West Michigan first baseman Aaron Westlake has a leg kick to gear up his swing. But he would tell you that his upper body is more important to his mechanics than his lower. This was never more obvious to him than following his 0-for-5 game in the Whitecaps' series opener with the Great Lakes Loons on Saturday.

"I had a rough night last night, and I tried to shake it off," said Westlake, whose timing had been off since May 28, when his 1-for-23 skid at the plate began. "I was late in getting my hands ready. When that happens, my top hand doesn't work."

On Sunday, 10 fingers in sync led to a career-high seven RBIs. The Tigers' No. 18 prospect collected three hits, falling only a triple shy of the cycle in the Class A Whitecaps' 11-1 victory over the host Loons.

Coincidentally, Westlake's big blow in the game came in a critical situation. Slotted sixth in the lineup, the left-handed hitter lifted a three-run homer in the third inning against starter Ralston Cash.

"With a base open and two outs, as a hitter, you got to know they're not going to give you anything," he said. "He threw me a 3-1 changeup, left it up and I kept my hands back."

Westlake, Detroit's third-round draftee in 2011, also singled home a run in the first, was hit by a pitch in the fifth and doubled home two runs in the seventh. He grounded out in the eighth to complete his 3-for-4 day.

It was undoubtedly a welcome line in the box score. The former Vanderbilt standout entered play with a .211 batting average -- one point above his season low -- thanks to his .194 mark in May. He has a pair of three-hit games two months into season.

"Baseball is a game of failure," Westlake said. "The ones that are good, if they have a bad game, they brush it off."

He may delay pushing aside his seven-RBI total. Westlake more than doubled his previous single-game high: He drove in three on three occasions earlier in his career, most recently in a May 23 West Michigan win over Lake County.

"It's an accomplishment to have," said a nonplussed Westlake, who did enjoy a three-homer, six-RBI game that helped Vandy to the 2011 College World Series. "If there's a guy in scoring position [lately], I try to drive them in and don't.

"I'm trying to be consistent with my swing and not having these peaks and valleys."

Shortstop Eugenio Suarez helped the cause with his 4-for-6, three-run performance. Suarez collected the triple Westlake was missing.

Cash (0-1) gave up five runs on five hits over four frames.

Whitecaps starter Marcelo Carreno (2-4), a classic strike-thrower in Westlake's eyes, yielded one run on three hits and struck out six over five.