So today I went to the last regular-season game of my Midwest League summer — a summer that can only be described as awesome. What a great time I had visiting all 16 Midwest League ballparks, exploring their communities, meeting lots of fellow minor-league baseball enthusiasts in person and online, and witnessing great moments on the field (including a no-hitter, a player hitting for the cycle, an inside-the-park home run, and much more).

Anyway, it seemed only fitting that today’s game, a matchup between the Lake County Captains and the visiting Bowling Green Hot Rods, ended in dramatic fashion with a walkoff single in extra innings. Captains 3B Giovanny Urshela, who homered earlier in the game, did the honors in the bottom of the 10th inning.

The Lake County Captains celebrate their walkoff win.

Also appropriately, I got to see Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich drive in two more runs today; he’s been one of my favorite Midwest League players to watch this year.

Bowling Green Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich swings at a pitch during today's game.

I’m planning to catch some Midwest League playoff action this month, and I also plan to periodically update this blog while writing my book during the offseason, so please keep visiting The Midwest League Traveler!

Note the message that appeared on the Classic Park scoreboard after the 6th inning ended.

Me in the Cleveland Indians dugout at Progressive Field

After visiting the James A. Garfield National Historic Site in nearby Mentor (I’m a presidential trivia buff), I returned to Classic Park for my third Lake County Captains home game. For the first time since I arrived in Eastlake, Ohio, the last-place Captains looked alive on the field, beating the playoff-bound Bowling Green Hot Rods 4-3 to snap their five-game losing streak.

There were two home runs hit during the game. Both were solo shots. Captains RF Carlos Moncrief hit his 16th homer of the season in the 7th inning, which followed Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich’s homer that led off the 6th inning. Dietrich has hit 22 homers this season, and I’ve been present for at least six of them. I know I saw Dietrich hit three homers in Bowling Green, one in South Bend, one in West Michigan and, of course, one in Lake County.

Captains SP Felix Sterling pitches to Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich in the top of the 1st inning.

I’ll be back at Classic Park tomorrow for another Captains game. The regular season ends Monday, but I’m planning to catch some Midwest League playoff action somewhere — I just haven’t decided where yet. I suppose I should figure that out really soon.

Speaking of playoff action, the winner-take-all series between the Fort Wayne TinCaps and the West Michigan Whitecaps began today with a 6-5 TinCaps win. The two teams are battling down to the wire for the final Midwest League playoff berth; Fort Wayne needs only one more win to get it, whereas West Michigan needs to win both remaining games to play in the postseason.

Surprisingly, neither team is reporting in-game updates via Twitter. As an avid Twitter user, I am disappointed in the teams’ lack of appreciation for how Twitter could keep their interested fans updated as the critical series unfolds. I urge all the Midwest League teams in the playoffs to tweet regularly during postseason games, but there is one that I know definitely won’t heed my advice: the Dayton Dragons, the only MWL team without an official Twitter feed.

Hamilton swipes 100th base

Dragons shortstop Billy Hamilton stole three bases tonight, giving him 100 for the season. A top prospect for the Cincinnati Reds, Hamilton is just the 12th player in recorded minor-league baseball history to steal 100 bases. He is the first player to do so since Peoria’s Chris Morris swiped a Midwest League-record 111 bases in 2001.

Whether this ends up being Hamilton’s crowning achievement or he goes on to a respectable major-league career remains to be seen, but it is worth noting that stealing 100 bases doesn’t give someone a sure shot at the majors. Morris never made it past Double-A.

The game moved fast, taking the Whitecaps about 2 1/2 hours to beat the Captains 3-0 and complete a three-game series sweep of Lake County. The surging Whitecaps, who have won 10 of their last 13 games, now head home for a three-game, winner-take-all series against the Fort Wayne TinCaps, who have lost six of their last 10 games. The team that wins the series earns the final Eastern Division playoff berth.

Whitecaps 3B Nick Castellanos bats during Friday's game. He is batting .309 and needs just six more hits to break the club record for most hits in a season.

Groverpalooza!

The Captains have the worst second-half record in the Midwest League, but that didn’t stop their fans from showing up at Classic Park for Groverpalooza, an in-game promotion named after the team’s popular on-field host. In addition to the usual array of promotions that take place between innings at Classic Park, Lake County employees threw candy and T-shirts off the roof after every half-inning. (Yes, I got a T-shirt and some Swedish Fish candy.)

The 5,155 fans in attendance also got to watch the debut of 360-degree fireworks after the game. The show, which will be done again after Saturday’s game, featured fireworks being blasted from the scoreboard area and the rooftop.

A postgame fireworks show took place at Classic Park tonight.

Next for the Captains is a three-game series that begins tomorrow against the Bowling Green Hot Rods. I’ll be at the games on Saturday and Sunday.

Fort Wayne TinCaps OF Rymer Liriano swings at a pitch during a game in Peoria last month.

Fort Wayne TinCaps OF Rymer Liriano was named the Midwest League’s Most Valuable Player and Prospect of the Year this week. Through yesterday’s games, he ranks third in the league in batting average (.320), fifth in hits (138) and second in stolen bases (63).

Liriano also was named to the Midwest League Postseason All-Star Team, which is chosen by the 16 Midwest League managers. The other players named to the team are West Michigan Whitecaps C Rob Brantly, Lake County Captains 1B Jesus Aguilar, Whitecaps 2B Hernan Perez, Whitecaps 3B Nick Castellanos, Dayton Dragons SS Billy Hamilton, Lansing Lugnuts outfielders Michael Crouse and Jake Marisnick, Burlington Bees DH Josh Whitaker, Kane County Cougars SP Greg Billo, Bowling Green Hot Rods SP C.J. Riefenhauser, Dragons RP Drew Hayes and Hot Rods RP Chris Rearick.

