Fort Wayne TinCaps (3-2, 39-36) vs. Dayton Dragons (1-4, 22-53)
LHP Thomas Dorminy (1-1, 3.20) vs. LHP Ty Boyles (2-4, 5.33)
Tuesday, June 28 — Parkview Field — First Pitch 7:05 p.m. — Game 76
LAST NIGHT: Fort Wayne dropped the opener of this 4-game series with Dayton, 5-0.
ON THIS DAY: In 2008, a 24-year-old Anthony Contreras made his debut as a player in the Padres’ organization for the Fort Wayne Wizards against the Dragons at Memorial Stadium. Contreras started at second base and went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a run. He was originally drafted by the Giants in the 9th round in 2005 out of San Jose State. Contreras was an All-Star for Class A Augusta in 2006, but after making it up Advanced-A San Jose in 2007, San Francisco released him prior to the 2008 season. He signed on with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the independent American Association. In 44 games for the Nebraska-based team, he hit .312 and drew the interest of San Diego. With Fort Wayne in ‘08, AC went on to hit .304 in 36 games, while playing second, third, and short. In 5 games against Dayton, he went 9-for-16 (.474) with a double, a triple, a home run and 10 RBIs.
PEÑA’S TURNAROUND: Outfielder Jhonatan Peña homered in 4 consecutive games — the first player in TinCaps history to do so — to begin the second half at Bowling Green. He followed that up with 2 singles last night. After hitting .215 with 1 HR and 18 RBIs in the first half, Peña is batting .368 with 4 HR and 7 RBIs since the break.
HOW DO YOU EXPLAIN IT?It may not be this simple, but hitting coach Vinny Lopez recently had Peña watch video of Seattle Mariners outfielder Nelson Cruz. As a result, Peña has adjusted his batting stance from being slightly closed to slightly opened.
ON-BASE STREAK ENDS: Kodie Tidwell’s 31-game on-base streak — the longest in the Midwest League this season — ended Sunday as he went 0-for-5. Tidwell’s streak was the longest active streak in both the Minors and Majors. Over the stretch that started on May 13, Tidwell hit .286 with a .393 on-base percentage, doubling 8 times, tripling once, and homering 3 times. Tidwell scored 20 runs and drove in 12, while walking 20 times. Maybe most impressively, Tidwell played 2B, 3B, SS, LF, RF, and DH-ed during the streak.
AMONG THE BEST: Austin Allen’s .316 AVG is tied for 7th highest in the MWL… Ty France’s .402 OBP is 3rd highest… As are his 43 Walks… He’s also been hit by a league-high 16 pitches.
PARKVIEW FIELD PROMOTIONS
– Wednesday: Splash Day
– Thursday: Video Game Night, Thirsty Thursday pres. by Rudy’s*
* Postgame Fireworks
