History vs. Lake County Lansing Lugnuts The Nuts are 6-6 this year and 79-82 all-time Class A Affiliate, Toronto Blue Jays • 7-8, 39-45 vs. the Captains, 48-41 at home, 31-41 road. RHP Troy Watson (5.35 ERA) 1st Half Score 2nd Half Score 5/24 at LAN L, 7-2 6/25 at LAN W, 6-4 at 5/25 at LAN W, 10-3 6/26 at LAN L, 6-3 5/26 at LAN L, 4-1 6/27 at LAN L, 9-4 5/27 at LAN W, 5-4 6/28 at LAN W, 9-4 Lake County Captains 6/7 at LC W, 6-4 7/6 at LC 6/8 at LC W, 9-3 7/7 at LC Class A Affiliate, Cleveland Indians • 10-5, 50-34 6/9 at LC L, 5-2 7/8 at LC 6/10 at LC L, 10-4 7/30 at LC RHP Juan Mota (4.98 ERA) 7/31 at LC 8/1 at LC 8/2 at LC CLASSIC PARK EASTLAKE, OH FIRST PITCH: 7:00 PM SATURDAY, JULY 6TH, 2019 Tonight: The Lugnuts open a 10-day, nine-game road trip with the first of three tilts against the Captains. The two clubs have evenly split their 12 meetings this year -- because they’ve split three straight four-game series. This weekend, however, there can be only one winner. It’s a matchup of right-handers this evening, as the Lugnuts’ Troy Watson takes on the Captains’ Juan Mota. The Nuts are coming off winning three of four games against the Great Lakes Loons. Last Night: Lugnuts 5, Loons 4. RF Griffin Conine went 3-for-4 with a single, two doubles, two runs scored and three runs batted in, powering the Lugnuts’ offense to victory. Great Lakes scored a run in the eighth and two in the ninth to make things tense before Cre Finfrock struck out Hunter Feduccia and Jacob Amaya to seal up his 10th save. On Deck: The Nuts play the Captains tomorrow afternoon and Monday night before traveling during Tuesday’s day off to the Western Division and playing three-game sets at Peoria and Cedar Rapids next week. The Lugnuts’ next homestand will stretch from July 17th-22nd against the Burlington Bees and Clinton LumberKings, wrapping up interdivision play. On the Air: Adam Jaksa and Jesse Goldberg-Strassler have the call on Lansing’s Sports Station, The Game 730 AM WVFN, streaming via Tune-In Radio and at lansinglugnuts. com and TheGame730AM.com. Lugnuts Pregame starts at 6:45 p.m. COMING UP... IN A NUTSHELL 4:00 p.m., Sunday, July 7th RHP Cobi Johnson (4.95), Lugnuts at RHP Thomas Ponticelli (5.52), Captains 7-8, 39-45 7:00 p.m., Monday, July 8th RHP Eric Pardinho (4.50), Lugnuts at RHP Alex Royalty (3.90), Captains Streak: Won 1 Tuesday, July 9th Midwest League off day Home: 20-24 Night: 30-32 Road: 19-21 Day: 9-13 Lug•Notes vs. LHP: 12-14 vs. RHP: 26-31 Headlines: 3-game series: 7-6 Playoff Push: The Eastern Division’s two first-half playoff berths fell to Great Lakes (division champion) and Lake County (wild card), leaving the Lugnuts competing against West Michigan, South Bend, Fort Wayne, Dayton and Bowling Green for the final two playoff slots available. The Lugs 4-game series: 1-3-6 made the playoffs last year in the first half but lost to eventual champion Bowling Green in the opening round (0-2). Lansing has won two Midwest Series sweeps: 2-3 League titles in franchise history, in 1997 and 2003, and has made the playoffs 14 times in 23 seasons. Series openers: 13-11 Team Goals: The Lugnuts’ offense leads the Midwest League in triples (38) and stolen bases (118), ranks 3rd in base hits (686), total bases (1061), Rubber games: 4-2 slugging percentage (.384) and OPS (.714), and 5th in batting average (.249) and on-base percentage (.330). Doubleheaders: 0-1-1 Individual Efforts: CF Reggie Pruitt tops the league in both stolen bases (32) and triples (8) and is tied for 3rd in runs scored (51). C/1B Hagen Danner is tied for 4th in home runs (11). RHP Cre Finfrock is tied for 2nd in saves (10). Scored 1st: 30-10 Opponent scored 1st: 9-35 Bem Vinda, Senhor: RHP Eric Pardinho, the highest-paid free agent in the history of Brazilian baseball and No. 4 prospect in the Blue Jays’ system, made his Lugnuts debut last Tuesday night, allowing two runs in four innings while striking out four. The 18-year-old, who received $1.4 million to Shutouts: 5-7 sign on July 2, 2017, is ranked the No. 99 prospect in baseball. He is slated to start every six games for the Lugnuts. 