Daily Archives: 11:05 pm

RF Brian Myrow’s (photo) line drive into center field in the bottom of the 9th gave the Indianapolis Indians a walk-off win over the Columbus Clippers at Victory Field tonight. �For the second time in the game, the Indians came roaring back after the Clippers thought they had a definitive lead. �With a 7-5 lead going into the bottom of the 9th and the bottom of the Indians’ coming to the plate, the Clippers must have felt fairly secure. �1B Hector Gimenez, DH Robinzon Diaz, and SS Argenis Diaz had combined to go 2-for-9 earlier in the game, with Gimenez eking out a bunt single in the 4th inning�

(the Clippers’ pitcher Mike Gosling hoped it would roll foul but it never did), and Robinzon Diaz lining a double down the left field line in the 7th. �But with their closer Greg Aquino on the mound, this bottom of the 9th inning was going to be quick. �Right?

Hector Gimenez led off with a single up the middle into center field. �Pinch hitter Jeff Salazar, (photo) just moved onto the Tribe roster, trickled the first pitch he saw right back to the mound, but Aquino’s throw to first base was low and it bounced away from 2B Jesus Marchan who was covering first base. �Argeniz Diaz dropped down an excellent sacrifice bunt, moving Gimenez to third and Salazar to second. �That brought up CF Jose Tabata, who has been hitting very well since joining the Tribe (.321). �The Clippers elected to intentionally walk Tabata, to set up the potential double play, even though the next batter was 2B Pedro Lopez, who has also been on fire at the plate (.344). �Lopez worked the count full, then grounded to shortstop, and the Clippers seemed to have gotten the double play they’d wished for. �SS Niuman Romero had to watch the ball come at him around Jeff Salazar, who was running from second to third in front of him. �

Romero made the scoop and the flip to second base — but his flip was low and Jose Tabata was sliding in (a clean slide), and 2B Jesus Merchan dropped the ball for the second error in the inning. �Instead of a game-ending double play, they had no more outs and Gimenez had scored. �Clippers 7, Indians 6, and still one out, and the bases still loaded. �

[Photo: Tabata takes a swing]

Enter Brian Myrow, who had singled once earlier in the game. �Myrow took the first pitch for a ball. �Then he lined the next pitch into center field, and the base runners were going on contact. �Jeff Salazar scored easily, and Jose Tabata rounded third and tore for the plate as the throw came in from center field. �The ball got to C Damaso Espino who was trying to block the plate, a slide by Tabata and his leg hooking around as Espino tried for a swipey tag — and home plate umpire Alan Boyd was signaling safe! �The Indians erupted and pounded on Brian Myrow. �

” I was just trying to get something up so I didn’t hit a ground ball”, said Myrow in the post-game interview. �”I don’t run very well, so they would have gotten a double play (if he’d hit a grounder) and won the game. �But I was able to lift the ball in the air and get a hit.”

The Indians and Clippers combined for 28 hits in the game, along with the 15 total runs. �Indians’ starter Daniel McCutchen (photo) pitched 6 innings and allowed 4 runs on 10 hits and a walk, as the Clippers put at least one runner on base in every inning, and left 11 runners on base. �The Indians left 6 base runners on.

The Clippers took their first lead in the top of the 2nd inning. �Daniel McCutchen began the inning by walking DH Stephen Head. �Damasco Espino lined a double into left field, moving Head to third base. �Jesus Merchan followed with a single into left-center field, scoring Head with the first run of the game. �RF Mickey Hall bounced a ball back toward the mound, and McCutchen pounced�

on it and fired home, catching Damaso Espino in a run-down: �McCutchen to C Erik Kratz to 3B Neil Walker, and back to McCutchen, who applied the tag as Espino ran right into him. (photo sequence) McCutchen threw on to third base, where Kratz had run to cover. �Merchan slid in safely as the throw from McCutchen, which he had to avoid Espino to make, came in awkwardly to Kratz and bounced out of reach. �Hall also advanced to second base during the run down. �The respite was only temporary, though. �Niuman Romero blasted a 2-1 pitch to the Jackie Robinson (42) sign in the deepest part of Victory Field for a 2-run double, with Merchan and Hall both scoring. �McCutchen got CF Michael Brantley t
o fly out for the second ou
t of the inning, but�

