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Indians Finish Yesterday’s Game With A Loss; A Win For Today In The 12th

Sunday afternoon action for the Indians -- completing last night's suspended game (third one in 10 days) and then the regularly scheduled game.

Charlotte Knights �8, �Indianapolis Indians �4 (box)

IMG_2552When we left our heros (read more about the beginning of the game here), the Knights had just taken a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 5th inning. �1B Brian Myrow gave the Indians their first 2 runs in the top of the 1st with a 2-run homer. �A single by 3B Pedro Alvarez and an RBI double by RF Brandon Moss added another run in the top of the 4th.

Jeremy Powell (photo) made the start for the Tribe, and had pitched 4.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk, with 2 strikeouts when the game was suspended due to power outages. �Powell had allowed only one hit in the first 3 innings, but that one hit was a solo homer by Knights' DH Stefan Gartrell in the 2nd inning. �Powell got into trouble in the 4th inning, when he gave up a walk, a single, and a 2-RBI double to LF Jordan Danks, all coming with 2 outs in the inning.

The score was tied at 3-3 when the lights went out the first time. �That delay lasted only a short time, and the Indians threatened in the top of the 5th when play resumed. �A missed catch error by the Charlotte first baseman put CF Jose Tabata on second base, and Tabata stole third. �But he remained there as a strikeout, a walk, and another strikeout ended the inning. �Jeremy Powell was able to come back out and begin the bottom of the 5th, but the first batter, 2B Luis Rodriguez, homered to give Charlotte a 4-3 lead. �Powell got one out and had 2 strikes on the next batter, CF Buck Coats, when the power went out again.

IMG_2606Of course, neither starting pitcher returned when the game resumed this afternoon. �Brian Bass (photo) took the mound for the Indians, inheriting a 1-2 count on Buck Coats. �Bass needed just one pitch to get Coats to swing at strike three (strikeout credited to Bass). �Then he needed just one more pitch to get former Pirate farmhand SS Brent Lillibridge to pop out, ending the inning.

The Knights got the best of Bass in the 6th inning, though. �1B Dayan Viciedo led off with a line drive into center field on the first pitch he saw from Bass. �RF Josh Kroeger walked, and Gartrell moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt. �Danks singled into right field, scoring Viciedo. �Bass got a strikeout, but a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez scored Kroeger from third base. �3B Javier Colina singled also, driving in Gartrell, and the Knights had increased their lead to 7-3.

Corey Hamman took over for Bass for the last two innings. �He allowed only one hit, but that hit was a solo home run by Brent Lillibridge in the 7th, to give Charlotte an 8-3 lead. �Hamman worked around a hit batter in the 8th inning, striking out a total of 3 batters over the two innings.

Charlotte replaced their starting pitcher with Noblesville, Indiana native (and 2001 Indiana "Mr. Baseball") Wes Whisler. �Whisler had been struggling in some recent appearances, particularly during the month of May, but he did not have much trouble with the Indians. �He retired the first 10 Tribe batters he faced in order, taking him into the top of the 9th. �With one out in the 9th, the Indians started a rally against Whisler, putting four batters in a row on base. �C Luke Carlin started with an infield hit to deep short, then Brandon Moss and SS Doug Bernier followed with two more singles. �Bernier's single scored Carlin. �2B Argenis Diaz worked a walk to load the bases. �The Knights took that opportunity to relieve Whisler and bring in reliever Greg Aquino. �Aquino faced only Jose Tabata, and on a 2-2 pitch, got Tabata to bounce to short, where Lillibridge started a 6-4-3 double play, cutting short the Tribe rally and ending the game.

Jeremy Powell was charged with the loss, his 5th of the season. �Doug Bernier and Brandon Moss each had two hits, a single and a double, and one RBI in the game.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Brian Myrow's home run in the top of the 1st, his 4th blast of the season.

Regularly scheduled game -- click "read more"

Indians Are Suspended Again

What is it with the suspended games?

