Monthly Archives: August, 2009

A dramatic 9th inning gave the Indianapolis Indians a win over the Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio tonight. �With the score tied going into the top of the inning and one out, 3B Neil Walker lined a single over the head of the Mud Hens' SS Brent Dlugach. �C Erik Kratz (photo) worked the count full and fouled off a couple more pitches. � Then he lifted a long blast over the left field wall for a 2-run homer to give the Indians the lead for the first time in the game. �In the post-game interview, Kratz admitted that he "was able to fight off a few good pitches that maybe were balls or maybe were strikes.. I didn't really get my barrel on any of them except for a little dribbler down the line [foul ball]. �And then he [Toledo reliever Freddy Dolsi] came with something a little bit slower. �I don't know if it was a sinker or a splitter, but he left it out over the plate, and I was able to hit it."

That left reliever Juan Mateo to hold the Mud Hens in the bottom of the inning. �Mateo walked the first batter, 2B Scott Sizemore, on 5 pitches. �1B Don Kelly grounded to third base, where the ball bounced off Neil Walker's chest. �Walker was able to recover quickly and still had time to throw to first base to get his brother-in-law out. �

Mateo walked the dangerous 3B Mike Hessman on 4 pitches, and the Mud Hens had runners on first and second with one out. �CF Wilkin Ramirez, who has 17 homers and 50 RBI this season was up next. �Ramirez fouled off the first pitch from Mateo, and then lifted a long fly ball to right field, and all the fans in Fifth Third Field held their breaths �-- but RF Jose Tabata (photo) made an outstanding catch at the wall, then fired the ball back to the infield. �Sizemore and Hessman, like most in the stadium, though the ball was gone, so they were off and running. �Hessman was already past second base and had to re-trace his steps to touch second, but before he could scramble back to first base, Tabata's throw, relayed by 2B Jose Tabata, reached the bag first. �Hessman was doubled off, to end the game. �

The Indians were one step behind the Mud Hens for the first 8 innings. �Each time Toledo scored, the Indians also scored to catch up, but could not take the lead. �And, each time the Indians caught up, the Mud Hens quickly took another step forward again. �Neil Walker led the Indians at the plate with 3 hits. �DH Brian Myrow, who has been on a tear this week, had 2 hits and 2 RBI, as did Erik Kratz. �

Virgil Vasquez (photo) got the start for the Indians against his former teammates. �He made it �through two-plus innings, and though he only gave up one run on 5 hits, no walks, Vasquez threw 49 pitches (35 strikes). �He began the bottom of the 1st by giving up three consecutive hard line drives. �Luckily for Vasquez and the Tribe, the first of those liners, by DH Will Rhymes, was quickly recovered in the right field corner by Jose Tabata, and Tabata whirled and fired in to second base in time to beat Rhymes to the bag. �Scott Sizemore doubled into left field on the next line drive, and former Indy Indian (2007) Don Kelly singled into right field on the third liner, moving Sizemore to third base. �Vasquez got out of the jam by striking out Mike Hessman and getting Wilkin Ramirez to pop out. �That inning took Vasquez 26 pitches.

He had a little easier time in the second inning, needing only 14 pitches to retire the side. �He gave up a single to Brent Dlugach, but left him on base. �Vasquez began the bottom of the 3rd inning by giving up a single to Will Rhymes, using another 9 pitches. �That was all for Vasquez, as manager Frank Kremblas came out to the mound and took the ball from him. �While it was a higher-than-usual pitch count, it was still not horrible, and it had not yet reached the Pirates' organizational regulation limits (30 pitches in one inning and you're out). �Vasquez did not appear to be injured, and in fact he was visible in the dugout later in the game, so his early exit is still a bit puzzling.�

Jeremy Powell came on to relieve Vasquez, with no outs and a runner on first base. �The runner, Rhymes, moved to second base on a ground out, and he came around to score when Don Kelly tripled into right field (the run was charged to Vasquez). �Mud Hens 1, Indians 0.