LF Josh Barfield bounced a single off the left field foul line (chalk flying on the bounce) and into the corner, scoring Romero. �The inning ended when Jose Tabata ran back to the deep center field wall and made an over-the-shoulder catch at the wall of 1B Jordan Brown’s long fly ball.

The Indians tried to sneak a run across the plate in the bottom of the 1st inning. �Jose Tabata led off with a double into center field, and he moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Pedro Lopez. �Brian Myrow worked a walk. �Clippers’ starter Mike Gosling tried to pick Myrow off first base, and as soon as Gosling turned to make the throw to first, Tabata broke for the plate. �Unfortunately, the Clippers were not as surprised as Tabata and manager Frank Kremblas had hoped. �

1B Jordan Brown took the throw from Gosling and fired to the plate, beating Tabata by two or three steps. �An unusual risk to take in the first inning… but maybe it got the Tribe fired up.

Down 4-0 going into the bottom of the 3rd inning, the Indians made their first come back. �With two outs, Pedro Lopez lifted a light fly to short right field, which dropped in between the Clippers’ second baseman and right fielder for a single. �Brian Myrow followed with a line drive into left field. �Then LF Tagg Bozied crushed a very very long fly ball to the deepest part of left-center field, between Robinson’s (42) and the 418′ mark, about 425 feet total, for a 3-run home run. �It was Bozied’s 5th homer for the Indians. �Not to be outdone, two pitches later,�

Erik Kratz blasted a solo shot to straight away center field, 420 feet, for the Indians’ first back-to-back home runs since June 22nd. �(It was Garrett Jones and Kratz on that day.) �It was Kratz’s 10th home run of the season, but his first at Victory Field, and it tied the game at 4-4. �

[Photo: Erik Kratz is congratulated after his home run.]

The Indians managed only two hits over the next three innings: �Hector Gimenez’s bunt single in the 4th and a double to the base of the center field wall by Erik Kratz in the 6th. �Daniel McCutchen kept the Clippers scoreless over the middle innings too, but he had to work a lot harder. �He gave up two singles in the 3rd, one in the 4th, a double in the 5th plus a hit batter, and a double in the 6th. �By then he had thrown 108 pitches. �He left the game after the 6th, but since the score was tied, he was not going to figure into the decision. �

Juan Mateo (photo) came on in relief to begin the 7th inning, and that’s when the Clippers got their second lead. �Jordan Brown led off with a single lined into left-center field. �Tony Graffanino rolled a bunt slowly down the third base line, and by the time Neil Walker could get to it, it was too late to make the throw to first base. �Stephen Head put down another bunt for a sacrifice, moving the runners to second and third bases. �Damaso Espino singled, driving in both Brown and Graffanino to take the lead. �Jesus Merchan grounded deep behind second base, which Argenis Diaz was able to keep from going into center field. �But Diaz could not successfully make the flip to Pedro Lopez covering second base, and the ball got away from the middle infielders and trickled most of the way to first base, as Merchan was safe at first and Espino made it all the way to third. �Mickey Hall followed with a line drive into left field, and Espino was easily able to score from third base. �Finally, a grounder to second by Niuman Romero let Pedro Lopez begin an inning-ending 4-6-3 (Lopez to Argenis Diaz to Himenez) double play, but the Clippers had a 7-4 lead. �

[Photo: �Pedro Lopez makes the play]

