COMSTOCK PARK, MI – The West Michigan Whitecaps’ pitching staff has attracted much of the attention this season, but the offense is carving out its own success in the second half of the Midwest League season.
The Whitecaps collected 13 hits Tuesday, including four from streaking Wynton Bernard, to beat Lake County 7-2 before 7,942 for their sixth win in a row.
A five-run fourth came on RBIs from four different players to offset the pitching of starter Chad Green and relievers Joe Mantiply and Zac Reininger.
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Boxscore
Standout pitcher Buck Farmer promoted to Double-A Erie
WHITECAPS 7, CAPTAINS 2
Up next: West Michigan (Jonathon Crawford 6-2, 2.99) vs. Lake County (Dace Kime 5-12, 5.26), 7 p.m. Wednesday at Fifth Third Ballpark
Radio: 107.3 (WBBL-FM)
The Whitecaps, who had a seven-game winning streak earlier this month, have seen the offensive production improve to complement the success of the pitching staff, which has led the league in ERA most of the season.
The seven runs against the Captains in the opener of a six-game homestand marked the fourth time in six games they scored five or more runs, and they have averaged eight hits the past five games.
The team batting average, near the bottom in the first half, is now .257, seventh in the league.
The Whitecaps, first-half champions and second-half leaders in the Eastern Division, average 4.9 runs in the second half compared to 3.8 in the first.
“Winning is contagious and hitting is, too,” manager Andrew Graham. “Winning the first half, the pressure’s off and they’re getting more hitter’s counts. That’s not just clinching; it’s also getting more confident at the plate and trusting their swings.”
Five hits came in a five-run fourth that erased a 2-0 deficit on RBI singles by Jeff Holms, Austin Schotts and Bernard and two-run double by Javier Betancourt.
They added two runs in fifth on RBI singles by Grayson Greiner and Francisco Contreras.
“I think it’s just confidence throughout the team,” said Bernard, who is now hitting .325, second in the league.
Green (4-4) continued the pitching mastery for the Whitecaps, who have allowed four combined runs the past three games. He allowed single runs in the second and third and equally his season-high with 10 strike outs in six innings.
Mantiply allowed one hit in two innings and Reininger pitched a scoreless ninth.
Note
Torsten Boss, a Lowell High School graduate recently assigned to Lake County, did not play.
Pete Wallner covers sports for MLive/Grand Rapids Press. Email him at pwallner@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+.