Lugnuts manager Mike Redmond was named Midwest League Manager of the Year. The first-year manager was a major-league catcher for 13 seasons, playing for the Florida Marlins, the Minnesota Twins and the Cleveland Indians.

Kernels SP Seth Fowler throws in the bullpen before Wednesday's game.

When I was in Bowling Green last week, I saw Hot Rods CF Cody Rogers hit what initially was scored as an inside-the-park home run but later was changed to a triple and an error. Of course, I was bummed when I heard about the scoring change.

As it turned out, that was OK because I got to see the real deal here in Cedar Rapids during Wednesday’s game. With two outs in the fourth inning, Kernels 3B Brian Hernandez hit a two-run, inside-the-park homer that was aided by a carom off the angled wall in left field and LumberKings LF Julio Morban’s struggle to grab the ball and throw it back to the infield. Honestly, I thought Morban would get charged with an error, but the play was scored an inside-the-park home run and stayed that way.

Hernandez later drove in another run, but it wasn’t enough for Cedar Rapids to extend its five-game win streak. Clinton won 7-3. SP Anthony Fernandez won his 7th game for the LumberKings.

Kernels RF Jeremy Cruz showed off his throwing arm with two inning-ending outfield assists Wednesday.

Veterans Memorial Stadium’s outfield wall is different than the others in the Midwest League in that it has seven different depths listed on it; from left field to right field, they are 315, 378, 407, 400, 403, 390 and 325 feet. It is 315 feet from home plate to the leftfield foul pole, 325 feet to the rightfield foul pole, and 400 feet to straightaway centerfield, where the batter’s eye is.

I’ll be back at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Thursday for Game 2 of the series between the Kernels and the LumberKings. After recapping my third game in Cedar Rapids, I’ll dedicate a whole post to my thoughts about the Kernels’ home ballpark.

The Bowling Green Ballpark scoreboard

I visited my 13th Midwest League ballpark this week, attending all three games of the Hot Rods-Lugnuts series at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Bowling Green Ballpark is a medium-sized stadium that is not as fancy as some of its Eastern Division counterparts but certainly is more modern than several Western Division ballparks. For the most part, the BGB experience doesn’t disappoint, though I wish the concourses in left and right fields connected. I was also disappointed by the food choices; the concessions menu doesn’t stray far from the usual minor-league ballpark fare.

BGB has some quirks worth mentioning, such as the press box being located on the third-base side of the field instead of behind home plate, and a curved rightfield wall constructed as such because of the curved street behind it. Also, as I wrote earlier this week, the bullpens are enclosed instead of being located in foul territory without any barriers between them and the rest of the field. I was told the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers are the only other Midwest League team with enclosed bullpens, and I look forward to seeing them when I go to Fox Cities Stadium later this month.

This is the view looking straight out a window in the Bowling Green Ballpark press box.

Another interesting quirk is the ballpark is the only one in the Eastern Division located in the Central Time Zone. Perhaps because of that quirk, or maybe because of the time of year right now, it gets dark soon after night games get underway at BGB. I suspect it’s a bit of both theories; regardless of the reason, I wasn’t able to shoot many good game photos in Bowling Green.

Some of the on-the-field highlights I got to see during the series were Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich hitting a homer in all three games (his homer streak is at five straight games now), Hot Rods CF Cody Rogers hitting an inside-the-park homer that was later changed to a triple and an error, Lugnuts LF Marcus Knecht hitting a grand slam off the brick wall behind the leftfield picnic area, and Lugnuts batters striking out a total of 36 times (17 times in the first game, 12 times in the second game, and 7 times in the third game).

Hot Rods starting pitcher Enny Romero, catcher Mayo Acosta and pitching coach R.C. Lichtenstein walk toward the home dugout before the start of Wednesday's game against the Lugnuts.

Before and after the games, but especially beforehand, many players from both teams signed autographs for fans. The only autograph I got was from Hot Rods P Enny Romero, but I didn’t try to get any the first two nights. I hoped to get Hot Rods 1B Phil Wunderlich’s autograph, or at least get to meet him briefly so I could say hello from Illinois (we’re both from the western suburbs of Chicago), but I didn’t get the opportunity to do so. To his credit, Wunderlich signed autographs after the Hot Rods loss Friday night, but he stopped before getting down the line to me.

What’s next for me

I’ll head toward home Saturday, but stop in Indianapolis to catch a couple games there before completing the drive Sunday. The Indianapolis Indians aren’t in the Midwest League, but I’ve never watched a game at Victory Field, and Ryne Sandberg’s Lehigh Valley IronPigs will be the opposing team. Sandberg, of course, was a Hall of Fame second baseman for the Chicago Cubs and was my favorite player as I grew up as a Cubs fan. Ryno never played in the Midwest League, but he managed the Peoria Chiefs in 2007 and 2008.

After I stay home for a day or two, I’ll head to Cedar Rapids to see my 14th Midwest League ballpark. I’m not sure exactly which days I’ll be there; I haven’t had to decide yet because the Kernels are home all week.

After checking out of my Louisville hotel this morning, I went to the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory. The museum part is OK, but the real treat is the factory tour. I got to see how Louisville Slugger bats are made (the old way by hand and the new way by machine). It is apparent how much care is given to each bat that is made there. Even though a computerized machine quickly cuts the bats out of wood billets, each one still has to be branded, dipped and the rest, and people do much of that work. Louisville Slugger doesn’t let people shoot photos inside the factory, so you’ll have to settle for a photo of this personalized bat I ordered while I was there:

My personalized bat that was made at the Louisville Slugger factory as I toured the facility.

Pretty cool, eh?

