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Tag: Jean Machi

Louisville Shuts Down Tribe Bats

Louisville Bats �4, �Indianapolis Indians 2 (box)

img_2066tabataThe Indians will head home to Indianapolis tonight, finishing up their road trip with a split of the short 2-game series in Louisville and an overall 3-5 record.

The Bats held the Tribe to just 5 hits tonight at Louisville Slugger Field. �CF Jose Tabata (photo) went 2-for-3 at the plate, with a walk, and he scored the first of the Indians' runs in the 4th inning. �Tabata led off with a single, and promptly stole second base -- his 5th steal of the season. �RF Brandon Jones doubled into right field, and that brought in Tabata. �1B Steve Pearce grounded out, allowing Jones to move over to third base. �Another ground out, this one by 3B Pedro Alvarez, plated Jones with the second Tribe run.

There were only 3 more hits in the rest of the game, and they all came in the 5th inning. �With one out, 2B Brian Friday, SS Argenis Diaz, and Tabata all singled to load the bases. �But two more strikeouts meant that all three runners were left on base. �Those were the only base runners the Tribe left on base. �Two batters walked -- Tabata to lead off the 1st, and Friday to lead off the 3rd. �But Tabata was erased in a double play, and Friday was caught stealing second. �After the 5th inning, the remaining 12 Tribe batters were retired in order.

Donnie Veal made the start for the Indians. �He pitched 5 innings and allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk, suffering his first loss of the season. �Veal threw 83 pitches, 55 for strikes. �In the bottom of the 1st, Louisville RF Chris Burke lined a single into right field, then stole second base. �CF Chris Heisey bunted back to the mound, and beat it out to first base, putting runners on the corners. �A walk to 3B Todd Frazier loaded the bases, and a sacrifice fly by 1B Drew Sutton brought in the run. �Veal struck out SS Zack Cozart to end the inning. �Veal retired the side in order, including two strikeouts in the 2nd inning, and then retired the first two batters in the 3rd. �LF Juan Francisco hit a two-out triple, the first of two triples the Bats recorded in the game. �Frazier followed the triple with a 2-run homer to give the Bats a 3-0 lead.

Moss Homers For Indians’ Win

Indianapolis Indians 4, �Columbus Clippers 3 (box)

Indians' outfielder Brandon Moss admitted that he'd had a "rough Spring Training". �That was followed by 10 days off while he waited to go through waivers. �He was more than ready to come to Indianapolis, where he was much more likely to get some regular playing time. �Moss went 0-for-5 on Opening Day and sat out yesterday's game. �Tonight, though, it was time to get going. �Moss said after the game that he "felt really good coming into the game tonight." �It showed, too, as he singled, doubled, and hit the game-winning home run in the Indians 4-3 win over the Clippers at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Moss said that he made good use of his forced time off. �He went to Loganville, Georgia, where he sought out his high school baseball coaches. �He worked with the coaches, who pitched to him for hours and hours. �They talked about temp and about keeping his hands back. �It put Moss back into his right place, where he could feel confident with his swing, and as we saw tonight, the extra work paid off.

Playing conditions tonight at Huntington Park were very different from those of the past two nights. �For two games, the Clippers and the Indians pounded out the hits and especially the home runs. �After combining for 14 home runs in the first two games of the series, tonight the only home run was Moss's. �The wind had wreaked havoc for the outfielders, particularly the left fielders in the first two games, but it was mostly quiet tonight.

The Indians got the game started with two runs in the top of the 1st. �With one out, RF Brandon Jones and DH Brian Myrow worked back-to-back walks. �They both advanced a base on a wild pitch by Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez, and 3B Pedro Alvarez filled the void at first with another walk. �Gomez had a full count on the lead-off batter Jose Tabata before he grounded out, then another full count on Jones. �Myrow walked on a 3-1 pitch, and Alvarez walked on four straight balls, including the wild pitch. �Gomez also had a full count on 1B Steve Pearce, when Pearce lined a single into left field, scoring both Jones and Myrow. �The inning finished with a strikeout by Moss (2-2 pitch) and a fly out by C Luke Carlin (mercifully, on the first pitch). �Gomez had thrown 33 pitches. �(If he had been in the Pirates' organization, he would not have been permitted to go back out for the second inning.)

