Midwest League Finals Preview

Beloit Snappers (Minnesota Twins) vs. West Michigan Whitecaps (Detroit Tigers)

(Best of five series begins on Tuesday, September 11th at Fifth Third Ballpark in Comstock Park, MI, home of the West Michigan Whitecaps. Game one scheduled for 6:00 pm central)

Beloit Snappers Press Release

The two teams with the best overall records in the Midwest League this season will face off in what should be a very entertaining, well-coached final. The Beloit Snappers finished the regular season with a 79-61 overall record, good enough for first place in the Western Division. The West Michigan Whitecaps were even more impressive, record wise, going 83-57 overall and finishing first in the Eastern Division. Both teams have swept through the first two rounds of the playoffs, going 4-0 respectively.

Playoff Results:

The Snappers faced the Swing of the Quad Cities and Clinton LumberKings in rounds one and two of the playoffs, sweeping both series 2-0.

Beloit got a dominating performance from their pitching staff in game one against the Swing, combining for a six-hit shutout over the St. Louis Cardinals’ Affiliate. Alex Burnett got the win going five innings allowing just five hits while striking out five in Beloit’s 3-0 win. The Snappers got all three runs in the top of the fourth inning behind RBIs from Rene Tosoni, Greg Yersich, and Garrett Olson.

Game two was won by Beloit, 5-4 in eleven innings. Steve Singleton drove in the game winner in the bottom of the eleventh inning with a double to right field. Singleton drove home Danny Berg, who earlier singled, from second to move Beloit onto the second round. Tyler Robertson dominated early, striking out eleven batters in just five and two thirds innings of work.

Game one of the semi-finals against the Clinton LumberKings had Cole Devries pitching his most impressive outing of the season. The right hander from the University of Minnesota went the distance allowing just one run in the Snappers’ 6-1 victory. Danny Santiesteban added a home run in the game one victory.

Beloit swept away the LumberKings with a 2-0 victory in game two. Pinch-hitter Rene Tosoni sent Clinton home with a go-ahead, RBI double to right in the bottom of the eighth inning. Tosoni was later driven home by Chris Parmelee to give the Snappers the 2-0 lead and propel them onto the Finals.

West Michigan faced off against the Lansing Lugnuts and South Bend Silver Hawks in the first two rounds of the postseason, also sweeping away both opponents.

The Whitecaps swept the Lugnuts in round one behind strong performances from pitchers Duane Below and Matt O’Brien. West Michigan outscored Lansing 12-5 in the short two-game sweep.

West Michigan then swept past the South Bend Silver Hawks in the Semi-Finals to advance to the Midwest League Finals. Wins from pitchers Jeff Gerbe and Charlie Furbush allowed the Whitecaps to move on to their second Finals appearance in as many seasons.

Head to Head:

During the regular season each team won four games and lost four games against one another. The Snappers have had the upper had in the pitching category with a 2.31 ERA as opposed to West Michigan’s 3.16 ERA. However, the Whitecaps hold the offensive advantage, sporting a .238 team average against the Snappers to Beloit’s .214 team average against West Michigan.

Snappers’ ace Alex Burnett picked up his third win of the season against the Whitecaps on May 22nd. Burnett went seven strong innings allowing four runs on seven hits, while striking out three batters. The Snappers went on to win by a 5-4 final.

Steve Singleton went a combined 5-15 with a double, three runs, and two RBIs during the July 12th through 15th series with West Michigan.

Tale of Two Halves:

While the Snappers cruised earlier this year on their way to the Western Division First Half Championship, the Whitecaps turned it on late, claiming the Eastern Division Second Half Championship.

Beloit was 44-26 in the first half, including an impressive 27-9 at home, en route to locking up a first half playoff birth. The Snappers fell back a bit in the second half, finishing right at .500 with a 35-35 record. The main reason for Beloit’s fall back was due to what all teams go through: players being promoted, injuries, etc. The Snappers got quite a boost, however, with the addition of three of the Elizabethton Twins’ stars, Rene Tosoni, Greg Yersich, and Deibinson Romero, before the last four games of the regular season. Those three players, combined with the always constant and reliable pitching, have helped the Snappers win their last eight games in a row heading into these Midwest League Finals. The new players and reliable pitching have also given team leaders Joe Benson, Chris Parmelee, and Steve Singleton a jump in their step on their way to the final showdown with the Whitecaps.

