The Tides loaded the bases against Lincoln in the 4th, with a single by Hughes, former Indy indian LF Nick Green being hit by a pitch, and a walk by Hernandez. A sacrifice fly by CF Matt Angle brought in Hughes, but a grounder force out ended the inning, and Lincoln escaped with only one run scored.
Alex Presley picked up his third hit of the game in the next inning, and got that run right back for Lincoln. He lined a single into center field, then stole second base (his 8th of the season) and moved on to third base on a balk. Hague was hit on the foot with a pitch, putting runners on the corners. Bowker slipped a single through the right side of the infield, driving in Presley. Jaramillo tipped a grounder off the glove of 3B Bell and into left field, giving Hague the chance to come around and score, for a 5-1 lead. A double play and a ground out ended the inning.
Lincoln pitched another 2 innings, and allowed 2 more singles in the 5th, but did not allow another run. He finished after 6 innings, allowing one run on 6 hits and 2 walks. He struck out 7 batters for the second time this season. Lincoln threw 95 pitches (62 strikes) in his second win — his first in pink shoes. Cesar Valdez (photo) relieved Lincoln to begin the 7th, and pitched 2 perfect innings.
The Tribe scored one more run in the 8th. With one out, Lambo singled into right field, and two consecutive wild pitches put him onto third base. The wild pitches also contributed to Brian Friday’s walk. CF Gorkys Hernandez brought in Lambo with a single into right field, for a 6-1 lead.
Justin Thomas (photo) pitched the 9th. He gave up the Tides’ second run, when SS Brendan Harris smacked Thomas’ first pitch over the left field wall for a solo homer. Thomas walked Michel Hernandez, but a grounder force out and two strikeouts got him out of the inning and ended the game.
The Indians are still in 4th place in the International League West Division. Their 10-21 record has them 13.5 games behind first-place Columbus. Louisville is 5 games behind Columbus, and Toledo is 8.5 games behind Columbus and 5 games ahead of the Tribe.
Indians’ Hitting Gem of the Game: Andrew Lambo’s single in the 3rd inning, which drove in two runs. Of the Tribe’s 12 singles, Lambo’s was the only one that brought in more than one run, and this included what would turn out to be the winning run.
Indians’ Defensive Gem of the Game: In the 6th inning, John Bowker, who just joined the team today, chased after a fly ball. He made the long run, then made a running backhanded catch, going up against the retaining wall in right field.
NOTES:
Another expected roster move: OF John Bowker joined the team prior to today’s game. In order to free up a roster spot, INF/DH Andy Marte (photo) was removed from the Indians’ roster, and placed on the extended spring training list. This might be a paper move — I think I saw Marte coaching first base on the video feed of today’s game.
Alex Presley’s 3-for-5 day has raised his batting average to .377, the fourth-best average in the International League. Presley leads the IL with 43 hits, four more than Gwinnett’s Mauro Gomez, who is second.
Brad Lincoln has made 6 starts so far this season, and four of them have been daytime games: April 10th and today’s were Sunday afternoon games; April 27th was a Wednesday afternoon, and May 3rd was a Tuesday late-morning school day game. His start on April 21st was not exactly night — it was the first game of a double-header, which began at 5:30 pm.
Go Tribe!
(photos by Nancy)