After leaving the Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory, I got onto Interstate 65 and headed south to Bowling Green. I stopped for gas in Horse Cave, Kentucky. It cost just $3.389 per gallon! I already thought that was a good deal (or as good as it’s going to get these days) when, as I left the gas station, I noticed that in the few minutes it took me to fill my gas tank, the price of gas rose 21 cents! Luckily I had arrived in Horse Cave just in time to buy low during the final minutes of the $3.389 price!

Anyway, after I arrived in Bowling Green, I headed straight to Bowling Green Ballpark, home of the Bowling Green Hot Rods. The team’s radio broadcaster, Tom Gauthier, gave me a tour of the facility, which is smaller than several of its Eastern Division counterparts, but in many ways is just as attractive as them. Something unique (for Class A) about Bowling Green Ballpark is the two bullpens are enclosed instead of being in foul territory without any physical barriers separating them from the action on the field.

The Hot Rods bullpen before the Bowling Green relief corps occupied it Wednesday evening.

The night game was an exciting one, won 3-2 by the Hot Rods. Bowling Green pitchers, led by SP Enny Romero, struck out 17 Lansing batters! (Romero struck out 10 in five innings, including the first five batters he faced.) The only Lugnuts batter who didn’t strike out was C Jack Murphy, who hit an RBI single in the 6th inning and a home run off the scoreboard to lead off the 9th inning. Lansing LF Marcus Knecht, a top Toronto Blue Jays prospect, struck out four times.

Bowling Green scored early and often enough, starting with a solo homer by SS Derek Dietrich that landed in the berm just to the left of the batter’s eye. I was the only person sitting in the picnic area next to the berm, so I easily retrieved Dietrich’s home run ball. (That made up for the Dietrich home run ball I didn’t get in South Bend earlier this month.)

View from the LF picnic area: Lugnuts SP Tyler Powell pitches to Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich in the bottom of the 1st inning. This is actually the pitch Dietrich hit for a home run.

I spent most of the game in the leftfield picnic area or on the third-base side of the field, but in the 8th inning I decided to switch sides and hang out down the rightfield line. I had a great view of Murphy’s 9th-inning homer hitting the scoreboard and falling straight down out of the ballpark. I peered over the wall and saw where it landed, so after the game ended, I headed to the back of the park and was able to get that home run ball, too! Considering I had to walk halfway around the ballpark to get to it, I was surprised it was still there, but it was and I ended up with both home run balls from Wednesday night’s game between the Hot Rods and the Lugnuts!

I’ll be hard-pressed to duplicate the luck I had on Wednesday. I’ll be back at Bowling Green Ballpark on Thursday, when the first 1,000 fans through the gates get a Corey Hart bobblehead. (The Milwaukee Brewers star is from Bowling Green.)

Best batting prospect: Jake Marisnick, Lansing Lugnuts

Lansing Lugnuts CF Jake Marisnick bats against the West Michigan Whitecaps earlier this season.

Best power prospect: Yazy Arbelo, South Bend Silver Hawks

South Bend Silver Hawks slugger Yazy Arbelo leads the Midwest League with 26 HR and 84 RBI.

Best strike zone judgment: Nick Shaw, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Best baserunner: Billy Hamilton, Dayton Dragons

Fastest baserunner: Billy Hamilton, Dayton Dragons

Dragons SS Billy Hamilton scores a run during a game in Dayton last month. He leads the Midwest League with 80 stolen bases.

Best pitching prospect: Carlos Martinez, Quad Cities River Bandits

Best fastball: Carlos Martinez, Quad Cities River Bandits

Best breaking pitch: James Paxton, Clinton LumberKings

Best changeup: Tyler Thornburg, Wisconsin Timber Rattlers

Best control: David Holmberg, South Bend Silver Hawks

Best reliever: Steve Turnbull, Lansing Lugnuts

Best defensive catcher: Micah Gibbs, Peoria Chiefs

Best defensive first baseman: Michael Gonzales, Beloit Snappers

Best defensive second baseman: Kolten Wong, Quad Cities River Bandits

Quad Cities River Bandits 2B Kolten Wong attempts to bunt during a game in Fort Wayne last month.

Best defensive third baseman: Giovanny Urshela, Lake County Captains

Best defensive shortstop: Dixon Machado, West Michigan Whitecaps

Best infield arm: Dixon Machado, West Michigan Whitecaps

Best defensive outfielder: Matt Szczur, Peoria Chiefs

Best outfield arm: Anthony Giansanti, Peoria Chiefs

Most exciting player: Rymer Liriano, Fort Wayne TinCaps

Fort Wayne TinCaps RF Rymer Liriano swings at a pitch during a game in Peoria last month. His .323 batting average is the best in the Midwest League this season.

Best manager prospect: Mike Redmond, Lansing Lugnuts

Bus Leagues Baseball interview

I recently did a Q&A with Bus Leagues Baseball, a website dedicated to covering the Minor League Baseball experience. You can read it here.

Tomorrow I leave for Bowling Green, where I’ll visit my 13th Midwest League ballpark. I’ll be at the Hot Rods home games on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The Dr Pepper Picnic Garden, located on the leftfield side of Alliant Energy Field, was added in 2006.

I returned to Alliant Energy Field for another Clinton LumberKings home game Friday. Dave Lezotte, director of broadcasting and media relations, gave me a tour of the ballpark before the gates opened.

The view of Alliant Energy Field from the press box

It was Neftali Feliz bobblehead night — the 2010 American League Rookie of the Year pitched for Clinton in 2008 — so more people than usual were lined up at the main entrance before the gate opened. Ten minutes before we were allowed in the park, we found out we couldn’t get our bobbleheads until the 7th inning. I understand why the LumberKings did that — a team with low attendance doesn’t want people showing up for a quality giveaway item and immediately leaving without buying any concessions or other things — but the policy really bothers me because I don’t like missing any game action.

