Fort Wayne TinCaps (15-27) vs. Great Lakes Loons (20-22)

Tuesday, May 26, 2015 — Parkview Field — First Pitch 6:05 p.m. — Games 43 and 44

ABOUT LAST GAME: Fort Wayne fell to Lansing on Monday, 11-5. The TinCaps got out to a 3-0 first inning lead, but allowed four Lugnuts runs in the bottom half of the inning. Ruddy Giron and Duanel Jones had multi-hit nights, but it wasn’t enough to take down the 1st place team in the East. Fort Wayne split the four-game series.

DOUBLE DIP: The TinCaps face off against the Loons for the first time this season. The two teams were scheduled to meet in April to open the season at Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan. Rain and a wet playing surface forced the cancellation of one game and the postponement of two others. The teams will play doubleheaders on Tuesday and Thursday. This adds to a daunting stretch for Fort Wayne. The team just returned home from an 11-game road trip and is currently in a 36-game in 35-day stretch.

SURGING SANTOS: Trae Santos belted four doubles and two home runs during the 11-game trip (he only played in nine games). He’s tied for second in the Midwest League with 19 total extra-base hits.

EXTRA EXTRA: Fort Wayne as a team is currently 3rd in the entire Midwest League with 122 total extra-base hits. During the 11-game trip, they collected 37.

IMPROVED OFFENSE: The TinCaps went 5-6 on their 11-game trip away from Parkview Field, but Manager Francisco Morales’ offense exploded. They blasted ten home runs during that span (they had just 16 through the first 31 games of the year), and also scored nearly six runs per game. Before the trip, the offense was averaging less than four runs per contest. Ruddy Giron hit .526 over eight games during the trip and scored 10 runs.

THE OTHER GUYS: Great Lakes’ roster features the following Top 30 Dodgers prospects according to MLB.com:
3. RHP Grant Holmes
4. OF Alex Verdugo
23. RHP Jharel Cotton