The Great Lakes Loons of the Class-A Midwest League are in a stretch run for a playoff berth. They are presently in a life and death struggle with the Lansing Lugnuts and lead the Lugnuts by one full game in the race for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Division of the league.

The Loons came alive on August 13 and in their last thirteen games they have gone 10-3. During that stretch they have won eight games in which they have given up two or fewer runs including three shutouts. They were able to climb back into the playoff race by sweeping the Lugnuts in a four game series at Lansing’s Cooley Law School Stadium in mid-August. Nine of those games were won by Loons pitchers who are 20 years of age and younger: Dean Kremer, Dennis Santana, Leonardo Crawford, Caleb Ferguson, Imani Abdullah, Yadier Alvarez.

Since all of these youngsters were limited to a maximum of six innings the relief corps had to be equally efficient, which they were. Right-handers Tony Gonsolin and Shea Spitzbarth each recorded two saves while Dean Kremer picked up two wins in relief.

On Thursday evening the Loons were at it again in Fort Wayne. Twenty-year-old left-hander Victor Gonzalez, coming off the 7-day DL and making his first appearance since August 1, held the Fort Wayne TinCaps to two hits in 4.2 innings while striking out nine and walking two.

Victor Gonzalez
(Photo courtesy of MiLB.com)

Gonzalez was relieved in the fifth inning by Dean Kremer. With runners on first and second and two out the right-hander from Stockton, California picked up the win with 2.1 innings of relief in which he gave up no hits while walking one and striking out three.

Right-hander Shea Spitzbarth was called upon to close out the game with the Loons leading 2-0. He struck out the side in both the eighth and ninth innings. When Spitzbarth struck out TinCaps third baseman Carlos Belen to end the game he recorded the eighteenth strikeout by Fort Wayne hitters.

TinCaps starter Thomas Dorminy pitched all eight innings for Fort Wayne giving up 10 hits but only two runs.

However, the Loons were able to do just enough at the plate as designated hitter Saige Jenco hit a two-out RBI single in the fifth inning and right-fielder Darien Tubbs scored on a wild pitch in the eighth inning. In both cases – a single by Jenco and a double by Tubbs – Great Lakes successfully used a sacrifice bunt to move the runner up a base to set up a run.

The Loons continue their pursuit of a playoff berth in South Bend against the second place Cubs on Friday in a 7:35 ET start. Loons right-hander Yadier Alvarez squares off with Cubs left-hander Jose Paulino.