Mateo came back out for the 8th inning. �Michael Brantley led off the inning with a line drive to the wall in the right-center field alley for a triple. �Mateo buckled down, getting Josh Barfield to pop up to Neil Walker at third. �The Indians tried a trick play on Jordan Brown, which didn’t really work. �After a coaching visit to the mound, and with a full count, Erik Kratz returned to the plate and held out his left hand to indicate an intentional ball for a walk. �As Mateo came to the plate, at the last second, Kratz hopped back down to take a “real” pitch. �Brown must have seen Kratz moving in time, though, because he was able to adjust and take a swing. �The swing resulted only in a sharp grounder to first, though, where Hector Gimenez made the unassisted put out for the second out of the inning. �A grounder to short ended the inning, leaving Brantley still standing on third base after his triple. �

The Indians scraped out one run in the bottom of the 7th. �Robinzon Diaz led off with a double down the left field line and into the corner. �He held at second base when Argenis Diaz bounced back to the pitcher Zach Jackson, who had relieved Mike Gosling, but a wild pitch allowed Robinzon Diaz to move to third base. �Jose Tabata brought him home with an RBI ground out. �The Indians had crept a bit closer, 7-5.

The Tribe went down in order in the bottom of the 8th. �Jean Machi allowed a lead-off double by Stephen Head and a walk to Mickey Hall in the 9th, but left both runners on base. �That made him the pitcher of record for the Indians in the bottom of the 9th, when the Clippers’ two errors and Brian Myrow’s walk-off single made Machi and the Indians winners. �It was Machi’s first win with the Indians. �

Indians’ Hitting Gem of the Game: �Brian Myrow’s walk-off single in the 9th, which brought in the tying and winning runs. �

Honorable mention: �Back-to-back home runs by Tagg Bozied (photo) and Erik Kratz.

Indians’ Defensive Gems of the Game: �Two double plays : �#1– In the 7th inning, a grounder by Niuman Romero to Pedro Lopez at second base started the 4-6-3 double play that ended the inning and the Clipper’s rally. �#2 — In the 5th inning, with Tony Graffanino on second after a double and Stephen Head on first after being hit by a pitch, Damaso Espino laid down what he hoped would be a sacrifice bunt. �But Daniel McCutchen was very quick off the mound. �He scooped up the ball and threw to Neil Walker at third, who dragged his foot across the bag, forcing out Graffanino. �Then Walker fired a long relay throw to first base in time to get Espino for the unexpected double play.

[Photo sequence: �In the first inning, Jose Tabata tries to steal home......

�

..... but he's out at the plate.]

NOTES:

Jeff Salazar has officially cleared waivers and was activated onto the Indians’ roster today. �

Pitcher Jason Davis was placed on the Disabled List, clearing a roster spot for Salazar. �Davis strained his quad muscle last week. �

In today’s Indianapolis Star: �an article by Mark Dent about the off-season activities of some of the Indians, particularly Daniel McCutchen, Brad Lincoln,�Jason Davis, and Steven Jackson.

And, in this morning’s Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Dejan Kovacevic talks about the various options the Pirates face in trying to decide which players are going to play where. �

Now, I have to admit, when the dust has settled — it looked to me, and to the people sitting with me, that Tabata was out at the plate. �But, umpire Alan Boyd was right there, not way up in the stands, and he had the best view. �And, the Indians can use a break.

Go Tribe!

[Photos by EmilP and by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]

Pirates’ prospects who will be participating:

LHP Danny Moskos�

LHP Donnie Veal

LHP Tony Watson

SS Brian Friday

SS Chase d’Arnaud

OF Jose Tabata�

Of the 5 lefty pitchers on the team, three come from the Pirates (12 pitchers total). �There are 3 catchers, including the Giants’ Buster Posey. �There are 8 infielders — one listed as a first baseman, one listed as a third baseman, and the other 6 all listed as shortstops. �(That could get a little crowded.) �The team also has 5 outfielders.

