Tag: Brian Friday

Indianapolis Indians �4, �Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs �1 (box)

At what point is a "spot starter" no longer a "spot starter"? �Indians' pitcher Jeremy Powell (photo) made his 4th start for the Tribe this evening at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA. �That's 4 starts and only one relief appearance for Powell this year. �This start was Powell's longest, by two innings: �he pitched 7 shutout innings, earning his second win.

Powell scattered 5 hits and 3 walks over his 7 innings of work, and he struck out 4 Iron Pig batters. �He gave up a two-out triple to RF Cody Ransom in the 2nd inning, and a walk to C Paul Hoover put runners on the corners, but a pop out ended the inning. �Powell gave up a single in the 3rd and left that runner stranded, and he gave up a lead-off single in the 4th, but got out of that inning with a double play. �Another double play erased a walk to CF John Mayberry in the 6th. �Powell also had to work around two runners in the 5th inning, when Hoover doubled and former Indy Indian (2005 - 06) LF Rich Thompson walked with two outs. � RF Brandon Jones got Powell out of that jam when he made a shoetop catch of a sinking line drive into right field off the bat of 2B Luis Maza. �Powell gave up a double with two outs in his last inning, but finished his night with a fly out to end the inning.

Meanwhile, the�Indians also put runners on base in each of the first four innings, but a combination of poor luck and poor baserunning kept them from scoring. �CF Brandon Moss, in a rare spot as the lead-off batter, began the game with a single up the middle, then moved to second base on a balk. �LF Neil Walker hit a sharp line drive -- but right at LF Rich Thompson. �A walk to 3B Pedro Alvarez put another runner on base, but both were left stranded. �C Erik Kratz led off the 2nd inning with a double into center field, but three straight grounders kept him from scoring.

The Tribe had a good chance of scoring in the 3rd inning, when Alvarez singled with two outs, and 1B Steve Pearce lined a double to left field. �Alvarez rounded third and headed for the plate, waved on by manager Frank Kremblas, as the throw came in from Thompson in left field. �The relay throw was on-target, and Alvarez was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. �Brandon Jones led off the 4th inning with a single, and a fielding error by Iron Pigs' RF Cody Ransom put Jones on second base. �But he was throw out trying to steal third base, and two more ground outs ended the inning.

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

Starter 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.

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs �10, �Indianapolis Indians �6 (box)

Five runs by the Iron Pigs in the 6th inning put the game out of reach for the Indians in Saturday's game at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA. �With starter Donnie Veal on the mound for the Tribe, the Iron Pigs batted around, beginning with a lead-off double by RF Cody Ransom. �Tribe CF Jose Tabata had to make a long run, but couldn't quite get to the ball, as it glanced off the end of his glove. �3B Neil Sellers walked, and after a fly out, C Dane Sardinha smacked a long fly that bounced on the warning track in left-center, then bounded over the wall. �Ransom scored, but Sellers had to be stopped at third base because it was a ground-rule double. �Pinch-hitter Paul Hoover was hit by a pitch to load the bases, and former Indy Indian CF Rich Thompson lifted a long fly ball to left field. �LF Neil Walker got to the ball for the out, but Sellers tagged up and scored on the sacrifice, as the throw in to the infield was cut off. �2B Luis Maza followed with a double, bringing in two more runs, and that was the end of Veal's night.

Vinnie Chulk relieved Veal, but he gave up a single, which moved Maza to third base. �A pitch in the dirt got past C Erik Kratz, and Maza scrambled home from third base. �A strike out ended the inning. �Those 5 runs (one was unearned) were charged to Veal, who allowed a total of 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits and 4 walks, over 5.2 innings, with one strikeout.

The Indians scored first in the game, with two runs in the top of the 1st. �Jose Tabata (photo) opened the game with a walk, on three pitches which appeared to be very close -- close enough to get Lehigh Valley's starter (and former Indy Indian) Ryan Voglesong and catcher Dane Sardinha upset. �With the dangerous Tabata on base, the Iron Pigs' 2B Luis Maza had to stay a few steps closer to the second base bag. �That gave Neil Walker the space he needed to slip a ball through the right side of the infield for a single, moving Tabata to second base. �3B Pedro Alvarez also singled through the hole into right field. �This time RF Cody Ransom bobbled the ball, so manager Frank Kremblas changed his "stop at third" sign to a "keep going" sign, and Tabata raced home. �Walker moved up to third base, and when 1B Steve Pearce flied out, Walker scored on the sacrifice. �Then came a poor base running move: �Alvarez stepped a little too far off first base, and was picked off by Vogelsong. �It was the 8th time this season that the Indians had a runner picked off first.

