The Detroit Tigers minor league affiliates had a roller coaster of a week, with two teams continuing their dominance and the other two going a combined 4-8. Their AAA team, the Toledo Mud Hens, took on the Iowa Cubs. The AA team, the Erie Seawolves, took on the Richmond Flying Squirrels. The High A affiliate of the Tigers, the West Michigan Whitecaps, faced off with the Lansing Lugnuts. The A-level affiliate, the Lakeland Flying Tigers, had a series with the Clearwater Threshers.
Toledo Mud Hens
Mud Hens (18-14) vs. Iowa Cubs (18-12)
The Toledo Mud Hens dropped four of their six games against the Iowa Cubs.
Tuesday: Toledo 1, Iowa 6
The Mud Hens dropped their series opener to the Cubs. Five different Toledo hitters picked up a hit; Justyn-Henry Malloy drove in Andre Lipcius for the Mud Hens only run. Reese Olson got the start going 3.2 innings giving up four runs on seven hits; he walked four and struck out four.
Wednesday: Toledo 2, Iowa 3
Toledo dropped their second game in a row to Iowa. Justyn-Henry Malloy led the way for the Mud Hens offense with two hits, and Parker Meadows drove in the two lone Mud Hens runs. Ashton Goudeau got the ball for Toledo going three innings, giving up one run on two hits; he walked two and struck out six.
Thursday: Toledo 4, Iowa 5
The Mud Hens lost their third straight game to Iowa, and the second straight game decided by one run. Parker Meadows and Justyn-Henry Malloy led the offense with two hits each and combined for three RBI. Zach Logue got the start and went five innings giving up three runs on three hits; he walked three and struck out three.
Friday: Toledo 2, Iowa 10
The Mud Hens dropped their fourth straight game to the Cubs. Andrew Knapp and Tyler Nevin led the way for the Toledo offense; Knapp picked up three hits, and Nevin had two. Brennan Hanifee got the start going five innings giving up four runs, three of which were earned on five hits; he walked one and struck out five.
Saturday: Toledo 4, Iowa 1
The Mud Hens snapped their losing streak and beat the Cubs. Justyn-Henry Malloy and Corey Joyce led the offense with three hits apiece. Malloy also drove in two of the four Toledo runs. Sam Clay made his first start of the season for the Mud Hens, going two innings and giving up just two hits and zero runs; he didn’t walk anyone and struck out one. Austin Bergner was the savior for Toledo in this one as he came in relief and pitched four innings shutting down the Cubs’ offense by not allowing a hit or a run; he did walk one batter and struck out eight.
Sunday: Toledo 6, Iowa 2
The Mud Hens picked up their second win of the series against Iowa. Tyler Nevin led the offense with three hits, followed by Andrew Knapp and Corey Joyce, each picking up two hits; Michael Papierski had three RBI in the win. Reese Olson made his second start of the week, and this one went much better than the first as he went 4.1 innings, giving up just one run on five hits; he walked four and struck out three.
Weekly Toledo Leaders
- Justyn-Henry Malloy: 9-22, 3 R, 2B, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB
- Tyler Nevin: 8-22, 4 R, 2 2B, HR, RBI, 2 BB
- Andrew Knapp: 6-17, 2 R, 2B, 3 RBI
- Corey Joyce: 5-12, 3 R, 2 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 BB, SB
- Austin Bergner: 4 IP, W, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
Week Ahead
Coming Up Next: Toledo will continue their road trip, this time heading to Omaha to take on the Omaha Storm Chasers who are the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals. Toledo won the last series taking four out of six against Omaha. The Storm Chasers bring in the Royals’ fourth-ranked prospect UTL Nick Loftin and the Royals’ sixth and eighth prospects, both Outfielders, with the sixth being Drew Waters, who is on a rehab assignment, and the eighth being Tyler Gentry.
Erie SeaWolves
Seawolves (12-15) vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (16-10)
The Erie Seawolves took five of six from Richmond and now sit just a half-game behind the Flying Squirrels for first place.
Tuesday: Erie 10, Richmond 1
The Seawolves started their week on the right foot with a win against Richmond. Andrew Navigato and Julio Rodriguez each had two hits on the day, Ben Malgeri had three RBI, and Dillon Dingler drove in two. Keider Montero made the start for Erie going five innings and giving up the lone Flying Squirrels run; however, it was unearned. He also gave up six hits; he walked one and struck out eight.