Indianapolis Indians �3, �Charlotte Knights �1 (box)

IMG_3228When lightning and rain suspended this game on Friday night, it was a pitching duel between the Indians' Brad Lincoln and the Knights' Matt Zaleski. Lincoln had allowed one hit and one walk in 5 innings, while striking out 7 batters. �Zaleski had held the Tribe batters to 2 hits (a double to 1B Brian Myrow and a single to DH Brandon Moss), no walks, and he had struck out 6 batters.

The game was resumed at 6 pm on Saturday, and LF Kevin Melillo (photo) got the restart off with a bang -- he slammed the first pitch from reliever Kyle McCulloch over the right field wall for a solo home run.

Anthony Claggett took over for Lincoln for the second part of the game. �With one out in the bottom of the 6th, Claggett gave up a solo homer to CF Buck Coats, to tie the game at 1-1. �Claggett went on to retire three Knights in order in the 7th inning.

The Tribe broke the tie in the top of the 7th. �C Erik Kratz led off the inning with a double to deep center field. �A single by Brandon Moss moved Kratz to third base. �With the runners on the corners, 2B Brian Friday bounced a grounder to third base, starting a double play. �Kratz scored from third base, though (no RBI), and the Indians had a 2-1 lead. �Another double play squelched a rally in the 8th inning, when CF Jose Tabata singled, but was doubled off first when Melillo lined out right to the Knights' first baseman.

IMG_3310Charlotte threatened in the bottom of the 8th. �Claggett (photo) began the inning by hitting RF Jordan Danks with a pitch. �DH �Donny Lucy dropped a sacrifice bunt, which Claggett fielded cleanly, but Friday could not make the catch on Claggett's throw to first. �The error put Knights on the corners. �Another sacrifice bunt by 2B CJ Retherford moved Lucy to second base, but Danks had to hold at third. �That was all for Claggett. �Justin Thomas came in from the bullpen, and he ended the inning with a foul pop out to 3B Pedro Alvarez and a strikeout, leaving two runners in scoring position.

Alvarez gave the Tribe an insurance run in the top of the 9th. �His 11th home run of the season left the yard over the left field wall, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead. �The next three Indians' batters went down in order, and Jean Machi finished the game for the Tribe by doing the same to the Knights in the bottom of the frame. �Machi earned his 7th save of the season. �Claggett was charged with a Blown Save, due to the home run in the bottom of the 6th, but he was also given the win, since he was the pitcher of record when the Indians scored in the top of the 7th. �That homer was only the 2nd, and the last, �hit of the game for the Knights.

IMG_2671Indians' Hitting Gems of the Game: �Home runs by Kevin Melillo and Pedro Alvarez. �Melillo's was his second of the season and the second in two games (over three days). �Alvarez's homer was his 11th of the season and his 44th RBI.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �Five one-hit innings by Brad Lincoln �(photo), needing only 61 pitches to do it. �He dominated the Knights, and made it look easy.

(Click on "Read more" for the second game)

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Lincoln Is Ready

Indianapolis Indians at Charlotte Knights �0-0 after 5 innings (box)

IMG_3066The Indians and the Knights got through 5 innings of a scoreless pitching duel before lightning in the immediate area and impending rain halted play after 5 complete innings. �The rain began shortly after the game was halted, and it continued for several hours, causing the game to be suspended.

One thing was certain in those five innings, though. �Brad Lincoln (photo) is ready. �He totally dominated the Knights, and�did everything in his power to prove that he is ready for Pittsburgh. �He faced only two batters over the minimum for those 5 innings that preceded the rain/lightning delay. �Lincoln gave up a walk to Tyler Flowers in the 2nd inning. �In the 3rd, Buck Coats squeaked a line drive single past SS Argenis Diaz. �After the single, Lincoln retired the next 7 batters in order. �He struck out 5 batters, including two in the 2nd and two in the 5th. �While his mound opponent had thrown 89 pitches, Lincoln needed only 61 pitches to get through 5 innings.

Knights' starter Matt Zaleski was also pitching effectively, though not as efficiently. �He gave up two hits -- a double to 1B Brian Myrow in the 1st inning, and an infield single to deep short to DH�Brandon Moss to lead off the 5th. �Moss made it as far as second base on 2B Brian Friday's sacrifice fly, but neither Myrow nor Moss could get past second base. �The Tribe had two runners on base in the 2nd inning, when C Erik Kratz was hit by a pitch and Friday reached base on a fielding error by SS Brent Lillibridge. �Both of them were left stranded also.

