Huge night for Kevin McGonigle powers Whitecaps while Max Anderson homers in SeaWolves loss

Scores, news, and notes from around the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Thursday, June 12, 2025.

Omaha Storm Chasers 7, Toledo Mud Hens 0 (box )

The Storm Chasers continued to vex the Hens on Thursday. The offense was held to just three hits.

Dietrich Enns threw another solid game in this one, and the pitching was not the issue. The lefty wasn’t at his sharpest, but he only gave up one earned run over 4 ¹⁄₃ innings of work, striking out six. The second run against him came in the fifth, when he allowed a single and a walk and was replaced by Ricky Vanasco. The right-hander got the second out of the inning, but Gage Workman threw away a ground ball off the bat of MJ Melendez.

Hao-Yu Lee had two hits, including a triple to open the bottom of the ninth, but by then it was too late. Ryan Miller struggled in the top of the ninth, allowing five runs that put this one out of reach.

Lee: 2-4, 3B

Ibáñez: 1-3, BB, K, CS

Enns (L, 2-2): 4.1 IP, 2 R, ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: The Hens will try to turn the tide in this six game set on Friday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

Altoona Curve 10, Erie SeaWolves 6 (box )

Jaden Hamm struggled again in this one and the bullpen had a rare terrible night as the Curve avoided losing three straight to the SeaWolves.

Hamm looked pretty good early on, but he ran into a ton of trouble in the third and was knocked out of the game charged with three earned runs. He gave up a leadoff single but got the next two outs before Jack Branigan spoiled his outing with a two-run shot. Hamm walked the next hitter and gave up two singles that brought in another run. With his pitch count in the inning spiraling, RJ Petit took over to get the last out of the inning, and then handled the fourth.

In the top of the third, Jim Jarvis reached on an error and then Max Anderson smoked his 11th home run of the season. So after Hamm’s rough inning in the bottom of the third it was 3-2 Altoona.

In the fourth the SeaWolves seized the lead with a two-out rally. Eliezer Alfonzo, Chris Meyers, and Danny Serretti all walked to start the inning. A ground rule double from Jim Jarvis plated two for a 4-3 lead. Trei Cruz followed with a walk, but Anderson popped out.

The game came unglued in the sixth when Tim Naughton was knocked around for four runs. The SeaWolves got one back in the seventh when a sacrifice fly from Thayron Liranzo scored Cruz from third, but Yosber Sanchez gave up three runs in the bottom of the eighth that put this one just about out of reach.

In the top of the ninth, Jarvis tripled and scored on an Anderson ground out to complete the scoring.

Anderson: 3-5, R, 3 RBI, HR

Jarvis: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, 3 B

Cruz: 1-3, R, 2 BB, K

Hamm: 2.2 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:00 p.m. ET start on Friday as the SeaWolves attempt to lock up at least a series split. The SeaWolves’ magic number is seven with nine games remaining as they hold a 2.5 game lead over Akron.

West Michigan Whitecaps 7, Lansing Lugnuts 1 (box )

The Whitecaps took a 2-1 series lead over their divisional rivals on Thursday and they didn’t take long to put the Lugnuts behind the eight-ball.

Ben Malgeri, looking plenty healthy enough to return to Erie, started the game with a solo shot. Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark followed with doubles, and a sacrifice fly from Peyton Graham scored Clark after he’d moved to third on a John Peck ground out. They made it a 4-0 lead in the third when McGonigle absolutely torched a solo shot to right field for his third of the year. Reports from the park had it at 112 mph off the bat.

Lefty Andrew Sears was the beneficiary of this run support, and he was in a groove and working fast in this one as usual. He struck out five and walked two over five shutout innings.

The offense kept adding on in the fifth when Malgeri led off with a walk and was wild pitched to second. McGonigle doubled him home and then later scored when Graham lined a single to left with two outs. 6-0 Whitecaps.

Detroit Tigers ’ relief prospect Tyler Mattison continued his road back to Toledo with two perfect frames in support of Sears. McGonigle walked and later scored on a botched pickoff attempt from third base in the seventh.

Trevin Michael handled the ninth. He allowed a double and that runner later scored on a passed ball charged to Bennett Lee as the Lugnuts avoided the shutout.

Josue Briceño hasn’t played since last Saturday but there are no updates on his injury status yet. He did finally appear, quite belatedly, on Baseball America’s updated top 100 prospect list today. Try to keep up guys.

McGonigle: 4-4, 4 R, 2 RBI, 2 2B, HR, BB

Malgeri: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB, SB

Clark: 1-4, R, RBI, BB, K

Sears (W, 4-2): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start in Lansing on Friday night. If you’re looking to see McGonigle and Clark in action, you’re probably running out of time. A trip to Jackson Field might be wise this weekend. One more victory in this series will secure a first half title and a postseason berth. When that’s accomplished we may see the promotions arrive.

Palm Beach Cardinals 4, Lakeland Flying Tigers 3 (F12)(box )

The Cardinals made it three in a row by outlasting Lakeland in a 12 inning affair on Thursday evening.

The Flying Tigers had nothing but trouble with lefty Braden Davis. The Cardinals fifth rounder out of Oklahoma last year struck out 12 Flying Tigers in this one, allowing just a hit and three walks.

However, RJ Sales was nearly as good for Lakeland. Sales scattered just one hit and a walk over five innings, striking out nine on the night.

Finally, once both starters were done for the night the two offenses pulled themselves together. The Cardinals struck first, scoring two in the seventh as Jorger Petri was a little wild in relief.

In the eighth the Flying Tigers fought back with a two-out rally. Jackson Strong walked and stole second base, and Franyerber Montilla drew a walk behind him. A wild pitch advanced both runners but it didn’t matter as Garrett Pennington crushed home run number eight on the year to give them a 3-2 lead.

Unfortunately, Moises Rodriguez couldn’t close this one out. After a clean eighth, a leadoff single and a balk led to a run scoring on a pair of ground outs to tie the game and send it to extras.

Ronny Chalas came on in relief and did a great job keeping the Cardinals from scoring the runner from second in the 10th and 11th innings. The Flying Tigers just couldn’t get the run in any of the three innings and deserved to lose as a result. Chris Williams Jr. got the first two outs in the bottom of the 12th before a walkoff single ended this one.

Pennington: 1-5, R, 3 RBI, HR, 2 K

Strong: 0-2, R, 3 BB, 2 K, 2 SB

Sales: 5.0 IP, 0 R, H, BB, 9 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start as the Flying Tigers attempt to break the Cardinals streak on Friday.

FCL Tigers 3, FCL Phillies 1 (box )

SS Jude Warwick: 1-5, R, 2 RBI, HR, K (Season OPS .862)

CF Anibal Salas: 2-4, R, 2B, K (Season OPS .712)

3B Javier Osorio: 1-5, RBI, K (Season OPS .987)

RHP Jatnk Diaz (W, 4-0): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 0 BB, 5 K (Season ERA 2.08)