Because the Hawaiian Winter League no longer exists, and the proposed Junior AFL has yet to happen, this year each major league team was allowed to send two players who are currently at the class A level, rather than just one, though that didn’t happen to work out for the Pirates.�

Former Pirate farmhand Eric Krebs, who is now with the Dodgers, will be playing for the Peoria Javelinas. �

The AFL season begins on October 13th and lasts 6 weeks. �The last regularly scheduled games are played on November 19th, and the championship game is held on Saturday November 21st. �

Tim Alderson earned his 3rd win for the Curve and 10th overall for the season (against 2 losses) with some help from his friends — a 3-hit night for DH Ray Chang, and 2 hits each for CF Gorkys Hernandez and 1B Jason Delaney. �

The Curve threatened in the bottom of the 1st inning, loading the bases with two outs on singles by both Chang and Delaney, and a walk to SS Brian Friday. �That opportunity was lost as RF Miles Durham popped out to end the inning. �The Thunder did score in the top of the 2nd inning, when 3B Pedro Alvarez made a fielding error, and a double brought that base runner home. �The Curve responded with a big 4-run rally in the bottom of the frame. �Three doubles, by C Steve Lerud, LF Jeff Corsaletti, and Gorkys Hernandez brought in the first two runs. �Ray Chang singled, moving Hernandez to third base. �Alvarez’s RBI ground out scored Hernandez. �Then Jason Delaney singled to bring in Chang, and the Curve had a 4-1 lead. �

The Curve did not score again, though they had two runners on base in the 7th, when Hernandez and Chang opened the inning with back-to-back singles, and again in the 8th, when Durham singled and reached third base on subsequent plays, and Jeff Corsaletti was intentionally walked.

Alderson pitched 7 innings, and allowed the unearned run in the 2nd inning and an earned run in the 6th, on a double and an RBI single. �He gave up just 5 hits, no walks, and struck out one. �Alderson had to work around two more fielding errors, but was aided by a timely double play and a runner caught stealing. �Jared Hughes relieved Alderson to pitch the last two innings. �He also gave up an unearned run in the 8th inning on a double, a passed ball, and an RBI single. �

Ray Chang is hitting .327, and has gone 13-for-24 over his last 6 home games. �Jason Delaney continues to lead the Curve in RBI with 58. � Gorkys Hernandez has a 7-game hitting streak, tying his season-best.

Two early runs by the Hillcats were not enough when the Blue Rocks broke a 2-2 tie with a home run in the 7th inning. �In fact, all of Wilmington’s runs came on homers. �Ronald Uviedo pitched 5 innings for the Hillcats, and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks. �The first run came on a solo homer by the second batter in the top of the 1st inning. �Uviedo kept Wilmington scoreless for the next two innings, but then gave up another solo home run to lead off the 4th inning. �

The Hillcats scored in the bottom of the 1st inning, when SS Chase d’Arnaud led off with a double, moved to third base on 2B Josh Harrison’s sacrifice bunt, and scored on 3B Jordy Mercer’s RBI single. �A wild pitch moved Mercer to second base, and when 1B Matt Hague reached base on a fielding error, Mercer rounded third and headed for the plate. �He was out at the plate, though, on the throw in after the ball was recovered. �D’Arnaud started another rally in the 3rd inning with his third triple of the season. �He had to hold on third through a ground out to short and a fielder’s choice attempt that put Mercer on first base. �Mercer was picked off/caught stealing, but d’Arnaud still had to hold on third. �Finally, DH Jamie Romak singled into center field and d’Arnaud was able to score. �

With the score tied at 2-2, Uviedo kept the Blue Rocks from scoring in the 5th, and reliever Nate Adcock retired the side in order in the 6th. �Adcock got two ground outs in the 7th, then gave up a walk. �The next batter blasted a 2-run homer to give Wilmington a 4-2 lead. �Adcock pitched 2 more scoreless innings, but the Hillcats were not able to get any more runs across, and Adcock was charged with his first loss since joining Lynchburg.