The game will resume on Saturday at 6 pm, picking up where they left off in the top of the 6th. �Unfortunately for the starting pitchers, they will not be returning to the mound, and with the score tied, Zaleski will not be able to figure into the decision. �If the Indians score what turns out to be the winning runs in the top of the 6th, when Lincoln is still the pitcher of record, he could get the win, otherwise, he won't figure into the decision either. �This game will be completed as a 9-inning game (or longer if no one scores). �The game that was scheduled for Saturday will follow, and it appears that it will also be played as a 9-inning game.

NOTES:

IMG_2460Roster moves: �The Pirates have placed starter Charlie Morton on the Disabled List. �He will be spending some time at Pirate City in Bradenton, working on some rehab. �Jeff Karstens will be moving from the bullpen to the starting rotation, opening up a bullpen spot. �Steven Jackson (photo) has been promoted from the Indians to the Pirates, where he will take that bullpen spot. �Jackson has appeared in 17 games for the Indians, all in relief. �In 26.1 innings, he has allowed 30 hits and 12 runs (10 earned) for a 3.42 ERA. �He has walked 11 and struck out 15.

Jackson pitched in tonight's Pirates-Braves game. �He entered the game in the 6th inning in relief of Zach Duke, with one out, two runs in, and runners on first and second. �Jackson ended the inning with a strikeout of 1B Troy Glaus and a foul pop out by SS Yunel Escobar, preventing any further scoring. �He returned to pitch the 7th, allowing only a single to former Pirate C David Ross, but getting two fly outs (one by former Pirate CF Nate McLouth) and a strikeout.

Go Tribe!

(photos by Nancy)

Bullpen Saves Indians, Alvarez Has 4 Hits

Indianapolis Indians �9, �Charlotte Knights �7 (box)

IMG_30413B Pedro Alvarez tallied 4 hits and an RBI, while LF Kevin Melillo and SS Argenis Diaz each contributed 2 hits and 2 RBI, as the Tribe bullpen bailed out starter Hayden Penn for a victory over the Knights in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC.

Penn (photo) got into trouble early, surrendering runs to the Knights in each of the first four innings of the game. �He walked 6 batters and gave up 8 hits for 6 runs over 3.2 innings of work. �Penn began the bottom of the 1st by giving up a triple to Knights' LF Buck Coats and an RBI single by former Pirate farmhand SS Brent Lilibridge. �C Luke Carlin threw out Lillibridge trying to steal second base, which probably saved another run from scoring -- a single by 1B Dayan Viciedo might have scored Lillibridge from second base. �After a walk by DH Josh Kroeger, a strikeout and a pop out ended the inning. �A walk, and singles by Coats and Lillibridge added another run in the 2nd inning.

Penn had needed 20 pitches to get through the first inning, and 22 for the second inning. �He continued to struggle in the 3rd inning, using another 22 pitches. �The 3rd began with a walk to Kroeger, then a strikeout. �RF Stefan Gartrell's 2-run homer to right-center field gave the Knights a total of 4 runs. �Two more batters reached, on a walk and a throwing error by 2B Brian Friday, but 2B CJ Retherford flied out and 3B Luis Rodriguez was doubled up when he tried to tag up and advance on the throw in from center field.

Penn quickly got into more trouble when he came back out to begin the 4th inning. �A walk by Coats and a single by Lillibridge started the inning, and a sacrifice bunt by Viciedo moved the runners up to second and third bases. �Kroeger struck out, but a walk to C Tyler Flowers loaded the bases for Gartrell. �Gartrell licked his chops and drove in two more runs with a line drive double into right field. �That was all for Penn, who finished with 84 pitches (only 42 strikes). �Justin Thomas relieved Penn, and ended the inning without letting in any more runs.

