Fort Wayne TinCaps (9-18, 45-52) @ Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (14-13, 48-49)
RHP J.C. Cosme (7-5, 3.56) vs. RHP Corbin Burnes (1-0, 0.00)
Friday, July 22 — Fox Cities Stadium — First Pitch 8:05 p.m. — Game 98
LAST NIGHT: Fort Wayne lost to Wisconsin, 12-3.
SMITH SKIPPED: RHP Austin Smith was originally in line to start tonight, but his spot in the rotation is instead being skipped. Smith next will start on Wednesday at home against West Michigan.
GIRON HEATS UP: Shortstop Ruddy Giron hit safely Thursday for a fifth game in a row. Giron has now reached base in 14 consecutive games. Along the way, he’s raised his batting average 23 points and his on-base percentage 26 points.
MiLB PLAY OF THE WEEK: Catcher Austin Allen’s window-shattering home run at West Michigan on July 11 was voted Minor League Baseball’s Play of the Week by fans this week. Allen’s homer was 1 of 6 plays nominated. He took a whopping 93% of the vote.
GREENE JR. IS MONEY: Catcher Marcus Greene Jr. went 3-for-3, plus a walk, on Thursday. He finished just a triple shy of the cycle.
LOOONG GAMES: The TinCaps have played 5 consecutive games that have gone at least 3 hours and 7 minutes. Fort Wayne’s last 9 games have averaged 3 hours and 21 minutes. Last night’s 3 hour, 42-minute game was the team’s longest 9-inning game this season.
BIG BRAD BASHES: First baseman Brad Zunica is tied for the Midwest League lead in home runs with 13. The 20-year-old has averaged a homer once every 21.77 at-bats this season, although that ratio is even higher in the second half, in which he’s launched 7 long balls. (Fort Wayne’s franchise home run record is 20 — set by Jake Patterson in 1997.)
BURT HOOTON BOBBLEHEAD: The TinCaps will be giving away free Burt Hooton bobbleheads, sponsored by Source One Solutions, at Parkview Field before their game on Sunday, Aug. 21. Hooton, Fort Wayne’s 66-year-old pitching coach who pitched for 15 years in the majors, has been with the TinCaps for four seasons now.
INDIANA BICENTENIAL JERSEYS: A week from tonight, on Friday, July 29, the TinCaps will celebrate Indiana’s 200th birthday with a special theme night at Parkview Field. The team will wear special jerseys in the likeness of Indiana’s state flag. Fans can bid on those now at TinCapsJersey.com. Proceeds benefit Fort Wayne Trails.
BACK AT PARKVIEW FIELD: The home of the TinCaps is in preparation to host concerts the next two days. Tomorrow is k105 Country Fest featuring Lee Brice, Jon Pardi, Clare Dunn, Drew Baldridge, Jordan Rager, and LANco. On Sunday, it’s the 98.9 The Bear Birthday Bash with Shinedown, Halestorm, Red Sun Rising, Devour the Day, and the Bear House Band.
