2009 MWL Champs: Fort Wayne TinCaps

Fort Wayne completed the sweep last night. Here's the story:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 4, Burlington Bees 3

Fort Wayne raced out to a 4-0 lead, thanks largely to a two run homer by Jaff Decker, and then held on for a 4-3 win to complete the sweep and win their first Midwest League crown. Vince Belnome and Robert Lara added the other RBIs for the TinCaps. Juan Graterol homered for the Bees as part of a two hit night.

Mike Watt (WP, 1-0) started for the TinCaps, allowing three runs (one earned) in 5.1 innings. Alexis Lara, Zach Herr, Nick Schumacher, and Brad Brach (SV, 3) combined for 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 2-0
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, Tincaps win 4-3

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I was off by a game obviously.

TinCaps Up 2-0 in MWL Finals

Here is the story from last night's game two:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 2, Burlington Bees 0

Fort Wayne starter Chris Fetter (WP, 1-0) combined with three relievers to shutout Burlington Wednesday night, holding the Bees to only four hits. Fetter went 5.1 scoreless innings, followed by Nick Greewood for 2.0 innings, Alexis Lara for 0.2 innings, and Nick Schumacher (SV, 1) for 1.0 inning.

The TinCaps scored a run in the second on a walk, two singles, and a wild pitch to score the only run they would ultimately need. Allan Dykstra added a solo homer in the sixth.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 2-0
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I'll stick with it.

TinCaps take Game One

Here is the story from last night:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 6, Burlington Bees 2

Burlington had leads of 1-0 and 2-1 but couldn't hang on as the bullpen melted down. After Tim Melville started and allowed two runs through 5.0 innings, the Bees bullpen gave up four runs over the final three innings as the TinCaps rallied for the win.

Erik Davis (WP, 1-1) allowed two runs over 6.0 innings to earn the win for the TinCaps while Fort Wayne's bullpen combined for 3.0 scoreless innings. Daniel Robertson had three hits to pace the Fort Wayne's offensive attack.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, TinCaps win 6-2
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Wednesday
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

Prediction Update
Before game one, I said TinCaps in four. I'll stick with it.

Midwest League Finals are Set

Here are the results from last night:

Fort Wayne TinCaps 4, Great Lakes Loons 3 -- (10 innings)
Robert Lara led off the bottom of the 10th with a solo home run to lift the TinCaps into the MWL finals. Great Lakes closer Cole St. Clair gave up a run in the 8th to allow Fort Wayne to tie it, and then allowed the homer in the 10th.

Burlington 2, Cedar Rapids 1
Jason Taylor hit a two run homer in the first inning, and that's all the Bees would need on their way to a victory. Ivor Hodgson allowed only one run in 5.2 innings, with the Burlington bullpen combining for 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

MWL Finals (All Times Eastern)
Game one - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Tonight
Game two - Burlington @ Fort Wayne, 7:05 Wednesday
Game three - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Thursday
Game four (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Friday
Game five (if necessary) - Fort Wayne @ Burlington, 7:30 Saturday

My Prediction
The TinCaps keep catching all the breaks. I'll take Fort Wayne in 4 games.

Division Finals Going to Game Threes

Eastern Division

Fort Wayne defeated Great Lakes 9-4
Series Tied 1-1
Stars of the Game: FW's Justin Baum went 3-for-4 with a HR and 3 RBIs. Allan Dykstra also had two hits and two RBIs for the TinCaps.

Game three on Monday night @ 7:05 PM Eastern in Fort Wayne.

Loons will go with LHP Aaron Miller against TinCaps RHP Simon Castro in a fascinating pitching matchup. (There's a good chance I'll be driving down to this game, so my update tomorrow night will be late)

Western Division

Cedar Rapids defeated Burlington 4-1
Series Tied 1-1
Stars of the Game: CR's Manaurys Correa pitched 7.2 innings of one run ball. Kernels' Tyson Auer had a double, a homer, and two RBIs.

Game three on Monday night @ 7:35 PM Eastern in Cedar Rapids.

Bees will go with LHP Ivor Hodgson against Kernels LHP Will Smith.

