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The Indians took the lead right back with their big inning of the game.� With one out in the bottom of the 3rd, Pedro Ciriaco (photo) walked on four pitches.� The next three batters all had extra-base hits:� A double lined into left-center field by 3B Akinori Iwamura, moving Ciriaco to third;� a double down the left field line and into the corner by Alex Presley, driving in both Ciriaco and Iwamura; and a 2-run no-doubt-about-it blast over the right field wall by Brandon Moss.� Presley had reached third base on his hit, when Tides’ LF Reimold had the ball carom off the wall in the left field corner and shoot between his legs for a fielding error.� Indians 5, Tides 1.
The Indians picked up an insurance run in each of the 5th and 6th innings.� Pedro Ciriaco led off the 5th inning with another bouncer down the left field line for a double.� Aki Iwamura blooped a single into short center field, where it fell in between CF Jeff Salazar and 2B Paco Figueroa.� That put Ciriaco on third base.� He scored easily when Alex Presley grounded close to second base, forcing Figueroa to go to his right and make a diving stop.� From the ground, Figueroa flipped the ball to SS Andino, who made the force play on Iwamura at second base.� But Andino was off balance and leaning forward as he made the catch, so he was not able to make a relay throw to first base.� Presley was safe at first, and had picked up another RBI.
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Three more consecutive singles brought in the run in the 6th.� With one out, Jonathan Van Every (photo) lined a single into center field.� Jason Jaramillo looped another single into center.� Van Every moved to second on Jaramillo’s hit, then surprised the Tides with a steal of third base.� SS Brian Friday lined the third single over the head of his counterpart and into left field, driving in Van Every from third base.� A wild pitch moved Jaramillo to third and Friday to second, but a strikeout and a ground out ended the inning with both runners still standing in scoring position.
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After that 3rd inning, Brian Burres retired the next 8 batters he faced in order.� With two outs in the 6th, Burres gave up a single into left field to Andino, followed by a double to the deepest part of Victory field, the left-center field alley, by Reimold, scoring Andino.� A fly out ended that inning.
Burres came back out to begin the bottom of the 7th, and that turned out to be a mistake.� He gave up back-to-back doubles into center field, to 1B Brandon Snyder and DH Michael Aubrey, with Aubrey picking up the RBI as Snyder scored.� The Tides had crept a little closer:� 7-3.
Corey Hamman (photo) came on to relieve Burres, taking over with a runner on second base and no outs.� Hamman made quick work of the next three batters, needing only 10 pitches to get out of the inning.� Hamman began the 8th inning with a fly out, though with a twist.� Tides’ Scott Moore, who was ejected from last night’s game after arguing about strike three with the umpire, had another interaction with the home plate umpire today.� Hamman’s second pitch was inside, and the lefty-hitting Moore immediately turned, tossed his bat, and took a couple of steps toward first base.� Home plate umpire Damien Beal called him right back to the batters box.� Moore pointed to his left arm just below his elbow.� Beal pointed him to the batters’ box.� Moore came back to the plate and again pointed to his elbow.� Beal took a step toward Moore, and peered at his arm.� Unimpressed, Beal again pointed Moore to the batters’ box.� Moore reluctantly got back into the box, took a called strike, then flied out to center field.
Hamman walked the next batter, Robert Andino, and when the first pitch to Nolan Reimold zipped to the backstop, Andino advanced to second base.� Reimold singled up the middle, and Andino was off and running from second base, scoring easily.� Hamman remained in the game for one more batter, to face the left-handed former Indy Indian Jeff Salazar.� Salazar flied out, then Hamman was relieved by righty Jean Machi. Machi threw one pitch, which Brandon Snyder bounced to short for the force out on Reimold at second base.
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Machi (photo) made things a little interesting in the top of the 9th, when he gave up back-to-back singles to another former Indy Indian, C Michel Hernandez, and Rhyne Hughes.� But he left both of them standing on base with a grounder back to the mound, and a fly out to Alex Presley in center field to end the game.� Machi earned his 16th save of the season.
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Of the Indians’ total 10 hits, half were doubles:� Ciriaco, Iwamura, Presley, Jones, and Bowker all doubled.� Moss’s home run added another extra-base hit.� Iwamura was the only Tribe batter with more than one hit in the game.
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Indians’ Hitting Gem of the Game:� The 2-run homer by Brandon Moss in the 3rd inning (photo).� It scored Alex Presley from third base, and capped off the 4-run inning.� It was Moss’s team-leading 20th home run of the season, and the most homers Moss has ever had in one season.� That puts him second among active players in the International League.
Indians’ Defensive Gem of the Game:� The pick-off throw and subsequent run-down on Scott Moore in the 3rd inning.� Jason Jaramillo started the play with a quick throw down to first base after a pitch, and the Jaramillo-to-Van Every-to-Ciriaco-to-Friday sequence was done efficiently enough so that the out (third in the inning) was made before Paco Figueroa, who had been on second base, could round third and score.
Photos:
Two former Indy Indians are now playing for Norfolk (Baltimore Orioles’ affiliate):� OF Jeff Salazar� (left) and C Michel Hernandez� (right).
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Left: Dean Treanor, Jason Jaramillo, and Brian Burres have a mound conference;� Brian Friday makes a play at second base
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Left:� Pedro Ciriaco and Brian Friday;�� Right:� Brian Friday and Jonathan Van Every
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Starter Mike Crotta was doing some side work before the game with bullpen catcher Ryan Lewis and pitching coach Dean Treanor.� Treanor looked pleased with what he was seeing from Crotta.
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NOTES:
Historical notes — The last time an Indians’ hitter had more than 20 home runs in one season for the Tribe was in 2005:� Graham Koonce.� The last time an Indians’ hitter had more than 80 RBI in one season for the Tribe was in 2004:� Jeff Liefer had 83 RBI and 20 homers.
Tides’ pitcher Chris George, who was hit on the elbow in Tuesday’s game (a comebacker to the mound off the bat of Akinori Iwamura), had negative x-rays — nothing broken, just bruised.
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Go Tribe!
(photos by Nancy)
