Loons right-hander Dean Kremer need only 12 pitches to seal the deal in the Loons 4-0 shutout of the Clinton LumberKings to tie the Midwest League Eastern Division Championship Series at one game apiece. (Photo credit – Josie Norris)

In the past two days the Great Lakes Loons have actually lived a tale of two cities. On Tuesday evening they tallied five runs in the last three innings to defeat the West Michigan Whitecaps 5-2 and claim the Eastern Division Championship in the Midwest League. On Wednesday they scored five runs in the first four innings against the Clinton LumberKings in what started out to be another pretty good night. However, when the final out in the game was made well over three hours after the first pitch of the game, the Loons came out on the losing end of a lopsided 16-6 score.

When it was all said and done it was just a loss as a 1-0 game could be a loss but the implications from the game were not on the score board nearly as much as in the gaps created in Loons manager Gil Velazquez’s pitching roster. During the game the Loons burned through six pitchers and one position in only eight innings of work. The implication simply is that the Loons had very few options in relief pitching for Thursday’s game. The options may well have boiled down to Leonardo Crawford and Andrew Istler although it is possible that closer Shea Spitzbarth could be pressed into service having pitched last in the playoff finale with the Whitecaps on Tuesday.

Right-hander Walker Buehler was tabbed to toe the slab for the Loons on Thursday. In limited action in 2016 over three appearances Buehler pitched five innings giving up no hits or runs while striking out six. He did walk three. It was expected he would be limited to two innings against the LumberKings on Thursday and be followed to the mound by 19-year-old left-hander Leonardo Crawford.

Buehler’s mound adversary would be 20-year-old Venezuelan right-hander Pablo Lopez. In 17 appearances with the LumberKings in 2016 Lopez posted a 7-1 record with a 2.13 ERA and a minuscule 0.91 WHIP over 84.1 innings pitched. He struck out 56 hitters which indicates he is not a strikeout artist but he is somewhat of a control freak having walked only nine batters in his 84.1 innings. However, pitching to contact – as Lopez does – is a fine art and in his last playoff start against the Cedar Rapids Kernels on September 10 Lopez was touched up for 10 hits and five runs in 3.1 innings.

The Loons had their work cut out for them heading into the second game of the series. Heading home down two games in a best-of-five series would create an almost impossible mountain to climb.

Buehler and Lopez kept the game scoreless through the first two innings.

In the top of the third inning Matt Jones surprised the LumberKings by dropping down a bunt for a hit. He took second base when Lopez threw wide of first. Following a single by Darien Tubbs and a walk to Saige Jenco, Omar Estevez did it once again lining a single to the opposite field scoring both Jones and Tubbs and giving the Loons a 2-0 lead.

Walker Buehler surprisingly came out to pitch a third inning for the first time in 2016. Although shortstop Brendon Davis made a two-base throwing error, Buehler closed out the inning on a pop up to third baseman Zach McKinstry. Over his three innings the native of Crestview Hills, Kentucky gave up two ground ball singles and struck out four while issuing no walks.

As expected Leonardo Crawford replaced Buehler in the bottom of the fourth inning while right-hander Marvin Gorgas took over for Lopez in the top of the sixth inning.

Darien Tubbs led off the top of the seventh inning with a single, advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Saige Jenco, stole third base and scored when LumberKings catcher James Alfonso threw wide of third base. Omar Estevez followed with a double and came around to score on a single by Logan Landon giving the Loons a 4-0 lead.

Crawford – using a curveball, changeup and 88 mph fastball – simply dominated the LumberKings for five innings. His line included one hit, one walk and eight strikeouts with 64 pitches, 50 of them strikes.

Right-hander Dean Kremer came on to close things out in the bottom of the ninth inning. With 12 pitches he set the LumberKings down in order, including two strikeouts, helping the Loons record their first ever shutout in post season play in their 10-year history.

The third game in the series is scheduled for Dow Diamond in Midland Clinton on Saturday at 7:05 ET. Coverage of the game will be provided by announcers Chris Vosters and Matt DeVries on ESPN 100.9-FM and Loons.com.