The Indians caught right up. �They had gone down in order in the first two innings. �Neil Walker led off the top of the 3rd inning with his first single of the game, but was quickly erased when Erik Kratz bounced into a double play. �In the top of the 4th, CF Jeff Salazar led off with a walk, and he was bunted to second base by Pedro Lopez. �Brian Myrow (photo) singled through the hole and into right field, and Salazar was able to come around to score from second base, with the throw in from right field to the plate coming in too far up the third base line. �Score tied, 1-1. �LF Tagg Bozied grounded to SS Brent Dlugach deep behind second base, and he was credited with a hit, as Dlugach saw that Myrow had reached third base and was heading toward the plate. �Dlugach threw to C Dane Sardinha, who caught Myrow in a run-down and tagged him out on the base-paths. �

The Mud Hens took the lead again in the bottom of the 4th, taking advantage of two Indians' fielding problems. �WIth one out, Brent Dlugach walked. �RF Brent Clevlen singled through the hole and into left field. �When Tagg Bozied went to scoop up the ball with his bare hand, he missed it entirely. �Jeff Salazar was there to back up Bozied, but he also had to make two swipes before he could pick up the ball. �Clevlen went to second base and Dlugach was on third. �Dane Sardinha grounded sharply to third base, where Neil Walker fumbled the ball and had to pick it up again. �That extra second was enough so that Walker was too late to make the throw to the plate to tag out Dlugach. �He did make the throw across the diamond to get Sardinha, who is not particularly fast, and so was not charged with an error. �A strikeout ended the inning, but the Mud Hens were ahead again, 2-1. �

Jeremy Powell pitched 2 more innings for the Indians, allowing only one base runner, when he hit Mike Hessman with a pitch. �But the Indians were not able to score either, as the only base runner they managed in the 5th and 6th was a double by Erik Kratz. �

[Photo: �Neil Walker and Jeff Clement]

The Tribe tied the score again in the top of the 7th inning. �Brian Myrow led off with a walk, and he advanced to second base on a ground out by Jeff Clement. �Neil Walker grounded to deep at short, and Brent Dlugach was able to make the stop, but his throw to first base was rushed. �It sailed high and past 1B Don Kelly, and Walker reached safely, ruled a hit and a throwing error. �Myrow scored the unearned run (no RBI for Walker) on the error, and the score was tied at 2-2.

Once again, the Mud Hens wasted no time in retaking the lead. �In the bottom of the frame, Dane Sardinha lined into center field, and the ball got past Jeff Salazar's diving attempt. �Tagg Bozied was backing up Salazar, and he recovered the ball in time to keep Sardinha to a double. �Will Rhymes dropped down a bunt about half way to the mound, which Jeremy Powell was able to reach easily. �Powell whirled and fired to third base, but he was off-balance and the throw went way to Neil Walker's left and into left field, despite Walker's desperate dive. �That allowed Sardinha to score another unearned run, and the Mud Hens were up 3-2. �Another double, by Scott Sizemore, chased Powell from the game, and Jon Meloan took over on the mound. �Meloan walked Don Kelly to load the bases with no outs. �Meloan settled down and got Mike Hessman to pop up sky high to deep short, and all of the runners had to hold. �Then Meloan struck out Wilkin Ramirez and LF Jeff Frazier to end the inning and strand the three Mud Hens on base. �

Still the Indians refused to give up. �SS Argenis Diaz and Jeff Salazar opened the 8th inning with back-to-back singles. �Jose Tabata's grounder to short let the Mud Hens force out Salazar at second, but there was not time to complete a double play. �It moved Diaz to third base, and Tabata was on first. �Brian Myrow singled into right field, scoring Tabata to tie the score again. �

�

Juan Mateo took the mound to begin the 8th inning. �He gave up only a single to Brent Clevlen, keeping the tie intact. �That set up Neil Walker and Erik Kratz for the top of the 9th. �

The win moves the Indians back to .500 (66 -- 66), and gives them a 4-game hitting streak. �

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Erik Kratz's game winning home run in the top of the 9th inning. �It was his 11th homer of the season, and his second in two games.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Jose Tabata's catch of Wilkin Ramirez's long fly ball in the bottom of the 9th, and then being alert enough to fire back to the infield quickly for the game-ending double play. �

NOTES:

Neil Walker's 3-for-4 night raises his batting average to .262, and gives him a .344 average for the month of August, continuing his bid to convince the Pirates to give him a September call-up.�

Don't forget that tomorrow night's game from Toledo is scheduled to be broadcast in the Indianapolis area on WHMB- TV 40 at 7 pm. �

Go Tribe!

[Photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]

RF Brian Myrow is on a tear. �For the second time in a week, he collected 4 hits in this afternoon's game at Victory Field, including two home runs, and batted in another run. �Myrow has raised his batting average with the Indians to .317, (.299 for the whole season). �He has reached base safely in 9 of his last 10 games, going 19-for-41 in that period (.463) with 3 homers and 9 RBI. �For the month of August, he's hit .330 with 5 homers and 17 RBI.

CF Jeff Salazar (photo) also had 4 hits in today's game, and LF Tagg Bozied and SS Argenis Diaz contributed 2 hits each, giving starter Ty Taubenheim all the run support he'd need to earn his 6th win of the season. �

Myrow got the scoring started with his first home run in the bottom of the 1st inning. �With two outs, Myrow blasted a 1-2 pitch from Clippers' starter Ken Ray over the right field fence and to the sidewalk above the grass berm (380 feet). �Two innings later, Myrow contributed to the next Indians' rally as well. �

Argenis Diaz led off the bottom of the 3rd by driving a single into center field. �Jeff Salazar followed by dribbling a grounder down the third base line, slowly enough so that by the time Clippers' 3B Wes Hodges could get to it, Salazar was able to beat out the throw. �2B Pedro Lopez was next, and he grounded to first base, where 1B Stephen Head tried to make a back-handed play. �Instead of staying in his glove, though, the ball squirted away further into the infield grass, and further out of reach of both Head and the pitcher Ray. �

That loaded the bases�with no outs for Brian Myrow. �Myrow lined a single into left field, scoring Argenis Diaz from third. �Salazar advanced to third, but manager Frank Kremblas held him there. �Lopez stopped at second, but Myrow was a little excited and swung way around the first base bag and was about half way to second base before he realized that Lopez was already on second. �Myrow might have been able to get back to first base in time, but he slipped and fell on the basepath. �The extra seconds that it took him to hop back up was enough to give the Clippers time to throw to first and second and tag Myrow out. �That was the first out of the inning. �1B Jeff Clement bounced slowly to second base, allowing Salazar to score from third base, and the Tribe had a 3-1 lead. �The Tribe loaded the bases again with 2 outs, with Lopez on third base, Tagg Bozied hit by a pitch, and 3B Neil Walker taking a 4-pitch walk. �But the inning ended with a pop out by DH Larry Broadway, (photo, with 1B Stephen Head) leaving all three on base. �

Starter Ty Taubenheim (photo) alternated 1-2-3 innings with tougher innings. �He retired the Clippers in order in the 1st, 3rd, and 5th innings, striking out two in the 5th. �He worked around two singles in the 2nd -- a low liner into center field by Wes Hodges to open the inning, and a liner into right field by Stephen Head. �A fly out and a ground out ended that inning without a run scoring. �Taubenheim also gave up two singles in the 4th inning, but got a break on what appeared to be a mistake by the Clippers. �With one out, Wes Hodges hit his second single of the afternoon, and C Lou Marson followed with a line drive into right-center field. �With a count of 1-0, Stephen Head took a big swing and miss, as Hodges and Marson both took off running. �It was probably a hit-and-run play that was missing the "hit" part. �Since Head is a left-handed batter, Tribe C Robinzon Diaz had a perfectly clear lane down to third base, and he was easily able to throw to Neil Walker, who tagged out Hodges for a caught stealing. �Marson advanced to second base, but was not credited with a stolen base. �Taubenheim finished the inning by getting Head to fly out.

