TODAY’S GAME
Great Lakes (Mich.) at Dayton, 7 p.m., 980
Pitcher Ismael Guillon has faced the fiercest batters, first in his native Venezuela and now in the Midwest League. Worse, he’s undergone the dreaded Tommy John surgery to his pitching elbow.
But the Dragons hurler had never been up against anything like what recently landed him on the disabled list, a blister to his pitching thumb.
“First time that’s ever happened,” said Guillon, who started but didn’t get the win in a 7-3 defeat of the Great Lakes Loons (Dodgers) at Fifth Third Field on Monday night.
“It was really sore. … I don’t know; it just happened.”
That’s about the only thing that has slowed the progress of the lefty. He remains 2-0 and lowered his ERA to 2.89.
The Reds signed him as a free agent in 2010 after he blew out an elbow and missed the entire 2009 season recovering. A blister? He can handle that.
Guillon went four innings, allowing just two hits, three walks and striking out two.
“It’s huge to get him back,” Dragons pitching coach Tony Fossas said. “He’s only going to get better.”
Clean-up hitter Sebastian Elizalde smacked the fencing above the center field wall yellow line to stake the Dragons to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. He had three hits and raised his average to .314.
Second baseman Sammy Diaz added a two-run triple and scored two runs. Jamodrick McGruder also had three hits and two RBIs.
That made a winner of reliever Ryan Kemp (1-1). He went 2.2 innings and allowed two runs, just one earned.
Guillon spent all of last season with the Dragons and led the Midwest League in strikeouts and walks.
“I felt really happy that I could get back and be part of the team,” Guillon said. “It was really bad (being) on the DL.”
Dragons tales: Backup catcher Brandon Dailey suffered the indignity of having an intentional walk pitch get past him for a passed ball, which allowed the winning run in a 4-3 loss at Lansing on Sunday.
The Lugnuts had runners on first and third with no outs. The Dragons planned on intentionally loading the bases to create a force out. But Dailey leaned one way and what should have been ball four sailed over the plate.
Odds are the Dragons wouldn’t have wiggled out of that jam anyway, “but you never want it to end like that, to be the cause of it,” Dailey said on Monday. “Everyone was supportive.”
Dailey is behind the plate about once a week while regular catcher Joe Hudson gets a rest. An infielder all of his career, Dailey, from Brantford, Ont., was switched to catcher just last year.
- The Dragons will host the Loons today and Wednesday to wrap up the three-game series. The West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers) are at Dayton for three-game series Thursday through Saturday. After that the Dragons are on the road for two series and won't return home until Saturday, May 31.
Dayton is in the midst of playing 22 straight days – barring a rainout.
- The Dragons (25-17) entered Monday's game tied with West Michigan, both a half-game behind Midwest League Eastern Division leader South Bend. Three more teams are 4 to 6 games back.
Kane County (Ill.) continues to lead the Western Division.
- Right-handed pitcher Zack Weiss (2-1, 26.2 innings, 1.35 ERA) was placed on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis in his throwing arm.
- An announced crowd of 7,801 pushed the Dragons all-time national record home sellout streak to 1,004.
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