Dayton Dragons return home three games out of first place

Jun. 9—After dropping a series against West Michigan, the Dayton Dragons return home three games out of first place in the Midwest League Division standings with nine games to play.

They’ll look to make a push toward securing a first-half playoff berth with a crucial series at home against Fort Wayne this week, beginning at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday, June 9, at Day Air Ballpark. The first half ends June 18.

Here’s everything you need to know heading into this week’s series with the TinCaps:

Last weekThe Dragons enter the homestand on a three-game losing streak. They took two of the first three games at West Michigan but fell to the Whitecaps 11-10 on Friday, 11-3 on Saturday and 8-0 on Sunday.

{span}On Sunday, the Dragons faced Detroit Tigers All-Star Tarik Skubal, who tossed five scoreless innings on an injury rehabilitation assignment. Skubal allowed only two baserunners over five innings and did not allow a runner to reach second base. He gave up two hits, striking out six and left the game with a 6-0 lead.{/span}

The Dragons were shut out for the third time this season and the first time since May 1.

What went rightDayton ranked in the top half of the Midwest League in multiple offensive categories last week, including hits, home runs, slugging percentage and OPS, but they weren’t able to translate that into runs. The Dragons scored 31 runs in the six-game series at West Michigan, ranking eighth in the league.

Player to watchDayton first baseman Carter Graham remains one of the hottest hitters in the Midwest League. Last week, he had nine hits with three home runs, one double and eight RBIs. He also walked five times and is reaching base at a .519 clip.

For the season, Graham is hitting .318 and is tied with shortstop Carlos Sanchez for the team lead. They rank fourth in the Midwest League.

What’s aheadThe Dragons have nine games remaining in the first half — six at home against Fort Wayne and three at Peoria. The first-half winner earns an automatic bid into the four-team Midwest League playoffs.

Dayton (31-26) is three games back of first-place Great Lakes (33-22) and 1.5 games back of second-place Lake County (32-24).

Great Lakes travels to West Division second-place Wisconsin (29-24) for a six-game series at, while Lake County hosts last-place West Michigan (20-37) this week.

The Dragons, who are 5-5 in their last 10 games, split a series with Fort Wayne in mid-May.