Loons shut out Whitecaps in series finale
After seven scoreless innings, the Great Lakes Loons used the bat of center fielder Leon Landry to break the silence Monday night with a solo home run to win 1-0 over the visiting West Michigan Whitecaps. The victory gives the Loons the 2-1 series win and the playoff tiebreaker should the two teams finish with the same record at season's end. The win was witnessed by a crowd of 4,413 Loons fans and 263 dogs in attendance for Bark on the Park Night at Dow Diamond.
MIDLAND -- In the bottom of the eighth inning, the Whitecaps brought in relief pitcher Michael Torrealba to try and extend the scoreless game, but leading off for the Loons was Landry, who had other plans. On a 1-0 pitch, Landry ripped a 343-foot solo shot over the right-field wall.
"I've been having some decent swings on balls lately," Landry, who led the team with two hits, said after the game. "I was just trying to hit it hard and get on base to let the next guy knock me in, but that time I just got the good part of the bat on the good part of the ball and it sailed out of the park for me."
Landry's run was the only one of the game and helped preserve an excellent night turned in by two Loons pitchers.
Making his first start at Dow Diamond since returning to the Loons team last week from Triple-A Albuquerque was right-hander pitcher Tim Sexton, who pitched a Triple-A effort performance Monday. The Florida-native held the Whitecaps scoreless through seven innings, allowing two hits and striking out four. He tossed 94 pitches, 60 for strikes, before being relieved by new Dodgers acquisition Juan Rodriguez.
Following the game, Loons manager John Shoemaker said that Gonzalez had his best outing Monday, in which he tossed two hitless innings, fanning three and walking none for his first win. The two Loons pitchers combined to pitch a two-hit shutout over the Whitecaps, the Loons fifth shutout of the season.
Torreabla was charged with his third loss after surrendering the game-winning run during the one inning he pitched.
After an off day Tuesday, the Loons hit the road for a three-game series against the Dayton Dragons. RHP Zach Lee (8-3, 3.13) will get the start for the Loons opposite Dayton's RHP Josh Smith (10-7, 3.17).
