MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Whitecaps Sweep Beloit to end first homestand

April 13, 2014 - Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. - Austin Kubitza doesn't speak Spanish and his new shortstop Willy Adames doesn't speak English. But they spoke fluent baseball on Sunday afternoon.

Kubitza, the West Michigan Whitecaps 6-foot-5 right-hander, didn't allow a run and struck out eight - and he got great defense behind him from Adames - to help the Whitecaps beat the Beloit Snappers 2-1 to complete a three-game sweep. "He saved me on one when they hit a ball right at him. It was a great play," Kubitza said of a bullet hit by Beloit's Luis Baez in the second inning. "And he turned the double play for me, too. So he's done well so far."

Kubitza, who improves to to 2-0 with a microscopic 0.84 ERA, has watched his teammates in the Whitecaps rotation pitch lights-out this week and he wasn't about to be left out. "I wouldn't say there's pressure, but we all want to do well," said Kubitza, who was drafted in the fourth round out of Rice University last summer.

"We like the competition, so it helps us all out." The starting rotation, which had a rough start to the season, has been amazing in the last four outings. Chad Green, Jonathon Crawford, Buck Farmer and Kubitza have combined for a 0.74 ERA in their last starts - two runs in 23 innings pitched.

"Two days ago when Buck and I were (charting pitches), we were comparing how we pitch to certain batters," Kubitza said. "We try to help each other out as much as we can. It's a team game." Adames isn't just new to the team, he's new to the United States.

The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder is just 18 years old. He was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2012 for $420,000. Baseball America lists him as the No. 30 prospect in the Detroit Tigers organization. "I feel good.

Excited," he said via hitting coach Nelson Santovenia, who served as his interpreter. "I wasn't sure where I would play my first year. I'm excited to be at this level."

Adames, who hit .245 last year in the Dominican Summer League, was sent to the Whitecaps from extended spring training on Saturday after infielder Curt Powell was called up to Class-A Lakeland. He did more than field during his debut with the Whitecaps. He also beat out a ground ball to third base for a single in the second inning in his first at-bat. He would hit another single in the sixth to finish 2-for-3.

"It's hard to explain how I feel," he said of getting his first hit. "I'm very excited." Adames, who compares his game to Colorado Rockies shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, said the first people he plans on calling after the game are his father Romelo, who lives in the Dominican, and his godfather Jimmy Ceollado, who lives in New York.

The Whitecaps got all the offense they needed early in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Jose Zambrano led off with a single and came around to score on a solid single to center field by Dominic Ficociello for a 1-0 lead.

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Midwest League Stories from April 13, 2014


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