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Tag: Luke Carlin

Indians Come From Behind With Carlin’s Homer and Alvarez’s RBI

Indianapolis Indians �8, �Buffalo Bison �5 � ��(box)

IMG_2514The Indians had to wait out the rain, but it was worth the wait, as they came from behind to beat the Bison at Victory Field on Friday night. �C Luke Carlin's home run, along with 4 RBI from 3B Pedro Alvarez, and 3 hits by RF Brandon Jones gave the Tribe the boost they needed. �Starter Donnie Veal got the win, and Jean Machi earned his third save of the season.

Donnie Veal (photo) was anxious to get going after the 1 hour 28 minute rain delay. �He pitched 5 innings but struggled to get through most of them. �In the top of the 1st, Veal struck out the first batter he faced, but then gave up back-to-back singles to 2B Russ Adams and 1B Mike Jacobs. �Veal's wild pitch got past C Luke Carlin, and the runners moved to second and third bases. �3B Mike Hessman, a long-time foe of the Indians, lifted a sacrifice fly, scoring Adams. �LF Chris Carter followed with a double to bring in Jacobs, and the Bison had a 2-0 lead. �A strikeout ended the inning, but it took Veal 34 pitches to get through the inning.

Veal did better in the 2nd inning, allowing only a walk to SS Ruben Tejada. �He was aided by what might have been a gift from the umpires. �With Tejada on second after a sacrifice bunt, CF Jason Pridie hit a sinking line drive into center field. �CF Jose Tabata came running in to make the catch... or did he? �It was not clear by just looking whether Tabata had actually made the catch, and the replays did not offer much more information. �The umpires were also unsure, because not one of the four of them signaled either a catch or a no-catch. �Manager Frank Kremblas came out to ask what was going on, and the four umps conferenced. �They finally decided that it was a catch, which also meant that when Tejada came racing around from second base, his run did not count.

The Bison came back at Veal in the third. �Once again, Veal struck out the first batter of the inning, but then walked Jacobs, bringing up the dangerous Hessman. �Sure enough, Hessman blasted a 2-run homer over the left field wall, to give Buffalo a 4-0 lead.

Veal had to work out of a jam in the 4th. �SS Ruben Tejada led off with a single, and went to second base on a balk. �After a strikeout, CF Jason Pridie singled, moving Tejada to third base. �But Luke Carlin threw out Pridie trying to steal second base, and a fly out got Veal out of trouble. �Then in the 5th, Veal retired the Bison in order. �He exited after 5, having thrown 95 pitches (53 strikes), and allowed the 4 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 7 batters. �

Four Hits For Tabata and Crotta Wins AAA Debut

Indianapolis Indians 5, � Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs 4 (box)

IMG_2560Starter Mike Crotta made his AAA debut with the Indianapolis Indians today in an afternoon game at Coca-Cola park in Allentown, PA, and with some help from his new teammates, it was a successful afternoon. �CF Jose Tabata supported Crotta with 4 hits and 3 stolen bases, and 1B Neil Walker contributed a triple and a home run, accounting for 3 RBI.

Tabata (photo) began the game with a single to second base. �The Iron Pigs' 2B Luis Maza was able to make the stop, but when he popped up to make the throw, Tabata beat the throw to first, then promptly stole second base. �Neil Walker, on first base today as Steve Pearce got a day off, swatted a long fly ball to straight out center field, which flew over the head of former Indy Indian (2005-06) CF Rich Thompson and bounced off the center field wall. �Tabata scored and Walker slid into third easily with a triple. �LF Brian Myrow followed with a grounder to the right side of the infield, bringing Walker home and giving the Indians a 2-0 lead.

Two innings later, things looked rather familiar: �Tabata led off that inning, too, with a single that ended up just behind third base. �Again Tabata stole second base, and again, Neil Walker drove him home. �This time, Walker did it with a long smash that hit a railing just behind the yellow line over the right field wall. �Myrow singled this time, but was left on base again. � Indians up, 4-0.

Iron Pigs' starter Nate Bump had trouble again in the 5th inning. �For the third time in the game, Tabata led off the inning with a single, this one bounced over the mound and into center field. �Walker did not have a hit this time, but he walked. �Tabata and Walker executed a double steal, which caught the Iron Pigs flatfooted. �It was Tabata's 3rd steal of the game, and his 12th of the season, and Walker's 8th stolen base of the season. �A grounder to first base by 3B Pedro Alvarez let Tabata score from third base, and the Indians had a 5-0 lead.

