MWL Fort Wayne TinCaps

TinCaps Game Information: September 3 at Great Lakes

Published on September 3, 2021 under Midwest League (MWL)
Fort Wayne TinCaps News Release


Fort Wayne TinCaps (50-55) @ Great Lakes Loons (57-48)

Friday, Sept. 3 (7:05 p.m.) | Dow Diamond | Midland, Mich. | Game 4 of 6 in Series | Road Game 52 of 60 | Game 106 of 120

LHP Noel Vela (2.91 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Boyer (5.51 ERA)

Video: MiLB.TV | Audio: 1380TheFan.com (John Nolan & Jack McMullen)

LAST NIGHT: The TinCaps lost to the Loons, 5-1. Fort Wayne's only run came on a fourth inning homer by right fielder Tirso Ornelas. Great Lakes plated 3 in the first and 2 more insurance runs in the sixth.

HASSELL'S HISTORIC HOMERS: On Wednesday, in just his 3rd game with the team since being called up from Low-A Lake Elsinore, Padres No. 3 prospect Robert Hassell III became just the 3rd player in Fort Wayne's 28-season franchise history to hit 3 home runs in a game. The recently-turned 20-year-old joined Jonathan Galvez, a second baseman who homered 3 times at Parkview Field on July 22, 2010, against Peoria, and Jon Benick, who first accomplished the feat on July 3, 2002, against Quad Cities.

PITCHING PROGRESS: Over their last 51 games since July 7, TinCaps pitchers have the lowest ERA out of all 30 teams in High-A (3.74), as the team has gone 27-24. In this stretch, 'Caps pitchers also have allowed the fewest home runs in High-A: 24. Over their first 54 games, they ranked 9th/12 in High-A Central at 5.25, and had a 23-31 record.

PLAYOFF PICTURE: Less than 3 weeks remain in the regular season, which ends on Sept. 19. The clubs with the 2 best records in the 12-team HAC will meet in a best-of-5 championship. Entering today, the Quad Cities River Bandits are in first place at 68-35. The Cedar Rapids Kernels are in second at 58-47. The TinCaps are 8 back of the Kernels with 15 games remaining. In the East Division, for bragging rights, Fort Wayne is 7 back of both Great Lakes and Lake County.

DOUBLES LEADER: As a team, the TinCaps lead the HAC in doubles with 193. Individually, outfielder Tirso Ornelas leads the league in 2B with 30, while infielder Justin Lopez ranks 6th with 22.

PATIENT APPROACH: The TinCaps lead the HAC in free passes (walks and hit by pitches), averaging about 5 per game. Fort Wayne is walking in approximately 12% of its plate appearances. The rest of the league has walked at a 10% rate... For context, the Yankees lead MLB in BB% (10.7%). The Padres rank 3rd (9.9%).. When it comes to swinging at the right pitches, Ornelas has the 6th lowest swing & miss rate in the league, swinging & missing at only about 8% of pitches seen.

LOPEZ LOCKS IN: Over his last 16 games since Aug. 13, infielder Justin Lopez has hit .361 with a .942 OPS. Lopez has 6 doubles (1 should've been ruled a HR), 2 HR, and 19 RBIs in the stretch... For the season, his 62 RBIs rank 6th in the HAC.

ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT: Luis Almanzar has reached base safely in 5 consecutive games, going 5-for-17 with a double, a triple, and 2 RBIs. He's walked 4 times versus 6 strikeouts. That's good for a .294 AVG, .429 OBP, and .899 OPS.

REY RUNS: Reinaldo Ilarraza ranks 4th in the HAC in stolen bases (34).

CLOSE CALLS: The TinCaps are 14-9 in games decided by 1 run, and 9-13 in 2-run games... The 'Caps are 4-2 in extra-innings.

260 TO THE SHOW: 53 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.

Check out the Fort Wayne TinCaps Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from September 3, 2021


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