Toyota Road Report: July 9-14

July 8, 2024 – Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release

Approaching the All-Star Break, plus being in the second half of the Midwest League season, that means one thing. Every single series is going to equal a big series the rest of the way. In the final six games prior to the midsummer classic, the South Bend Cubs will take on an old East Division rival, the Dayton Dragons, out in Ohio.

It’s the first time the Cubs have been back to Dayton since 2022, and Dayton came to Four Winds Field last season. The National League Central vibe on South Bend’s schedule also continues, after South Bend just got done with the Cardinals affiliate, the Peoria Chiefs, over the last week. Dayton is the long standing affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, with names like Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Hunter Greene, and Johnny Cueto all passing through at one point.

South Bend finds themselves six games back in the West Division, behind the leading Cedar Rapids Kernels. The Cubs could use a series win to get themselves back in the hunt. For Dayton, they’re in a battle in the East Division, two games behind the West Michigan Whitecaps. Large series for both clubs, and this will be an important stretch to try and take some momentum into the break.

For Dayton, the Dragons are managed by former Kane County Cougars skipper Vince Harrison, the brother of longtime big league player Josh Harrison. Vince spent 2019 with Kane County, that organization’s final year in the Midwest League. Fun side note, South Bend manager Nick Lovullo played with the Cougars in their time so far as an Independent ball franchise, and now they meet as managers. The Kane County affiliate at that time? The Arizona Diamondbacks. Of course, Lovullo’s father, Torey, is the manager of the DBacks.

Now managing in the Reds organization, Harrison has led Dayton to a 42-39 record, and are in the hunt in the East. The Dragons have plenty of top Cincinnati MiLB system talent, including former first-round picks Cam Collier, Sal Stewart, and Jay Allen II.

Collier, Stewart, and Allen. All of them not a day over 22-years-old. Allen is the oldest of that bunch, drafted in the supplemental section of the first-round back in 2021. Allen came to the Midwest League late last season, as we never saw him, and struggled, striking out 40 times in about 90 at-bats. This season though, he has vastly improved from hitting under the Mendoza Line. The average is at .230, but he’s displaying nice power with nine homers.

Collier,…