Dayton hold slight edge in division as end of first half nears

Dragons will play next seven games at home against Lake County
Joe Boyle had another strong start for the Dragons on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at DayAir Ballpark. He allowed one run, which is the first homer he has allowed this season, in four innings, three hits and struck out five. Photo by Jeff Gilbert

Joe Boyle had another strong start for the Dragons on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, at DayAir Ballpark. He allowed one run, which is the first homer he has allowed this season, in four innings, three hits and struck out five. Photo by Jeff Gilbert

The Dayton Dragons (38-24) hold a half-game lead over Great Lakes (38-25) with four games to play in the first half in the Midwest League East Division.

The Dragons lost 4-3 to the Cedar Rapids Kernels on Sunday and were off Monday. They open a seven-game series against Lake County (32-30) at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday at Day Air Ballpark. The series, which concludes Sunday, includes a doubleheader Wednesday.

Great Lakes, which has three games to play in the first half, opens a series Tuesday at Fort Wayne (26-37).

Several Dragons are swinging hot bats:

• Elly De La Cruz is hitting .360 with seven home runs and 22 RBIs in his last 22 games.

• Allan Cerda has six home runs and 14 RBIs in his last 16 games.

• Justice Thompson is hitting .292 with three home runs and 15 RBIs in his last 25 games.

On the mound, Dayton’s top pitchers are:

• Joe Boyle is 3-1 with a 0.78 ERA in 10 starts

• Connor Phillips is tied for the league lead in strikeouts (84) and leads the league in opponent batting average (.171).

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