MWL Playoffs - Round Two Results/Matchups

Eastern Division

Great Lakes defeated Fort Wayne 11-10 in 11 innings
Loons lead series 1-0
Star(s) of the Game: GL infielder Jaime Pedroza hit a three run homer in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and walked as part of the winning rally in the bottom of the 11th
Game two tonight @ Fort Wayne, 5:05 PM

Western Division

Burlington defeated Cedar Rapids 3-2
Bees lead series 1-0
Star of the Game: Burlington's Shawn Griffin had a two-run single to give the Bees the lead. The pitching staff tossed 8.0 scorless innings after allowing two runs in the first
Game two this afternoon @ Cedar Rapids, 3:05 PM Eastern

MWL Playoffs - Round One, Game One Results

Eastern Division

Fort Wayne defeated South Bend 3-1
TinCaps lead series 1-0
Star of the Game: FW starter Simon Castro (Win, 6.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R)

Great Lakes defeated West Michigan 7-2
Loons lead series 1-0
Star(s) of the Game: GL outfielder Kyle Russell (2-3, 3B, HR, RBI, 3 Runs) and GL starter Aaron Miller (6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 9 K's)

Western Division

Burlington defeated Kane County 12-7
Bees lead series 1-0
Star of the Game: BUR first baseman Jason Taylor (3-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 3 R)

Cedar Rapids defeated Peoria 6-4 (10 innings)
Kernels lead series 1-0
Star of the Game: CR first baseman Gabe Jacobo (2-5, HR, RBI, 2R)

Playoff Chase - 13 Remain

Huge win for the Silver Hawks last night to draw into a tie with Dayton for the final playoff spot. Two of the four remaining teams will qualify. Here's your daily update:

Monday Results:
South Bend beat Dayton.
Fort Wayne beat Great Lakes.
Lansing lost to West Michigan.

Today's Matchups
Dayton @ South Bend
Fort Wayne @ Great Lakes
West Michigan @ Lansing

................W...L...PCT..GB
Great Lakes..32..25...561..--
Dayton........26..30...464..5.5
South Bend...26..30...464..5.5
Lansing.......22..34...393..9.5

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

Midwest League Results - April 14, 2009

Peoria 5, Dayton 4 (GM: 1)
W-Perconte, Mike (1 - 0)
L-Astorga, Leonardo (0 - 1)
SV-Hamren, Erik (1)
Campana (PEO), 3-for-4, R , 2 SB
Perez (PEO), 1-for-3, R , HR , 2 RBI .
Perconte (PEO), W, 3.0 IP , SO

Peoria 5, Dayton 4 (GM: 2)
W-Kreier, Kevin (1 - 0)
L-Castro, Oscar (0 - 1)
SV-Pina, Jose (1)
Campana (PEO), 2-for-4, R , 2 RBI , SB
Kreier (PEO), W, 3.0 IP , 2 H , SO

Burlington 3, Kane County 2
W-Peterson, Zach (1 - 0)
L-Smalley, Kenny (1 - 1)
SV-Bowden, Barry (1)
Capra (KC), 5.0 IP , 7 SO
Peterson, Z (BUR), W, 5.2 IP , 4 H , 3 SO

West Michigan 7, Great Lakes 3
W-Shawler, Anthony (1 - 0)
L-Eovaldi, Nathan (0 - 1)
SV-Larez, Victor (1)
Guez (WM), 3-for-5, 2 R , 2B , 3B , RBI
Pedroza (GL), 2-for-4, R , 2B , 3B , 2 RBI , SB

South Bend 9, Lansing 2
W-Cook, Ryan (1 - 0)
L-Wells, Josh (0 - 1)
Elmore (SB), 2-for-4, 3 R , 2B , RBI
Marte, A (SB), 2-for-4, R , 2B , 2 RBI

Cedar Rapids 4, Clinton 1
W-Miller, Jayson (1 - 0)
L-Kasparek, Kenn (0 - 1)
SV-Thorne, Jeremy (2)
Miller (CR), W, 6.0 IP , 5 H , ER , 7 SO
Tenbrink (CLI), 2-for-4, 2B , RBI
Castillo (CR), 2-for-4, 2B , RBI

Fort Wayne 3, Wisconsin 2
W-Lara, Alexis (1 - 0)
L-Ohlmann, Liam (0 - 1)
SV-Brach, Brad (3)
Watt (FW), 3.0 IP , 7 SO
Zornes (FW), 1-for-3, R , HR , 2 RBI
Lara, A (FW), W, IP , H , 2 SO

Beloit 10, Quad Cities 7
W-Tippett, Bradley (1 - 0)
L-Brown, George (0 - 1)
Santana, R (BEL), 2-for-3, 2 R , 2B , HR , 2 RBI
Waltenbury (BEL), 3-for-5, R , 3B , 2 RBI
Morales (QC), 2-for-5, R , 2B , 4 RBI
Tippett (BEL), W, 5.0 IP , 5 H , 3 ER , 7 SO

MWL Action - April 13, 2009

Only two of the schedule seven games were actually played yesterday, so here's a quick look at the results from those:

Great Lakes 4, West Michigan 2
W-Miller, Justin (1 - 0)
L-Hamilton, Brandon (0 - 1)
SV-Guerra, Javy (2)
Miller (GL), W, 6.0 IP , 5 H , ER , 3 SO
Guerra (GL) Sv, IP , SO

