Tag: Cesar Valdez

Corey Wimberly congratulates John Bowker on his 2-run homer in the 4th inning.







Indianapolis Indians  10,  Toledo Mud Hens  4
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It was a good night for hitting, at least for the Indians, tonight at Victory Field.  The Tribe posted 13 hits, 10 more than they allowed the Mud Hens, as they easily defeated Toledo to even up this 5-game series at 2 games each.  The Indians had scored only one run in each of their last two games, but tonight, all but one member of the Indians' line-up scored at least one run, and all but two had at least one hit.  SS Jordy Mercer (photo), who did not have a hit, scored one run.  CF Anthony Norman, who had neither a hit nor a run scored, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.  2B Corey Wimberly and DH Dusty Brown each smacked 3 hits, while LF John Bowker and C Kris Watts had 2 hits each.  


The Tribe scored in each of the first 5 innings:
In the 1st -- Wimberly led off with a double down the left field line, which landed about a foot inside the foul line and continued down to the left field corner.  Toledo LF Timo Perez had to fight the sun a bit, and had a little trouble tracking it down, so Wimberly made it into second base easily.  Mercer was hit in the back as he ducked away from the first pitch from Toledo starter LJ Gagnier.  A ground out to first by Bowker pushed Wimberly to third and Mercer to second.  Then rehabbing Pedro Alvarez, who played third base today, snuck a single between the Mud Hens' first- and second-basemen and into right field, scoring both Wimberly and Mercer for a 2-0 lead.  Two fly outs ended the inning.

In the 2nd --  RF Miles Durham led off with a blast into the right-center field gap, past the diving Toledo CF (and former Indy Indian) Jeff Salazar.  Once the ball got past Salazar's desperate reach, it bounced to the wall, and Durham had all the time in the world to motor around and into third base standing.  Brown ran the count full, fouled off five more pitches, then doubled down the left field line to almost the same spot as Wimberly hit in the 1st inning.  That brought in Durham to boost the lead to 3-0.  Norman  bounced back to the mound, where Gagnier whirled and caught Brown in between second and third bases.  Brown dodged back and forth long enough so that Norman could reach second base before he was tagged out.  Norman reached as far as third on Wimberly's ground out, but a strikeout ended the inning.

In the 3rd --  With one out, Alvarez worked a walk, as ball four bounced about two feet in front of the plate.  1B Matt Hague hit the Indians' third double down the left field line, just barely fair, which ducked under the bullpen bench so that Time Perez had to dig it out.  Alvarez was running "carefully" on his pretty-much-healed-up quad (photo), but manager Dean Treanor did not want to take any chances, so he held Alvarez at third.  Watts followed with a single lined into center field, picking up his first two AAA level RBI, as both Alvarez and Hague scored.  Durham hit a sharp bouncer toward third base, which bounced off former Indy Indian 3B Argenis Diaz's glove and into left field.  It was a 2-base error, putting Durham on second base and moving Watts to third.  Brown's long fly ball into right field became a sacrifice fly, bringing in Watts from third, as the throw in from Hens' RF Ben Guez was way wide of the plate.  Indians up, 6-0.  

Syracuse Chiefs  5,  Indianapolis Indians  4
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The Indians were one out away from a win at Alliance Bank Park in Syracuse, NY tonight, but a two-out rally led to a walk-off for the Chiefs.  

The Tribe went into the bottom of the 9th with a 4-3 lead, and Justin Thomas (photo) in from the bullpen.  Thomas got two quick outs, with a ground out and a strikeout.  Then he gave up a soft looper into center field by Syracuse 2B Steve Lombardozzi.   3B Matt Antonelli singled on a grounder up the middle, moving Lombardozzi to second base.  Thomas was relieved by Jose Ascanio, so that the righty Ascanio could face the right-handed RF Jesus Valdez.  Valdez lifted a fly ball into the right-center gap.  Tribe RF Andrew Lambo gave chase, and after a long run he made a desperate dive -- but could not come up with the ball.  The ball got past him, and turned into a 2-RBI double, scoring Lombardozzi with the tying run and Antonelli with the winning run. 

