 37-29 record after being 32-34 in the first half. The postseason all-star team that season featured two 'Caps, Nathan Martorella and Jakob Marsee.

EXTRA EXTRA READ ALL ABOUT IT: The TinCaps played an extra-inning contest for the third time this season and second in as many days Friday night. It is the first 11-inning game for Fort Wayne since Sept. 3, 2024, when Fort Wayne walked off South Bend, 6-5.

KT WANTS TO RULE THE WORLD: TinCap outfielder Kavares Tears slashed a two-run double in the first inning on Friday night. Tears has 10 extra-base hits (3 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR) in his last 12 games with a 1.172 OPS since May 31. The No. 26 Padres prospect leads the Midwest League with six first-pitch home runs this season and is tied for third in Minor League Baseball.

PACK THE HOUSE: Fort Wayne fans packed Parkview Field Thursday night to round out the first half of the Midwest League season. The 'Caps attendance of 7,901 was the second-largest in all of Minor League Baseball. The second sellout of the season is the largest crowd of the year by over 1,300 people. It was also the largest announced attendance on a non-July 4th Thursday since 2018.

WATERING THE WELL: Fort Wayne center fielder Kasen Wells has a hit in 10 of his last 11 games and 11 of his last 13. The Graham, Texas native had his team-leading 9-game hit streak come to an end in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader. Since June 3 (13 games), Wells is hitting .366 with a .490 on-base percentage. He is tied for the team lead with 16 multi-hit games while walking a team-high 36 times. Wells is Fort Wayne's best batter with runners in scoring position. Hitting .302.

EVANS ELEVATING: Fort Wayne third baseman Zach Evans has a hit in 9 of his last 10 games and in 16 of his last 19 following his RBI single in the first on Friday. Dating back to May 24, Evans is slashing .303/.352/.439 with six doubles (three of which came in the Dayton series last week).

JACK ATTACK: Fort Wayne first baseman Jack Costello connected with his 13th double of the season, driving in a run in Fort Wayne's five-run first inning on Friday. Costello put a bow on game one of Thursday's doubleheader with a walk-off infield single in the eighth inning. It's the second walk-off winner of the season for Costello, with the other being a three-run homer to defeat Dayton on May 24. The walk-off blast was the first for Fort Wayne since Joshua Mears did so on June 21, 2024, against Wisconsin. The TinCaps had 4 walk-off victories in 2025, three of which were by Brandon Butterworth, including the last, which came on July 30 against Great Lakes.

DUGIE KEEPS CLIMBING: Fort Wayne third baseman Rosman Verdugo hit his tenth home run of the season last Friday. The 21-year-old's 3-for-5 showing in the win marks the second time he has picked up 3 hits in a game this season. The other instance came on May 15 against Cedar Rapids, where he also homered. Verdugo now has 24 across his TinCaps career, passing Fernando Tatis Jr. for eighth in career home runs, and is one shy of Tom Knauss (1993-94, 96-97) for seventh. Verdugo is the 10th player in Fort Wayne franchise history to hit the 20-career home run mark. After leading the 'Caps with 13 home runs in 2025, 8 of Verdugo's 10 home runs in 2026 have come on the road.

Check out the Fort Wayne TinCaps Statistics

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