Wednesday: Erie 1, Richmond 0
Erie won their second straight against Richmond. The Seawolves were outhit 4-3 by Richmond, but Erie scored the game’s lone run when Dillon Dingler singled home, Daniel Cabrera. Ty Madden got the start and pitched well, going five innings, giving up zero runs and two hits; he didn’t walk anyone and struck out six.
Thursday: Erie 6, Richmond 5
Erie picks up a walk-off win to secure their third straight win on the week. Andrew Navigato paced the offense with two hits, and five different Seawolves hitters had an RBI. Sawyer Gipson-Long got the start going five innings giving up two runs on five hits; he didn’t issue a walk and struck out five.
Friday: Erie 6, Richmond 1
The Seawolves picked up their fourth straight win against Richmond. Grant Witherspoon picked up two hits and two RBI in this one, and Trei Cruz also had two RBI. Wilmer Flores got the start going five innings giving up the lone run to Richmond on four hits; he walked two and struck out three.
Saturday: Erie 4, Richmond 2
Erie continued their dominance on the week against Richmond with their fifth straight win. Ben Malgeri led the SeaWolves’ offense with two hits, and Grant Witherspoon had two RBI. Brant Hurter got the start going five innings giving up one run on three hits; he didn’t walk anyone and struck out seven.
Sunday: Erie 3, Richmond 7
The SeaWolves had their win streak snapped by the Flying Squirrels in the finale. Ben Malgeri led the offense with two hits while three other Erie hitters picked up an RBI. Keider Montero made his second start of the week, and he struggled, giving up five runs on eight hits in 3.2 innings of work; he walked one and struck out four.
Weekly Erie Leaders
- Grant Witherspoon: 6-21, 2 R, 2B, 2 3B, HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, SB
- Ben Malgeri: 5-15, 3 R, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, SB
- Andrew Navigato: 5-13, 2 R, 4 2B, 2 RBI, BB, SB
- Dillon Dingler: 4-19, 3 R, HR, 5 RBI, BB, 2 SB
- Brant Hurter:5 IP, ND, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K
- Ty Madden: 5 IP, ND, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Week Ahead
Coming Up Next: Erie will head back out on the road for Harrisburg to take on the Washington Nationals AA affiliate, the Harrisburg Senators. The Senators have the 47th-ranked prospect outfielder Robert Hassell III and the Nationals 11th ranked prospect RHP Jackson Rutledge who is expected to throw in Saturday’s game.
West Michigan Whitecaps
WhiteCaps (16-11) vs. Lansing Lugnuts (13-13)
The West Michigan Whitecaps picked up a series win over Lansing to move within a game of first place.
Tuesday: West Michigan 14, Lansing 5
The Whitecaps’ offense exploded for 14 runs and a win over the Lugnuts to start the week. Justice Bigbie, Izzac Pacheco, and Roberto Campos each had three hits; Campos and Bigbie also had three RBI each. Jack O’ Loughlin got the start going five innings giving up zero runs on two hits; he walked one and struck out four.
Wednesday: West Michigan 9, Lansing 3
The Whitecaps picked up their second win of the week over Lansing. Justice Bigbie had three hits to lead West Michigan, with Bigbie, Roberto Campos, and Josh Crouch all picking up two RBI. Williander Moreno got the start going four innings giving up three runs on six hits; he didn’t walk anyone and struck out three.
Thursday: West Michigan 2, Lansing 4
The Whitecaps picked up their first loss of the week to Lansing. Jace Jung led the offense with two hits, and Austin Murr picked up the only RBI in the loss. Wilkel Hernandez got the start going five innings giving up two runs on two hits; he walked four and failed to register a strikeout.
Friday: West Michigan 10, Lansing 5
The Whitecaps got back in the win column in their matinee matchup with the Lugnuts. Dillon Paulson led the charge with three hits on the day, while five other Whitecaps hitters had two hits each; Austin Murr had four RBI in the win. Carlos Pena got the start going 4.2 innings giving up three runs on three hits; he walked four and struck out two.
Saturday: West Michigan 0, Lansing 6
West Michigan took their second loss of the week to Lansing. Five different Whitecaps hitters had a hit. Danny Serretti had the only extra-base hit. Garrett Burhenn got the start and took the loss going three innings, giving up all six runs to the Lugnuts on seven hits; he walked two and struck out one.
