Fifth Third Ballpark is pictured before the Midwest League All-Star game Thursday. A win in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday will see the Whitecaps break a franchise record that’s stood since 2000. Victoria Walenga/The Pit
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he West Michigan Whitecaps have carried momentum over into the second half of the 2014 Midwest League season, stomping the TinCaps of Fort Wayne in a 15-4 rout for their record-tying 10th consecutive home win Thursday night.
West Michigan (1-0, 42-29) has not lost a game at Fifth Third Ballpark since May 21, which equals the franchise-record that has stood untouched since 2000. The ‘Caps will have a chance to break the record when their homestand continues Saturday with a split doubleheader against Fort Wayne (0-1, 30-40).
The first half of the season saw the ‘Caps ride the league’s best pitching staff to their first playoff berth since 2010 and first division title since 2007. The season’s second half saw the offense step up for 15 unanswered runs in Thursdays blowout victory. The 16-hit attack saw eight different Whitecaps drive in runs while six batters registered multiple hits.
Jeff Holm went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run, one of three batters to notch a three-hit game. Francisco Contreras went 3-f0r-3 with three RBI’s and erasing an early deficit with a solo homer in the bottom of the third. The home run was his first in the Midwest League and evened the game at 1-1.
West Michigan took control with a five-run explosion in the fourth that was aided by three TinCaps’ errors. Five of the first six batters in the fourth tallied base hits to drive TinCaps’ starter Erik Cabrera from the game. Dominic Ficociello and Wynton Bernard tallied run-scoring singles before Willy Adames added an RBI-single and Contreras lifted a sacrifice fly to put the Whitecaps in front, 6-1.
After Holm added his two-run homer in the fifth and Javier Betancourt ripped a two-run double and scored in the sixth, the lead grew to 11-1. The ‘Caps would add four more runs before Fort Wayne could record the first out of the seventh inning for a 15-1 margin.
Fort Wayne added some late runs to reach the 15-4 final.
Chad Green (2-2) destroyed the TinCaps during the five innings he was on the mound, earning the win. He allowed only one man, the first batter of the game, to reach scoring position. After the TinCaps scored for their early 1-0 lead, Green responded by retiring 12 of the next 13 batters he faced. The right-hander from Louisville allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts.
Cabrera (2-5) took the loss for Fort Wayne. After allowing just one of the first eight hitters he faced to reach base, he recorded just two outs against the next eight batters and left the game with six runs – five earned- on seven hits over 3.1 innings.
West Michigan and Fort Wayne will take today off before splitting a doubleheader Saturday at Fifth Third Ballpark. Jonathon Crawford (3-2, 2.58 ERA) is scheduled to start against RHP Ronald Herrera (5-4, 3.19 ERA) for the 1 p.m. game. Buck Farmer (6-5, 3.00 ERA) will also face Herrera in the nightcap at 7 p.m.
