TinCaps Game Information: June 25 at South Bend

June 25, 2021 - Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release

Fort Wayne TinCaps (21-23) @ South Bend Cubs (18-26)

Friday, June 25 (7:05 p.m.) | Four Winds Field | South Bend, Ind. | Games 4 of 6 in Series | Road Game 22 of 60 | Game 45 of 120

RHP Anderson Espinoza (7.88 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Jensen (6.83 ERA)

TV: MiLB.TV | Radio: 1380 The Fan & 100.9 FM / TinCapsRadio.com (John Nolan & Jack McMullen)

LAST NIGHT: The TinCaps beat the Cubs, 9-1. Fort Wayne pitching carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning, while the offense broke a tie score with 8 runs in the top of the seventh. Moises Lugo (4 innings), Ramon Perez (2 innings), and Austin Smith (2 innings) no-hit South Bend until Nelson Velazquez singled against Cody Tyler to lead off the home ninth. The Cubs added another hit, but no runs, as they were 2-hit for a 2nd consecutive game.

HOT CAPS: The TinCaps are on a season-best 4-game winning streak. Fort Wayne has won 5 of its last 6... On the other side, South Bend has lost 8 in a row... Since falling behind 6-0 early in this series opener, the 'Caps have outscored the Cubs 24-1 over the last 23 innings. During the stretch, South Bend has totaled 4 hits.

NEAR NO-NO: Fort Wayne has thrown 2 no-hitters in its 27-plus seasons. In 2009, Simon Castro, who'd later go on to appear in 41 MLB games, threw a 7-inning no-no. In 2013, current Atlanta Brave Max Fried started a combined 9-inning no-hitter. In recent years, the TinCaps carried a perfect game into the 9th inning at South Bend on Aug. 17, 2017, and a no-hitter into the 9th inning versus West Michigan on Aug. 4, 2019.

SPEAKING OF NO-HITTERS: South Bend's parent club no-hit the Dodgers last night in LA. It was the 17th no-hitter in Chicago's franchise history (with the 1st coming back in 1880). 4 Cubs pitchers walked 8 batters, making it the most baserunners allowed in a Cubs no-hitter. The previous high was 7, which had occurred twice, most recently on April 16, 1972, when Burt Hooton walked 7 Phillies at Wrigley Field. Hooton later served as Fort Wayne's pitching coach from 2013-2018.

MELLY ON FIRE: Infielder Kelvin Melan has reached base in 6 consecutive games. During the stretch, he's 9-for-23 (.391) with 2 homers and a league-leading 11 RBIs. Tonight marks his 1st appearance in the leadoff spot since 2017, when he was there 22 times for Short-Season Tri-City.

SPEED WEAPONS: Rey Ilarraza ranks 9th in the HAC in stolen bases (14). Jawuan Harris is 10th (13), and the only player in the league with at least 7 stolen bases who hasn't been caught.

DOUBLE MACHINE: Outfielder Tirso Ornelas leads the HAC with 17 doubles. That's also the 5th most in all of MiLB. Out of 100 players with at least 11 doubles this season, he's the only 1 without a homer. As a team, the TinCaps lead the HAC with 89 doubles in 44 games.

LOPEZ LOCKED IN: Infielder Justin Lopez slashed .175 / .250 / .325 (.575 OPS) in 22 May games. Over 16 games in June, he's slashing .283 / .368 / .450 (.818 OPS). Lopez has reached base in all but 1 game so far this month, including in 12 in a row. He has a hit in all but 2, including in 4 straight.

PATIENT APPROACH: Despite having the 3rd youngest lineup in the league by average age, the TinCaps also rank 3rd in walks drawn (averaging 4 per game). So far in this series, Fort Wayne has drawn 28 walks, and been hit by 6 pitches, while recording 14 hits... Jawuan Harris has walked in 17% of his plate appearances, the 4th highest BB% in the HAC.

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The TinCaps are slashing .253 / .360 / .396 (.756 OPS) in 23 games at Parkview Field. That's the best home OBP in the HAC. But on the road, Fort Wayne is slashing .198 / .313 / .313 (.626 OPS). That's the lowest away AVG and SLG. The 'Caps are 12-11 at home, but 9-12 on the road.

260 TO THE SHOW: 2017-18 TinCaps pitcher Mason Thompson made his MLB debut with the Padres on Tuesday night in relief against the Dodgers. Thompson is the 196th player in Fort Wayne's franchise history to reach the big leagues, and the 50th to appear this season.

Midwest League Stories from June 25, 2021

• 4 Homers Pave Way for Cubs Victory - South Bend Cubs
• Rain Delays Loons 6-3 Win - Great Lakes Loons
• Missed Opportunities Topple Q.C. in Extra-Innings Loss - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Scott Walks Off River Bandits 6-5 In Extra Innings - Beloit Sky Carp
• Peoria Scores Late to Take the Nightcap - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Ducks on Pond Cost Captains at Loons - Lake County Captains
• Opportunistic Lugnuts Cool off Kernels - Lansing Lugnuts
• Win Streak Snapped by Lugnuts - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• TinCaps Winning Streak Halted at Four - Fort Wayne TinCaps
• Rattlers Rally Past Chiefs in Conclusion of Thursday's Game - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Andrew Cabezas Placed on Injured List - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• TinCaps Game Information: June 25 at South Bend - Fort Wayne TinCaps
• Dayton Dragons Game Notes - Dayton Dragons
• Allante Hall Joins Kernels - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• Cubs Avoid No-No But Lose to Fort Wayne, 9-1 - South Bend Cubs
• Rain Delays Loons 7-1 Loss - Great Lakes Loons
• TinCaps Win Again, Nearly No-Hit South Bend - Fort Wayne TinCaps

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