Moss’ Double Gives Indians The Win

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Indianapolis Indians �4, �Gwinnett Braves �2 (box)

IMG_3243CF Brandon Moss's (photo left)�double in the 8th inning made all the difference at Victory Field tonight, as the Indians beat the Braves to close this home stand. �Daniel McCutchen (photo above) made the start for the Tribe, pitching 7 strong innings, but he did not factor into the decision. �Reliever Steven Jackson got the win, his first of the season with the Indians.

McCutchen was reactivated from the Disabled List earlier today, where he had missed one start due to a tired arm. �His arm didn't look at all tired today. �Of his 7 innings, he buzzed through four of them, retiring the side in order (1st, 3rd, 5th, and 6th). �He gave up a lead-off hit to SS Brandon Hicks in the 7th inning, but erased Hicks on a double play, then got another ground out to end that inning.

The Braves caused McCutchen some problems in the 2nd inning. �1B Freddie Freeman led off with a line drive into left field for a double. �After a sacrifice bunt to move Freeman to third base, McCutchen gave up three consecutive singles. �Hicks singled into left field, scoring Freeman. �Hicks tried to steal second base, but was thrown out on a perfect throw by C Luke Carlin. Braves' C Clint Sammons and 2B Luis Bolivar both singled also, but McCutchen got Braves' starter Chris Resop to bounce to first base, ending the inning with Sammons and Bolivar still on base.

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(Photo: �Luke Carlin and Daniel McCutchen discuss strategy)

Resop dominated the Indians' batters over the first two innings. �He struck out four batters and got two fly outs. �He allowed only Luke Carlin to reach base, after working the count full, fouling off another pitch, then finally taking ball four.

But Resop's control started slipping in the 3rd inning. �SS Brian Friday led off with a ball along the left field line, and his aggressive base running put him on second base, just ahead of the throw back into the infield. �Daniel McCutchen dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Friday to third base. �LF Jose Tabata smacked a ball back to the mound, which ricocheted off Resop's glove with a high bounce toward second base. �The bounce was high enough so that by the time 2B Luis Bolivar waited until the ball came down and threw to first, the speedy Tabata had enough time to beat out the throw. �Friday scored easily from third base, and the score was tied at 1-1. �Tabata reached third base on a single into center field by 2B Kevin Melillo, but 1B Brian Myrow bounced into a 3-6-3 (1B Freddie Freeman to SS Brandon Hicks and back to Freeman) to end the inning.

Indians’ 9th-Inning Rally Falls Short

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Gwinnett Braves �6, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

IMG_3210A 9th-inning rally, sparked by a pair of Gwinnett errors, put the Indians within one run of tying the game. �The rally fell short, though, and the Braves held on to take the win at Victory Field on Monday night.

The Indians were trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of the 9th. �With Braves' reliever Michael Dunn on the mound to begin his second inning, pinch-hitter Luke Carlin grounded to short, but SS Brandon Hick's throw to first was low and short, and Carlin was safe at first on the error. �Dunn was removed, and reliever Stephen Marek came in from the bullpen to take care of the Indians. �CF Jose Tabata greeted Marek with a line drive into center field, moving Carlin to second base. �2B Neil Walker was next, and he had the crowd holding its breath for a moment with a long fly ball to left-center, but it turned out to be only a long out. �1B Brian Myrow did what he does best -- get on base, somehow, some way. �This time it was by working the count full, fouling off another pitch, and taking a walk to load the bases.

That brought up 3B Pedro Alvarez (photo).�Alvarez bounced the 1-0 pitch to first base, for what should have been an easy out at first. �But Braves' 1B Freddie Freeman charged the slow roller and missed. �It looked like he was already thinking about how he was going to throw to the plate before he actually had the ball in his glove. �The ball went under his glove and skipped down the line about 12 - 15 feet behind first base. �Carlin scored easily from third, and Tabata also scored as Freeman had to reverse and chase down the ball. �Both runs were unearned, and Alvarez was credited with one RBI.

IMG_3262Now the Indians were with in one run, 6-5, and C Erik Kratz came to the plate. �Kratz already had a single in the game, and he'd walked twice. �But this time, he grounded a 0-2 pitch to short, and SS Brandon Hicks began a 6-4-3 double play that ended the rally and the game.

