MWL1 West Michigan Whitecaps

Whitecaps Sweep Their Way Into First Place

Published on May 7, 2014 under Midwest League (MWL1)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release


COMSTOCK PARK, MI - The West Michigan Whitecaps jumped into first place on Wednesday with a 4-1 victory over the Lake County Captains, completing a three-game series sweep at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Coupled with a loss by Dayton against Great Lakes, West Michigan (20-13) used their 10th win in 12 games to move into first place in the MWL-East for the first time since the opening day of the season. The 'Caps continued their pitching dominance over Lake County (9-24), improving to 6-1 against the Captains thanks to a sterling 1.38 ERA and 91 strikeouts over 72 innings in the season-series.

West Michigan fell behind 1-0 in the first inning on a rally that consisted of two walks, a wild pitch, an error and one hit. That unearned run proved to be the only offense allowed by a Whitecaps' pitching staff that has given up just 13 runs in their last nine games. With another dominant performance on Wednesday, the 'Caps lowered their league-leading ERA to 2.36 - the only sub-3.00 ERA in the Midwest League.

Starting pitcher Austin Kubitza (4-0) shrugged off the early run to throw six strong innings with seven strikeouts. The two-time Midwest League Pitcher of the Week now has 46 punch-outs in 35.1 innings, ranking second in the league behind only teammate Buck Farmer. Kubitza was charged with one unearned run on five hits and two walks, lowering his ERA to 1.78.

Tyler Gibson singled home Ben Verlander in the second inning to tie the score at 1-1 before the Whitecaps mounted the go-ahead rally in the fifth.

A single by Willy Adames and a walk to Wynton Bernard placed runners at first and second with two outs. Javier Betancourt followed with a hard-hit ball up the middle that caromed off the leg of pitcher Jordan Milbrath and rolled to the right of the mound. Milbrath scrambled to the ball and tried to flip it to first as he lunged to the ground, but the throw skipped into foul territory as Adames and Bernard both came around to score.

Bernard added the finishing touches with a run-scoring triple in the seventh that pushed the lead to 4-1.

The Whitecaps also got a boost from the Detroit Tigers in the form of reliever Luke Putkonen, who took over for Kubitza in the seventh and threw one scoreless inning of relief as part of his Major League rehabilitation assignment. Putkonen, who spent the entire 2009 season in West Michigan on his way up the ladder, allowed one hit in an otherwise uneventful inning and threw 10 of his 16 pitches for strikes.

Will LaMarche added a scoreless eighth inning before Zac Reininger (1) earned his first Midwest League save with a pair of strikeouts during a perfect ninth.

Milbrath (1-2) gave up three unearned runs on five hits over six innings to suffer the loss for Lake County.

The Whitecaps continue a six-game homestand at Fifth Third Ballpark with a 6:35 p.m. start on Thursday night against the Lansing Lugnuts. RHP Jon Maciel (1-0, 2.22) is scheduled to pitch for West Michigan against RHP Jeremy Gabryszwski (2-2, 3.86) of Lansing on an Altogas Thrifty Thursday featuring $2 beer, Pepsi products and hot dogs. Season, group and individual tickets can be reserved by calling the Whitecaps' front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

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Midwest League Stories from May 7, 2014


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