Captains hanging around for playoff berth

A pivotal homestand for the Captains got off to a downbeat start Aug. 22 with a 4-1 loss to the Bowling Green (Ky.) Hot Rods.

The setback in the opener of a five-game series cost the Captains some ground in their quest to secure the second of two second-half playoff berths up for grabs in the Midwest League’s Eastern Division.

Lake County (26-30, second half) is 1 ½ games behind the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts, currently holding the coveted spot, and one game behind the Great Lakes (Mich.). Loons.

On Aug. 22, Lansing suffered an 11-10 road loss at Dayton. Great Lakes posted a 4-3 victory at home over Fort Wayne.

THE SCORE

HOT RODS 4, CAPTAINS 1

The Hot Rods (35-21) have all but locked down one of the second-half playoff spots.

Notwithstanding the loss, only their second in the last eight games, the mood is bullish in the Captains’ clubhouse.

“This team plays like a true team,” Captains relief pitcher Argenis Angulo said before the game. “It’s a family inside the locker room and outside on the field. All the guys want to make the playoffs, for sure.”

Another relief pitcher, Erick Algarin, picked up on the family theme.

“Whether it’s the Latin guys or the English guys, everybody gets treated the same,” Algarin said. “Everybody wants to win and do the work it takes to win.”

Hard-throwing reliever Kieran Lovegrove cited the submersion of individual egos and cohesion as factors in the late-season playoff push.

“We’re there for each other,” Lovegrove said. “Guys are aware of what’s going on with the playoff race, but they’re focusing on one inning at a time, one game at a time. With the way we’re playing, getting to the playoffs is very much in the realm of possibility.”

The Captains managed four hits against three Bowling Green pitchers, including starter and eventual winner Blake Bivens (7-4, 2.67 ERA). Lake County starter Micah Miniard (0-2, 4.71) took the loss.

While the Captains aren’t scoring runs in bunches in the season’s late stages, hitting coach Kevin Howard is generally pleased with the situational hitting.

“It’s not so much the number of runs we’re scoring as getting runs at the right times,” Howard said. “We’ve played a lot of close games, and we’re learning how to win them.”

Captains manager Tony Mansolino remembers how the Captains spent long stretches of the first half in first place before losing five of seven games down the stretch to finish a halfgame behind second-place West Michigan.

“I’m a little cautious after what we went through in the first half, but I like our preparation. I can’t wait to see how this plays over the next couple of weeks,” Mansolino said.

After finishing the series against Bowling Green, the Captains play four games against Lansing at Classic Park. The regular season ends with the Captains playing three road games in Dayton before hosting Lansing in another threegame series.

“This will be a real test for us,” Mansolino said. “If we win three of the five games against Bowling Green, we put ourselves in a great position to control our destiny.”

The Captains have finished their season series with Great Lakes, so they’ll need to keep winning and get help to overtake the Loons.