The Indians had scored first, back in the bottom of the 1st inning. �Jose Tabata led off by slipping a grounder through the right side of the infield for a single. �Neil Walker lined a double into right field, sending Tabata to third base. �1B Brian Myrow (photo) grounded to first base, and the Braves conceded the run to get the out, as Tabata scored from third. �Pedro Alvarez brought in Walker, who had advanced to third base on Myrow's play, with a sacrifice fly. �The throw from Gwinnett's CF Jordan Schafer came in high and up the third base line, and Walker scored easily. �The Indians had a 2-0 lead.

9th Inning Rally Gives Braves The Win Over Indians

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Kratz celebrates his home run.

Gwinnett Braves �6, �Indianapolis Indians �3 (box)

IMG_3372With two outs in the top of the 9th, the Braves broke a 3-3 tie, scoring 3 runs and holding on to take the win at Victory Field this afternoon.

Reliever Wil Ledezma (photo, with Luke Carlin) had pitched a scoreless 8th inning, then started the 9th with a fly out and a pop out. �Then things fell apart. �Pinch-hitter Matt Young tapped a slow roller to second base, which 2B Brian Friday fielded, but had no time to throw to first before Young got there. �CF Gregor Blanco worked the count full, fouled off a couple more pitches from Ledezma, then took a walk. �3B Wes Timmons followed with a single lined into right field, scoring Young with the go-ahead run. �Ledezma was relieved by Jean Machi, and the Tribe still had hope -- they had come from behind to tie the score twice already in this game.

Machi struck out the first batter he faced, 1B Barbaro Canizares, but strike three was a wild pitch. �Blanco scored easily from third base as C Luke Carlin chased nearly to the backstop after the ball. �But Machi did not run in to cover the plate, and the second runner, Timmons saw that (or at least Gwinnett's manager Dave Brundage saw it). �Timmons had been heading to third, and just kept going. �He was about 10 feet from the plate when Machi woke up and realized he was not where he ought to have been, and by then it was way too late -- 2 runs scored on one wild pitch. �With Canizares on first, RF Mitch Jones doubled down to the left field corner. �The Braves decided to intentionally walk SS Brandon Hicks because the pitcher, reliever Craig Kimbrel, was hitting in the 6th spot in the batting order (after a double switch). �Kimbrel hit for himself, and Machi was able to get the strikeout to end�the inning. �Machi had thrown 19 pitches, but only 8 were strikes.

The Tribe had one more chance in the bottom of the 9th, now down by 3 runs. �Kimbrel, who had retired three Indians in order in the 8th, struck out Luke Carlin to begin the bottom of the 9th. �He walked Brian Friday next, then struck out SS Argenis Diaz. �Pedro Alvarez, who was getting a day off from third base, came on to pinch-hit, and after a full count plus some foul balls, he also walked. �But 3B Doug Bernier struck out to end the game and earn Kimbrel his first win of the season.

Lincoln Outduels Braves, Alvarez’s 10th Homer

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Indianapolis Indians �4, �Gwinnett Braves �3 (box)

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Brad Lincoln (photo) was dominating for his third straight start, as he earned his 5th win of the season over the Braves at Victory Field this evening. �Lincoln pitched 8 innings, and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, no walks, with 3 strikeouts. �Reliever Justin Thomas picked up his second save. �Four of the Tribe's six hits went for extra bases, including 3B Pedro Alvarez's 10th homer of the season.

Former Pirate prospect Todd Redmond made the start for Gwinnett. �Both pitchers are fast workers, and both were on a roll, pitching as if they had a plane to catch. �The entire game was played in three minutes short of two hours. �That's six minutes shorter than yesterday's 7-inning contest.

Lincoln threw a total of 77 pitches (50 strikes) in his 8 innings. �He did not go deep into counts, and in fact threw three balls to only two of the 29 batters he faced. �He did not have a full count on any batter. �He zipped through the first two innings, retiring the Braves in order on a total of 15 pitches.