Crotta himself got off to a little bit of a shaky start. �The speedy Rich Thompson opened the bottom of the 1st by beating out an infield hit to third base, and Crotta walked Maza. �Then he struck out LF John Mayberry. �1B Andy Tracy bounced sharply to SS Doug Bernier, who started a 6-4-3 (Bernier to 2B Brian Friday to 1B Walker) to get Crotta out of the inning without a run scoring. �After that, Crotta relaxed and settled in. �He retired the next 7 batters in order, until Mayberry singled with one out in the 4th. �RF Brandon Moss could not get to Mayberry's bloop hit before it hit the ground, but when Moss did scoop it up and fire into second base, Bernier applied the tag and they had Mayberry out trying to stretch the hit into a double. �Crotta finished that inning with a line out, then threw a 1-2-3 5th inning.

Late-Inning Homer Stops Indians’ Streak

Pawtucket Red Sox 7, � Indianapolis Indians 6 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians came from behind twice, but could not answer a 7th-inning home run, as the Pawtucket Red Sox halted the Indians' winning streak at 6 games tonight in Rhode Island. �The Indians were hoping for a sweep of the 4-game series, but had to settle for a 3 games to 1 series win.

IMG_2482Brad Lincoln (photo) made the start for the Tribe, and he struggled through 6 innings, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. �The Indians gave him an unearned run to work with in the top of the 1st. �CF Jose Tabata opened the game with a ringing double into left field, and then he stole 3rd base. �The stolen base was his 9th of the season -- third in the International League. �With DH Brian Myrow at the plate, the Pawtucket 3B Jorge Jimenez dropped a foul pop for what should have been the second out of the inning. �Given the second chance, Myrow responded with a single through the hole into right field, and Tabata scored.

When Lincoln took the mound in the bottom of the 1st, that slim lead was immediately erased: �the first batter, DH Josh Reddick, lifted a long, high, no-doubt-about-it home run over the right field wall. �Lincoln worked around a single to keep the PawSox from scoring again in that inning.

1B Steve Pearce broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the 2nd inning. �He led off with a double into left, then advanced to third on a ground out by RF Brandon Moss, and scored on another grounder, this one by C Luke Carlin. The PawSox came right back in the bottom of the inning, though. �Lincoln walked the first two batters of the inning -- something that is sure to come back to haunt you. �It did just that -- a single by CF Bubba Bell loaded the bases with one out, and Josh Reddick doubled into left field. �The first two runners scored easily, and Bell rounded third and aimed for the plate as Tribe LF Neil Walker's throw came in to the infield. �The relay to the plate arrived in Carlin's glove before Bell got there. �Bell tried to bowl over Carlin, but Carlin held onto the ball, and Bell was out. �The PawSox took a 3-2 lead.

Indians Move Above .500 With 6th Straight Win

Indianapolis Indians �4, �Pawtucket Red Sox �1 (box)

IMG_0549The Indianapolis Indians held the PawSox to 5 hits as they earned their 6th straight win tonight. �The win moves them above the .500 mark, with an 11-10 record. �It was warmer in Pawtucket tonight than in the past couple of days, which could only help matters as far as the Indians were concerned.

Both C Luke Carlin and CF Jose Tabata recorded 2 hits each for the Indians, and four Indians contributed RBI: �Tabata, LF Neil Walker, DH Brian Myrow, and SS Brian Friday. Every member of the lineup had at least one hit, except for 3B Pedro Alvarez.

Daniel McCutchen (photo), who was recently reassigned to the Indians,� made his first AAA start of the season, and he was impressive. �McCutchen threw 103 pitches (62 strikes), and scattered 5 hits over 7 innings of work. �Pawtucket DH Josh Reddick had the most success against McCutchen, when he singled with two outs in the 3rd inning (but was thrown out trying to steal second), and homered to lead off the 6th inning. �SS Angel Sanchez doubled off McCutchen in the 4th and singled in the 6th, but both times was left stranded at the end of the inning. �McCutchen also walked two batters and hit one, but left all of them on base too.

The Indians' batters got started with their scoring in the top of the 1st. �Jose Tabata began the game with a single into center field, and when Pawtucket CF Bubba Bell threw wildly back into the infield, Tabata advanced to second base. �Brian Myrow brought him in from second base with a double ripped into right field. �The Tribe added a second run in the 2nd inning. �With one out, Luke Carlin crushed a 3-1 pitch into the right field corner, and raced all the way to third base when RF Matt Sheely had trouble coming up with the ball. �Brian Friday followed with a sacrifice fly, and Carlin scored easily, to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.