Anyway, I did my usual walk around the ballpark and decided to sit on the first-base side of the field again. From there I could see Cedar Rapids Kernels starting pitcher Pilljoon “P.J.” Jang warm up in the visitors bullpen …

Kernels SP Pilljoon "P.J." Jang, a native of South Korea, throws in the bullpen before the game.

… and Kernels pitchers Daniel Tillman and Justin La Tempa sign autographs for fans.

Kernels pitchers Daniel Tillman (left) and Justin La Tempa sign autographs for fans before Friday's game.

On a side note, I’d like to point out that I’ve seen the Kernels many times this season and, as a whole, they’ve been the most fan-friendly visiting team in the Midwest League. Numerous players take the time to sign autographs before and after games (even when they lose), and during games, they often toss baseballs into the stands between innings. I can’t wait to see what they do for the home crowd when I’m in Cedar Rapids later this month.

At 6:30 p.m. (a half-hour before the game started), I met with Kurt Ritzman, assistant sports editor of the Clinton Herald. He interviewed me for a well-written article about my journey to all 16 Midwest League ballparks. You can find it by clicking here.

The game was an exciting one that started with a leadoff homer by Kernels CF Travis Witherspoon, who won this year’s Midwest League Home Run Derby. He led off Thursday’s game with a home run, too.

Kernels CF Travis Witherspoon singles during Friday's game. He homered to lead off the game.

The LumberKings tied the score in the bottom of the 7th inning, but the Kernels took back the lead in the top of the 8th inning. Witherspoon was hit in the elbow with a pitch, advanced on a wild pitch and scored the winning run on 2B Rolando Gomez’s double to center field.

The LumberKings almost tied the score in the bottom of the 9th inning, but pinchrunner Tim Morris was thrown out at home plate to end the game. Morris was trying to score all the way from first on a single by 3B Matt Browning.

The Alliant Energy Field scoreboard shows the final score of Friday's game.

My next trip is to Bowling Green Ballpark, home of the Bowling Green Hot Rods. I’ll be there Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. It will be my 13th Midwest League ballpark.

The Bowling Green Hot Rods limber up before game two in a double-header against the South Bend Silver Hawks in South Bend on August 9. The Silver Hawks won the first one, and the Hot Rods took the second. It was Class A baseball at its best. For more information, contact the Silver Hawks at: SILVERHAWKS.com

Among the guests of honor at Thursday’s Cougars game will be sports promotions guru Mike Veeck, baseball executive Roland Hemond and former White Sox organist Nancy Faust, who will perform during the game. A record-tossing contest (which pays homage to the infamous Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park in 1979) and an ivy seed giveaway will be among the promotions.

To read more about Kane County’s “Night of 100 Promotions,” click here.

After I go to Clinton, I’ll have just four more Midwest League ballparks to visit: Bowling Green’s Bowling Green Ballpark, Cedar Rapids’ Veterans Memorial Stadium, Wisconsin’s Fox Cities Stadium, and Lake County’s Classic Park. Then, as they say in the book-writing business, it’s all over except the writing.

Bonus photo!

After my third and final game in Dayton last month, I hung outside Fifth Third Field where the players and coaches leave the ballpark. My patience paid off when I finally spotted Dragons manager Delino DeShields, a 13-year veteran of the major leagues, and got his autograph. Here’s a photo of it, on a used Midwest League baseball:

Dayton Dragons manager Delino DeShields autographed this Midwest League baseball for me.

The Cove scoreboard

The gates at Coveleski Stadium open two hours before game time on Sundays, so I entered the ballpark at noon yesterday. I planted myself in the Budweiser Picnic Garden, which is located by the visitors bullpen down the leftfield line. I watched Hot Rods pitchers Victor Mateo and Enny Romero throw in the bullpen and had a brief conversation with pitcher Nate Garcia. (We mainly talked about the humidity and how fortunate Bowling Green players are to be able to wear T-shirts and shorts during batting practice.)

Hot Rods OF Kevin Kiermaier swings away during batting practice.

Unfortunately, heavy rain began falling within 30 minutes of the gates opening, so fans and workers had to seek shelter in covered areas of The Cove. At that time I decided to check out the starting lineups, the league leaders board and the list of South Bend players who went on to play in the major leagues.

I also revisited the baseball card vending machine (a great idea), which has South Bend team sets from the past decade or so, some Midwest League Top Prospects sets and some major-league cards in it. For $1.75 I was able to buy the Midwest League Top Prospects sets from 1999 and 2000, which I thought was a great deal until I opened them at home and, after looking at the checklists, realized the Adam Dunn card was missing from the 1999 set and the Albert Pujols card was missing from the 2000 set. I can only assume an employee took those cards out of the resealable plastic sleeves they came in before the sets went into the vending machine.

It’s too bad that happened, because otherwise I have nothing bad to say about the friendly people employed by the Silver Hawks. They all were very accommodating, and they even gave me a Justin Upton bobblehead after one of them read on my blog that I didn’t get one when I was at The Cove in June. (I arrived late to the game that day because of a three-hour traffic delay in Chicago. You can read my blog post about that experience here.)

Anyway, I’m glad it rained because I got to see firsthand how much work — or, depending on your perspective, how little work — goes into preparing the field for a game after a torrential downpour. The Cove has an artificial surface; everything is turf except around the bases and the pitching mounds (on the field and in the bullpens). The only parts of the field that had to be readied after the rain were the parts that aren’t turf. There was barely any standing water on the turf because most of the rain quickly soaked beneath the surface, where there is a drainage system. The artificial surface is new this year.

The Coveleski Stadium field during Sunday's rain delay

The game started 30 minutes later than scheduled. When Hot Rods starting pitcher George Jensen was announced, the theme song from “The Jetsons” (“Meet George Jetson …”) was played. This pleased me because I hoped that would happen when I saw Jensen pitch in West Michigan last month, but the Whitecaps music maestro apparently wasn’t at the top of his game that day.