Indianapolis Indians 7, �Pawtucket Red Sox 2 (box)

On a damp and shivery night in Pawtucket, a sleepy set of Indians took advantage of good pitching and some strong defense to win their fourth game in a row. �They must have brought the rain with them on the early morning (following a very late night) flight from Louisville; �the start of tonight's game was delayed by nearly an hour while the McCoy Stadium grounds crew got the field ready.

Jeremy Powell made the start for the Tribe, despite limping around on a swollen ankle, where he got hit by a pitch while pinch-hitting last night. �The ankle was taped up, and the veteran Powell just kept going. �He pitched 5 innings, using 77 pitches (53 strikes). �Powell zipped through the first 5 batters, then gave up a double and a single, but got out of that jam with a pop out. �He walked the lead-off batter in the 3rd, but got a double play to end that inning. �A double in the 4th was also no problem. �Powell was getting a little tired in the 5th, when a lead-off single by PawSox 2B Kevin Frandsen and back-to-back doubles by LF Daniel Nava and CF Josh Reddick brought in two runs.

But by then, the Indians had already scored three times, as the lower end of their batting order was hot tonight -- SS Argenis Diaz singled twice and drove in 4 runs, while 2B Brian Friday went 3-for-4 with two doubles and one RBI. �1B Steve Pearce got the rally started in the 2nd inning with a walk. �RF Brandon Moss was hit by a pitch, and Friday also walked to load the bases for Diaz. �Diaz, who has had 7 hits in his last 4 games with the Indians, ripped a single into right field, tipping off the glove of Pawtucket 1B Aaron Bates and down the line. �Both Pearce and Moss scored, and the throw in from right field to the plate was not even close. �

The Indians threatened in the 4th inning, when C Luke Carlin and Friday opened the frame with back-to-back singles. �Diaz bunted them up a base, but CF Jose Tabata's grounder to third was fired back to the plate, and Carlin was out at the plate, without even a slide. �Neil Walker, in left field again tonight, walked to load the bases, but a ground out ended the inning without a run scoring.

Walks to Steve Pearce and Luke Carlin put two runners on for the Tribe with two out in the top of the 5th. � The two went for a double steal, with Carlin getting off about a step behind Pearce. �Pawtucket's C Mark Wagner saw Carlin's slightly late start, and tried to throw him out at second base, but the throw sailed into center field, and Pearce charged home with the unearned run.

photo: �Neil Walker is congratulated after his second homer in three days.

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Indianapolis Indians �9, �Columbus Clippers �4 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians exploded for 7 runs in the 4th inning tonight at Victory Field, and that included three home runs -- by CF Jose Tabata, LF Neil Walker, and DH Brian Myrow. The Columbus Clippers could not keep up, as the Indians more than doubled them up on hits.

Donnie Veal (photo) made the start for the Tribe, and he got into trouble right away in the top of the 1st. �Columbus CF Trevor Crowe led off with a single up the middle. �SS Jason Donald tried to bunt Crowe to second, but only succeeded in popping up to Veal for the first out. �DH Carlos Santana smashed a double to the wall in right center field, past the desperate reach of RF Brandon Moss (photo below -- Moss is at the wall, but the ball is in the splash of dirt down to his right, by the feet of his shadow.)�RF Shelley Duncan worked a walk to load the bases, with just one out. �But Veal bore down and struck out 1B Wes Hodges, then got former Indy Indian Brian Bixler to look at strike three, ending the inning with the bases still loaded but no runs in.

Once he got through that inning unscathed, Veal settled in. �He faced the minimum number of batters over the next four innings. �The only base runner he allowed was C Damaso Espino, who walked in the 2nd inning, but was immediately erased with a double play. �It took Veal 28 pitches to work through the first inning, and only about 38 pitches to get through the next four innings.

Columbus starter Hector Rondon did reasonably well against the Indians for his first three innings. �He gave up a lone walk to Brian Myrow in the 1st. �He gave up a single to Brandon Moss in the 2nd inning. �Moss stole second base easily when neither the Columbus SS Jason Donald nor the 2B Anderson Hernandez covered the bag. �Hernandez kept the throw from sailing into the outfield, but that was with a late scramble to catch it well behind the second base bag. �Moss got as far as third base when C Erik Kratz produced a lot of held breaths with his long fly ball to left field -- which was caught up against the wall. �In the 3rd inning, SS Argenis Diaz lined a single in to right field, but he was caught stealing.

