Photo: Bees pitcher Cole Duensing, who will start Monday’s game, has a 2.89 ERA in July. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)
SERIES FACTS
Game times: 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Monday, 2 p.m. Sunday
Where: Community Field
Second-half records: Bees 9-12, Captains 12-9
Overall records: Bees 48-43, Captains 52-38
Season series: First meeting
TEAM COMPARISONS
Last 10: Bees 5-5, Captains 5-5
Home vs. road: Bees 30-20 at home, Captains 24-22 on road
Run differential: Bees plus-3, Captains plus-49
Extra innings: Bees 7-3, Captains 4-3
One-run games: Bees 21-14, Captains 16-12
WHAT TO WATCH
Lake County already has a playoff spot wrapped up. The Captains, an affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, finished second in the first half in the Eastern Division.
The Bees stumbled to start the second half, but have responded on the current homestand, going 5-1 so far.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Bees infielder Alvaro Rubalcaba has had a strong July so far, batting .333 with a 1.011 OPS. Infielder Justin Jones is also batting .333, and has an .851 OPS for the month. Outfielder Francisco Del Valle just had his five-game hitting streak snapped. He’s batting .313 with a .956 OPS in July.
Bees starting pitcher Cole Duensing, who will start Monday’s game, has a 2.89 ERA for the month. Robinson Pina, who starts Sunday, has struck out 15 in 9 2/3 innings this month.
Lake County has undergone a drastic roster change since the first half. Outfielder Will Benson, who leads the Midwest League in home runs, runs batted in, slugging percentage, and OPS, has been moved to High-A.
Still, the Captains have a potent lineup. Outfielder Ruben Cardenas is tied with Bees outfielder Spencer Griffin for third in triples with six. Infielder Daniel Schneeman is hitting .417 with a 1.071 OPS in July.
— By John Bohnenkamp
Baseball at The Hive 