Chapman Is Wild But Beats Tribe

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Louisville Bats 7, �Indianapolis Indians 1 (box)

IMG_2634Louisville's touted lefty Aroldis Chapman (photo above and here) won his first game for the Bats tonight, beating the Indians at Victory Field. �Chapman was scheduled to throw 90 - 100 pitches, and he ended up with 95 (54 for strikes), going 5.1 innings. �He gave up 3 hits, one unearned run, and 5 walks, while striking out 8 Tribe batters. �Chapman's fastest pitches were clocked at 98 -99 mph on the Victory Field radar gun, and he may have even reached 100 mph, depending on the limits of the gun and the scoreboard. �But Chapman was also all over the place, with pitches in the dirt, wildly around the plate, and one that even sailed behind Tribe RF Brandon Moss. In a pre-game interview with Tribe broadcaster Howard Kellman, Louisville manager Rick Sweet admitted that Chapman's command of his pitches still needs work. �"His command is pretty good for a 22-year-old", said Sweet -- but clearly not yet major league level command. �He has a lot of movement on his fastball and has a pitching motion that looks easy and effortless. �Sweet also told Kellman that as a pitcher in Cuba, Chapman did not do much work on fundamentals having to do with anything other than hurling the ball toward the plate. �He has done very little work at fielding the pitcher's position. �Since the designated hitter is used in Cuba, Chapman had never batted as a professional before tonight's game, so he's had little focus on hitting or base running.


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Later, during the game, Kellman interviewed Peter C. Bjarkman, who is intimately familiar with Cuban baseball, both the regular Cuban leagues and the Cuban national team and international play. �Bjarkman has written books about Cuban baseball, and also writes for baseballdecuba.com . �He has seen Chapman pitch many times over the past several years, and he also has concern about his command. �In Cuba, Chapman was first named to the national team at age 19, but he "pitched himself off the team" because of his wildness. �He was again named to the national team for last year's World Baseball Classic, and had two "shaky" outings. �Bjarkman reported that the Cuban baseball management felt that Chapman had not been improving over his four professional seasons. �They were not sure whether it was due to Chapman not listening to instruction as well as he ought to, or lack of personal discipline, or something else. �Bjarkman feels that Chapman gets rattled if things don't go his way, and in those kinds of situations, he loses focus and concentration, and then gets into more trouble. �He likes to try to overpower every batter he faces, and that is not always the best way to pitch.

So, what happened when he faced the Indians?

Pearce Homers But Mud Hens Slip Past Tribe

Toledo Mud Hens 3, �Indianapolis Indians 2 (box)

IMG_2372C Luke Carlin went 3-for-4 and 1B Steve Pearce hit a huge solo home run, but the Indians' offensive burst came too late, as the Mud Hens beat the Tribe at Victory Field tonight.

The Indians could not muster much of an offense for the first 5 innings, as only four batters reached base. �The Indians also were making a habit of leaving runners stranded at third base, which is never a good idea. �1B Steve Pearce had the first Tribe hit in the 2nd inning, a very long shot to the wall at the 418' mark in left center field -- the deepest part of Victory Field. �The ball dropped right into the pocket way way out there, and Pearce rounded second and charged for third, sliding in just before the throw with a triple (photo). � Two strikeouts ended the inning, though, with Pearce still standing there at third.

Luke Carlin was the one left on third in the 3rd inning. �He led off with a single into left field, and moved to second base when SS Argenis Diaz dropped down a sacrifice bunt just in front of the plate. �Carlin stole third base, drawing no throw from the Mud Hens' catcher. �RF Brandon Jones walked, but a strikeout and a pop up to first base ended that inning.

IMG_2353Indians' starter Chris Jakubauskas (photo) was also using strikeouts to get himself out of jams in the first few innings of the game. �Toledo DH Will Rhymes opened the game with a little looping hit that dropped in just barely fair behind the third base bag. �Strikeouts of SS Brent Dlugach and RF Brennan Boesch put Jakubauskas into a much better position, and after a walk, he got CF Casper Wells to ground to third base to end the inning. �Jakubauskas retired the side in the 2nd inning, including 2 more strikeouts. �He gave up a one-out walk in the third, but again two strikeouts ended the inning. �Jakubauskas was not able to utilize the strikeout in the 4th inning, and that's when he got into trouble. �1B Jeff Larish walked, and after a fly out, LF Jeff Frazier smacked a double off the upper half of the new scoreboard in left field, moving Larish to third. �2B Max Leon zapped a liner right back to the mound, where Jakubauskas was able to stick his glove up and knock the ball down. �He quickly picked the ball up, turned to glare over towards third and then towards second, to keep those base runners from moving, then fired over to first base to get the out on Leon. �The next batter, C Mike Rabelo, brought both runners in with a double to the wall in the right-center alley, giving the Mud Hens a 2-0 lead.

