Fort Wayne TinCaps (14-12, 46-48) @ Lake County Captains (10-15, 46-47)
RHP Michael Kelly (5-2, 4.44) vs. LHP Thomas Pannone (4-4, 3.89)
Wed., July 22, 2015 — Classic Park (Eastlake, OH) — First Pitch 11:00 a.m. — Game 95
ABOUT LAST GAME: The TinCaps lost the opener of this three-game series at Lake County, 3-2. Captains left fielder Anthony Santander broke a 2-2 tie in the fifth with a solo homer to right.
PROSPECT WATCH: Michael Gettys drove in both Fort Wayne runs Tuesday. Gettys put the TinCaps up 1-0 in the third with an RBI single. He tied the game at 2 in the fifth with a groundout. It was the 19-year-old’s fourth multi-RBI game of the year. In the month of July, Gettys is hitting .279 with 1 HR and 5 RBI. This month he’s walked nine times (after drawing eight walks from April-June). His .359 on-base percentage in July is his highest in any month this season.
LOCAL HISTORY: Classic Park is 17 miles from Downtown Cleveland, which was founded on this day in 1796. Moses Cleaveland and a group of surveyors from the Connecticut Land Company arrived and began making plans for the city 219 years ago. Initially named Cleaveland, the spelling of the city’s name changed in 1831. It’s said that in order for The Cleveland Advertiser newspaper to fit its name on the paper’s masthead, it needed to drop a letter.
WE MEET AGAIN: Michael Kelly and Thomas Pannone pitched against each other at Parkview Field on Friday. Kelly earned the win with six innings of three-run ball, while Pannone lost after allowing five runs in five frames. Fort Wayne won 8-3.
SANS CIGAR: The TinCaps have dropped three straight one-run games and four in a row to start their nine-game road trip. Fort Wayne had the tying run in scoring position in the ninth the last two nights.
LAST DAY GAME HERE: The TinCaps were a season-worst 13-games below .500 (12-25) on the morning of May 21 and trailed 5-3 going into the ninth inning when Duanel Jones hit a pinch-hit two-run homer to tie the game. The TinCaps prevailed 9-5 in 14 innings — their longest game of the year. Since, and including that day, Fort Wayne is 34-23.
MWL EASTERN DIVISION SECOND HALF PLAYOFF PICTURE
Place Team W-L GB GB Wild Card
1. West Michigan 16-9 — —
T2. FORT WAYNE 14-12 2.5 —
T2. Bowling Green 14-11 2.5 —
T2. South Bend 14-12 2.5 —
T2. Dayton 14-12 2.5 —
6 Lansing* 12-14 4.5 2.0
7. Lake County 10-15 6.0 3.5
8. Great Lakes** 9-17 7.5 5.0
* First Half Division Winner ** First Half Wild Card Winner