The Power like playing on the road– this was their 12th straight win away from home. �Brett Lorin pitched 5 scoreless innings for the win, allowing 5 hits and a walk, with 2 strikeouts. �He worked around runners on base in each inning, but got out of it each time, aided by two timely double plays. �

The Power scored one run in the top of the 1st. �With two outs, C Tony Sanchez and DH Calvin Anderson hit back-to-back singles, and Sanchez scored when 1B Kyle Morgan reached base on a fielding error and a throwing error by the BG shortstop. �Anderson singled again with two outs in the 3rd inning, and Morgan followed with an out. �3B Bobby Spain singled in Anderson, but Morgan was out at third on the throw in from the outfield. �Morgan added another insurance run in the 8th inning with a solo home run. �

Casey Erickson relieved Brett Lorin for the final 4 innings. �He gave up the only BG run in the 6th inning on a single and an RBI double, then retired the next 6 batters, and allowed 3 hits over the final two innings. �Erickson earned his 5th save of the season.

Walks and errors helped the Spikes score 8 runs on just 7 hits. �The Spikes started the scoring in the 1st inning with 3 runs on�only one hit. �CF Evan Chambers walked, SS Ty Summerlin reached on a fielding error, and DH Justin Byler was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. �1B Aaron Baker’s ground out and a throwing error scored Chambers and Summerlin. 3B Pat Irvine walked, and RF David Rubinstein got the inning’s only hit — a single scoring Baker. �

Jamestown got one run back in the 3rd inning with a solo home run. �That was the only run that Phillip Irwin allowed in his 4 innings of work. �He gave up 5 other hits, no walks, and struck out 5 batters. �Nelson Pereira also pitched 4 innings, allowing only one hit, and no walks, while striking out another 5 batters. �Pereira earned his 4th win. �Teddy Fallon pitched a scoreless 9th inning. �

The Spikes continued to score, though. �Five walks in the 4th inning, plus a wild pitch brought in two more runs. �Aaron Baker tripled to lead off the 7th inning, and Pat Irvine’s RBI single brought him in with the Spikes’ 6th run. �Singles by Justin Byler and Aaron Baker led off the 9th inning, and after a walk to Pat Irvine, two wild pitches scored both Byler and Baker. �

Sandobal Septimo and Ryan Beckman combined to hold the Braves to just 4 hits and one run this afternoon. �Septimo scattered 3 hits and a walk over 4 innings, and took advantage of a pick-off throw by C Andrew Walker in the 1st inning and a double play in the 4th. �Beckman allowed only one hit, but it was a solo home run in the 5th for the Braves’ only run. �He also gave up two walks and struck out 4 batters.

The Pirates did their scoring in the early innings. �With two outs in the 1st inning, 1B Gerlis Rodriguez singled, and Andrew Walker was hit by a pitch. �Rodriguez scored on DH Jairo Marquez’s RBI single up the middle. �With two outs again in the 2nd inning, RF Melvin De La Cruz singled and stole second base. �He scored on 2B Gift Ngoepe’s RBI single. �

That was all the runs the Pirates needed. �They had a runner get as far as 3rd base twice more. In the 4th inning, Jairo Marquez singled and advanced to third base when 3B Henry Henry reached base on a fielding error. �In the 8th, SS Benjamin Gonzalez led off with a single. �He was out at second base when Gerlis Rodriguez bounced into a force out, leaving Rodriquez at first. �Andrew Walker also reached base on a fielding error, and that let Rodriguez move up to third base. �Both times, though, the Pirates were not able to bring the runners home.

