"That's something you can't really control," the 22-year-old left-hander said after his latest gem Friday night. "So I try not to think of it as much as possible and just go out and try to keep us in the game each time I go out there."

Kibler continued his dominant season, matching a career high with nine strikeouts over eight scoreless innings, as the West Michigan Whitecaps held on for a 4-3 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts at Fifth Third Ballpark.

Detroit's 30th-round pick in the 2007 First-Year Player Draft, Kibler gave up four hits en route to his fifth straight win and league-leading 14th of the season.

The Tigers' reigning Gulf Coast League Pitcher of the Year has held opponents to one earned run or fewer nine times in his last 10 outings, going 8-1 while lowering his ERA to a league-best 1.63.

"I'm really just throwing a lot of strikes and letting the defense work behind me," Kibler said. "I've been a contact pitcher, working the inside and outside of the plate."

Pitching five days after celebrating his birthday with an 8-2 victory over South Bend, Kibler faced one batter over the minimum through five innings before running into a little trouble in the sixth.

Moises Sierra led off the frame with a single and took second on catcher Alex Avila's errant pickoff attempt. Darin Mastroianni sacrificed before shortstop Audy Ciriaco fielded Justin Jackson's slow roller and fired home to nail Sierra.

"Ciriaco came up with a great play to make the throw home and Avila held on to it when [Sierra] charged into him," Kibler said.

The Michigan State product proceeded to set down seven of the next eight batters before the Whitecaps' bullpen nearly squandered a four-run lead in the ninth.

Noah Krol surrendered three runs on two hits and a walk without retiring a batter before Wilton Garcia restored order. He worked around a single and a walk with two strikeouts, leaving the bases loaded and registering his first save.

The outing was Kibler's best since he also fanned nine in a two-hit shutout at Great Lakes on Aug. 5. Despite his dominance at Class A, Kibler isn't openly campaigning for a shot at the next level before the season ends.

"Moving up in the organization is something I can't control," he said. "I'd like to think that I'd be able to hold my own at another level, but I just try to control the things I can control."

Ciriaco opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and Chris Carlson, Avila and Christopher White ripped successive RBI doubles in the seventh for West Michigan (25-28).

Lansing's Chi-Hung Chen (5-7) did his best to stay with Kibler, yielding one run on seven hits and two walks with four strikeouts over six innings.

Manny Rodriguez ripped a two-run triple in the ninth for the Lugnuts (30-24).