MIDLAND -- The Great Lakes Loons found some much needed pitching relief in Nick Gaudi, who made his Loons return in front of 4,475 at Dow Diamond, but were downed by the Dayton Dragons Wednesday by the score of 4-2.
“We hit some balls hard, but they were right at them,” Loons manager Juan Bustabad said.
“It was the first time we faced [Shunick] and he wasn’t throwing that hard, but he threw some sliders [that worked]. We always seem to battle at the end, but we were just a couple of hits away.”
The Dragons got to Loons starting pitcher Allen Webster early, using a pair of one-out hits to score the first run of the game.
Didi Gregorius doubled in the first inning and was driven home on Henry Rodriguez’s single that landed in shallow centerfield.
After loading the bases on two consecutive bunt singles, Dayton increased the lead by two in the third inning on a two-run single to right field by Mark Floury.
Though Webster still holds a Midwest League-high 11 wins, he finished the game with the loss, his eighth, allowing three runs on seven hits over five innings to set the table for right-handed pitcher Nick Gaudi to make first appearance as a Loon since 4/21.
“I was just trying to go out there and throw strikes and kind of do what I was doing in Ogden that brought me success,” Gaudi said. “I didn’t want to change too much just because I was going up a level.”
Gaudi made three appearances for the Loons in April before taking a spot on the Ogden roster in June.
The 24-year-old established a 1-0-3 record for a 3.00 ERA in 13 outings with the Raptors.
Though it wasn’t scripted that Gaudi would take the mound Wednesday, he was prepared for the potential call.
“I assumed there was a good chance I was pitching tonight, maybe two or three innings, I didn’t really know,” he said.
“The pitchers have been working really hard, so they wanted me up here to give them a little boost and help the guys out by easing their arms.”
Gaudi took three innings away from the bullpen, who were much in need of rest after Edwin Contreras made a spot-start for Josh Wall on 8/15.
Gaudi fanned three Dragons and limited them to no runs on two hits in his return to Dow Diamond, where he says he is happy to be.
“It’s great to be back, we’ve got great fans,” Gaudi said of being back in Michigan.
“It’s always fun to play in front of 4,000+ fans. Ogden has a good fan base, but there is nothing that really compares to Midland.”
The Loons assembled a mini-rally in the second half of the game.
The first run came in the sixth inning when Angelo Songco’s single to center drove in Rafael Ynoa, who was beaned to get on base and advanced to second on a stolen base.
Brian Cavazos-Galvez hit a double to lead off the seventh, moved to third on a groundout, and then scored on a groundout by Jaime Ortiz.
However, the Loons efforts were halted in the ninth inning when Dayton tacked on their final run off of Steve Smith.
Dayton starter Clayton Shunick picked up the win, while Blaine Howell notched the two-inning save.
The Loons (78-42) will play game two of three against the Dayton Dragons on Thursday.
LHP Greg Wilborn (2-1, 4.02) will start on the hill for the Loons, while RHP Tim Crabbe (2-5, 4.28) gets the nod for Dayton.
Tigers great Darrell Evans will make an appearance at Thursday’s game as a part of the Tigers Legends Series, presented by MidMichigan Health.
Evans will be available to meet with fans and sign autographs during the game.
The Great Lakes Loons are a fourth-year Single-A partner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and members of the Midwest League.
For more information about the Loons, visit Loons.com or call 989-837-BALL.