Taubenheim came back out to begin the 6th inning. �The inning began with a single into right field by CF Michael Brantley, and a fly out by LF Josh Barfield, and that was all for Taubenheim. �He had thrown 79 pitches (52 strikes) and given up 5 hits, no walks, and struck out 3 Clippers. �Reliever Jeff Sues (photo) came in for Taubenheim. �On Sues' first two pitches, Brantley stole both second and third bases. �Sues struck out DH Jordan Brown with his next three pitches, but then Wes Hodges doubled for his third hit of the game, and Brantley was easily able to score. �Sues struck out Lou Marson to end the inning. �He also struck out 2 batters in the 7th inning, while giving up just one loopy single to RF Mickey Hall. �

The Indians continued to put at least one runner on base in each inning, as they posted a total of 14 hits. �With two outs in the 4th inning, Jeff Salazar, Pedro Lopez, and Brian Myrow posted three consecutive singles. �Sal azar was out at the plate, though, as he headed for home on Myrow's single into right field, and Mickey Hall's throw in to Lou Marson was on target (photo sequence below). �Salazar picked up his third hit in the 6th inning, when LF Josh Barfield made a diving catch of Salazar's sinking line drive -- but the ball popped out of Barfield's glove when his arm hit the ground. �

Brian Myrow (photo) gave the Tribe a 3-run lead with his second home run of the game, another solo blast to right field in the 7th inning. �It landed 375 feet away,�

on the grass in front of the jumbotron. �Tagg Bozied and Argenis Diaz added their second hits of the game in the last two innings. �Jeff Salazar beat out another infield hit in the 9th, on a high hopper to short that just took too long to fall into SS Niuman Romero's glove.

Corey Hamman took the mound for the Indians in the 8th, to face the lefties in the top of the Clippers' batting order. �Hamman struck out Michael Brantley on three pitches, but then got into trouble by throwing 8 straight balls, walking both Josh Barfield and Jordan Brown. �Hamman exited quickly, and Jean Machi came in. �Machi needed only two pitches to get Wes Hodges to ground to Pedro Lopez at second, who started a 4-6-3 double play (Lopez to Argenis Diaz to Jeff Clement) to end the inning. � Machi earned his 4th save in 8 appearances with the Indians, allowing only a lone hit in the 9th. �

The win gives the Indians a win of the season series against the Clippers. �The Tribe will head out tomorrow for Toledo, where they will play four games, before returning to Victory Field on Monday to begin the last homestand of the season.

Indians' Hitting Gems of the Game: �Two solo home runs by Brian Myrow, his 13th and 14th of the season, and 6th and 7th with the Indians. �Photo: �Myrow being congratulated by manager Frank Kremblas as he circles the bases.�

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �This came in the top of the 1st, on the very first out of the game. �Michael Brantley lifted a sky-high pop foul to the third base side. �3B Neil Walker gave chase, and it looked like he was going to run out of room, but Walker kept going. �He made the catch, slamming his middle into the dugout railing and leaning way over. �The ball was below the level of the railing before he had it in his glove. �Luckily, Walker did not over-balance and tumble into the dugout, since the top of the railing is about 7 - 8 feet higher than the floor of the dugout at that point. �

Photo sequence: �Jeff Salazar is out at home in the 4th....

.... Lou Marson applies the tag....

.... and Salazar is out as Marson shows umpire Brian Reilly that he still has the ball.

Neil Walker on base after being walked..... conference on the mound

Jean Machi.................. �Infield conference: �Neil Walker, Argenis Diaz, Pedro Lopez, and Jeff Clement

NOTES:

Team USA is going to be in Europe for the Wo rld Cup in September, and three Pirates' farmhands are going to be with them:

3B Pedro Alvarez

RHP Daniel McCutchen

RHP�Dustin Molleken �(who is actually Canadian -- not sure how that works)

For fans in the Indianapolis area who are lucky enough to get Channel 40 on your TV: �Friday's game from Toledo will be broadcast on WHMB- TV 40, beginning at 7 pm. �It is usually the Toledo feed and the Toledo broadcasters calling the game.

