The Great Lakes Loons crush the visiting Lake County Captains 9-0 Monday at Dow Diamond:

Corey Seager has started to prove why MLB.com has him ranked as the Dodgers number four prospect, as the first round draft pick (18 overall in the 2013 MLB draft) led the Loons to a 9-0 mashing over the Lake County (Oh.) Captains last night in front of 2,422 fans at Dow Diamond.

 

Seager (who is the youner brother of Seattle Mariners third baseman, Kyle Seager) led the Loons offensive attack, going 3-for-4 at the plate with 5-Rbi, and two home runs (one of which was a 420 foot Grand Slam over the right field wall). “I’ve been putting in some extra work with our hitting coach and it seems to be paying off,” said a modest Seager. “I was able to get a couple good pitches to hit, and put good swing’s on them, and luckily I hit them out.” Seager has been on a tear in the second half of the MWL season, and has brought his average up to .308, to go along with his 11 home runs, and his team -leading 55-Rbi.

 

Loons starter, Tom Windle (3-0, 1.55 ERA) put in a brilliant performance on the mound, earning the shutout-win while setting the tone for Monday night’s dominating Loons performance. Windle gave up just 1-hit, 0-runs, 1-BB, while striking out seven Lake County batters through five innings of work Monday night. According to the Great Lakes Skipper, it all starts with the Pitcher. “When you win a game like tonight it’s got to start on the mound,” Loons Head Coach Razor Shines said. “(Tom) Windle went out and shut them down tonight; obviously, Corey Seager hit one out to jump start us and I was really excited about that, but Windle continued to pitch very well, and as he continued to pitch well, we started to pick it up offensively. Corey (Seager) hit another home run in the second inning (a grand slam), and Tyler Ogle hit a home run earlier in the first inning as well. When you pitch and swing the bat like that -there is not much you can say- the guys were just great all the way around.”

 

The Loons are 50-47 overall for the season, but the only record which really counts is their second-half record. The top two teams (in each of the Midwest Leagues two divisions, at the end of each of the two halves of the MWL season) qualify for the post season. The Southbend Silverhawks(Arizona Diamondbacks) and the Fort Wayne Tincaps(San Diego Padres) have already secured the first two playoff spots for the eastern division of the MWL by finishing first-&-second respectively at the end of the first half of the season; while the Beloit Snappers(Oakland Athletics) and the Cedar Rapids Kernels(Minnesota Twins) were first-&-second respectively in the western conference at the end of the first half of the MWL season. The Loons (with a 23-14 second-half record) are currently in second place in the eastern division, just one-game back of division leader’s, the Bowling Green (Ky) Hot Rods(Tampa Bay Rays). Coach Shines is very confident in the confidence of his squad; and he is sure his team will be there when the MWL playoff season comes around. “I’m telling you what I know; that is one confident locker room,” said Shines. “Regardless if we win 9-0, 1-0, or even if we get beat; that locker room is confident, I can assure you of that, so we feel pretty good about the way we’re playing and we feel like we have an opportunity to win the game every night.”

 

The Loons will finish the month out on the road against their in-state rivals, the West Michigan Whitecaps(Detroit Tigers) today and tomorrow; before returning to Dow Diamond on Thursday and Friday to host the Whitecaps for last two games of a four-game home-and-home series.