Cleveland Sports Forum

Whitecaps 8, Captains 5: Captains finish nightmare homestand 0-7 (with video)
Published: Thursday, April 19, 2012

0diggsdigg ShareThis0By David S. Glasier
DGlasier@News-Herald.com
@nhglasier

If what happened to the Captains over seven days at Classic Park was a movie, it would be titled "Nightmare on Vine Street."

Opening the home portion of their 10th season in Eastlake, the Captains went 0-7 on the homestand and looked bad doing it. They dropped four games to the Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods and followed with three straight losses to the West Michigan Whitecaps.

The Whitecaps (7-6) put the finishing touches on their sweep with a come-from-behind, 8-5 victory in Wednesday's matinee.


The Captains gave up 57 runs in the seven games and scored 23. The starting pitching was solid, but the Captains were undone by spotty hitting and relief pitching that bordered on incendiary.

Lake County's bullpen surrendered 31 runs in the series, 20 in the ninth inning, as the Captains were swept in a season-opening homestand for the first time.

With their ninth straight loss overall, the Captains slipped to 3-10. They have last place all to themselves in the Midwest League's Eastern Division.

Wednesday's loss was a microcosm of the Captains' homestand from hell. Trailing, 3-1, going in the middle of the sixth inning, the Captains sent nine men to the plate and scored four runs in the bottom half of the frame to take a 5-3 lead. The big blows were a two-run double by third baseman Leonardo Castillo and RBI singles by Francisco Lindor and Nick Bartolone.

The Whitecaps got to Lake County reliever Cole Cook for one run in the top of the seventh to shave Lake County's lead to 5-4.

In the top of the ninth inning, West Michigan went to work against Lake County reliever Jeff Johnson. The 21-year-old right-hander surrendered four runs on four hits, the most damaging of which was a two-run double by Brandon Loy that put the Whitecaps back in front, 6-5.

West Michigan tacked on two runs after that to account for the final margin.

Johnson (0-1, 33.75 ERA) was saddled with the loss as the Captains for the third time in the series were overtaken in the ninth inning. "Whether you lose games in the first or ninth innings, it makes no difference. They all hurt," Captains manager David Wallace said.

Lake County starter Will Roberts turned in a third straight good outing, yielding three runs on five hits in six innings. Only one of the runs was earned as two errors by second baseman Robel Garcia led to two West Michigan runs.

That Lake County made 11 errors in the series didn't help matters. "No doubt we need to get better in all aspects of the game," Wallace said. Continued...


The bad news doesn't end there, either. Lake County right fielder Jordan Smith was forced from the game in the top of the first inning when he bloodied his nose while trying to make a diving catch of line drive off the bat of Loy. The ball fell in for a double.

The Captains open a three-game series in Iowa today against the Clinton LumberKings. They'll return home on April 25 to play Peoria.

4-0 win for the Clippers Thursday daytime game. Carrera with a single, a double, a triple and a steal. Chisenhall 2 singles and a double. Phelps 2 walks, a 2 bagger and 2 rbi. Chris Seddon 6 shutout walkless innings, 2 of the same by Ambriz, 1 ip from Accardo.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... a_indaaa_1

Not a Goodnight for Michael today. He's been scored on in each of the first 4 innings. AGuillar has stuck out twice. Urshela and Lowery each with a double. Moncrief a 2-run single.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... a_cmcafa_1

Later developments include another rbi for Moncrief. Ronny Rodrigz 2 hits, up to 300, 2 K-- that makes 13 in 40AB. He just turned 20 on Tuesday. Wolters 0-5 he's hitting 100. 17 K in 50 AB,he'll be 20 in late June.

Lake County and Akron with the day off.

Incorrect re Lake County. They played and lost yet another, 2-1. Lindor with the night off. Washington still hurt. Jordan Smith hurt and out. Zach McPhee, one of our numerous draftees as a 2B, played left on his first game ouit of XST. Joe Colon good 6 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 5 K 3 bb. Valera loses in relief.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_cliafx_1

Spring traiing star, or at least early spring traiing star, Russ Canzler is hitting 175 for the Clippers, 2 doubles, no homers, 14 K vs 4 bb..

David Huff is working for Akron today, 3 shutout innnigs so far.

Aeros are loaded with rather good relievers; we'll see how they do whey move to AAA, but some of them deserve promotion:

Landis 9 innings 0 runs 7 K
Stowell 5 innings 0 runs 11K
Langwell 6 ip 1 run 5 k
Bryson 5.1 ip 1 run 10 k
Cody Allen 5 ip 1 run 6k
Price 8.1 ip 2 runs 10 k
Guilmet 4 ip 1 run 3k
Murata 5.1 ip 2 runs 2k

This is not a powe hitting organization. The only minor leaguers with 2 or more HR in the first 12 or so games are:

LaPorta 4, Crowe 2 and Huffman 2 in AAA
Rohliner 2 in AA
Monsalve 2 in Low A

Huff got in his 4 innings. Stowell takes over. Nick Weglarz with his first xb hit!! a double and rbi, and a walk. AVG rises to 161. He used to walk a lot, this was his third of the season vs 13 strikeouts.

6 run 4th puts the Clippers ahead 8-2 in the 6th behind ZachMac: 5 innings so far, 1 earned run, 8K 3 bb. Canzler 3 singles. Phelps a triple for rbi. Carlin 2 hits, 3 rbi. Carrera 2hits.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... a_tolaaa_1

Weglarz' first homer of the year, 2 run job, moves Aeros up 7-4 in the 7th. Soto went 5 1/3, 3 earned runs, 6 k. 2 walks for Weglarz too. 2 hits apiece by Diaz, Chen and Fedroff.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_reaaax_1

Saturday night results:

Clippes 12-6 winners. Canzler breaks out with 5 hits, one a triple. Laporta 2 hits. Chisenhall 1 hit, 3 rbi. ZachMac 5 innings, 1 earned run 8k. Herrman 3 runs in 1 2/3/

Aeros on top 7-4. Game ends after 6, my comments above were the final stats for the guys mentioned.

Mudcats winners by 7-2. Brett Brach started but left after 1 innings. FJiminez 4 innings, 2 runs, 4K. 18th round pick in 2011 Armstrong 1 2/3 2 walks and 2 whiffs. 0 era for his stops at both Class A levels. Jesus Flores 2 innings, scoreless: 1.17 ERA. He's a 22 year old Righty, 6-3, 250.

Captains one game streak ends, they lsoe 8-5. LRod and Lindor both 0-5. Myles tripels and singles. Lavisky doubles and , for the first time in 2012, walks. Sterling 4 OK innings, 2 runs, 5 K, 3 walks, but an early exit.

civ ollilavad wrote:This is not a powe hitting organization. The only minor leaguers with 2 or more HR in the first 12 or so games are:

LaPorta 4, Crowe 2 and Huffman 2 in AAA
Rohliner 2 in AA
Monsalve 2 in Low A

Just a drive by visit to this folder, but your mention of the lack of power caught my attention as I've been thinking about same, and with regard to all of baseball.

This morning I looked at the home run totals for all players on the 30 MLB teams. That's 750 players, and about 450 that are non-pitchers.

Of those 450 players, there are only 24 that have more than 3 home runs right now.

And only 10 that have more than 4. That number is far lower than what I expected to see.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/stats/batting/_/ ... fied/false

So the Tribe is a trendsetter? Lake County obliges with no runs at all, and allows only 1. Elvis Araujo 5 shutuout innings, although 5 hits and 3 walks. Lindor a single and his 5th steal. LRod and Myles and Garcia also with singles.

http://www.milb.com/milb/stats/stats.js ... x_kccafx_1