Loons fall back into 'L' column following 8-4 loss to Lansing Lugnuts

 

After snapping the longest losing streak in team history with a 13-6 win yesterday, the Great Lakes Loons (25-54) fell right back into the losing column with an 8-4 loss to the Lansing Lugnuts (Toronto Blue Jays) setting a franchise record for the longest game in Loons history (3-hours, 48-minutes) in front of 1,440 on Canada Day at Dow Diamond this afternoon. 

 

The Lugnuts jumped all over Loons starter Alfredo Tavarez with back to back 1-out doubles for a 1-0 lead, followed by a pair of walks and a hit batter, which led to another run, before Lansing DH Ryan Gold cleared the bases with a 3-RBI triple into the right-center field gap, then scored on a sac fly to give the Lugnuts a 6-0 lead in the top of the first inning.

 

Tavarez (0-3, 4.75 ERA) was tagged with his third loss of the season and was chased early for Loons reliever Luis Pasen after giving up 6-runs on 3-hits and 2-walks, including 1-hit batter through just a third of an inning.

 

The Loons began chipping away at the Lugnuts' lead in the second when recently promoted Great Lakes second baseman Devin Mann (a fifth round pick of the Dodgers out of the University of Louisville in this summer's 2018 MLB draft) laced a lead-off double into the gap in left-center field, then moved to third on a bunt single by DH Brock Carpenter, before Mann was driven in on an RBI-single by first baseman Eric Peterson, while Carpenter eventually scored on a sac fly RBI off the bat of SS Moises Perez, cutting the Lug's lead to 6-2 in the bottom of the second inning.

 

Great Lakes continued to chip with two more runs in the fourth when Perez reached on a seeing-eye single with 1-out and LF Brayan Morales followed with a bloop single, which was lost in the wind, dropping untouched in shallow left-center field, drawing the Lansing third baseman away from the bag at third, as an alert Perez trotted safely over to third base, before scoring on a sac fly RBI by Cuadrado, while Loons third baseman Luke Heyer drove in Morales, cutting the Lansing lead to 6-4 in the bottom of the fourth.

 

Pasen allowed just 3-walks, with 1-strikeout through 2 2/3 scoreless innings, while Loons reliever Aneurys Zabala was even better, allowing just a walk, while striking out 3-batters throughout the next 3-scoreless innings.

 

Lansing extended the lead in the seventh after Loons reliever Sven Schueller relented a single and a double to start the inning, before 3-Loons' errors led to 2-Lugnuts runs after a pair of Lansing batters reached on a fielders choice in back to back at bat's, increasing the Lugs' lead to 8-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning.

 

Schueller (3.97 ERA) was charged with 1-earned run on 3-hits, with 4-strikeouts throughout the final 3-innings. 

 

Peterson was 3 for 5 with 1-RBI and Perez finished 2 for 4 with 1-RBI and 1-run scored to pace the Loons offense, while Heyer was 2 for 5 with an RBI, followed by Mann who finished 1 for 3 with 2-walks and 1-run scored. 

 

The Loons will continue this homestand with the first game of two (Mon-Tue) in a home-and-home series (2-home, 2-away) against the Fort Wayne Tincaps (San Diego Padres) at 7:05 pm right back here at Dow Diamond tomorrow night.