Ryan Lewis had some fun today too, until Robinzon Diaz was ready:

Go Tribe!

[Photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]

The State College Spikes and the Jamestown Jammers were postponed due to rain. �They will try for two tomorrow -- the Spikes' second double header this week.

The Pirates broke a 3-3 with a 3-run 8th inning to get the win over the Braves this afternoon. �The Pirates scored in the 1st inning, on a single by SS Benjamin Gonzalez, a throwing error to move him to third base, and an RBI ground out by 1B Gerlis Rodriguez. �Singles by 3B Henry Henry and RF Wally Freeman and a sacrifice fly by LF Edwin Roman gave them another run in the 2nd inning. �The Braves tied it up at 2-2 against starter Mitchell Fienemann, with a double and an RBI single in the 2nd, and three singles followed by a walk in the 4th inning. �Fienemann had been relieved with the bases loaded, and reliever Edgar Gutierrez was the one who gave up the walk that forced in the run (though the run was charged to Fienemann. �

Fienemann pitched 4 innings and gave up a run in the 6th, on a single, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single. �The Pirates came back to tie it up again in the top of the 7th. �Henry Henry singled and Wesley Freeman doubled, moving Henry to third base. �Edwin Roman's RBI ground out, allowed Henry to score. �

The Pirates took the lead in the 8th inning. �SS Gift Ngoepe walked and went to second on a passed ball. �Benjamin Gonzalez also walked, and then Ngoepe and Gonzalez executed a double steal �DH Andrew Walker tripled, bringing in both Ngoepe and Gonzalez, and a ground out by C Ramon Cabrera brought in Walker. �

Gutiererrez earned his first win, and Diomedes Garcia, who pitched the scoreless 9th inning, earned his 7th save. �

Three doubles in the bottom of the 9th gave the Curve a walk-off win tonight. �The Curve and the Thunder entered the top of the 9th with a 2-2 tie. �Curve reliever Dustin Molleken gave up a single, a sacrifice bunt, a fly out to move the runner to third base, and an RBI single to take a 1-run lead. �Scott Nestor relieved Molleken, and he hit two batters to load the bases before ending the inning with a grounder force out. �

In the bottom of the inning, CF Gorkys Hernandez�led off with a double. �After a pop out, 3B Pedro Alvarez�doubled, scoring Hernandez. �DH Jason Delaney was intentionally walked. �That strategy backfired, when RF Jonel Pacheco also doubled to score Alvarez for the walk-off win.

Daniel Moskos pitched 6 innings for the Curve and allowed 2 runs on 8 hits, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts. �One run scored in the 1st inning, on a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a double. �Moskos faced the minimum over the next two innings, then gave up another run in the 4th, on a single, a walk, and a RBI double. �After loading the bases but not scoring in the 3rd, the Curve tied it up in the bottom of the 4th. �SS Brian Friday and LF Jeff Corsaletti hit back-to-back singles. �An RBI ground out by Miles Durham scored Friday, and C MIguel Perez's single plus a throwing error and a single by Gorkys Hernandez plated Durham. �

Dustin Molleken came in to pitch the 7th inning, and he kept Trenton from adding any more runs in the 7th and the 8th. �That took the tie to the 9th, when the Thunder scored, but could not keep up with the Curve's three run bottom of the 9th. �

Oops. �A 10-run 5th inning, with 14 Hot Rods coming to the plate, put the game out of reach for the Power. �West Virginia scored first, with a run in the 1st and another run in the 4th. �CF Starling Marte led off the game with a walk, stole second base, and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. �He scored on C Tony Sanchez's double. �1B Kyle Morgan led off the 4th with a walk, and he scored on a fielding error after 3B Bobby Spain's single. �

Hunter Strickland kept BG scoreless over the first 3 innings, allowing only 2 singles and hitting 2 batters. � BG took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning on a 3-run homer following two singles. �Then the wheels fell off in the 5th inning. �Strickland allowed two singles, a walk, and two doubles without recording an out, and 3 runs came in. �Strickland was relieved by Noah Krol, who got a ground out, then gave up two singles, two doubles, a triple, and a walk before he could end the inning. �Strickland was charged with 5 of the runs in the inning, and Krol with the other 5. �

Diego Moreno pitched three perfect innings, striking out 5 batters, to finish the game, and the Power scored one more run in the 7th, on singles by Bobby Spain , RF Austin McClune, and Starling Marte -- but by then it was far too late.