Jensen got run support early and often, allowing him to cruise to his 11th win of the season. The Hot Rods beat the Silver Hawks 14-3, led by SS Derek Dietrich (4-for-6 with a HR, two doubles, four RBI and three runs), DH Steve Tinoco (3-for-5 with four RBI and two runs) and C Mayo Acosta (2-for-6 with a HR, three RBI and a run). Dietrich’s 4th-inning homer landed near where I was standing the previous two innings — after I moved from that spot, of course.

Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich led Bowling Green's offensive assault Sunday.

The tour started in the outfield area where the park’s newest renovations were done. Unfortunately, we got hit by a sudden downpour at that time and had to head for a drier part of the park. Eventually it stopped raining, however, and we went onto the field while the Silver Hawks were taking batting practice.

The South Bend Silver Hawks take batting practice between downpours before Saturday's game.

The tour lasted over an hour, and because it ended close to when the gates would be opening, I was allowed to stay inside the stadium. James gave me one of today’s promotional giveaways — a bobblehead of team president Joe Kernan, who is a former South Bend mayor and former Indiana governor.

The Joe Kernan bobblehead commemorates when South Bend's team president suited up for the Silver Hawks in the inaugural Silver vs. Gold exhibition game against Notre Dame, his alma mater.

I later met Kernan while walking on the outfield concourse. He greeted me (as he does to many fans, I’m sure) and I instantly recognized him, introduced myself and shook hands with him. I follow politics (though not as much as usual this summer because of my journey to all the Midwest League ballparks), so that was a pretty cool moment for me. Retrospectively, I wish I had him autograph something, such as a Midwest League baseball, for my growing collection of memorabilia from this summer.

Anyway, after talking for awhile with a fellow baseball fan who overheard me telling Kernan about my book project, I watched some Bowling Green Hot Rods players warm up on the field.

Hot Rods RHP Austin Hubbard throws in the visitors bullpen before Saturday's game.

After a pregame ceremony honoring police and firefighters who died in the line of duty, an exciting game was played between the Hot Rods and the Silver Hawks. The Silver Hawks rallied in the 8th inning to win it 3-2. Second baseman Gerson Montilla delivered the winning hit, doubling home two runs with two outs in the bottom of the 8th.

First baseman Phil Wunderlich homered for the Hot Rods. Bowling Green’s starting pitcher, Wilking Rodriguez, threw four hitless innings but was taken out early in the game because he is working back from a shoulder injury.

The Dow Diamond grounds crew puts the tarp on the field about 50 minutes before the game was scheduled to begin. The first pitch was delayed about 40 minutes.

After the tarp was removed from the field, it was a welcome sight when players from the Great Lakes Loons and the visiting Lake County Captains left their clubhouses to stretch on the field before the game began.

The Lake County Captains (foreground) and the Great Lakes Loons (background) prepare for the game after the first rain delay.

It rained on and off all night, which caused another delay of about 20 minutes in the middle of the 8th inning. The Loons won the game 4-3. Catcher Steve Domecus was the offensive hero of the game for the Loons, going 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI.

The starting pitcher for the Loons was righty Garrett Gould, who had the fifth-best ERA in the Midwest League entering the game. On Sunday I saw a pitching matchup between the top two ERA leaders, Greg Billo of the Kane County Cougars and Boone Whiting of the Quad Cities River Bandits, which means I saw three of the top five Midwest League starters (as measured by their ERAs) pitch in the span of three days.

The top eight Midwest League leaders in ERA are listed on the Dow Diamond scoreboard before the game.

Catcher Moises Montero hit a home run for the Captains in the 6th inning. The ball landed on the leftfield berm, just a few feet to my left. It narrowly missed hitting a girl who was laying on a blanket on the grass.

The Loons, a Los Angeles Dodgers affiliate, wore the Dodger blue uniforms they wear on Dodgers Route of Champions nights (every Tuesday home game). Former Dodgers catcher Steve Yeager, co-MVP of the 1981 World Series, threw out the ceremonial first pitch and signed autographs for fans on the third-base concourse. He autographed my Loons scorecard, which I had to take great care to keep dry throughout the rainy night.

My Loons scorecard, autographed by Dodgers great Steve Yeager.

I’ll be back at Dow Diamond twice on Wednesday, first for a behind-the-scenes tour of the ballpark in the afternoon, then for Game 2 of the Loons-Captains series at night.

Dietrich went 8-for-25 (.320) with three doubles, four homers and 9 RBI last week. I watched him play against the West Michigan Whitecaps on Saturday and Sunday. He homered and drove in three runs on Sunday.

Hot Rods SS Derek Dietrich swings at a pitch during Saturday's game in West Michigan.

Mateo pitched a 7-inning no-hitter against the Lake County Captains on Friday night, giving him a league-best 9th win. He struck out 10 batters in the game.

In my opinion, however, Mateo doesn’t deserve the Pitcher of the Week honor this week. He would for just about any other week, but this past week Peoria Chiefs LHP Austin Kirk also threw a no-hitter — a 9-inning no-hitter, not a 7-inning one — against the Clinton LumberKings. Kirk apparently was penalized for not having a perfect week; during his second start of the week (Saturday against the Cedar Rapids Kernels), Kirk gave up seven hits and one earned run (plus one unearned run) while striking out five and walking one in 6.1 innings. Mateo, on the other hand, made only one start last week.

Chiefs P Austin Kirk throws a warmup pitch between innings during his July 4 no-hitter.