IMG_3341Lincoln gave up a double to SS Brandon Hicks to lead off the 3rd inning, on a ball that bounced down the left field line, barely fair, to just beyond the Indians' bullpen, where LF Jose Tabata had a little trouble picking up the ball. �Hicks reached third base a few moments later when Todd Redmond grounded back to the mound, but he got no further as Lincoln retired two more Braves besides Redmond.

The Braves put another batter on base in the 4th inning. �With one out, RF Gregor Blanco dribbled a little grounder along the first base line, and Lincoln charged over from the mound to field it. �His momentum carried Lincoln into foul territory, forcing him to make a turning throw right along where Blanco was running. �The ball got past 1B Brian Myrow, though 2B Brian Friday was right there to back up the play, so Blanco could not take another base.

IMG_3342Lincoln was charged with a throwing error on the play. �No problem for Lincoln -- he made it moot by getting 1B Freddie Freeman to ground to SS Argenis Diaz who took two steps to touch the second base bag, then threw on to first for the inning-ending double play.

There was a brief scare in the 5th inning. � With one out, 2B Joe Thurston rocketed a 1-0 pitch right back at the mound, hitting Brad Lincoln on the left leg near his knee. �The ball hit him so hard that it ricocheted almost all the way back to the plate, putting it in perfect position for C Luke Carlin to pick it up and fire to first to make the out. �Lincoln fell to the ground face down, but quickly rolled and got up. �Manager Frank Kremblas and the training staff rushed out to the mound, but Lincoln shrugged it off (photo above) then threw a test pitch to prove to them that he was ok (photo here and at the top). �Then he further proved that he was ok by retiring the next 7 batters in order. �After the game, Lincoln said that he'd felt it a bit over the next inning, then he put it out of his mind and continued pitching.

Indians Fall To Yankees Twice

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees �10, �Indianapolis Indians �7 (box)

IMG_3309This was the completion of the suspended game from last night. �(Take a look here to read more about the first 3.5 innings.)

The start of the restart was delayed about 40 minutes because of the threat of rain. �The tarp was put down, but when the rain never happened, it was pulled, and play began. �Despite worrisome weather forcasts, it didn't rain for the rest of the evening, and there was even a bit of sunshine.

The Yankees took the field for the restart, holding an 8-5 lead. �Starter Jeremy Powell had made a shaky start, allowing all 8 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. �The Yankees had batted around in the top of the 4th, as Powell struggled on a wet and slippery mound and his teammates behind him battled soggy grass. �Steven Jackson came on in relief of Powell, but 5 runs came in �to give the Yankees the lead.

On the restart, Anthony Claggett (photo) took the mound for the Indians. �Claggett just didn't have it tonight. �He walked 6 batters in 1.1 innings, though miraculously did not give up any runs. �He walked the first two batters in the top of the 5th, then got a double play, which eliminated one runner but put the lead runner (LF Chad Huffman) on third base. �Two more walks loaded the bases, but a grounder to SS Argenis Diaz gave Claggett a force out at second base, and he had escaped his self-made jam.

IMG_3311The next inning was more of the same, though. �The first batter flied out, with CF Jose Tabata first coming in, then having to reverse, and then make a running over-the-shoulder catch. �Claggett put the next three batters on base, with a walk to DH Jon Weber, a hit by C Jesus Montero, and a walk to Huffman. �That was enough for manager Frank Kremblas to see. �Claggett left having walked 6 of the 10 batters he faced.

Vinnie Chulk (photo) was next out of the bullpen. �He came into the game with one out and the bases loaded -- and proceeded to strike out RF Reid Gorecki and get 3B Matt Cusick to end the inning and leave those three runners right where he found them.

Chulk came back out for the 7th inning. �He gave up a single into right field to CF Greg Golson. �A grounder moved Golson to second base. �Chulk got a gift next. �He tried to pick Golson off second base, but his throw was wide and got into center field, and Golson raced to third base. �But the umpires pointed him back to second base -- home plate ump Mark Lollo had called time out just a split second before Chulk turned and made the throw to second, making the whole thing a "no play". �Then it turned out to be moot. �A single by 1B PJ Pilittere, who had taken over for David Winfree, singled down the right field line, and Golson scored anyway.