1- run games: 10-7 All-Star Game Recap: Five Nuts competed in the MWL All-Star Game in South Bend on June 18th, with the Eastern Division winning on a Home Run Derby tiebreaker, 4-3. Jake Brodt started at 1B and batted 5th (2-3, two singles, two runs); he also competed in the Home Run Derby Monday 4+ run games: 18-20 night and made it to the second round before falling to eventual champion Chris Betts (Bowling Green). Josh Winckowski started the game and pitched a perfect 1st inning, striking out one. Ryan Gold (0-2, K) and Nick Podkul (0-1, K) entered as reserves, and Cobi Johnson entered in the More hits than opp.: 28-9 7th and recorded two outs, one via strikeout, allowing one hit. Fewer hits than opp.: 9-31 Equal hits: 2-5 By the Numbers: Comeback wins: 14 Wins for the Lugnuts in 38 games when trailing after eight innings this year, notched on Tuesday night in Great Lakes. The Nuts trailed 3-0 entering Final at-bat wins: 8 1 the 7th and 3-2 entering the 9th before DJ Neal’s two-run double down the first-base line gave the Nuts a stunning 4-3 victory. Walk-offs: 2-0 MLB.com’s Top 30 Jays prospects on the Lugnuts’ active roster (with SS Jordan Groshans on the Injured List): Extra Innings: 2-2 3 • P Eric Pardinho - No. 4 • OF Griffin Conine - No. 15 • C Gabriel Moreno - No. 17 Former Nuts who have made their MLB debuts in 2019: P Jordan Romano, UT Cavan Biggio and 3B Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. with the Blue Jays; 9-INNING GAMES ONLY 5 OF Lane Thomas with the Cardinals; and P Jesus Tinoco with the Rockies. 145 Lugs alumni have now reached The Show in 24 seasons. Leading Trailing Tied Triples for the Lugnuts, most in the Midwest League, more than any Major League team (the Colorado Rockies and Kansas City Royals are tied for 38 1st with 28), and 4th among all Minor League teams, trailing only Las Vegas (45), Rancho Cucamonga (45) and Midland (40). After 6: 29-3 5-34 4-3 After 7: 30-1 4-37 4-2 Stolen bases for the Lugnuts, most in the Midwest League, more than any Major League team (the Royals rank 1st with 82), and 4th highest among After 8: 34-0 1-38 3-2 118 all Minor League teams, trailing Northwest Arkansas (141), Montgomery (127) and Rancho Cucamonga (124). Cooley Law School Stadium, 505 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing, MI 48912 | (517) 485-4500 | lansinglugnuts.com | @lansinglugnuts | Contact: Jesse Goldberg-Strassler, [email protected] MANAGER DALLAS MCPHERSON Age: 38 | Height: 6’4 | Bats/Throws: L/R • Member of The Citadel Hall of Fame, inducted 2011... won 17 games as a pitcher while posting .322 career batting average and Born: July 23, 1980 | Hometown: Randleman, NC knocking 21 home runs • Played for Cedar Rapids, taking part in the 2002 MWL All-Star Game... played in the 2004 Texas League All-Star Game, winning College: The Citadel (Charleston, SC) the HR Derby... played in the 2004 MLB Futures Game. 2nd round, 57th overall, 2001, Anaheim • Named Baseball America’s 2004 Minor League Player of the Drafted: Year after slashing .317 / .387 / .670 between Class-AA Arkansas and Class-AAA Salt Lake, totaling 36 doubles, 14 triples, 40 hom- Midwest League Experience: 1st season ers, 107 runs and 126 RBIs. • Made MLB debut 9/10/04 vs. Chicago White Sox... started all Pro Managerial Experience: 2nd season three games at 3B as Angels were swept in 2004 ALDS by even- tual champion Boston, batting 1-for-9. W-L Record Entering 2019: 40-36 (Vancouver, 2018) • Ranked No. 12 prospect in baseball entering 2005 season. • As a member of Triple-A Albuquerque, won the 2008 Joe Bau- Pro Playing Career: 2002-2012 man Roundtripper Award, leading MiLB with 42 home runs. • After playing career ended, coached King’s Christian High MLB: 2004-06 (Angels), ‘08 (Marlins), ‘11 (White Sox) School baseball and founded HardKnox Baseball Development. Years G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB CS BB IBB K HBP S SF AVG OBP SLG Minor League totals 10 874 3289 584 950 198 38 209 704 83 33 407 29 1050 31 1 20 .289 .370 .563 Major League totals 5 139 386 54 93 21 2 18 45 5 3 27 1 133 1 0 0 .241 .292 .446 Antonio Caceres Logan Bone Dave Pano Hiroki Yoshimoto Justin Batcher Pitching Coach Hitting Coach Position/1B Coach Athletic Trainer Strength/Conditioning Cotuí, Dominican Republic Festus, MO Worcester, MA -> Seminole, FL Osaka, Japan Milwaukee, WI Years in Lansing: 2009-10, ‘18-19 1st year in Lansing 2nd year in Lansing 1st year in Lansing 1st year in Lansing Pitched 1995-1998 in Jays’ org., Former catcher at Mizzou Former pro scout with Interned with Cleveland in 2012 WGTC -> LaGrange College reaching Adv.