West Michigan finished the first half with a 38-32 record, claiming the Eastern Division Wild Card. Even with their playoff birth secured, the Whitecaps finished the second half in first place with a 45-25 record. Their combined 83-57 record was good enough for tops in the entire Midwest League, four games ahead of the second-best Snappers.

The Whitecaps finished the year leading the league in team batting average (.268) and third in team ERA (3.31). Duane Below was tied for first in the league with 13 wins, and Gorkys Hernandez led the league in stolen bases with 54.

Probables:

Game 1: Tuesday, September 11th at West Michigan 6:00 pm central RHP Alex Burnett (9-8 3.02 ERA), Beloit vs. RHP Johan Nickerson (11-7 4.24 ERA), West Michigan

Game 2: Wednesday, September 12th at West Michigan 6:00 pm central LHP Tyler Robertson (9-5 2.29 ERA), Beloit vs. LHP Duane Below (13-5 2.97 ERA), West Michigan

Game 3: Thursday, September 13th at Beloit 6:30 pm central RHP Cole Devries (9-5 3.41 ERA), Beloit vs. RHP Matt O’Brien (7-2 2.19 ERA), West Michigan

Game 4: Friday, September 14th at Beloit 6:30 pm central (if necessary) RHP Matthew Fox (7-2 3.50 ERA), Beloit vs. RHP Jeff Gerbe (2-2 2.34 ERA), West Michigan

Game 5: Saturday, September 15th at Beloit 6:30 pm central (if necessary) TBA, Beloit vs. LHP Charlie Furbush (4-1 2.17 ERA), West Michigan

Pitching Staffs:

The Snappers have their rotation set the way they wanted since day one. The four probables went a combined 34-20 in 90 starts. Ace Alex Burnett gets the nod in game one, coming off a first round, game one victory over the Swing of the Quad Cities. Tyler Robertson’s lone playoff game resulted in a no-decision with him striking out a stellar 11 batters. Cole Devries went the distance in his 6-1 victory in game one of the semi-finals. Matthew Fox is coming off his five inning scoreless effort to help the Snappers reach the Midwest League Finals on Sunday night. Beloit’s bullpen has let up just four runs in 13 and one thirds innings of work.

West Michigan’s probables went a combined 37-17 in 79 starts this season. Game one starter, Johan Nickerson, has yet to appear in the postseason but went 11-7 in the regular season. Duane Below is coming off a game one victory over the Lansing Lugnuts where he struck out seven. Matt O’Brien clinched the series against Lansing pitching five strong innings. Jeff Gerbe went seven and two thirds in their game one victory over South Bend on Saturday. Charlie Furbush clinched the Eastern Division Championship for West Michigan, striking out seven over five and two thirds. West Michigan’s bullpen has only yielded two runs in 10 and one thirds innings pitched.

At the Dish:

Beloit’s Danny Santiesteban is on fire in the playoffs, batting .375 with one home run and three RBIs. Joe Benson is hitting .353 with a home run, triple, RBI, and three runs scored thus far in the postseason. Game two hero against the Clinton LumberKings, Rene Tosoni, has also looked good, batting .333 with four RBIs and five runs. As a team, the Snappers are hitting .259, 17 points higher than the regular season.

West Michigan has four players hitting over .300 in the post season: Jeramy Laster (.389), Ryan Strieby (.357), James Skelton (.353), and Michael Bertram (.333). The Whitecaps have blasted four home runs while slugging .430 as a team. They sport a .282 team batting average during the playoffs, 20 points higher than the next best team (Dayton Dragons .262).

Key Note:

The Snappers ended the regular season with a four game sweep over the Swing of the Quad Cities before sweeping the first four games of the postseason. West Michigan, however, lost their last four games of the regular season before sweeping their first four playoff games. Beloit holds a slight pitching advantage over the Whitecaps this season (3.28 ERA to 3.31 ERA), while West Michigan holds a huge advantage in the hitting category (.268 team batting to .242 for the Snappers). With the addition of the new offensive stars for the Snappers in Tosoni, Yersich, and Romero, Beloit looks to close the offensive gap between themselves and the Whitecaps. If they can do so, the great pitching they’ve had all season, combined with timely hitting, could lead them to their first Midwest League Championship since the 1995 season.

12 oz. Miller products, fountain sodas, hot dogs, and popcorn will all be sold during ALL home playoff games for just $1!!! Contact a Snappers’ representative at 608-362-2272, www.snappersbaseball.com, or 2301 Skyline Drive in Beloit for more information.