Rudy Owens made the start for the Tribe.  He had missed his last turn for a start, due to a bruise on his hand, suffered when a come-backer hit him while on the mound.  Owens worked around a fielding error by SS Pedro Ciriaco and a walk to Jesus Valdez in the 1st inning, escaping the jam with the help of a timely around-the-horn double play, 3B Andy Marte to 2B Brian Friday to 1B Matt Hague.  With one out in the 2nd inning, LF Jeff Frazier and Indiana University product SS Seth Bynum hit back-to-back doubles.  Frazier scored to put the Chiefs onto the scoreboard.  After a fly out, Syracuse starter JD Martin singled through to left field, and Bynum raced around from second base.  But LF John Bowker's throw to C Kris Watts was on target, and Watts tagged out Bynum at the plate for the third out of the inning.  Syracuse manager Randy Knorr argued the call at the plate, but only got himself ejected by plate umpire Chad Whitson for his efforts.

Pawtucket Red Sox  4,  Indianapolis Indians 1
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The Indianapolis Indians came away with a series split against Pawtucket, giving them a 5-3 win of the season series with the Red Sox.  The Indians out-hit the PawSox 9-4 at Victory Field tonight, but Pawtucket made their runs count and left town with the win.

Equally as big for the Tribe: the flurry of roster moves that affected the Indians today.  The Pirates optioned SS Pedro Ciriaco to the Indians, in order to make room for the move that has been eagerly anticipated by Tribe fans -- OF Alex Presley (photo) was promoted to Pittsburgh.  The Pirates had a scheduled day off today, but Presley will join the team tomorrow in Toronto.  He may make appearances as a pinch-hitter in the intraleague games, or he might also play some outfield since Jose Tabata has been injured.

Tribe C Wyatt Toregas, who left yesterday's game due to injury, was placed on the Indians' Disabled List today, yet another catcher in the Pirates' organization to be sidelined.  The Pirates do not feel that catchers Tony Sanchez and Travis Scott are ready for moving up to AAA.  They sought help from outside the organizaton :  former Indy Indian and Altoona Curve catcher Miguel Perez is once again an Indian.  Perez played in the Pirates' organization during the 2008 and 2009 season.  He hit .281 for the Curve in 57 games in 2008, with 2 homers and 22 RBI, and in 30 games for the Curve in 2009, Perez hit .262 with another 2 homers and 12 RBI.  Perez got into just 7 games for the Indians in 2009, and hit .182.

And, last but not least, pitcher Mike Crotta finished his rehab assignment, and was reinstated of the Pirates' Disabled List.  He was immediately optioned to Indianapolis.  In order to make space on the roster, pitcher Brad Lincoln was moved to the Altoona roster.  This was a paper move only.  Lincoln is in a holding pattern, expected to be called up to pitch for the Pirates when they have a double header on Saturday.  And, Lincoln was right here tonight, coaching at first base (photo).  


OK, on to the game:

Justin Wilson made his 15th start for the Tribe, in search of his 10th win of the season.  He was foiled, though by two tough innings.  After retiring the first four PawSox he faced, Wilson walked 1B Hector Luna in the 2nd.  The next batter, 2B Nate Spears, with his own private cheering section from Anderson, Indiana in the stands, smashed a long fly ball over the right field wall for a 2-run homer.  

Wilson struck out the next two batters to finish the inning, then retired the side in order again in the 3rd.  The 4th inning began with Wilson hitting DH Lars Anderson with a pitch.  Luna grounded to short, where SS Brian Friday made the scoop and the toss to 2B Josh Harrison.  But with Anderson barrelling down on him and an off-balance toss, Harrison made the out at second, but dropped the ball as he went to transfer, and they could not get the double play they'd hoped for.  Spears flied out to center field, but 3B Brent Dlugach hit a single to behind second base, moving Luna to third.  Wilson walked SS Jose Iglesias to load the bases with two outs.  LF Matt Sheely took advantage of the loaded bases and lined a single into left field, scoring both Luna and Dlugach, to give the PawSox 4 runs.

Brad Lincoln made the start for the Indians, and was charged with his 7th loss.  














Pawtucket Red Sox  12,  Indianapolis Indians  3
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Two big innings by the Pawtucket gave the Red Sox plenty of in-game fireworks to warm up the crowd for the post-game fireworks at Victory Field tonight.  The PawSox scored 4 runs in the 2nd and 5 runs in the 8th, and their total of 12 runs came on just 10 hits.

