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Jul. 25—The Dayton Dragons didn't really need a theme this week, but they have one.
Late-game heroes.
On Tuesday, the Dragons scored three runs in the ninth and won in the 10th on Jacob Friend's sacrifice fly. On Wednesday, Ryan McCrystal singled in the winning run in the ninth. On Thursday, Victor Acosta played hero all night by scoring three runs with no assistance.
Friday, July 24 was Reds' No. 3 prospect Tyson Lewis' turn to wear the hero's cape. He didn't wear the flashy green cleats he's been sporting, opting for traditional black. Green would have clashed with the Friday night orange jerseys.
But did he ever clash with a pitch in the eighth inning. With two outs and McCrystal on second with a leadoff double, the left-handed hitting Lewis blistered the baseball on a line drive to left for a two-run homer, the difference maker in the Dragons' 9-7 victory over Cedar Rapids, their fifth win in a row.
"We've kind of been doing it all week, and honestly, since I've been here, we've just been fighting 'til the last out every night," Lewis said. "Tonight it was me, but it seems like every night someone's always been coming through. It's been fun to play with these guys."
The only question about Lewis' homer was whether it was high enough to clear the wall in the left-center alley. McCrystal saw that it was over the outfielder's head and was sprinting for home. He didn't slow down until he got the sign that the ball cleared the wall.
"Oh my gosh!" was manager Julio Morillo's reaction. "You see how that thing came off the bat? It's like a righty hitting a lefty."
The homer was Lewis' third since joining the Dragons on June 30.
"I was just telling myself be on time," Lewis said. "I faced that guy early in the week and kind of knew what he had. I saw that big curveball pop, and I just told myself to keep my direction and hit that ball up the field and ended up hitting it pretty well."
The Dragons secured a Midwest League playoff spot by winning the East Division first-half title. Their best hitters were promoted to AA Chattanooga. Lewis, 20, came to Dayton to help fill the void. He's hitting .304 and has advanced from the bottom third of order to the middle third. Lewis was drafted as a shortstop out of high school in 2024, but he's playing third base exclusively for the Dragons.
Morillo said after a bit of slow start at third he's seeing Lewis grow well into the position. He likes the pop in Lewis' bat. But the game changer he sees is work ethic and a professional approach.
"How he goes about his business, everything, weights, recovery, hitting, defense, game knowledge — he wants to be the best," Morillo said.
Lewis is a priority prospect so he is an everyday player. Morillo said Lewis doesn't want any days off.
"You love to see that," he said. "That's 80% of the battle — how good of preparation you do and how good you are with your job. And after that you just go play the game."
The Dragons (52-40, 13-13 second half) started fast with a 4-1 lead after two innings. Julio Carerras and Lewis each knocked in a run in the first inning. Mason Neville and McCrystal collected an RBI apiece in the second on groundouts.
But by the fifth inning the Kernels led 7-5 and the game started to resemble Tuesday's 14-13 Dragons victory in 10 innings. Dragons starter Deivi Villafana's debut started well with one run through three innings. But the Kernels got to him for six runs in the fourth and fifth.
Friend kept the Tuesday vibe alive when he launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score 7-7. From there a pitchers' duel ensued, interrupted only by Lewis' laser.
Over the final three innings, well-traveled reliever Bryce Hubbart was Robin to Lewis' Batman. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out six.
"Bryce is awesome, man," said catcher Diego Omana. "I catch Bryce in Double A in the beginning of the year. I know him, his pitches and it's nasty."
Hubbart joined the team Friday and allowed a hit to start the seventh and hit the next batter. The Kernels bunted them to second and third. But he struck out the next batter to begin a string of retiring the final eight batters he faced. His three innings were a big help to a bullpen that has seen heavy use this week.
The Reds drafted Hubbart out of Florida State in 2022 in the third round. He was ranked the Reds' No. 20 prospect. But Hubbart's career has not progressed as expected. This is his fourth season, and he's pitched at all four minor-league levels this summer. This is his third tour with the Dragons.
"He said today, 'I still have a locker, so as long as I still have a locker, I'm gonna do everything I can so I can achieve my dream,'" Morillo said.
Omana, from Venezuela, saw rare action because he speaks Spanish. Morillo said Omana will catch Villafana, who is from the Dominican Republic, the rest of the season.
Omana hadn't started since June 19 and had only two at-bats since. But he was one of four Dragons with three hits, joining regulars Lewis, McCrystal and Acosta.
"It's awesome because I didn't play too much in a while," Omana said. "I just bring energy to the team, get the pitchers ready for the game. And when I get the opportunity, have fun. That's going to happen when you practice hard and are coming with good energy every day."
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Complete Dragons Coverage
Dayton Dragons partner with Water Street District for 'Star Wars'-themed block party
Dayton Dragons: Acosta, pitching, clean play lead to 4th straight win
Dayton Dragons return to TV this weekend — here's how to watch all three games
Dayton Dragons: McCrystal stars in second straight walk-off win
Dayton Dragons: Friend sacrifice fly caps comeback victory in 10th
Continue reading...
Late-game heroes.
On Tuesday, the Dragons scored three runs in the ninth and won in the 10th on Jacob Friend's sacrifice fly. On Wednesday, Ryan McCrystal singled in the winning run in the ninth. On Thursday, Victor Acosta played hero all night by scoring three runs with no assistance.
