After six runs in the first three innings and a six-inning shutout by starter Justin Hancock, the TinCaps looked to be cruising to a win against Bowling Green on Thursday.FORT WAYNE – Lee Orr was Fort Wayne’s best source for power in the first half, hitting eight home runs.
There was an outage in the second half, as the first baseman hit just three home runs after the All-Star break.
The switch has been turned back on in the postseason, however, as Orr has hit three home runs in Fort Wayne’s five playoff games, powering the TinCaps during their postseason surge.
The TinCaps meet Wisconsin in the Midwest League championship series, which will begin at 7:35 tonight at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wis.
Fort Wayne is in the championship round for the second time in franchise history. The TinCaps won the title in 2009.
“It’s a good feeling. We’ve worked hard for the last six or seven months to get here. We win three more games and we’ll have it complete,” Orr said after Monday’s 13-6 victory over Lake County in Game 3 of the Eastern Division championship series.
Orr hit a solo home run in the contest, one of three homers for the TinCaps in the game. It was Orr’s second home run of the series. He had a solo home run in Game 2.
He also hit a home run to spark the rally in the final game of the first-round series against Lansing. He finished with three hits and three RBI in Game 2 against the Lugnuts.
“(I’m) just staying relaxed and getting back to the things that made me successful early on in the year,” Orr said. “I’m not trying to do too much. I’m just trying to have good at-bats, put good wood on it and good things will happen.”
A 13th-round pick in the 2011 draft out of McNeese State, Orr had a .211 batting average in the regular season. He had 11 home runs and 41 RBI, but he struck out 112 times.
In the postseason, the native of Louise, Texas, has a .375 batting average (6 for 16) with the three home runs and five RBI. He has also scored five runs.
“He’s one of those guys, in these three games (against Lake County) I think the reason why we won is him,” Fort Wayne manager Jose Valentin said. “He showed some power in this series.
“And he didn’t strike out as much. He still struck out, but he gave me some good at-bats. He put the ball in play. It’s nice to see him swing the bat the way he is. He was swinging and missing a lot, striking out a lot (in the second half).
“But it’s one of those situations, the way he finished in the first round, I said, ‘I have to take my chances with this guy. He’s my power guy. This is a new season, he might be my guy.’ And he did it.”