Sunday: West Michigan 6, Lansing 2
The Whitecaps picked up the win in the finale to secure a series win over Lansing. Justice Bigbie finished up his big week by leading the West Michigan offense with three hits and two RBI in this one. Jack O’Loughlin got the start going five innings. He did not allow a run but gave up eight hits; he didn’t issue a walk and struck out seven.
Weekly West Michigan Leaders
- Jace Jung: 8-22, 5 R, 3B, HR, 5 RBI, 7 BB
- Roberto Campos: 6-20, R, 2B, 6 RBI, 2 BB
- Dillon Paulson: 7-14, 4 R, 4 2B, RBI, 3 BB
- Eliezer Alfonzo: 7-21, 6 R, HR, RBI, BB
- Justice Bigbie: 13-21, 7 R, 4 2B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 5 BB
- Jack O’Loughlin: 10 IP, W, 10 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 11 K
Week Ahead
Coming Up Next: West Michigan will once again have a road trip, this time to take on the Great Lakes Loons, the team the Whitecaps currently trail by one game in the division. The Loons are the High A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Loons have the 69th-ranked prospect Catcher Dalton Rushing and the Dodgers’ 14th-ranked prospect C/2B Yeiner Fernandez.
Lakeland Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers (11-16) vs. Bradenton Marauders (16-11)
The Lakeland Flying Tigers took two of their six games against the Marauders.
Tuesday: Lakeland 7, Bradenton 6
Lakeland got their week started with an extra-innings win over the Marauders. Peyton Graham led the offense with three hits, and Seth Stephenson secured the win with a two-run triple in the tenth inning. Sean Guenther made the start for Lakeland, but he only went one inning, allowing one run on two hits; he walked zero and struck out one. Cole Patten got the bulk of the work coming in after Guenther and going four innings, giving up two runs and only one earned run on three hits; he walked two and struck out six.
Wednesday: Lakeland 3, Bradenton 16
Lakeland dropped their first game to Bradenton, and it was a blowout. The Flying Tigers had five hits coming from five different hitters. Adinso Reyes and Sergio Tapia each had an RBI. Jake Miller got the start going 2.1 innings, giving up nine runs on seven hits; he walked two and struck out two.
Thursday: Lakeland 4, Bradenton 6
The Flying Tigers dropped their second straight game to Bradenton. Carlos Pelegrin picked up two hits on the day, and Dom Johnson had three RBI to lead the offense. Troy Melton got the start going 4.2 innings. He allowed two runs on three hits; he walked one and struck out seven.
Friday: Lakeland 3, Bradenton 2
Lakeland got back in the win column in extra innings against Bradenton. The Flying Tigers somehow pulled out the win after only picking up two hits which came from Seth Stephenson and Dom Johnson. Garret Apker got the start going three innings, giving up just two hits; he didn’t allow a run or walk anyone, and he struck out five.
Saturday: Lakeland 2, Bradenton 4
The Flying Tigers dropped their third game of the week to Bradenton. Lakeland had four different hitters pick up a hit in this one. Sean Guenther made the start for Lakeland on rehab from Erie. Guenther went one inning and didn’t give up a hit, a run, or a walk, and he struck out one. Ulices Campos came in after that and struggled, going 0.2 innings and giving up three runs on four hits; he didn’t issue a walk and struck out two.
Sunday: Lakeland 3, Bradenton 8
The Flying Tigers lost their second straight and fourth game of the week to Bradenton. Seth Stephenson led the Lakeland offense with two hits, and Adinso Reyes picked up the lone RBI on the day. Carlos Marcano got the ball in the finale and went five innings giving up two runs, only one earned on four hits; he walked two and struck out one.
Weekly Lakeland Leaders
- Seth Stephenson: 6-20, R, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 SB
- Peyton Graham: 4-18, 3 R, 2 2B, RBI, 3 BB, SB
- Dom Johnson: 5-19, 4 R, 4 RBI, 3 BB, SB
- Jose De La Cruz: 4-16, 4 R, RBI, BB
- Luke Gold: 4-18, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, SB
Week Ahead
Coming Up Next: Lakeland will return home finally to take on the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels, the A-level affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. The Mighty Mussels will have the Twins’ 16th and 24th ranked prospects; 16th SS Danny De Andrade and the 24th 1B/3B Rafael Cruz.
