“They’re playing hard, they’re doing little things and they’re getting rewarded for it,” manager Bryan LaHair said. “They’re finding ways to score as a team, they’re finding ways to shut innings down, and the defense. It’s a team effort.”
The Dragons won their fourth straight game, their 10th in their last 11, and are 19-13 in the second half. They lead Fort Wayne, a loser Wednesday to Great Lakes, by one game and West Michigan and Great Lakes by three games.
“I feel good for them,” LaHair said. “We’re not satisfied, we’re still not out of the woods, we still have to keep playing hard, we still have to keep showing up every day and getting our work in and getting better. The goal is for these guys to develop and get better every day, so hopefully one day they can help the Reds. Winning’s a byproduct of obviously their talent, their gifts and the way they work.”
The offense came together in the fifth with four runs to erase an early deficit. Jack Rogers singled with one out, Jay Allen II walked and Beloit changed pitchers. Edwin Arroyo singled on the second pitch to tie the score. Then Austin Callahan doubled in two runs on the next pitch for a 3-1 lead. The final run scored on Cade Hunter’s slow grounder to first.
“Our situational hitting has been on point being able to have good at-bats when we have runners on base and especially in scoring position,” Callahan said.
Chris McElvain (1-1) allowed one run and three hits in five innings. After three starts of allowing four earned runs apiece, McElvain was back in the form of his first two starts with the Dragons when he allowed one run over nine innings.
Brooks Crawford, who has pitched well in recent outings and carries a 3.60 ERA, faced runners at second and third with no outs in the seventh after a single, walk and wild pitch. He struck out the next two and got a ground out to end the inning.
“He’s been in that situation several times before, but he’s just trying to make one good pitch after another,” LaHair said. “And it’s good to see.”
Yiddi Cappe led off the Beloit eighth with a deep pop up toward the left-field line that looked like a sure hit. But Arroyo ran it down from shortstop.
“It’s one of those momentum grabbers where you think they’re gonna get a little bloop in there and get some momentum going,” LaHair said. “He comes out of nowhere and takes it out of the sky. It’s fun to watch.”
Callahan had three hits, including another double, to raise his league-leading total to 33. He leads the Dragons regulars with a .261 batting average and is one of the team’s top hitters in on-base percentage (.327), slugging percentage (.440) and OPS (.767).
“He’s a calm guy, and he’s just been consistent,” hitting coach Eric Richardson said. “If you see him swing at a bad pitch or take a good pitch, he’s all about the next pitch. Those are characteristic sof a guy who’s confident in his ability and what he can do. At the next level that plays well.”
Bullpen addition: Right-hander Andrew Moore came to the Reds a year ago in the Luis Castillo trade along with Arroyo, Noelvi Marte and Levi Stoudt. On Wednesday he was activated from the injured list and joined the Dragons after an injury rehab assignment with the Reds rookie team in Arizona.
Moore’s fastball has regularly reached 98 mph. With Seattle’s Low-A affiliate, Modesto, in 2022, Moore posted 1.95 ERA in 25 games with 58 strikeouts in 32 innings.
FRIDAY’S GAME
Sky Carp at Dragons, 7:05 p.m., 980
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