3B Neil Walker and LF Tagg Bozied contributed 2 RBI each to give Brad Lincoln (photo) plenty of run support as he earned his third straight win at Victory Field tonight. �The win broke the Indians’ 3-game losing streak and gave Lincoln his 5th win with the Indians. �

Lincoln breezed through his 5 innings of work. �He needed only 63 pitches (43 strikes) to keep the Clippers scoreless. �Lincoln gave up only two hits, both singles to Columbus DH Stephen Head, and after the first batter he faced, LF Josh Barfield, flied out to right field, no other out occurred in the outfield. �Lincoln retired the first 5 batters, then gave up the first single to Head in the 2nd inning — a liner up the middle that just barely eluded SS Argenis Diaz’s dive. �Then he retired the next 8 batters, until he faced Head again in the 5th inning. �Head again singled into center field, but this time he was quickly erased when 1B Damaso Espino bounced into a double play, Argenis Diaz to 2B Pedro Lopez (photo below)�to 1B Jeff Clement (6-4-3).

The Tribe offense got started in the bottom of the 1st inning. �Pedro Lopez and RF Brian Myrow both lined singles into right field, and Myrow’s moved Lopez over to third base. �Jeff Clement picked up his 21st RBI with the Indians on a sacrifice fly to bring in Lopez. �

The 1-0 lead held over the next two innings, when the Indians went down quietly. �3B Neil Walker had the only hit over those innings, when he lined a single into left-center field. �He was eliminated moments later, though, when DH Robinzon Diaz bounced into a double play.�

With one out in the 4th inning, Jeff Clement worked a walk off Clippers’ starter Ryan Edell. �LF Tagg Bozied followed the walk with a double off the center field wall at the 405-foot mark, and the Indians had two runners in scoring position for Neil Walker. �Walker (photo below) lifted a double just over Clippers’ 3B Wes Hodges and into left field, scoring both Clement and Bozied. �

Those were Walkers’ 63rd and 64th RBI of the season. �That was all the Indians could get in that inning, as Edell buckled down and struck out both C Erik Kratz and Robinzon Diaz to end the inning. �

The Tribe threatened again in the 5th. �Argenis Diaz opened the inning with a line drive into right field. �CF Jose Tabata dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Diaz to second base. �Pedro Lopez singled into right field, and Diaz took off. �As he approached third base, manager Frank Kremblas waved him around, and Diaz headed for the plate. �But Clippers’ RF Jordan Brown made an on-target throw to the plate, and C Lou Marson plunked himself down in front of the plate, blocking it completely. �The slender Diaz could not get around, under, or through Marson, and he was out at the plate. �

The Pirates have dictated that their minor league pitchers be limited in how many total innings they pitch in the season, so that they do not far exceed the number of innings they pitched in the previous season. �Pitchers who are approaching their season-limit are not prevented from pitching, but they are held to fewer innings in their outings during these last few weeks of the season. �Brad Lincoln was told prior to the game that he would be pitching no more than 5 innings today, so despite the fact that he had dominated the Clippers and had only thrown 63 pitches, he was removed after the 5th inning. �

Jon Meloan (photo) came on to relieve Lincoln and begin the 6th. �He pitched 2 innings, with 3 strikeouts and 3 fly outs, marred by only one hit — that hit was a solo home run over the right field corner by SS Niuman Romero, for the only run the Clippers would score. �

Corey Hamman pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 8th, with one strikeout. �Jeff Sues pitche the 9th, and made things almost a little too interesting. �He walked the first batter he faced, Niuman Romero, and then gave up a single to LF Josh Barfield (who hit yesterday’s game winning homer). �With runners on the corners, Sues bore down and struck out Jesus Merchan. �Then he got Jordan Brown and Wes Hodges to fly out to end the game. �

Indians’ Hitting Gems of t
he Game: �The 2-run homer by Tagg Bozied, his 4th of the season, in the 8th, �and the 2-RBI double by Neil Walker, his 30th of the season, in the 4th.

Indians’ Defensive Gem of the Game: �Five scoreless innings of work, with only 2 singles, by starter Brad Lincoln.

Brad Lincoln …………… � � � Jeff Sues

NOTES:

�update on the Mariott hotel going up across the street from Victory Field: �lots of glass, which looks very blue. �

Go Tribe!

[Photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]