Moises Robles gave up two runs in the top of the 11th inning, on a walk, a single, a wild pitch, and another single combined with a throwing error by CF Jose De Los Santos. �That broke the 3-3 tie and gave the Blue Rocks the win when three Hillcats struck out in the bottom of the inning. �

1B Matt Hague and C Kris Watts each had 2 hits for the Hillcats. �They scored one run in the 3rd on SS Chase d'Arnaud's triple and a sacrifice fly by 2B Josh Harrison. �Two doubles by Watts and LF Jared Keel added another run in the 6th. �

Jeff Locke got the start for Lynchburg. �He pitched 6 innings and allowed one run on 6 hits, no walks, and he struck out 5 batters. �The run came in the 4th inning, on a single and a double. �Tom Boleska relieved Locke and pitched a scoreless 7th, but gave up 2 runs in the 8th on four singles and a sacrifice bunt, to give Wilmington a 3-2 lead. �

The Hillcats tied it up in the bottom of the frame. �They�loaded the bases in the 8th inning, on singles by RF�Jamie Romak�and Hague and an intentional walk to Keel. �A wild pitch scored the Hillcats' third run. �DH Kent Sakamoto bounced back to the mound where the Wilmington pitcher started a double play, 1-2-5, with Hague out at the plate and Keel out at third. �Manager PJ Forbes was ejected in the aftermath of that play. �Both sides went down in order in the 9th and 10th innings, and took the game to the 11th, and the Blue Rocks' win. �

The State College Spikes and the Jamestown Jammers were postponed due to rain. �They will try for two tomorrow -- the Spikes' second double header this week.

The Pirates broke a 3-3 with a 3-run 8th inning to get the win over the Braves this afternoon. �The Pirates scored in the 1st inning, on a single by SS Benjamin Gonzalez, a throwing error to move him to third base, and an RBI ground out by 1B Gerlis Rodriguez. �Singles by 3B Henry Henry and RF Wally Freeman and a sacrifice fly by LF Edwin Roman gave them another run in the 2nd inning. �The Braves tied it up at 2-2 against starter Mitchell Fienemann, with a double and an RBI single in the 2nd, and three singles followed by a walk in the 4th inning. �Fienemann had been relieved with the bases loaded, and reliever Edgar Gutierrez was the one who gave up the walk that forced in the run (though the run was charged to Fienemann. �

Fienemann pitched 4 innings and gave up a run in the 6th, on a single, a walk, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single. �The Pirates came back to tie it up again in the top of the 7th. �Henry Henry singled and Wesley Freeman doubled, moving Henry to third base. �Edwin Roman's RBI ground out, allowed Henry to score. �

The Pirates took the lead in the 8th inning. �SS Gift Ngoepe walked and went to second on a passed ball. �Benjamin Gonzalez also walked, and then Ngoepe and Gonzalez executed a double steal �DH Andrew Walker tripled, bringing in both Ngoepe and Gonzalez, and a ground out by C Ramon Cabrera brought in Walker. �

Gutiererrez earned his first win, and Diomedes Garcia, who pitched the scoreless 9th inning, earned his 7th save. �

Three doubles in the bottom of the 9th gave the Curve a walk-off win tonight. �The Curve and the Thunder entered the top of the 9th with a 2-2 tie. �Curve reliever Dustin Molleken gave up a single, a sacrifice bunt, a fly out to move the runner to third base, and an RBI single to take a 1-run lead. �Scott Nestor relieved Molleken, and he hit two batters to load the bases before ending the inning with a grounder force out. �

In the bottom of the inning, CF Gorkys Hernandez�led off with a double. �After a pop out, 3B Pedro Alvarez�doubled, scoring Hernandez. �DH Jason Delaney was intentionally walked. �That strategy backfired, when RF Jonel Pacheco also doubled to score Alvarez for the walk-off win.

