Now Pinch Hitting for the Great Lakes Loons...

Interesting title for this post, huh?

The Great Lakes Loons probably wish at some point this season that they could look down their bench and call upon their new hitting coach in a pinch hitting role. Why would they want to do that? Only because he's the MLB all-time leader in pinch hits.

That's right, Lenny Harris is the new hitting coach for the Great Lakes Loons, and I get the chance to meet another one of my favorite players as a kid (in addition to meeting Luis Quinones earlier this year. By the way, are you seeing a theme here? My favorite players are all scrappy infielders who are known much more for their pinch hitting than they are for anything else.)

The complete 2011 Loons field staff:

Manager: John Shoemaker
Pitching Coach: Kremlin Martinez
Hitting Coach: Lenny Harris

Monday's Playoff Results

This has been a fascinating postseason in the Midwest League thus far. Let's get to last night's results:

Lake County 7, Great Lakes 6 - Series tied 1-1
The Captains chased Allen Webster after just 2.2 inning, jumping out to a 6-0 lead. They then held off the Loons rally, and Lake County forced a deciding game three with a 7-6 victory. Two lefties will go in game three tonight with Greg Wilborn facing off against Vidal Nuno at Dow Diamond in Michigan.

Clinton 4, Kane County 1 - LumberKings win series 2-1
The LumberKings advance to the Midwest League Finals for the first time in 17 years with a 4-1 defeat of Kane County. Mickey Wiswall had a two run homer to lead the Clinton offense and Tom Wilhelmsen pitched 7.0 scoreless innings for the L-Kings.

Sunday's Playoff Results

Hope everyone enjoyed their first weekend without Silver Hawks baseball. I know it's a weekend too early, but it's just what we have to deal with this year. Here are last night's results around the Midwest League Playoffs:

Great Lakes 10, Lake County 8 -- Loons lead series 1-0

Summary: The final score made the game appear closer than it really was, as Great Lakes at one point led 8-2 and took a 10-5 lead into the bottom of the ninth before holding on for the win. Brian Cavazos-Galvez had four hits (including a home run and triple) and five RBIs to lead the Loons offense. Jonathan Burnette had two homers for the Captains to bring them back into the game, but it wasn't enough. The series shifts to Dow Diamond in Midland, Michigan on Monday night.

Clinton 6, Kane County 2 -- Series is tied 1-1

Summary: The LumberKings protected their home field and avoided elimination with a strong showing on Sunday evening. Mario Martinez went 4-for-4 with two RBIs to lead Clinton at the plate and force a deciding game three on Monday night. The LumberKings will host tonight with the winner moving on to the Midwest League Finals.

Saturday's Playoff Results

The first night of the division finals was Saturday evening, let's see how it turned out:

Great Lakes @ Lake County, PPD Rain
Summary: The rain that poured on South Bend all morning and early afternoon made it's way to Lake County last night, keeping the two teams from getting started. They will have game one today.

Kane County 4, Clinton 0
Summary: Daniel Straily struck out 11 in 7.0 shutout innings, leading the Cougars to a series opening win at home. Michael Choice (three run shot) and Rashun Dixon (solo homer) went back-to-back in the first inning, giving Kane County the only runs they needed. They'll continue the series in Clinton on Sunday.

Playoff Recap - Round One, Game Three

The first round wrapped up last night, here's what happened (with a quick summary today because it's my first weekend off of work since early April):

Great Lakes 6, Fort Wayne 4
Quick Summary: The TinCaps couldn't hold on to the 3-2 lead on the road, and the Loons rallied to eliminate the defending champions. Rafael Ynoa had a homer and two RBIs to lead the Loons.

Lake County 3, West Michigan 2
Chris Kersten had two RBIs and Jason Smit had a solo homer as the Captains escaped the Whitecaps in Lake County. Preston Guilmet worked 2.2 innings for the save -- his second of the series.

Up Next: Great Lakes will be at Lake County in game one of the series tonight. Josh Wall battled Giovanni Soto in the pitching matchup.

Clinton 6, Cedar Rapids 2
The LumberKings lost game one at home, but then won two on the road to knock off the Kernels. Tyler Kehrer was an emergency starter for Cedar Rapids, but didn't get out of the first inning giving up three runs on two hits and three walks. No official word yet on what happened to their scheduled starter Stephen Locke.

Kane County 15, Quad Cities 7
The Cougars did the same as Clinton -- lose game one at home then win two on the road. They routed the River Bandits last night, with eight different players picking up a RBI.

Up Next: The Cougars host the LumberKings in game one of the Western Division finals tonight. Dan Straily on the mound for Kane County against Clinton's Taylor Stanton.

Playoff Recap - Round One, Game Two

Well, well, well, isn't this interesting? All the losers from game one came back and won game two. All four matchups are going to a deciding third game tonight. Below are last night's results...

Great Lakes 10, Fort Wayne 5
Main Storyline: The Loons scored eight runs in the eighth inning to rally from what was once a 3-0 deficit to post a 10-5 victory and keep their season alive.

Secondary Storyline: Both teams have won at home. The Loons host tonight.

