Luke Gold slams as the Whitecaps sweep the Lugnuts

Scores, news and notes from the Detroit Tigers’ farm system for Sunday, June 15, 2025.

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

The Mud Hens lineup on Sunday featured Justyn-Henry Malloy playing first base, and Matt Vierling as the designated hitter. It didn’t help as the Hens were swept by the Storm Chasers.

Lael Lockhart Jr. got the start and he was clobbered yet again, giving up six runs in 2 ¹⁄₃ innings of work. Ryan Miller took over and gave up a run in the fifth before the bullpen settled things down the rest of the way. Brendan White threw two scoreless frames, while Ricky Vanasco, Matt Manning, and PJ Poulin finished the game out.

The Mud Hens managed just two hits and two walks on the day in a bleak performance against former Atlanta Braves starter Kyle Wright.

Vierling: 1-4, 2 K

Baddoo: 0-1, 2 BB

Lockhart (L, 2-6): 2.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 0 K

Coming Up Next: The Hens will look to get right against the Twins’ St. Paul Saints affiliate this week.

Prior to Sunday’s loss to the Reds, Tigers manager AJ Hinch shared some notes on Reese Olson’s rehab start on Saturday, saying that the lack of changeups was, as expected, by design. The Tigers and Olson are being careful with the pitch that has aggravated the ring finger on his right hand, but at the same time they want to keep him built up and ready to rejoin the Tigers as soon as possible.

“He didn’t throw any changeups, and that was by design,” Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said. “One of the things we need to do is keep his endurance up, so getting his pitch [count] up to the 40s and 50s was important. The three [times getting up] was important. He feels good with his other pitches.”

It sounds like Olson will need at least one more rehab start, along with with no reoccurrence of the finger inflammation, before he’s ready to return.

Altoona Curve 7, Erie SeaWolves 1 (box )

Taking after their major league team, the SeaWolves booted the ball all over the park en route to a loss that split the series with Altoona. The loss cuts their division lead to just a half game heading into what should be the last series of the first half.

Austin Bergner got the start in this one. He didn’t get much help from his teammates as the SeaWolves only had three hits. Bergner cruised through three innings but in the fourth he allowed a pair of singles and a walk to allow a run. Errors on Trei Cruz and then Jim Jarvis cost him two unearned runs after getting ground balls that should’ve gotten them out of the inning. Bergner allowed one more run in the fifth before departing.

Justice Bigbie hit a solo shot in the top of the eighth to cut a 4-0 lead down to 4-1, but in the bottom half of the inning Yosber Sanchez saw another Jarvis throwing error extend the inning and the Curve scored a run against him and then two more came in after RJ Petit took over.

Bigbie: 1-3, R, RBI, HR

Liranzo: 1-4

Bergner (L, 4-3): 5.0 IP, 4 R, 2 ER, 6 H, 2 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: The SeaWolves welcome in the Chesapeake BaySox for six starting on Tuesday night.

West Michigan Whitecaps 13, Lansing Lugnuts 1 (box )

With the first half divisional title and a postseason berth already secured, the Whitecaps could’ve phoned it in this weekend. Instead they won on Saturday with their stars getting a day off, and then came back out to maul the Lugnuts again for old time’s sake to win the series five games to one.

With the gang all reassembled after a few days off for Josue Briceño for undisclosed reasons, they got to work immediately. Kevin McGonigle walked with one out in the top of the first, and after a Max Clark strikeout, Briceño drilled an RBI double to center field for a 1-0 lead.

Hayden Minton has done well since his promotion from Lakeland a few weeks ago, and he was solid again in this one. The right-hander features a good slider, though his fastball is pretty average for the level, and he tossed four innings of one run ball with no earned runs allowed and three strikeouts. Errors on McGonigle at shortstop and Izaac Pacheco at third were entirely responsible for that lone run.

The Whitecaps were quiet for a few innings, but Max Clark led off the fifth with a triple and scored on a John Peck single to make it 2-1. In the sixth, Ben Malgeri doubled and scored on a Clark single. Austin Murr pinch-hit for Briceño and singled, while a Peck single scored Clark for a 4-1 lead.

CJ Weins and Trevin Michael each spun a pair of scoreless frames to get this to the top of the ninth, where the Lugnuts imploded completely.

The Whitecaps scored eight runs in the inning. Three straight singles produced one run before McGonigle doubled in a pair and then took third on the play. He scored on a Clark ground out, and then two walks and an error loaded the bases for Luke Gold, who mashed a grand slam to left to finish the job.

Gold: 3-6, 2 R, 4 RBI, HR

Peck: 3-6, R, 2 RBI, K, SB

Clark: 2-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 3B, BB, K, CS

Stephenson: 2-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 BB, SB

McGonigle: 1-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB

Minton: 4.0 IP, R, 0 ER, 3 H, BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The Whitecaps come home to tangle with the Brewers affiliate, the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers this week. McGonigle and Clark aren’t going to be around West Michigan much longer, but we’ll see if the Detroit Tigers give the Whitecaps fanbase at least one last chance to see them this week before they’re promoted to Double-A Erie.

Lakeland Flying Tigers 11, Palm Beach Cardinals 4 (box )

The Flying Tigers offense erupted on Father’s Day to split the series with the Cardinals.

They jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first when Jackson Strong reached on an error with one out. Franyerber Montilla singled, and Cristian Santana blasted his fourth home run of the series and ninth on the year. A parade of walks from Cardinals pitching pushed across two more runs in the top of the second.

Gabriel Reyes got the start, but a 33 pitch second inning in which he gave up a pair of runs ended his outing prematurely. Ethan Sloan took over but allowed a run in the third, so it was 5-3 Lakeland heading into the fourth inning.

Woody Hadeen led off the top of the fourth with a single and took second on a wild pitch. Jackson Strong drew a walk, and a ground ball from Franyerber Montilla saw Hadeen thrown out at third, but the attempt to get Hadeen at first went awry as third baseman Cade McGee threw the ball away. Strong scored, and Montilla ended up on third base. Santana and Garrett Pennington drew walks to load the bases, and a Carson Rucker sacrifice fly scored Montilla for a 7-3 lead. They weren’t done yet either. Stephen Hrustich doubled to left to make it 9-3 before the Cardinals got out of the inning.

Duque Hebbert took over for Lakeland and tossed three innings of one-run ball. Sergio Tapia singled in Hrustich in the sixth, and then launched a solo shot in the top of the ninth.

Moises Rodriguez, Thomas Bruss, and Ryan Harvey each threw a perfect inning of relief.

Santana: 1-4, 2 R, 3 RBI, HR, BB, 2 K

Tapia: 2-5, R, 2 RBI, HR, K

Montilla: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, 2 BB, K

Strong: 1-4, 2 R, 2 BB

Reyes: 2.0 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, BB, 2 K

Hebbert (W, 3-1): 3.0 IP, ER, H, 0 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: The Flying Tigers hold a two game lead in the division over second place Clearwater with just a week left in the first half. They’ll travel to Fort Myers to battle the Mighty Mussels this week. Win the series and a postseason berth should be assured unless Clearwater sweeps Dunedin this week.