Whitecaps Eye Midwest League Finals in Game 2 at LMCU

The West Michigan Whitecaps are one win away from advancing to the Midwest League Championship Series. After taking the opener on the road, 7–2, the ‘Caps return to LMCU Ballpark tonight with a chance to close out their best-of-three series against the Lake County Captains. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.

Fans can watch the game live on the Bally Sports Live app or listen on MiLB’s official broadcast feed: MiLB Audio – Listen Live. or listen locally on 106.1 FM (1340AM) The Ticket West Michigan.

Game 1 Recap: Bats and Bullpen Set the Tone

West Michigan wasted no time in getting to lefty Matt Wilkinson during the series opener at Classic Auto Group Park. Peyton Graham tripled in the first, and both Andrew Jenkins and Garrett Pennington drove in runs to stake the Whitecaps to a 2–0 lead.

The goal was to get to They extended the advantage in the second on Graham’s groundout, then again in the fourth when Woody Hadeen laced an RBI triple to make it 4–1. The decisive blow came in the seventh, when Izaac Pacheco launched a three-run homer to right, giving West Michigan a 7–2 cushion.

Izaac Pacheco cranks a 3-run homer to right to put the Whitecaps up 7-2 in the 7th. pic.twitter.com/iy9QxuJAud

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) September 10, 2025

The pitching staff, led by Joe Miller and three relievers, combined for 12 strikeouts and stranded 10 Captains on base. Even when Lake County loaded the bases in the ninth, Marco Jimenez shut the door with back-to-back strikeouts before inducing a flyout to end it.

Game 2 Preview: Hayden Minton Gets the Ball

The Whitecaps turn to right-hander Hayden Minton tonight, a 2023 ninth-round pick out of Missouri State who has quickly climbed Detroit’s system.

• 2025 Season Overall: 8–2 record, 3.22 ERA, 103 strikeouts in just over 100 innings, WHIP around 1.09.

• At West Michigan: ERA of 3.63 and WHIP of 1.15 across his High-A starts.

• Pitching Profile: Mixes a mid-90s fastball with a sharp slider and changeup, typically pounds the strike zone, and has shown an ability to escape jams without letting innings unravel.

Minton’s ability to command the strike zone and avoid the “big mistake pitch” will be critical against a Lake County lineup that features contact hitters like Nick Mitchell and Jaison Chourio, both of whom reached base multiple times in Game 1.

What’s Next

If West Michigan wins, they will secure their first Midwest League Finals appearance since 2022. Their opponent will be either Beloit or Cedar Rapids; Beloit leads that series 1–0.

With home-field advantage and a trip to the championship on the line, tonight’s matchup at LMCU Ballpark promises to be the Whitecaps’ biggest game of the year so expect the Whitecaps fans to be in full force. They went 48-17 at home this season.