Our favorite game of the year is Star Wars night for sure. This time we brought Brian down for the fun, too. It was a beautifull night for baseball, but the real thrill for the kids was seeing all of their favorite movie characters. Me being a Star Wars freak since I was like, five, they’ve been exposed to the movies (original trilogy) for a number of years. We were able to get pics with most of the characters on hand, especially Darth Vader and Boba Fett, who is simply the greatest. There were some Jedi and X-Wing pilots hanging around, but the kids, especially Trevor, favor the Empire and thier legions of Stormtroopers, Snowtroopers, and pilots. Brian wanted no part of Darth Vader, either, as you’ll see he’s not in the picture with him. Darth Vader also threw out the first pitch, and had a little duel with Crash, the mascot. The night ended with a fireworks display with Star Wars theme music. The Whitecaps also wore special Star Wars jerseys. Of all the game I’ve been to so far, I think we’ve only seen the regular ‘Caps jersey’s once! There was a huge crowd again this year, season high 10,528,  but we still got to see who we wanted and had time to play in the park there, too. I’m not sure what our next game will be, but it will be hard to beat this night.

Starting pitcher #20 Alex Burgos

In the game, the Whitecaps had a solid offensive effort, beating the Hot Rods 11-3. Top prospect Nick Constellanos had two home runs the game, and went 3-4. He was recently named the Detroit Tigers Minor Player of the Month for hitting .375 with 20 RBI’s in June. He now leads the Midwest League with 94 hits, leads the ‘Caps with 52 RBI’s, and is one of the MWL leaders in batting average with .306 and doubles with 23.  Castellanos is a good bet for next seasons Furtures Game if he keeps this pace up. On the mound, Alex Burgos was solid in the win. He allowed three runs on five hits while striking out six, to up his record to 4-1. Three of the hits he gave up were infield singles. 

Aren’t they a little short for Stormtroopers?

“If Trevor won’t turn to the Dark Side, then perhaps his sister will…”

The most feared Bounty Hunters in the Galaxy…

I need to win this…for the kids, that is

Lead off hitter #16 Luis Castillo

At 85 degrees, it was more like Tatooine than Hoth…

Photos property of M.I.B.

Thanks to a tally board on the concourse, I know what every team’s average attendance and total attendance for the season are (through Saturday’s games).

That’s the first time I saw an attendance report like that in a Midwest League ballpark. I wonder if the Dayton Dragons, who recently set a professional sports record for most consecutive home sellouts, have a tally board like it.

I visited the souvenir store, which is small but has some good deals. Some caps and T-shirts are very reasonably priced compared to how much they cost at other Midwest League ballparks. Many smaller items, such as baseball cards and pins, are reasonably priced, too.

For awhile after the gates opened, the Whitecaps were signing autographs on the field. A few players (third baseman Nick Castellanos, first baseman Clay Jones and outfielders Jason Krizan and Jeff Rowland) signed a used Midwest League baseball I found at Cooley Law School Stadium in Lansing a few days earlier.

West Michigan Whitecaps players sign autographs for fans before Sunday's game.

It was a hot and humid day at the ballpark, and that seemed to affect the Whitecaps pitching staff, which wasn’t at the top of its game. The Bowling Green Hot Rods scored early and often, and beat the Whitecaps 11-7. The Hot Rods led 10-3 in the middle of the 5th inning and seemed to be on cruise control after that point. Every Hot Rods starter reached base, and SS Derek Dietrich went 2-for-4 with a two-run homer, a double, 3 RBI, a walk and three runs scored.

Hot Rods C Keith Castillo, who turned 24 Sunday, went 3-for-5, including a double and an RBI single.

I figured a lot of people would be at Fifth Third Ballpark, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps, tonight, but there were a lot more than I expected.

Tonight’s game was my first time at the stadium, which opened in 1994 as Old Kent Park (its name through the 2001 season). According to the Whitecaps’ official website, the park’s total capacity is 10,071, but a local TV sportscaster said more than 10,500 people packed into the stadium tonight.

I recall only one other time I’ve been at a Midwest League game with that many people in the ballpark. It was at Kane County’s Elfstrom Stadium when rehabbing Chicago Cubs players Aramis Ramirez and Reed Johnson were in the lineup for the Peoria Chiefs.

Because there were so many people in the ballpark, it wasn’t easy to move around to different vantage points or just walk on the concourse in general. There are lots of food options (which I’ll write about in more detail after I sample some more offerings tomorrow), but the sheer number of people buying food at the same time caused backups at least at some concession stands and grills.

The ballfield and the stadium look nice and are well-maintained. Beyond the outfield wall are a videoboard, a scoreboard and the Stadium Club.

The Stadium Club beyond the rightfield wall at Fifth Third Ballpark

It was Star Wars Night at the park, and the Force clearly was with the home team. The Whitecaps won 11-3. The offense was led by Nick Castellanos, the Detroit Tigers’ top draft pick (44th overall) last year. He went 3-for-4 with two home runs.

According to the game story on the Whitecaps website, Castellanos now leads the Midwest League with 94 hits, leads the Whitecaps with 52 RBI, and ranks among the league leaders with a .306 batting average and 23 doubles.

I’ll be back at Fifth Third Ballpark tomorrow for the second game of the series. The theme for tomorrow’s game is “Harry Potter Afternoon,” and the weather is expected to be hot and humid.

The Whitecaps will be taking on the Bowling Green Hot Rods, who got a 7-inning no-hitter from Victor Mateo in the second game of a doubleheader against the Lake County Captains yesterday. You can read about Mateo’s no-hitter (the first in team history) here.

Tonight’s matchup will be George Jensen (8-2, 4.83 ERA) for the Hot Rods vs. Alex Burgos (3-1, 1.71 ERA) for the Whitecaps. When Jensen takes the mound for the first time tonight, whoever controls the music and sound effects at Fifth Third Ballpark should play the theme song from “The Jetsons.”

It’s Star Wars Night at Fifth Third Ballpark tonight, so that should make for some good photos at the game. The weather will be warm — the temperature is in the high 80s at 5 p.m. — but it certainly won’t be as hot as the electronic message board outside Lansing’s Cooley Law School Stadium claimed it was at 1:20 p.m. today.

