Draper makes another solid start for Captains

Against the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts on Aug. 1 at Classic Park, Captains starting pitcher Zach Draper did what Zach Draper almost always does.

The 24-year-old lefthander from Utah shook off an early stumble, racked up outs and gave his team a chance to erase a 2-0 deficit and pull away to a 5-2 victory that snapped a threegame losing streak.

Draper’s evening got off to a rocky start.

In the top of the first inning, Lansing right fielder Griffin Conine connected off Draper for a two-out, tworun home run. The mammoth blast was the 16th round-tripper of the season

the son of former big leaguer Jeff Conine.

After that, Draper slammed the door. He worked six innings, giving up those two ruins on five hits. He notched eight strikeouts and issued two walks.

“Don’t let the moment get in your head,” Draper said of how he works through the game. “Flush it. Move on to the next batter. Let the defense work behind you.”

Draper (7-2, 2.65 ERA) earned the victory in his eighth start since being moved from the bullpen into the rotation in late June.

“I’ve been a starter my whole life. The opportunity to get back to starting is really good,” Draper said.

Captains manager Luke Carlin liked the way Draper embraced the role of stopper after the three losses.

“We needed our starter to keep us in the game and Draper did that,” Carlin said. “It was nice to see him pitch so well against a good hitting team.”

Draper’s battery mate, catcher Bo Naylor, helped the cause by throwing out runners on attempted steals of second base in the top of the third and fifth innings.

“Bo has made improvements on the technical side over the course of the season,” Carlin said of Naylor’s work behind the plate. The 19-year-old Canadian was the Indians’ first-round pick in the 2018 draft out of high school.

Left-handed reliever Tim Herrin followed Draper to the mound and worked the last three innings to earn his first save. He gave up two runs in the top of the ninth inning but stiffened to secure the win.

The Captains had 14 hits, all singles, off three Lansing pitchers. Jose Fermin and Miguel Jerez each were 3-for-4 with an RBI.