Whitecaps Take Series in Wisconsin

May 23, 2021 - Midwest League (MWL)
West Michigan Whitecaps News Release

APPLETON, WI - The West Michigan Whitecaps bullpen stole the show as five pitchers combined to toss a six-hit shutout as part of a 4-0 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers at Fox Cities Stadium.

Injuries were another big storyline on Sunday, as prior to Sunday's contest, scheduled starting pitcher Garrett Hill was scratched with an undisclosed injury. In the third inning, Spencer Torkelson left the ballgame with reported hamstring tightness after his first at-bat. Both are considered day-to-day.

Filling in for Hill, Chavez Fernander, Zac Shepherd, Angel Reyes, Yaya Chentouf and Ruben Garcia combined to spin the first shutout tossed by the 'Caps this season. The win also marks the first series victory for the Whitecaps this season by taking four of their six games this week in Appleton.

At the plate, West Michigan opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly by Jose King to take a 1-0 lead in the fourth. Two innings later, designated hitter Rey Rivera capped a 9-for-18 road trip with a two-run homer - his fourth of the season, and this series - as part of a three-run outburst to give the 'Caps the 4-0 advantage. The bullpen escaped some tight spots in the fifth and sixth to strand the bases loaded, as Chentouf induced inning-ending double plays in the sixth and eighth before Garcia came into finish the job.

On the mound, Fernander took his spot-start three scoreless innings while striking out four before Zac Shepherd (2-0) tossed 1.2 innings with two strikeouts to earn his second victory of the season. Timber Rattlers starter Justin Jarvis (0-3) took the tough-luck loss despite five innings of one-run ball. The Whitecaps improve to 8-9 while the Timber Rattlers fall to 8-10. Rivera and Eliezer Alfonzo each recorded two hits in the victory.

UP NEXT

The Whitecaps return to LMCU Ballpark for a six-game series with the Lake County Captains beginning Tuesday at 6:35 pm. The Whitecaps send righty Chance Kirby to the mound against a talented Captains offense. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty begins on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:20 pm. A limited number of tickets are available for select Whitecaps 2021 home contests by calling the Whitecaps front office at 616-784-4131 or visiting www.whitecapsbaseball.com.

Midwest League Stories from May 23, 2021

• Whitecaps Take Series in Wisconsin - West Michigan Whitecaps
• Snappers Win Sunday Slugfest - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• Snappers Launch Three Homers to Clinch Win and Series against Kernels - Beloit Sky Carp
• Davis Delivers as South Bend Takes the Series - South Bend Cubs
• Perfect Parrish Leads Q.C. to Win in Series Finale - Quad Cities River Bandits
• Whitecaps Take Series Finale from Wisconsin - Wisconsin Timber Rattlers
• Dragons Fall to South Bend, 5-4 on Sunday - Dayton Dragons
• Loons' Late Rally Falls Short in Ninth - Great Lakes Loons
• Waldron Strikes Out Eight, But TinCaps Split Series - Fort Wayne TinCaps
• Captains Hold on Late to Beat Great Lakes - Lake County Captains
• Nuts rally against TinCaps' pen for third straight split - Lansing Lugnuts
• Daniel Ozoria Added to Kernels Roster - Cedar Rapids Kernels
• TinCaps Game Information: May 23 vs. Lansing - Fort Wayne TinCaps
• Dayton Dragons GameDay Notes - Dayton Dragons

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