Indians' starter Brad Lincoln mowed down the first five batters he faced, striking out three of them.  But with two outs in the top of the 2nd, Lincoln suddenly got into trouble.  DH Ryan Lavarnway ripped a double into the right-center field gap for a double.  RF Nate Spears lined a single into center field, which CF Gorkys Hernandez fired back to the plate, as Lavarnway rounded third and headed for the plate.  The throw was on-target and on-time, but C Eric Fryer couldn't keep hold of it as he went to make the tag.  The ball dropped to the ground, and Lavarnway slid across the plate safely.  Lincoln walked C Luis Expositon on four pitches, then 2B Brent Dlugach rocketed a double over RF Alex Presley's head and off the top of the right field wall.  That brought in Spears, but Presley's strong throw in from right made Exposition hold up at third.  With both runners in scoring position, CF Che-Hsuan Lin blooped a single into short center field, which dropped in between three Tribe fielders, brining in both Exposito and Dlugach, for a 4-0 lead.  

Hernandez (photo) came through with a clutch double to help the Indians cut the PawSox lead in half in the bottom of the inning.  With one out, 3B Josh Harrison, just back from Pittsburgh, took a 4-pitch walk from Pawtucket starter Kyle Weiland.  Fryer grounded out, then 2B Josh Rodriguez also walked.  Hernandez followed with a double off the top of the wall in the right-center field gap, and both Joshes raced around to score.  The rally ended when Presley popped out to second, leaving Hernandez stranded, but the Tribe had made progress:  4-2.

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs  4,  Indianapolis Indians  3
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The Indianapolis Indians were in the lead for most of the game tonight at Coca-Cola park in Allentown, PA, but the Iron Pigs staged a 8th inning rally to take the win.  

SS Chase d'Arnaud began the game with a double into right field, skipping between the Iron Pigs' 1B Cody Overbeck and the first base bag.  2B Brian Friday singled into left field, and d'Arnaud rounded third and headed for the plate as former Indy Indian (2010) LF Brandon Moss made the throw in from left field.  Moss' throw was on time, and another former Indian (2009-10) C Erik Kratz made the catch and tried for the tag.  But d'Arnaud was faster, and Kratz lost the ball when he went for the tag, and the Tribe had a 1-0 lead.  LF Alex Presley flied out to left field, and again Moss' throw to the infield was not in time, so that Friday was safe when he tagged up and raced for third.  But Moss got it right on his third try -- RF John Bowker also flied out to left, and Moss turned it into a double play when this throw to the plate was on target and on time, allowing Kratz to tag out Friday as he tried to tag up and score from third.  

Back-to-back singles by 3B Andy Marte and 1B Matt Hague led off the 2nd inning for the Indians.  C Wyatt Toregas bounced into an around-the-horn double play, eliminating Hague at second, but allowing Marte to reach third base.  CF Gorkys Hernandez grounded to short, but he was fast enough to beat out the throw to first, earning an infield single and an RBI, as Marte scrambled home from third to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.  

Garrett Olson began his night on the mound with 4 perfect innings.  Moss broke up the (brief) no-hitter with a double to lead off the 5th inning, then was out in a double play.  RF Delwyn Young flied out to center, then Hernandez's throw in to third base allowed Marte to tag out Moss as he tried to advance to third.  

Indianapolis Indians  7,  Rochester Red Wings  5   (Game 1)
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A 4-run 6th inning gave the Indians the edge this afternoon at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY, despite being out-hit 13-9.  SS Chase d'Arnaud led the Tribe with 3 hits and 2 RBI, and LF Alex Presley and 3B Andy Marte had 2 hits apiece.

Both teams got their scoring started early with 2 runs in the 1st inning.  With former Indy Indian (2009) Eric Hacker making the start for Rochester, d'Arnaud began with a strikeout, then 2B Corey Wimberly was hit by a pitch.  Presley walked, and when Hacker pick-off attempt went wild, both runners moved into scoring position on the error.  RF John Bowker's grounder let the Rochester third baseman fire back to the plate, where Wimberly was tagged out.  With Bowker still on first base, Marte lined a double into left field, scoring both Presley and Bowker for the early 2-0 lead. 

The Red Wings came right back in the bottom of the inning.  The first batter Brian Burres faced, CF Dustin Martin, doubled into right field, and the next batter, SS Trevor Plouffe, smacked a 2-run homer to tie the score.  

Marte doubled again in to lead off the top of the 4th, and when the Wings' right fielder misplayed the ball, Marte advanced to third.  A sacrifice fly by 1B Matt Hague plated Marte, to give the Indians a 3-2 lead.  