Indians And Scranton Suspended

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It really didn't help much.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 8, Indianapolis Indians 5 SUSPENDED (box)

IMG_3305The rain was the winner at Victory Field tonight, halting play in the middle of the 4th inning. �The rain started mid-afternoon in central Indiana, and it had come down heavily until about 6 pm. �The Indians' ground crew was able to remove the tarp from the field around that time, and by 7 pm it was still overcast but not raining, so the game started on time. �Rain started falling again in the 2nd inning, and by the end of the 3rd, it was coming down pretty heavily. �The umpires still had the Indians come out and take the field for the top of the 4th, and only after a disastrous half-inning for the Indians was play halted.

(Photo: �Manager Frank Kremblas was very upset with the umpires' decisions on continuing and then halting play.)

Jeremy Powell was making the spot start for the Indians, taking the place of�Daniel McCutchen, who is now on the Disabled List. �Powell struggled in three of the four innings he pitched, though by the 4th inning, the rain could have been a factor.

IMG_3290Powell (photo) hit the first batter of the game, CF Greg Golson. �He got two outs, then gave up a double down the left field line, just out of reach of 3B Pedro Alvarez's dive, to 1B David Winfree. �That scored Golson, and the Yankees had a run on the board.

The Tribe got the run back in the bottom of the 1st. �CF Jose Tabata worked a walk to lead off, and he moved to second base on 1B Neil Walker's high bouncing grounder to first base. �A balk by Yankees' starter Ivan Nova put Tabata on third base. �DH Brian Myrow dribbled a little grounder over the mound (might have been tipped by Nova, but not sure) toward 2B Reegie Corona. �Corona came in onto the infield grass for the ball, but he was already thinking about firing the ball home to get Tabata before he actually had the ball in his glove -- and the ball got past him. �Tabata scored easily, and Myrow was safe on first base. �At first it was ruled an error, but this was later changed to an infield hit and an RBI for Myrow. �Pedro Alvarez bounced into a double play to end the inning, but the Indians had tied it up at 1-1.

Yankees' top prospect Jesus Montero led off the 2nd inning with a single up the middle, and a pitch from Powell that sailed all the way to the backstop moved Montero to second base. �Powell walked RF Reid Gorecki, then 3B Matt Cusick sliced a double down the right field line, inside the chalk by inches, and then curving into the Yankees' bullpen. �Both Montero and Gorecki scored by the time RF Brandon Moss could get the ball back to the infield.

Veal Two-Hits Yankees; 3 Hits For Tabata

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Indianapolis Indians �3, �Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees �0 (box)

IMG_2667Donnie Veal (photo above) dominated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Victory Field on Tuesday night, holding the Yankees to just 2 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings of work. �Veal struck out a total of 7 batters, including 5 of the last 9 batters he faced. �Indians' CF Jose Tabata (photo) out-hit the Yankees all by himself, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while 1B Brian Myrow had 2 hits and 2 RBI.

Veal had more trouble in the early innings than he did later in the game. �With one out in the 1st, he gave up a walk to 2B Reegie Corona and a single to SS Eduardo Nunez, but got out of the inning with a grounder to SS Brian Friday for a double play. �He used 18 pitches to get through the 1st inning, and then needed another 19 in the 2nd inning, when he worked another walk but still kept the Yankees scoreless.

Veal also had to work around a base runner in each of the 3rd and 4th innings. �C Chad Moeller began the 3rd inning with a double, but Veal left him standing right there, while he racked up his first two strikeouts of the game around a pop up. �The third walk Veal allowed came in the 4th inning to LF Jon Weber, but another double play started by Brian Friday ended that inning.

IMG_2301Meanwhile, Jose Tabata was leading the Indians' offensive attack. �He opened the bottom of the 1st with a line drive into left field for a double. �2B Neil Walker was hit on the foot by a pitch, then Brian Myrow (photo) lined a single into right field, and Tabata came around from second base to score. �After a pop out by 3B Pedro Alvarez, RF Brandon Jones walked to load the bases, but C Luke Carlin bounced into a double play, and the Indians could not take advantage of the bases-loaded situation.