Friday, July 24 was Reds' No. 3 prospect Tyson Lewis' turn to wear the hero's cape. He didn't wear the flashy green cleats he's been sporting, opting for traditional black. Green would have clashed with the Friday night orange jerseys.
But did he ever clash with a pitch in the eighth inning. With two outs and McCrystal on second with a leadoff double, the left-handed hitting Lewis blistered the baseball on a line drive to left for a two-run homer, the difference maker in the Dragons' 9-7 victory over Cedar Rapids, their fifth win in a row.
"We've kind of been doing it all week, and honestly, since I've been here, we've just been fighting 'til the last out every night," Lewis said. "Tonight it was me, but it seems like every night someone's always been coming through. It's been fun to play with these guys."
The only question about Lewis' homer was whether it was high enough to clear the wall in the left-center alley. McCrystal saw that it was over the outfielder's head and was sprinting for home. He didn't slow down until he got the sign that the ball cleared the wall.
"Oh my gosh!" was manager Julio Morillo's reaction. "You see how that thing came off the bat? It's like a righty hitting a lefty."
The homer was Lewis' third since joining the Dragons on June 30.
"I was just telling myself be on time," Lewis said. "I faced that guy early in the week and kind of knew what he had. I saw that big curveball pop, and I just told myself to keep my direction and hit that ball up the field and ended up hitting it pretty well."
The Dragons secured a Midwest League playoff spot by winning the East Division first-half title. Their best hitters were promoted to AA Chattanooga. Lewis, 20, came to Dayton to help fill the void. He's hitting .304 and has advanced from the bottom third of order to the middle third. Lewis was drafted as a shortstop out of high school in 2024, but he's playing third base exclusively for the Dragons.
Morillo said after a bit of slow start at third he's seeing Lewis grow well into the position. He likes the pop in Lewis' bat. But the game changer he sees is work ethic and a professional approach.
"How he goes about his business, everything, weights, recovery, hitting, defense, game knowledge — he wants to be the best," Morillo said.
Lewis is a priority prospect so he is an everyday player. Morillo said Lewis doesn't want any days off.
"You love to see that," he said. "That's 80% of the battle — how good of preparation you do and how good you are with your job. And after that you just go play the game."
The Dragons (52-40, 13-13 second half) started fast with a 4-1 lead after two innings. Julio Carerras and Lewis each knocked in a run in the first inning. Mason Neville and McCrystal collected an RBI apiece in the second on groundouts.
But by the fifth inning the Kernels led 7-5 and the game started to resemble Tuesday's 14-13 Dragons victory in 10 innings. Dragons starter Deivi Villafana's debut started well with one run through three innings. But the Kernels got to him for six runs in the fourth and fifth.
Friend kept the Tuesday vibe alive when he launched a two-run homer in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score 7-7. From there a pitchers' duel ensued, interrupted only by Lewis' laser.
Over the final three innings, well-traveled reliever Bryce Hubbart was Robin to Lewis' Batman. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out six.
"Bryce is awesome, man," said catcher Diego Omana. "I catch Bryce in Double A in the beginning of the year. I know him, his pitches and it's nasty."
Hubbart joined the team Friday and allowed a hit to start the seventh and hit the next batter. The Kernels bunted them to second and third. But he struck out the next batter to begin a string of retiring the final eight batters he faced. His three innings were a big help to a bullpen that has seen heavy use this week.
The Reds drafted Hubbart out of Florida State in 2022 in the third round. He was ranked the Reds' No. 20 prospect. But Hubbart's career has not progressed as expected. This is his fourth season, and he's pitched at all four minor-league levels this summer. This is his third tour with the Dragons.
"He said today, 'I still have a locker, so as long as I still have a locker, I'm gonna do everything I can so I can achieve my dream,'" Morillo said.
Omana, from Venezuela, saw rare action because he speaks Spanish. Morillo said Omana will catch Villafana, who is from the Dominican Republic, the rest of the season.
Omana hadn't started since June 19 and had only two at-bats since. But he was one of four Dragons with three hits, joining regulars Lewis, McCrystal and Acosta.
"It's awesome because I didn't play too much in a while," Omana said. "I just bring energy to the team, get the pitchers ready for the game. And when I get the opportunity, have fun. That's going to happen when you practice hard and are coming with good energy every day."
Close
Dayton Dragons partner with Water Street District for 'Star Wars'-themed block party
*
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Dayton Dragons: Acosta, pitching, clean play lead to 4th straight win
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Dayton Dragons return to TV this weekend — here's how to watch all three games
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Dayton Dragons: McCrystal stars in second straight walk-off win
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Dayton Dragons: Friend sacrifice fly caps comeback victory in 10th
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Complete Dragons Coverage
Dayton Dragons partner with Water Street District for 'Star Wars'-themed block party
Dayton Dragons: Acosta, pitching, clean play lead to 4th straight win
Dayton Dragons return to TV this weekend — here's how to watch all three games
Dayton Dragons: McCrystal stars in second straight walk-off win
Dayton Dragons: Friend sacrifice fly caps comeback victory in 10th
Continue reading...