Burres had a tough second inning to work through.  The lead off batter, 3B Chase Lambin, led off with a single, but was picked off first and caught stealing.  After a ground out, a walk, a single by Martin, and another walk loaded the bases.  Burres got out of the jam with a ground out, leaving the bases full.  Burres also got lucky in the 4th, when another single by Lambin and a double by C Steve Holm had Lambin rounding third and heading for the plate.  Presley made the play on the double in left field, then his throw in was relayed by d'Arnaud, who fired on to C Wyatt Toregas for the tag out of Lambin at the plate.   

Corey Wimberly got back to first base safely this time... but was picked off moments later.








Gwinnett Braves  4,  Indianapolis Indians  0
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Another pitching duel erupted at Victory Field tonight, as the Indianapolis Indians and the Gwinnett Braves battled it out over a scoreless tie for 8 innings.  The loss dropped the Indians to below the .500 mark as they finish this home stand.  The Indians and the Braves split this 4 game series, two games each.

Tribe starter Garrett Olson pitched 5 hitless and scoreless innings but did not figure into the decision.  He allowed one base runner over those innings.  Braves SS Julio Lugo worked the count full then took a walk in the top of the 1st.  After Olson struck out rehabbing Atlanta Brave outfielder Jason Heyward (photo, not looking too pleased), he got 1B Mauro Gomez to ground to short to force out Julio at second base.  Olson retired the next 12 batters in order, including 4 more strikeouts.  He got some help from his fielders.  In the 5th inning, 3B Dan Nelson took a long fly ball into deep right field.  Alex Presley, playing right field for the second day in a row, headed back for the wall.  He turned one way, then the other, and finally made the over-the-shoulder catch at the warning track for the second out of the inning.  That play was followed by a nice play by SS Brian Friday on a sharp grounder off the bat of 2B Ed Lucas.  Friday went to his right for a back-hand catch, then fired over to 1B Matt Hague to end the inning.  

Olson was relieved by Chris Leroux after 5 innings.  Olson was on a 50 pitch count for his last start on June 8th -- due to working in relief in the earlier part of the season, and also having been on the Disabled List.  So, even though he was pitching a no-hitter, Olson's outing was cut short after 66 pitches (44 strikes).  Leroux continued the no-hitter with a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th.  

Kris Watts' first AAA hit is a triple, as he slides in ahead of the tag.  













Indianapolis Indians  4,  Gwinnett Braves  3
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The Indianapolis Indians took a step above the .500 level today, with a win over the Gwinnett Braves this afternoon at Victory Field.  Starter Justin Wilson made his 13th start of the season and earned his 8th win, but had to work around a lot of base runners to do it.  3B Andy Marte, just back in the line-up after a hamstring injury, went 3-for-3 at the plate, and sparked the Tribe's key rally in the 6th inning.

The Indians jumped out to an early lead with 2 runs in the bottom of the 1st.  With two outs, CF Alex Presley (photo), who leads the International League in hits, got hit #83 on a line drive into short center field.  He stole second base, then a walk to LF John Bowker gave the Indians runners on first and second bases.  1B Matt Hague grounded to short, where Braves' SS Julio Lugo could not get the ball out of his glove fast enough to throw anyone out.  That loaded the bases for Marte, who took a 3-1 pitch into right field for a single.  Presley and Bowker scored easily, and as RF Stefan Gartrell made the throw in to the plate, Hague also rounded third and was sent home.  Hague slid in to the plate, but by then C Wilkin Castillo had the ball and was planted in front of the plate -- Hague was tagged out at home to end the inning.  Indians up, 2-0.  

With one out in the 2nd inning, the newest member of the Tribe, C Kris Watts, who made his first AAA start today, also picked up his first AAA hit -- a triple into right field.  Gartrell made a dive for the ball, but missed, and the ball bounced all the way to the right field wall, as Watts raced around second and slid into third base (photo above).  A walk to SS Chase d'Arnaud gave the Indians runners on the corners, but a ground out at second base ended the inning.  The Tribe had only one hit over the next two innings, and that was Marte's second hit of the game, a double to center field to lead off the bottom of the 4th.  Braves' CF Jose Constanza ran all the way back to the wall, where he made a leap for a catch.  But the catch threw him into the outfield wall, and that jarred the ball out of his glove.  The umpires ruled that it was not a catch, and Marte reached second base.  He was stranded there, though, as Braves' starter Erik Cordier retired the next three batters on fly outs.  