The temperature displayed on an electronic message board outside Lansing's Cooley Law School Stadium was off by about 20 degrees early this afternoon.

Movin’ on up

Congratulations to Cubs prospect Matt Szczur, who learned today that he’s going to be promoted from the Peoria Chiefs to the Daytona Cubs after he plays in the Futures Game on Sunday.

Readers of this blog who have an astute eye (or two) may have noticed that Szczur is batting in the header photo at the top of this website. Here is another photo of the outfielder from that same series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in late May:

Peoria Chiefs OF Matt Szczur bats against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers during a game at Peoria's O'Brien Field in late May.

The Western Division beat the Eastern Division 8-3 in the All-Star Game, which included home runs by Chris Dennis of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers and Nino Leyja of the Burlington Bees. Leyja, who won the game’s Top Star Award, hit his home run off South Bend Silver Hawks lefty David Holmberg. It was Leyja’s first homer of the year, and it came off a pitcher who hadn’t given up a run since May 22. (Of course, Holmberg’s scoreless streak, which stands at 27 innings, remains current because the All-Star Game isn’t part of the regular season.)

Cedar Rapids Kernels outfielder Travis Witherspoon, who won Monday night’s Home Run Derby, went 0-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base. Richard Jones of the Peoria Chiefs and Douglas Landaeta of the Burlington Bees each got two hits.

The 14 pitchers who threw for the Western Division combined for 14 strikeouts, including nine in the first five innings. The Eastern Division pitching staff recorded nine strikeouts. Burlington Bees righty Blake Hassebrock got the win.

Burlington Bees pitcher Blake Hassebrock and Peoria Chiefs third baseman Greg Rohan

That’s entertainment!

I wasn’t impressed by the Fan Fest held inside the nearby River’s Edge Sports Center, but I’m also not part of its target audience. Most activities were geared toward children, with the exception of the autograph sessions, which could’ve been organized better.

I also wasn’t impressed by local radio personalities Dave and Darren, who emceed the Home Run Derby. They were more annoying than funny.

The entertainment wasn’t all bad, though. I was really impressed by the acrobatic gymnast group, the Russian Bar Trio, and David “No Way” Brulet, a former Cirque du Soliel juggler who juggled baseball equipment. Then, during a pitching change in the 6th inning, Bowling Green Hot Rods shortstop Derek Dietrich impressed everyone by juggling three baseball bats almost as well as Brulet had. I wonder if professional juggling is Dietrich’s backup plan if his desired career in professional baseball doesn’t work out for him.

Harry Canary, an inflatable character from the ZOOperstars! troupe, leads the crowd in singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch.

Diamond by the river

The Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game took place at Modern Woodmen Park, home of the Quad Cities River Bandits. It’s a great place to watch minor-league baseball, with the only drawback being the countless mayflies that swarm the ballpark during this time of the year.

I’m not going to write much about the ballpark right now, but I promise to do so when I return to Modern Woodmen Park to watch a couple Quad Cities River Bandits games in late July. Now, however, I will mention just a couple new things I noticed at the ballpark.

The first thing I noticed was different than in years past was the improved parking lot beneath Centennial Bridge (the Mississippi River bridge seen beyond right field). Previously covered with gravel, the lot now is paved, reportedly to the tune of $1 million from the city of Davenport.

The other notable new thing I noticed was the new videoboard installed earlier this month. It supposedly is one of the largest videoboards in a Class A ballpark.

The new Modern Woodmen Park videoboard that was installed earlier this month

What did mar the otherwise-enjoyable night for me, however, was a pair of undertrained employees who didn’t seem able to think on their feet. (That’s why I’m making sure to attend multiple games at every Midwest League ballpark, so one bad experience alone doesn’t ruin a stadium’s reputation.)

The evening started well enough. It was Bark in the Park night, so my wife and I brought our dog to the park. We got to walk around the field with him, which was cool. Right before we reached the exit point, a baseball landed behind me, so I picked it up and threw it to the Cougars player coming to get it — their starting pitcher, Yordano Ventura. (I’ve got high expectations for Ventura now. I want to be able to tell this story about a Hall-of-Famer someday — though I suppose I’d settle for him becoming a major-league All-Star.)

After the dog parade on the field, my wife took our dog back to our lawn seats to get settled while I walked over to the area of the concourse behind home plate to take a picture of the game’s starting lineups.

The starting lineups

After I did that, I decided to stop in the souvenir shop since there was still time before the game started. I bought a Cougars cap (on sale for $10) and a logo baseball (I’m going to buy one at each of the ballparks and put them in a 16-ball display case) — but because of a register malfunction and a young cashier who needed to be told that she could still accept cash and write down the transactions by hand — I had to listen to the National Anthem (performed beautifully by a church choir) while waiting very patiently in line. I almost missed the first pitch, too, but got rung up just in time to watch the first at-bat of the game while walking back to my seat on the lawn.

Kane County's Yordano Ventura pitches to Bowling Green outfielder Cody Rogers.

The game itself was a good one. Ventura and Greg Billo, a pair of 20-year-old Cougars right-handers, combined to shut out the Bowling Green Hot Rods 3-0 in a game that lasted just over two hours. They limited the Hot Rods offense to four singles.

DH Ryan Stovall drove in the first run for the Cougars with a RBI double, and scored the team’s third run on a wild pitch. LF Julio Aparicio homered for the second run — which I missed because a woman passing out canine treats was talking to me about my dog.

Although it bothered me to miss the home run, that wasn’t as bad as when I was ordering food at the grilling area above the lawn. There are multiple places where you can order food in that area, but there is nothing that specifies which line to get in to order what you want (except for the roasted sweet corn stand, which is clearly marked). I walked up to the first available food server and asked for a footlong Polish dog, and he responded by staring blankly at me without saying a word.