Up Next: Game three is at Great Lakes tonight at 7:05 PM. RHP Jerry Sullivan goes for Fort Wayne against RHP Matt Magill for the Loons.

West Michigan 8, Lake County 0
Main Storyline: The Whitecaps avoided elimination by pounding out eight runs on 19 hits in a shutout of the Captains.

Secondary Storyline: Trevor Feeney (WP, 1-0) went 8.1 innings without allowing a run in the winning effort for the Whitecaps.

Up Next: Game three is at Lake County tonight at 6:30 PM. Neither team has won at home in this series. Jared Wesson goes for the Whitecaps against Jason Knapp for the Captains.

Kane County 5, Quad Cities 4
Main Storyline: Kane County had homers from Conner Crumbliss and Rashun Dixon as part of a five-run second inning, and then held on late to stave off elimination.

Secondary Storyline: The Cougars tried to blow the big lead, but stranded the tying run on base in the ninth. Kane County used three different pitchers in the ninth inning to stay alive.

Up Next: Game three is at Quad Cities tonight at 8:00 PM Eastern Time. Chris Mederos goes for the Cougars against Daniel Bibona for the River Bandits.

Clinton 8, Cedar Rapids 2
Main Storyline: Clinton methodically dismantled the Kernels by scoring runs in five of their nine at-bats to force a decisive game three.

Secondary Storyline: Like two other teams in the league, the Kernels failed to wrap up a series on their home field, and now must go against a tough pitcher in game three.

Up Next: Game three is at Cedar Rapids tonight at 7:35 PM Eastern Time. The pitching matchup will feature Erasmo Ramirez for Clinton and Stephen Locke for Cedar Rapids.

The Loons Take a Hit

Today, the Dodgers acquired Ted Lilly and Ryan Theriot from the Chicago Cubs. That's not really why I am posting however.

The reason for this post is that the Dodgers sent pitcher Brett Wallach to the Cubs organization. Wallach was 6-0 for the Great Lakes Loons this season.

That marks the second pitcher this week that the Loons have lost in a trade, as they also lost Elisaul Pimentel to the Royals organization for Scott Podsednik.

Plus, Ruby de la Rosa and Will Savage have been promoted in the last month. The Loons have lost four starters since the All-Star Break, and suddenly, this league looks a bit more winnable for some of the other teams.

Deadline Deals involving Midwest Leaguers

It happens every year, but twice yesterday a current Midwest League player was included in a trade that sent a major leaguer from one team to another.

First, the Detroit Tigers acquired Jhonny Peralta from the Indians, and they traded West Michigan Whitecaps pitcher Giovanni Soto straight up for him (imagine that, a single-A pitcher being traded one-for-one with a major leaguer!). In an odd twist, Soto and the Whitecaps were playing at Lake County (Indians affiliate), so he packed up his bag, walked down the hall, and joined his new teammates. There's a chance Soto will pitch against his former teammates in one of the next two nights.

Secondly, the Dodgers traded for Scott Podsednik and sent Great Lakes Loons pitcher Elisaul Pimentel to the Royals as part of the deal. Pimentel was tied for the league lead in victories.

Expanding on Last Night

Ugh...that was another tough one last night. The Silver Hawks allowed three runs in the bottom of the seventh to lose 4-3. In the process, the Hawks fall to 0-11 versus Great Lakes this season.

If you were still listening in the postgame show, I said something along these lines: "At 0-11 against them, you are probably starting to hate the Loons. And I'm right there with you. However, you still have to credit them for what they've done, and that is a 41-24 record and wrapping up a playoff spot."

When the final out was recorded last night, the Silver Hawks players watched from the dugout as the Loons piled out of the dugout and danced in celebration on the field. They soaked their manager with gatorade and gave him a shaving cream pie to the face.

At times, watching another team celebrate will drive you nuts. But knowing that the Silver Hawks are young, I think it was good that they saw that. They saw how much fun it was for the Loons. They saw how excited Great Lakes was to wrap up that playoff spot in the first half. And I'm sure they felt jealousy building inside them because they too want to be a playoff team.

So now, you have a picture to go along with the goal. You want to celebrate like that? Go do something about it. You want to soak your manager with gatorade? Go out and dominate the second half. Work as hard as you've ever worked to make sure that you get to experience the same joys that the Loons had last night.

Q and A with Jerry Sands

Last week, Baseball America did a Q and A session with Loons star Jerry Sands. If you'd like to read it, here's the link.

They Not Only Win Games, They Also Save Lives

I'm talking about this story about two Great Lakes Loons players who helped the save the life of an accident victim.

Thanks to official scorer Pete Yarbro for sending along the link.

It's Friday

Which means we are less than a week from Opening Day, and only 3 days away from the exhibition game with Notre Dame.

Monday's game with Notre Dame is at 5:30 PM, will be a 7-inning contest, and a portion of the proceeds will once again benefit the Ara Parseghian Medical Research Foundation for Niemann-Pick Type C Disease.

Thursday's regular season opener is at 6:30 PM against the Great Lakes Loons (Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate). For $12, you can be a part of our Dyngus Day Buffet in the Upper Deck. More details at www.silverhawks.com.

