MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Whitecaps Quieted By Lasker In Return Home

Published on July 21, 2010 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps opened a six-game homestand in front of a raucous crowd of 6,906 on Wednesday night, but suffered their fifth straight loss with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Fifth Third Ballpark.

West Michigan (7-18, 33-61) got a quality start from Victor Larez and three scoreless innings from the bullpen, but struggled to get anything going against Wisconsin (12-13, 38-55) starter Maverick Lasker.

The 20-year-old Lasker (6-3) stole the show, cruising through seven strong innings and allowing just one run on four hits to earn the win. He retired 18 of the first 20 batters he faced and carried a two-hit shutout into the seventh. Lasker struck out two and did not issue a walk, with two hits by Avisail Garcia- who went 3-for-4 on the night - marking the only baserunners Lasker allowed until his final frame in the seventh.

Meanwhile, the Timber Rattlers gave Lasker a first-inning lead with a little help from the Whitecaps. There were men at the corners with two away when Larez struck out Hunter Morris with a breaking ball in the dirt. The ball squirted away for a wild pitch, however, as Kentrail Davis raced home from third and Morris reached first base for a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth, a leadoff error sparked another rally. Cutter Dykstra reached base on a high throw from third baseman Wade Gaynor, and stole second before scoring on a base hit by Cameron Garfield. After Garfield took second on the throw to the plate, Michael Marseco delivered a run-scoring double that stretched Wisconsin's lead to 3-0.

West Michigan threatened late, finally breaking through against Lasker in the bottom of the seventh. Corey Jones led off the inning with a ground rule double and came around to score on a base hit by Tony Plagman.

Trailing 3-1, the Whitecaps mounted a two-out rally in the eighth. Jamie Johnson singled before walks to Hernan Perez and Corey Jones loaded the bases. Gaynor then blasted a 1-0 pitch to deep left-center that brought the crowd to its feet, but left fielder Khris Davis ran it down one step in front of the wall to quiet both the crowd and the rally.

After escaping the bases-loaded jam in the eighth, Nick Bucci (1) worked around a one-out single in the ninth to notch the two-inning save.

Larez (6-8) suffered the loss for West Michigan despite a solid outing. The 23-year-old Venezuelan right-hander struck out five without issuing a walk and allowed three runs - two earned - on six hits over six innings. He was followed by Jordan Pratt, who threw two scoreless frames, and Shawn Teufel, who added one shutout inning in the ninth.

The Whitecaps continue a six-game homestand at Fifth Third Ballpark with the second game of a three-game set against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 22. RHP Luis Angel Sanz (1-4, 6.45) is slated to take the hill for the 'Caps against LHP Del Howell (2-4, 5.09) of the Timber Rattlers. In addition to $2 food and beverage specials during an Altogas Thrifty Thursday, it will also be Beach Night featuring a special post-game concert by The Concussions. Season, group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting whitecapsbaseball.com.

Check out the West Michigan Whitecaps Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



Midwest League Stories from July 21, 2010


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.

OurSports Central