Yankees' starter Jason Hirsch thought he had the Indians under control in the 2nd inning, when he began the frame with two fly outs. �But then Brian Friday ripped a double into left field, and surprised Hirsch by stealing third base. �Jose Tabata grounded to third base, but beat out the throw to first for a hit, allowing Friday to score. �Neil Walker lined a single into right field, moving Tabata to third base. �With runners on the corners, Brian Myrow again slapped an RBI single, this time into center field, and Tabata scored easily. �A ground out ended the inning, but the Indians had a 3-0 lead.

Both teams were pretty quiet for the remainder of the game. �Jose Tabata collected his third hit of the game in the 4th inning, again beating out a throw on an infield hit. �As Neil Walker stepped into the batters' box following Tabata's hit, some serious jawing erupted from the Yankees' dugout, possibly related to what had been a close play at first base. �1B Umpire Dan Bellino tossed someone in the dugout -- it wasn't clear whom until S/W-B manager Dave Miley came out of the dugout to continue the jawing �-- yup, it was Miley. �Once the dust had settled and the game resumed, Tabata promptly stole second base, then stole third. �Neil Walker walked, but the Indians left the runners stranded on the corners when Brian Myrow grounded out.

Machi Surrenders Walk-Off Win

Toledo Mud Hens �6, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

IMG_3105The Indians' bullpen collapsed out from under them this afternoon at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, allowing the Mud Hens to score 4 runs in the last two innings, and giving the Hens the walk-off win.

The Tribe was ahead 5-2 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. �Starter Hayden Penn had allowed one earned and one unearned run in his 5 innings of work, and had pitched a little better than he did in his first Indians' start last week. �Steven Jackson came on in relief to pitch the 6th and 7th innings, and he had retired 6 batters in order. �Wil Ledezma (photo)�took over for Jackson to begin the 8th, and he was greeted by a triple into the right field corner by Toledo 2B Will Rhymes. �SS Brent Dlugach followed with a grounder to short, but SS Brian Friday's throw to first pulled 1B Brian Myrow off the bag. �It was initally ruled an error on Friday, but later changed to a hit for Dlugach, since Friday had made the play pretty deep into the hole. �Rhymes scored easily on the play, and the Mud Hens had crept a little closer, 5-3. �Those were the first runs Ledezma had given up since joining the Indians.

CF Ryan Raburn was up next, and he singled into right field, through the space 2B Neil Walker had vacated when he had to move to cover second base as Dlugach took off from first. �Dlugach rounded second and stopped at third base. �Ledezma got a gift when he picked Raburn off first base, and caught him stealing, with the throw going from Ledezma to Myrow to Friday covering second. �Friday made a quick turn, keeping Dlugach standing on third base. �He didn't stay there long, though, as 1B Jeff Larish's grounder behind first base brought Dlugach in easily. �A strikeout ended the inning, and the Indians were clinging to a slim 5-4 lead.

IMG_2467The Indians could only get a stuttering attempt at a rally going in the top of the 9th. �RF Brandon Moss singled up the middle, but when he tried to steal second on the early part of pitcher Robbie Weinhardt's motion, he was easily thrown out -- making a somewhat ungraceful slide, but finishing with a graceful flip, and kicking SS Dlugach's glove right off his hand in the process. �Moss ran back to the dugout unhurt and laughing. �LF Kevin Melillo walked, but a ground out forced him out at second to end the inning.

No one was laughing in the bottom of the inning. �Jean Machi (photo), who came on to pitch for the Indians, had allowed only 2 earned runs in his first 10 appearances this season (both of those in one game), but now has given up runs in each of his last 3 outings. �Today he did not even record an out. �It began with 3B Max Leon's double over Kevin Melillo's head in left field. �RF Ben Guez singled through the hole into left field, moving Leon to third base. �A single by RF Deik Scram, who had had come into the game with only one hit during the month of May (1-for-24) chose this time to find his second hit of the month, a line drive into right field which scored Leon from third base to tie the score at 5-5. �It was over moments later, when former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz lifted a fly ball into right field, allowing Guez to come around from second base and score the winning run.