Daniel Moskos pitched 6 innings for the Curve and allowed 2 runs on 8 hits, and 2 walks with 2 strikeouts. �One run scored in the 1st inning, on a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a double. �Moskos faced the minimum over the next two innings, then gave up another run in the 4th, on a single, a walk, and a RBI double. �After loading the bases but not scoring in the 3rd, the Curve tied it up in the bottom of the 4th. �SS Brian Friday and LF Jeff Corsaletti hit back-to-back singles. �An RBI ground out by Miles Durham scored Friday, and C MIguel Perez's single plus a throwing error and a single by Gorkys Hernandez plated Durham. �

Dustin Molleken came in to pitch the 7th inning, and he kept Trenton from adding any more runs in the 7th and the 8th. �That took the tie to the 9th, when the Thunder scored, but could not keep up with the Curve's three run bottom of the 9th. �

Oops. �A 10-run 5th inning, with 14 Hot Rods coming to the plate, put the game out of reach for the Power. �West Virginia scored first, with a run in the 1st and another run in the 4th. �CF Starling Marte led off the game with a walk, stole second base, and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. �He scored on C Tony Sanchez's double. �1B Kyle Morgan led off the 4th with a walk, and he scored on a fielding error after 3B Bobby Spain's single. �

Hunter Strickland kept BG scoreless over the first 3 innings, allowing only 2 singles and hitting 2 batters. � BG took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning on a 3-run homer following two singles. �Then the wheels fell off in the 5th inning. �Strickland allowed two singles, a walk, and two doubles without recording an out, and 3 runs came in. �Strickland was relieved by Noah Krol, who got a ground out, then gave up two singles, two doubles, a triple, and a walk before he could end the inning. �Strickland was charged with 5 of the runs in the inning, and Krol with the other 5. �

Diego Moreno pitched three perfect innings, striking out 5 batters, to finish the game, and the Power scored one more run in the 7th, on singles by Bobby Spain , RF Austin McClune, and Starling Marte -- but by then it was far too late.

Moises Robles gave up two runs in the top of the 11th inning, on a walk, a single, a wild pitch, and another single combined with a throwing error by CF Jose De Los Santos. �That broke the 3-3 tie and gave the Blue Rocks the win when three Hillcats struck out in the bottom of the inning. �

1B Matt Hague and C Kris Watts each had 2 hits for the Hillcats. �They scored one run in the 3rd on SS Chase d'Arnaud's triple and a sacrifice fly by 2B Josh Harrison. �Two doubles by Watts and LF Jared Keel added another run in the 6th. �

Jeff Locke got the start for Lynchburg. �He pitched 6 innings and allowed one run on 6 hits, no walks, and he struck out 5 batters. �The run came in the 4th inning, on a single and a double. �Tom Boleska relieved Locke and pitched a scoreless 7th, but gave up 2 runs in the 8th on four singles and a sacrifice bunt, to give Wilmington a 3-2 lead. �

The Hillcats tied it up in the bottom of the frame. �They�loaded the bases in the 8th inning, on singles by RF�Jamie Romak�and Hague and an intentional walk to Keel. �A wild pitch scored the Hillcats' third run. �DH Kent Sakamoto bounced back to the mound where the Wilmington pitcher started a double play, 1-2-5, with Hague out at the plate and Keel out at third. �Manager PJ Forbes was ejected in the aftermath of that play. �Both sides went down in order in the 9th and 10th innings, and took the game to the 11th, and the Blue Rocks' win. �

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 to 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 tyi ng and winning runs. �

Honorable m ention: �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]

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]