Fort Wayne TinCaps (34-27) @ Dayton Dragons (16-45)
LHP Thomas Dorminy (0-0, 2.45) vs. RHP Tanner Rainey (1-5, 5.44)
Saturday, June 11 — Fifth Third Field — First Pitch 7:07 p.m. — Game 62
LAST NIGHT: The Dayton Dragons exploded for five runs in the bottom of the first inning and never looked back in an 11-1 win over the TinCaps on Friday night at Fifth Third Field. The loss snapped Fort Wayne’s five-game winning streak. 1B/3B Ty France pitched scoreless eighth and ninth innings.
HEATING UP: The TinCaps have won 8 of 10 and 11 of 15. At 34-27, Fort Wayne is 7 games over .500 for the second time this season.
PLAYOFF PUSH: With 9 games left in the first half, the TinCaps are 2.5 games behind second-place West Michigan in the Eastern Division. West Michigan hosts Lansing (29-30) this weekend.
DRAFT DAYS: The Padres made 6 of the first 85 selections in this year’s MLB Draft. San Diego selected RHP Cal Quantrill (Stanford) with the eighth overall pick. The Padres also tabbed SS Hudson Sanchez (Carroll HS, Texas) at 24, LHP Eric Lauer (Kent State) at 25, OF Buddy Reed (Florida) at 48, RHP Reggie Lawson (Victor Valley HS, California) and RHP Mason Thompson (Round Rock HS, Texas) at 85. Rounds 11-40 conclude the Draft on Saturday. Fifteen of the 25 current TinCaps were drafted in 2015. Ten were chosen on the Draft’s third and final day.
CONTRERAS’ CONNECTION: TinCaps first-year manager Anthony Contreras played for the Fort Wayne Wizards in 2008. In his first game June 28, Contreras went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. The opponent? The Dayton Dragons. Two months later, in his first trip to Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Contreras went a combined 6-for-12 in three games with five runs, nine RBIs and two walks. In the middle game, the infielder clubbed a two-run home run. In the finale, Contreras was a home run shy of the cycle and posted six RBIs.
TIDWELL TURNS UP: Kodie Tidwell is on an 21-game on-base streak going back to May 13. It’s the longest such streak of the season for a TinCap and the second-longest active streak in the Midwest League. He’s hit safely in 19 of those games. Over this time, Tidwell has slashed .289/.352/.470 with 11 runs, 8 RBIs, 7 doubles, 1 triple, and 2 home runs. He’s walked 7 times, been hit by a pitch, and stolen 5 bases, as he’s raised his batting average 59 points and his on-base percentage 44 points to .237 and .312, respectively. Tidwell has DH-ed, played 2B, 3B, SS, and LF over this time.
STREAKING ZUNICA: 1B Brad Zunica is riding a season-long 10-game hitting streak after a single Friday night. During that stretch, he’s raised his average from .227 to .259.
