
Valera Vaults Loons
Published on July 11, 2019 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Great Lakes Loons News Release
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - With the Great Lakes Loons trailing 1-0 in the seventh inning, Leonel Valera stepped to the plate with two on and two out. Valera had been hitting .184 in those situations this season, but on Thursday night he came through to push the Loons ahead of the Cedar Rapids Kernels 2-1 and ultimately win the game 3-1.
Jack Little, Justin Bruihl and Jose Chacin combined to hold a struggling Cedar Rapids offense to one run on five hits. Little made his second start at the single-A level and allowed two baserunners in three innings while Bruihl bridged the gap to Chacin with a scoreless fourth inning.
Chacin (W, 7-6) allowed Trevor Casanova to take him deep on the first pitch of his night but settled in after that. The Venezuelan righty ceded just two baserunners in his final four 2/3 innings of work.
A ninth-inning insurance run was added by the Loons on an RBI-single by Chris Roller.
The Loons have now won three consecutive series against Cedar Rapids at Perfect Game Field dating back to 2015. They've won seven-of-eight against the Kernels overall. Also of note... Loons starting pitchers now have an ERA of 2.75 since the All-Star Break.
Great Lakes and Cedar Rapids meet-up for the final time in the 2019 regular season Friday night with the Loons looking for the series sweep. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. CDT. Another great pitching matchup is in store with John Rooney (2.96 ERA) taking the ball for Great Lakes and Josh Winder (2.32) for Cedar Rapids.
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
July 17: Grand Slam Game
July 18: Christmas in July
July 19: Latino Night w/ FIREWORKS
July 20: 9 Innings of Winning w/ Zooperstars! and FIREWORKS
July 21: Inclusion Day
July 22: Skip Work Day
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.
Midwest League Stories from July 11, 2019
- Eight Run Third Leads to Fourth Straight Win - Clinton LumberKings
- 13 Runs and 20 Hits Propels Snappers to Series Win - Beloit Sky Carp
- Clinton Offense Explodes Early to Topple Captains - Lake County Captains
- Whitecaps Waste Chances in Shutout - West Michigan Whitecaps
- Bees Take Series with 5-0 Shutout over Fort Wayne - Burlington Bees
- Wymer Turns in Lugs' Latest Gem in 3-2 Win - Lansing Lugnuts
- Leahy Strikes Out Ten Again for Chiefs - Peoria Chiefs
- Cubs Comeback to Beat Cougars 2-1 Behind Morel's Heroics - South Bend Cubs
- Valera Vaults Loons - Great Lakes Loons
- Martinez Impresses in Relief, But 'Caps Lose - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Great Lakes Tops Cedar Rapids Thursday - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Bandits Toss 15th Shutout of Season to Even Series in Michigan - Quad Cities River Bandits
- Dragons Fall in 1-0 Pitcher's Duel on Thursday - Dayton Dragons
- Timber Rattlers Triumph 1-0 over Dragons - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
- Cubs' Small Ball Defeats Cougars - Kane County Cougars
- LumberKings Add 2nd Overall Pick From 2014 Draft - Clinton LumberKings
- TinCaps Game Notes: July 11 at Burlington (Game 88) - Fort Wayne TinCaps
- Bootleggers Game Notes - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- Playoff Tickets on Sale Now - Great Lakes Loons
- Josh Cribbs, Beanie Wells & Julian Tavarez Headline Cleveland Sports History Night July 20 - Lake County Captains
- Nate Hadley joins Kernels from Elizabethton - Cedar Rapids Kernels
- Dragons On TV Friday, Saturday, & Sunday On Dayton's CW - Dayton Dragons
- Dragons Notes for Thursday - Dayton Dragons
- Hour Delay Cannot Contain Snappers' Bats - Beloit Sky Carp
- Hot Rods Fall 9-8 in Back-And-Forth Battle - Bowling Green Hot Rods
- 'Caps Enjoy 'Grand' Victory over Quad Cities - West Michigan Whitecaps
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
Other Recent Great Lakes Loons Stories
- Loons Lose Heartbreaker to Captains, 7-6 in 10 Innings
- Whitecaps Whack 12 Hits in 7-2 Win, Drop Loons Half Game Back
- Loons' Pitching Strands 11 Whitecaps, Now in Lead for Second Half Playoff Spot After 6-4 Win
- Serwinowski Strikes out 12 in 8-1 Loons' Win, Great Lakes Back Half Game
- Whitecaps Best Loons 2-1 in 10-Inning Pitching Duel