“That’s all,” I said, thinking maybe he was waiting for me to complete my order.

Another awkward pause. Then, finally, the kid told me I’d have to order my desired food item “over there.” He didn’t point “over there,” so I pointed where I assumed he meant, and asked him if that was where he was talking about. He mumbled something in the affirmative and I swiftly moved on.

At least the food was good. Incidentally, the lemonade at Elfstrom Stadium is a perfect thirst-quencher when the temperature is well into the 90s.

I’m going back to Elfstrom Stadium on Friday. Hopefully I’ll have a better all-around experience at the ballpark then.

The Peoria Chiefs and the South Bend Silver Hawks each have six players named to the All-Star Game rosters. Peoria and the Lansing Lugnuts each have three players who will be starters for their squads. The Clinton LumberKings are the only team with fewer than three All-Star Game representatives.

The starting position players for the Eastern Division are catcher Rob Brantly (West Michigan Whitecaps), first baseman Yazy Arbelo (South Bend Silver Hawks), second baseman Hernan Perez (West Michigan Whitecaps), third baseman Jake Blackwood (Fort Wayne TinCaps), shortstop Derek Dietrich (Bowling Green Hot Rods), outfielders Anthony Gallas (Lake County Captains), Marcus Knecht (Lansing Lugnuts) and Jake Marisnick (Lansing Lugnuts), and designated hitter Michael Crouse (Lansing Lugnuts).

The starting position players for the Western Division are catcher Cody Stanley (Quad Cities River Bandits), first baseman Michael Gonzales (Beloit Snappers), second baseman Pierre LePage (Peoria Chiefs), third baseman Greg Rohan (Peoria Chiefs), shortstop Yordy Cabrera (Burlington Bees), outfielders Daniel Ortiz (Beloit Snappers), Travis Witherspoon (Cedar Rapids Kernels) and Matt Szczur (Peoria Chiefs), and designated hitter Chris Dennis (Wisconsin Timber Rattlers).

To see the entire rosters, click here.

Adam Duvall; BluGrass Baseball photo

Highlights from Monday Kentucky MiLB action:

• The Louisville Bats scored six runs through eight innings but did not score again in a 7-6, 18-inning loss to Rochester. Left Fielder Yonder Alonso, batting leadoff, was 3-8 with two doubles, two RBI and one run scored.
• The Bowling Green Hot Rods left 10 men on base in a 2-1 loss to Great Lakes. Left-handed pitcher C. J. Riefenhauser took the loss after surrendering two runs on four hits in four innings while striking out seven batters and walking two.
• The Lexington Legends at one point trailed Kannapolis by seven runs but could not finish the comeback in a 9-6 loss. Right fielder Adam Bailey was 3-3 with two doubles, two walks and two runs scored.
• Mount Sterling native and former Morehead St. infielder Drew Lee was 2-4 with one triple, one RBI and one run scored in the game for Kannapolis.
• Louisville native and former UofL infielder Adam Duvall was 2-4 with one home run, two RBI and two runs scored for low A Augusta.
• Former UK outfielder Lance Ray was 2-5 with two runs scored for low A Beloit.
• Paducah native Daniel Webb took a loss after surrendering seven runs on 10 hits in five and two-third innings in a start for low A Lansing.
• Former Madisonville resident Matt Klinker took a no decision after surrendering five runs on eight hits in five innings in a start for AA Carolina.

Delino Deshields Jr.; BluGrass Baseball photo

Highlights from Sunday Kentucky MiLB action:

• Offseason Louisville resident Matt Maloney earned his first AAA win of the season in leading the Louisville Bats to an 8-0 victory over Buffalo. Maloney surrendered four hits in seven shutout innings while striking out four batters and walking two. Third baseman Todd Frazier was 3-4 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.
• The Lexington Legends slugged three home runs and tallied 13 hits but still couldn’t avoid a 12-11 loss to Hagerstown. Second baseman Delino DeShields Jr. was 3-4 with one home run, one RBI and three runs scored. Right fielder Adam Bailey and left fielder Emilio King also homered. King has two home runs in two games for Lexington.
• Louisville native Jason Chowning surrendered one run, his first of the season, on two hits in three innings of relief while striking out four batters and walking two for the Legends.
• Great Lakes scored a single run in the bottom of the ninth inning to send the Bowling Green Hot Rods to a 3-2 loss. Right-handed pitcher George Jensen took a no decision after surrendering two runs on three hits in five innings while striking out three batters and walking two.
• Lexington native Robbie Ross earned his fourth win of the season after surrendering one run on four hits in six innings while striking out six batters and walking two.
• Former UK outfielder Sawyer Carroll was 3-4 with two doubles, one RBI and two runs scored for AA San Antonio.
• Former UofL left-handed pitcher Justin Marks took a no decision after surrendering two runs on six hits in seven innings while striking out one batter and walking four.
• Making his second start in affiliated ball, former UK left-handed pitcher James Paxton took a no decision after surrendering two runs, one of which was earned, on five hits in five innings while striking out three batters and walking four for low A Clinton.
• Former EKU left-handed pitcher Christian Friedrich took a no decision after surrendering three runs on six hits in five innings while striking out four batters and walking one.
• Former UofL third baseman Chris Dominguez slugged his seventh home run of the season for high A San Jose.
• Former UK infielder Gunner Glad slugged his second home run of the season for low A Beloit.
• Former UK left-handed pitcher Logan Darnell took a loss after surrendering five runs on six hits in four and two-third innings in a start for low A Beloit.
• Former UK outfielder turned second baseman Jason Kipnis, who transferred to Arizona St. before the draft, was 3-4 with one double, one RBI and one run scored for AAA Columbus.