Prospect Watching: Erik Kratz and Luke Carlin

Looking at two more catchers today -- both veterans:

img_2049kratzErik Kratz was a surprise last year in Indianapolis. �The 29-year-old was drafted by the Blue Jays in the 29th round of the 2002 draft, and spent seven seasons in their organization mostly as a back-up catcher at various levels. �He occasionally took a turn playing first base, and played third twice in 2008, and even pitched in four games along the way (5 innings, 5 hits, 4 runs, 4 walks, and one strikeout). �After the 2008 season, Kratz became a minor league free agent, and he chose to sign a minor league contract with the Pirates for 2009. �The plan was for Kratz to be the back-up catcher behind Robinzon Diaz in Indianapolis.

Things changed when Pirates' catcher Ryan Doumit was injured. �Diaz was called up to Pittsburgh on April 21st, and Kratz became the primary catcher in Indy. �The regular playing time showed off Kratz's skills, and it also gave him the chance to get regular at-bats. �He hit .227 with a home run in April, but went on a 6-game hitting streak (9-for-25) after Diaz left. The average increased to .288 in May, which included four 3-hit games, and rose further to .308 in June, when he had a hit in all but two games that he appeared in (18 games). � Kratz still struck out a lot, but the rate decreased over the season (26% of plate appearances in April, but down to 18% in May, 20% in June, and 14% in July). �Kratz was named the starting catcher for the International League's All Star Game. �He hit the International League team's first hit, which was a double in the 3rd inning, and moments later scored the team's first run. �Then he sealed the win with a 2-run homer in the 6th inning, to give the International League the win and earn himself the game's Top Star (MVP)�honors. �Kratz returned to Indianapolis to find that Robinzon Diaz had been optioned down from Pittsburgh, but this time, Kratz was not automatically bumped back to the back-up role. �He continued to get playing time and at-bats, though he hit only .216 with 3 homers in July. �Then in August, he blasted 5 home runs and hit .329, finishing the season with a solid .273 average in 93 games, including a personal best 30 doubles, 11 homers (he also hit 11 in 2005), and personal best 43 RBI. �Behind the plate, Kratz threw out 25 of 83 runners trying to steal base (30%). � He was named the Indy Indians' Defensive Player of the Year for 2009.

Pirates Cut Relievers; Morton Pitches Well In Loss

The Pirates moved six pitchers and one catcher to minor league camp today. �Jeff Karstens, who had been a starter for the Pirates in 2009 but was removed from the 40-man roster after the season, could be either a starter or a long reliever in Indianapolis to begin 2010. �Relievers Brian Bass, Anthony Claggett, Vinnie Chulk, Steven Jackson, and Jeremy Powell were all sent to Indianapolis. �Powell pitched for the Indians in 2009, and signed a minor league contract for 2010. �Bass and Chulk also were signed as free agents over the winter. �Also sent to Indy was another free agent, catcher Luke Carlin, who will likely play a back-up role for the Indians.

That leaves the Pirates with relievers DJ Carrasco and Jack Taschner. Neither of them are on the Pirates' 40-man roster, so two roster moves will have to be made to accommodate them. �There are a few more players and positions who remain in question. �Infielder Ramon Vasquez seems to have lost out to a group of other infielders (Aki Iwamura, Delwyn Young, Bobby Crosby, and Ronny Cedeno) and the Pirates are trying to trade him before they have to just release him. �A decision has to be made between the two prospective back-up catchers Erik Kratz and Jason Jaramillo. The Pirates have to determine whether or not they will keep Rule 5 outfielder John Raynor. �Steve Pearce might also be optioned back to the Indians, since he has an option left and is being squeezed out by Jeff Clement at first and a host of outfielders. �Then, the Pirates just picked up reliever Hayden Penn yesterday and have promised to give him a good look before making a decision.

In today's Grapefruit League action: � �Twins 4, �Pirates 1 �(box)

Apparently the Pirates used up all of their extra bat-power in yesterday's 15-hit attack. �Today at Fort Myers, they managed only 4 hits and one run in the loss to the Twins. �A host of minor leaguers got a chance to have some fun with the big leaguers today, but they were no match for Twins' starter Francisco Liriano, who allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks in 6 scoreless innings. �In fact, the Pirates didn't have a hit until the 5th inning, when LF Robbie Grossman singled. �SS Bobby Crosby and C Jason Jaramillo also singled. �The Pirates' only run came in the 9th inning, when 2B Shelby Ford tripled, then scored on C Erik Kratz's RBI ground out.