Fort Wayne TinCaps (17-15, 49-51) vs. Dayton Dragons (16-16, 55-47)
RHP Chris Huffman (4-6, 3.77) vs. RHP Tejay Antone (5-7, 2.95)
Wednesday, July 29, 2015 — Parkview Field — First Pitch 7:05 p.m. — Game 101
ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The TinCaps overcame a pair of two-run deficits to beat the Dragons, 6-5. Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Fort Wayne had two outs and no one on before loading them up for third baseman Luis Tejada, who hit a go-ahead triple.
BULLPEN BOOST: The TinCaps’ bullpen threw five scoreless innings on Tuesday. T.J. Weir twirled three to earn the win, while Yimmi Brasoban locked down the eighth for a hold, and Colby Blueberg earned his Eastern Division-leading 14th save in the ninth. Over the first 37 games of the season, Fort Wayne’s bullpen ERA was 4.65. Over the last 63 games? It’s 2.21. Related: The TinCaps began the season 12-25 and are 37-26 since.
GIRON HAS A NIGHT: Shortstop Ruddy Giron reached base five times Tuesday, going 4-for-4 with a walk. In 61 games this season, it was the 21st time he recorded multiple hits and the fifth time having at least four. In fact, it was the 18-year-old’s second four-hit game over his last five. Michael Gettys (2) is the only other TinCap with multiple four-hit performances in 2015.
KID CAN HIT: Second baseman Luis Urias may be the Midwest League’s youngest player at 18, but he’s also leading the league in hits (29) since he joined the TinCaps on July 6. Urias has at least one hit in 16 of his first 20 games, and has reached base in 18 of 20. On 10 occasions, including Tuesday, Urias has had multiple hits.
HOT TEJADA: Luis Tejada is on a seven-game hitting streak after a 3-for-3 performance Thursday. It’s his longest hitting streak since a nine-gamer with the TinCaps from April 11-21, 2013. During this current stretch, the 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic is 13-for-27 (.481). Over a wider window, since and including July 15, Tejada has hit safely in 12 of his last 13 games, going 21-for-49 (.429) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, and 10 RBIs. That batting average over this span is the highest in the Midwest League by 36 points. (South Bend outfielder Jeffrey Baez has hit .393.)
MWL EASTERN DIVISION SECOND HALF PLAYOFF PICTURE
Place Team W-L GB GB Wild Card
1. West Michigan 18-13 — —
T2. FORT WAYNE 17-15 1.5 —
T2. Bowling Green 17-15 1.5 —
T2. Lansing* 17-15 1.5 —
T5. Dayton 16-16 2.5 1.0
T5. South Bend 16-16 2.5 1.0
7. Lake County 13-18 5.0 3.5
8. Great Lakes** 13-19 5.5 4.0
* First Half Division Winner ** First Half Wild Card Winner