Fort Wayne 2, Wisconsin 1 (10)
W-Herr, Zachary (1 - 0)
L-Lambertus, Pedro (0 - 1)
SV-Brach, Brad (2)
Brach (FW) Sv, IP , 3 SO
Musgrave (FW), 4.0 IP , H , 6 SO

And click here for a link to the current standings

MWL Action - April 10th, 2009

Here's a look at Friday's results around the Midwest League:

West Michigan 6, South Bend 4
W-Villarreal, Brayan (1 - 0)
L-Mace, Justin (0 - 1)
SV-Shawler, Anthony (1)
Villarreal (WM), W, 1.1 IP , H , 3 SO
Nowlin (WM), 2-for-3, R , 2B , 3 RBI

Dayton 6, Great Lakes 1
W-Ravin, Josh (1 - 0)
L-Blevins, Robert (0 - 1)
Ravin (DAY), W, 6.0 IP , 3 H , 3 SO
Wideman (DAY), 2-for-4, 2 R , RBI

Fort Wayne 5, Lansing 4
W-Davis, Erik (1 - 0)
L-Cuotto, Jonas (0 - 1)
Davis, E (FW), W, 2.0 IP , 3 SO
Cumberland (FW), 2-for-4, R , 2 RBI

Clinton 6, Burlington 3
W-Lorin, Brett (1 - 0)
L-Runion, Sam (0 - 1)
SV-Jimenez, Jose (1)
Lorin (CLI), W, 6.0 IP , 3 H , ER , 6 SO
Francis (BUR), 2-for-4, R , 2B , HR , RBI
Mendez, M (CLI), 3-for-5, 2 R , SB
Hardy (BUR), 5.0 IP , 7 SO

Kane County 3, Peoria 2
W-Smalley, Kenny (1 - 0)
L-Huseby, Christopher (0 - 1)
SV-Guzman, Jose (1)
Harrison (PEO), 3-for-4, R , 2B , SB
Thomas, Dav (KC), 2-for-4, R , 2 SB

Cedar Rapids 5, Beloit 3
W-Kohn, Michael (1 - 0)
L-Allen, Michael (0 - 1)
SV-Thorne, Jeremy (1)
Kohn (CR), W, 2.2 IP , H , 2 SO
Santana, R (BEL), 3-for-5, R
Bigley (BEL), 2-for-4, RBI , SB
Auer (CR), 1-for-3, R , RBI , SB

Wisconsin 10, Quad Cities 1
W-Frederickson, Evan (1 - 0)
L-McGregor, Scott (0 - 1)
SV-Watten, Trey (1)
Lawrie (WIS), 1-for-3, 2 R , HR , 3 RBI , 2 SB
Kjeldgaard (WIS), 3-for-4, 2 R , 2B , RBI , SB
Frederickson (WIS), W, 5.0 IP , 3 H , 7 SO

Other MWL Action from Opening Night

Here's a summary of the rest of the league from last night:

Great Lakes 14, Dayton 3
W-Redding, Jon Michael (1 - 0)
L-Fairel, Matthew (0 - 1)
Delmonico (GL), 3-for-4, 4 R , 3B , 2 HR , 3 RBI
Russell (GL), 2-for-5, 3 R , 3B , HR , 3 RBI

Fort Wayne 4, Lansing 0
W-Bass, Anthony (1 - 0)
L-Alvarez, Henderson (0 - 1)
Bass (FW), W, 6.0 IP , 3 H , 4 SO
Robertson (FW), 1-for-3, 2 R , 2 SB

Clinton 6, Burlington 3
W-Hensley, Steven (1 - 0)
L-Casey, Bryan (0 - 1)
SV-Moorer, Ryan (1)
Mendez, M (CLI), 2-for-5, R , 3B , 2 RBI , SB
Howell (CLI), 1-for-4, R , HR , RBI

Peoria 4, Kane County 1
W-Shafer, Aaron (1 - 0)
L-Fitts, Matthew (0 - 1)
SV-Buchter, Ryan (1)
Flaherty (PEO), 2-for-3, R , 2B , 3B
Thomas, Dav (KC), 2-for-4, R , SB
Buchter (PEO) Sv, IP , 2 SO

Cedar Rapids 7, Beloit 6 (10)
W-Scholl, Chris (1 - 0)
L-Blevins, Steven (0 - 1)
Scholl (CR), W, 1.1 IP , 3 SO
Amarista (CR), 2-for-5, 3 R , 2 2B

Wisconsin 2, Quad Cities 1
W-Nieves, Efrain (1 - 0)
L-Nieto, Arquimedes (0 - 1)
SV-Henderson, Jim (1)
Nieves (WIS), W, 3.0 IP , 6 SO
Scarpetta (WIS), 4.0 IP , 2 H , ER , 8 SO