All games, including the exhibition, will be broadcast locally on 1620 ESPN Radio. They will also be streamed online. More details to follow on radio broadcasts!

Baseball America Top 10s

Since the last time I linked you to the latest rankings, a few more teams that have affiliates in the Midwest League have been posted over at www.baseballamerica.com. Click on the team names below to see who BA considers the top prospects in each organization (and see some familiar names in the process).

Cardinals (Quad Cities River Bandits)

Padres (Fort Wayne TinCaps)

Dodgers (Great Lakes Loons)

The Diamondbacks are coming up on Wednesday, and I'll of course have a lot more information on that when it happens.

Chase for the Playoffs - 31 To Go

Again, this is the playoff race, taking Fort Wayne and West Michigan out of the mix. The top two will go to the playoffs.

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..20..19...513..--
South Bend...18..20...474..1.5
Dayton........18..20...474..1.5
Lansing.......16..22...421..3.5

Games Left for South Bend (In order):
1 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Fort Wayne
4 vs. Lansing
4 @ West Michigan
4 vs. Great Lakes
4 vs. Dayton
4 @ Great Lakes
1 vs. Lansing
3 @ Dayton
2 vs. Lansing

(A scheduling conflict with a Notre Dame football game results in the split series against the Lugnuts at the Cove to end the season. More on that later in the year)

Dow Diamond Part 4

This is the fourth and final post of photos. I forgot to take pictures of the radio station in the press box. Yes, you read that right. The flagship station for Loons baseball is owned by the team, and operates out of the press box. I'll try to get some photos of that tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy the photos I've taken thus far, of what I consider the best ballpark in the league. Note: Anytime I post photos on this blog, you should be able to click on them and it'll open up a larger version of the same image.


The scoreboard, turned on, from a distance.


A zoom-in shot of the video board, featuring Brad Golder -- the Loons broadcaster -- sporting a beard this season.



The visiting dugout.


The ballpark from the parking lot.


One more view of the field during the batting practice.

Dow Diamond Part 3

From the suite level, looking down on batting practice.


A sweet suite -- notice the flat screen on the wall, and how big this thing is.


The lobby of the suite level. There's a bar on the other side of the wall.


Team store.


A glass case on the concourse with some Loons gear in it.

Dow Diamond Part 2

From centerfield, looking in towards home.


When you are buying food on the concourse, the stands are facing away from the game, so you can wait in line and still see all the action.




Glass doors at the end of the concourse seats that can be closed to keep it warm inside.



The left field corner, with a picnic area in foul territory (click on picture and it will enlarge to give you a better view of the picnic area).


The mammoth scoreboard in right field -- it's turned off in this picture.

Photos of Dow Diamond - Part 1

Cold? Warm up by one of two fire pits in the outfield.


A shot towards the plate from the right field lawn section.



Kids playground down the right field line.




The widest concourse I have ever seen. There are garage-like doors that come down to close off the concourse, and they can heat them to have events on the concourse during the winter.

Directly behind home plate from the concourse.

An Essay on the Loons vs. Silver Hawks

A terrific game at Dow Diamond tonight, but unfortunately, the Silver Hawks game up on the short side of the scoreboard 3-2. Wade Miley and Bryan Woodall pitched excellent baseball for 8.0 innings, but the 9th got away from the Hawks and the Loons picked up the victory.

I know I hammered this home in the early innings of the broadcast, but I again want to make sure that what I was saying is clear. This Loons team is more advanced than the Silver Hawks. That doesn't mean they are better, and it doesn't mean that the Loons are going to sweep the series. All it means is that the players on the Loons roster have a lot more minor league experience.

Prior to the '09 season, eight different players on the Loons roster had played at least one game at the high-A level (most had played more). Now all of these guys likely would have repeated high-A this year, but it appears as if the Dodgers have not made a distinction between high-A and low-A. So basically what you have with Great Lakes is a team that is half full of high-A caliber players, and half full of low-A players.

Compare that to the Silver Hawks roster. Only one player on South Bend's roster had experience at low-A last season, and none had advanced to high-A.

The difference is clear -- The Loons are a lot more experienced.

Now, I've said a number of times on the air this season that experience wins early in the season, and talent wins late. I've seen it in each of my first three years in the Midwest League, and it happens at the Major League level as well. In early April, the guys that have been there before, typically win a lot of games. But by the end of the season, the most talented teams will be the ones left standing.

Greetings from Midland, Michigan

Midland is the home of the Great Lakes Loons, the Midwest League affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Silver Hawks have a four game series here, with tonight through Saturday starting at 6:05 PM, and Sunday's game at 3:05 PM. We'll be on the air 20 minutes prior to the first pitch with the pregame show.

The Loons play at a stadium called Dow Diamond, funded largely by the Dow Chemical Corporation located nearby. This ballpark is easily the nicest stadium in the league, and it's not really close. I'll post some pictures for you in the next day or two.

It took us about 4 hours and 15 minutes to get to the hotel, then a quick lunch and back on the bus to the stadium. I was a bit behind on my media notes because of the doubleheader last night, so my posts are limited before the game today. I'll be back shortly with tonight's lineup.