It was the 4th inning that did Rondon in and gave the Indians their biggest inning of the season. �Brian Myrow (photo below) began the fun with a solo home run, which rose down the right field line, flew over the wall just inside the foul pole, then hooked around behind the foul pole to land in the picnic section. �The Clippers tried to protest (no video conferencing for the umpires in the minor leagues), but to no avail, and the Indians had a 1-0 lead. �3B Pedro Alvarez lined out to center for the first out. �Then 1B Steve Pearce and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back line drives, Pearce to left-center and Moss to right. �Erik Kratz came to the plate with runners on first and second, and he bounced a little tap back to the mound. �Rondon fielded it cleanly, whirled and prepared to throw to second base -- and then didn't. �He had the ball in his arm, and even moved his arm as if to throw, but did not release the ball. �Unlike in the 2nd inning, both his second baseman and his shortstop were moving towards the bag and would have been there by the time the ball got there, and they and the ball would have all reached the bag well before Moss coming from first base. �It should have been a double play, particularly since Kratz is not the fastest down the line to first base. �But Rondon did not make the throw. �Instead, he again turned, and threw to first base, making the out on Kratz. �Instead of being out of the inning, he had two outs and runners on second and third bases.

2B Brian Friday had the key hit in the 4th inning. �With two outs, he slipped a single up the middle, just between the middle infielders, scoring both Pearce and Moss. �Argenis Diaz continued the inning with a single into right field, and the Tribe again had runners on first and second base with two outs. �Jose Tabata cleared the bases with a 3-run long bomb, a little further inside the right field foul pole than Myrow's had been. �No argument from the Clippers this time. �Then, to cap it off, Neil Walker made it back-to-back home runs, with a blast to mid-right field. �That sent Hector Rondon to the showers, having surrendered 7 runs on 9 hits. �Jess Todd came in from the Columbus bullpen. After a walk to Myrow in his second at-bat in the inning, Todd got Pedro Alvarez to fly out, ending the long inning.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 4, �Indianapolis Indians 3

The Indians' last-chance rally fell short this afternoon in Tampa, as the Indians lost to the Yankees for the second day in a row. �It was the Indians' 5th straight spring training loss. �Tribe starter Chris Jakubauskas pitched 2 innings and allowed one run on two hits and a walk, while striking out 3 batters. �Kyle Bloom also took the mound for the Indians, and he suffered the loss as he allowed 2 runs on 3 hits and a walk in his two innings.

CF Jose Tabata got the Indians going with an �RBI double in the 6th inning. �SS Brian Friday added a solo home run in the 8th. �The Indians entered the top of the 9th behind 4-2. �With two outs, 1B Brian Myrow, CF Jon Van Every, and LF Neil Walker hit consecutive singles, as Walker picked up the RBI. � But the Indians left Van Every and Walker stranded as a strikeout ended the inning and the game.

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Blue Jays 11, �Pirates 2 �(box)

Three strikes against the Pirates today:

1. �Pirates' batters were able to get only 5 hits. �Two of those were by CF Andrew McCutchen, and 2B Aki Iwamura, RF Garrett Jones, and starter Daniel McCutchen each had one.

2. Pirates' pitchers gave up 14 hits. �Daniel McCutchen went 4 innings and gave up 5 of those hits for 5 runs, though only 2 runs were earned. �Brandon Donnelly lasted only 0.2 innings and allowed 3 runs on 3 hits. �Anthony Claggett gave up 2 unearned runs and 3 hits, and Jeff Karstens was responsible for one run on 2 hits. �Evan Meek pitched a scoreless inning (but gave up a hit) and Steven Jackson retired the only batter he faced.

3. �Pirates' fielders made 4 errors, which explains all those unearned runs. �SS Ronny Cedeno made fielding errors on back-to-back plays in the 2nd inning, Garrett Jones made a fielding error in the outfield, and 3B Jeremy Farrell, up from minor league camp, made a throwing error.

Also in the game today: �CF John Raynor, 2B Doug Bernier, RF Steve Pearce, C Erik Kratz, LF Austin McClune, 1B Calvin Anderson.

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