MIDLAND, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps gave up a pair of home runs to one of the High-A Central’s best home run hitters in Andy Pages as part of a 5-4 loss to the Great Lakes Loons on Friday night at Dow Diamond.
Pages, who ranks as the Los Angeles Dodgers No. 6 prospect, blasted a pair of tape-measure home runs, giving him 21 on the season, ranking second behind Griffin Conine of Beloit for the league lead. Pages also tied for the league lead in RBI (62) while being within the top five in hits and walks while leading the league in total bases and runs scored.
Pages opened the scoring with a three-run shot in the third inning before continuing the scoring with a solo shot in the fifth. An inning later, Daniel Cabrera, the Detroit Tigers No. 5 prospect, launched a two-run homer to cut the Whitecaps deficit in half with a score of 4-2. Jimmy Kerr lifted a run-scoring triple to the wall in the right-field corner in the seventh, scoring Cooper Johnson from first base to trim the deficit to 4-3, but the ‘Caps came no closer in dropping the fourth game of this series. In the bottom of the frame, Pages ripped an RBI-double down the third base line to give the Loons a vital insurance run. In the eighth, Parker Meadows sent home Cabrera after he began the frame with a triple by lifting a sacrifice fly, but the ‘Caps came no closer. The Whitecaps record falls to 0-33 in games in which they were trailing after seven innings this season.
Loons starting pitcher Landon Knack (5-0) earned his fifth victory of the season by striking out eight batters in five scoreless innings, while ‘Caps starter Brendan White (2-5) dropped his fourth straight decision and fifth game of 2021 despite giving up three earned runs in five frames. Bryce Tassin pitched three innings to help save the bullpen while giving up just one run. The Whitecaps record falls to 35-40 on the season, while the Loons up their record to 42-34. Both Meadows and De La Rosa each had a pair of hits in a losing cause.
UP NEXT
The Whitecaps continue this series Saturday night from Dow Diamond in Midland at 7:05 pm. West Michigan sends lefty Adam Wolf to the mound against the Loons Logan Boyer. Broadcast coverage with Dan Hasty starts on the Whitecaps Baseball Network at 6:50 pm. Get your tickets for all 2021 home games now at www.whitecapsbaseball.com.