Shortstop Chase d'Arnaud has to leave the second base bag to keep this throw from C Eric Fryer from going into center field, as Braves' Jose Constanza stole second base in the first inning.  





Indianapolis Indians 1,  Gwinnett Braves  0
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For the second time in less than a week, the Indians battled through a pitching duel to win by a score of 1-0.  On Wednesday in Buffalo, the Tribe scored one run in the top of the 8th to beat the Bison.  Today, the Indians won the opening game of a 4-game series with the Gwinnett Braves at Victory Field by the same score.  

Brian Burres (photo, getting a turn at the plate) made the start for the Indians, and again he could not get the win while pitching at Victory Field.  It was not through any fault of his own -- he pitched 6.2 scoreless innings, allowing only 3 hits, with 4 walks and 6 strikeouts.  But the Tribe batters could not come through with any runs for him in the early innings of the game.  

Burres had to work out of a jam in the top of the 1st.  Braves' CF Jose Constanza lined the first pitch of the game into right field for a single.  Burres struck out SS Julio Lugo, but Constanza stole second base on strike three.  The throw from C Eric Fryer was wide of the bag at second, and Constanza slid in easily.   Constanza also stole third base, sliding in just a split second ahead of the tag by 3B Matt Hague.  Burres walked RF Stefan Gartrell to put Braves on the corners.  1B Mauro Gomez lifted a fly ball to center field, and it looked like it was going to fall in for a single, so Constanza started down the third base line to the plate.  But at the last second, CF Gorkys Hernandez charged in to make the running catch at knee-level.  Constanza had to scramble back to third, and by then it was too late to tag up and try again to head for home.  That was a big break for Burres and the Indians.  The next batter, 2B Ed Lucas hit the first pitch into center field, an easier catch for Hernandez, to end the inning.  

Burres retired the Braves in order in the next two innings.  He began the 4th inning by giving up a single to Gartrell, on a line drive that looped over Hague's head and into left field.  After a strikeout by Gomez and another great running catch by Hernandez on a fly ball by Lucas, Burres got LF Wilkin Ramirez to ground to third base.  Hague's throw to 2B Brian Friday was wide to the outfield side of the bag, and Friday had to reach and fell to the ground, but still kept the ball in his glove and his toe on the bag, for the inning-ending force out.  

Indianapolis Indians 12,  Buffalo Bison  6
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The Indians and the Bison held a hit-fest at Coca-Cola Park in Buffalo, NY tonight, with the two teams combining for 30 hits (16 for the Indians and 14 for the Bison).  The Tribe made the better use of their hits, though, and with three 3-run innings, the Tribe came out on top.  SS Chase d'Arnaud went 4-for-5 with a homer and 5 RBI, and RF Miles Durham went 3-for-4 with an RBI.  Rudy Owens (photo) earned his 6th win of the season, with 3 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks.  

The Tribe got onto the scoreboard first, with 3 runs in the top of the 2nd innning.  With one out, C Eric Fryer walked, then after a second out, Owens also walked.  That brought up d'Arnaud, who rocketed a rising line drive over the right-center field wall to give the Indians a 3-0 lead.

Owens got through the first inning allowing only a double by 1B Valentino Pascucci.  He gave the Bison back a run in the 2nd inning.  A single by 3B Zach Lutz, a walk to LF Jason Botts, and a single by C Mike Nickeas loaded the bases.  CF Jesus Feliciano brought in Lutz with a sacrifice fly, to cut the Indians' lead to 3-1.  A sacrifice bunt by Buffalo starter Mark Cohoon was fielded by Owens, but the throw to first pulled 2B Brian Friday, who was covering, off the bag.  Cohoon was credited with a sacrifice, and Owens was charged with an error.  But with the bases loaded again, Owens got 2B Michael Fisher to fly out to left field.  LF Alex Presley made the catch, then fired the ball in to the plate, where Fryer made the catch and held on to tag out Botts as he tried to tag up and score.  The outfield assist saved at least one run, and possibly more, if the inning had continued.  Durham also made an outfield assist in the 3rd inning.  SS Luis Hernandez walked, then Pascucci lined into right field.  Hernandez tried to go from first to third on the play, but Durham fired in to third base, where 3B Matt Hague mad the tag out.