The Bowling Green Hot Rods’ unprecedented hot streak continued with a 5-2 win over West Michigan on Tuesday at Bowling Green Ballpark.

Bowling Green (67-46 overall, 30-14 second half) secured its fifth straight home series victory, taking three of four games from the Whitecaps and improving to 22-5 over the last 27 games. 

The Hot Rods have two nine-game win streaks during the stretch, which has already surpassed two long win streaks by the 2013 Hot Rods. BG opened the 2013 season with an 18-6 mark and ended the season with a 15-4 record to clinch a playoff spot. It’s the last time Bowling Green has appeared in the postseason.

“It’s definitely special,” BG manager Reinaldo Ruiz said. “Our boys are playing really hard with a lot of energy and they are doing the little things. They are moving runners over, making (defensive) plays, pitching well. When you start doing those things, you are going to have some success.”

Bowling Green took another step closer to ending that playoff drought with Tuesday’s win.

Manny Sanchez turned a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead with an opposite field three-run homer in the second inning – his 12th of the season and eighth since July 10.

Zacrey Law added an RBI single in the fifth and Kewby Meyer capped the scoring with an RBI triple.

West Michigan (60-50, 21-22) got a run back in the seventh, but couldn’t get any closer.

Blake Bivens earned the win to improve to 6-3 on the season, allowing one run and two hits with six strikeouts in six innings. Roel Ramirez went the final three innings to earn his third save of the season.

Meyer finished with two hits for the Hot Rods.

With the victory, Bowling Green maintains an 11-game lead over Lake County among teams competing for a playoff spot in the second half. The Hot Rods’ magic number to clinch is 16.

“The chemistry is huge right now,” Ruiz said. “Everybody is getting along and they know they have a chance to make the playoffs.”

WORKHORSE

Bivens continues to give the Hot Rods length in the rotation, racking up another six innings on Tuesday.

The right-hander has worked at least five innings in all 12 of his starts since joining Bowling Green on May 30 and lowered his ERA to 2.75 after Tuesday’s strong outing.

“He’s been doing a really good job,” Ruiz said. “He’s very confident on the mound. He’s very solid right now. He’s given them a quality start every time and that’s what we ask from him.”

UP NEXT

The Hot Rods open a four-game series at Fort Wayne (Ind.) at 6:05 p.m. CDT on Wednesday.

Left-hander Genesis Cabrera (8-4, 3.77) is scheduled to start for Bowling Green. Cabrera earned his first win since June 26 in his last start at Lansing (Mich.) on Aug. 4, allowing two runs in five innings. He is 1-0 in two appearances against Fort Wayne this season, despite allowing six earned runs in 9 1/3 innings.

Anderson Espinoza (0-1, 4.26) is scheduled to start for Fort Wayne. Espinoza was acquired in the deal that sent Drew Pomeranz from San Diego to Boston last month. He was the No. 4 prospect in the Boston system, according to MILB.com at the time of the deal.

— Follow Bowling Green Hot Rods reporter Micheal Compton on Twitter @mcompton428 or visit bgdailynews.com.