Moss’s Homer Gives Indians The Win

Indianapolis Indians 4, �Columbus Clippers 3 (box)

Indians' outfielder Brandon Moss admitted that he'd had a "rough Spring Training". �That was followed by 10 days off while he waited to go through waivers. �He was more than ready to come to Indianapolis, where he was much more likely to get some regular playing time. �Moss went 0-for-5 on Opening Day and sat out yesterday's game. �Tonight, though, it was time to get going. �Moss said after the game that he "felt really going coming into the game tonight." �It showed, too, as he singled, doubled, and hit the game-winning home run as the Indians took a 2-1 series lead over the Clippers at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio.

Moss said that he made good use of his forced time off. �He went back to Loganville, Georgia, where he sought out his high school baseball coaches. �He worked with the coaches, who pitched to him for hours and hours. �They talked about tempo and about keeping his hands back. �It put Moss back into his right place, where he could feel confident with his swing, and as we saw tonight, the extra work paid off.

Playing conditions tonight at Huntington Park were very different from those of the past two nights. �For two games, the Clippers and the Indians pounded out the hits and especially the home runs. �After combining for 14 home runs in the first two games of the series, tonight the only home run of the game was Moss's. �The wind had wreaked havoc for the outfielders, particularly the left fielders in the first two games, but it was mostly quiet tonight.

The Indians got the game started with two runs in the top of the 1st. �With one out, RF Brandon Jones and DH Brian Myrow worked back-to-back walks. �They both advanced a base on a wild pitch by Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez, and 3B Pedro Alvarez filled the void at first with another walk. �Gomez had a full count on the lead-off batter Jose Tabata before he grounded out, then another full count on Jones. �Myrow walked on a 3-1 pitch, and Alvarez walked on four straight balls, including the wild pitch. �Gomez also had a full count on 1B Steve Pearce, when Pearce lined a single into left field, scoring both Jones and Myrow. �The inning finished with a strikeout by Moss (2-2 pitch), and a fly out by C Luke Carlin (mercifully, on the first pitch). �Gomez had thrown 33 pitches. �(If he had been in the Pirates' organization, he would not have been permitted to go back out for the second inning.)

Prospect Watching: Jean Machi

Not really a "prospect", but a veteran who had a very good year in 2009:

Jean Machi is a Venezuelan native who was first signed by the Phillies in 2000. �He came to the US for the 2002 season, and spent two seasons in the Phillies' organization here, then one more season (2004) back in the Venezuelan Summer League. �He was selected by Tampa Bay in the Rule 5 draft, and spent two seasons in their organization, then moved on to Toronto, who signed him as a free agent. �In 2006 with Tampa Bay's AA level team, he earned a 6-1 record, 16 saves, and a 2.55 ERA in 48 relief appearances. �The following season for the Blue Jays' AA affiliate, Machi made another 48 appearances and earned a 2-4 record, just 2 saves, and a 3.53 ERA. �Machi missed the early part of 2008 due to injuries, and he had a tougher time when he got back onto the mound -- a 4.65 ERA and a 2-6 record in 21 appearances. �That lead him to the Pirates and a minor league contract for the 2009 season. �The right-hander was sent to AA Altoona in the middle of the April, and in 28 relief appearances, he earned a 2-3 record with 6 saves and a 2.08 ERA. �He pitched 34.2 innings, and allowed 8 earned runs on 28 hits and 13 walks, with 25 strikeouts. �That was a significant drop in his walk rate -- 3.4 BB/9 innings, compared to 5.2 BB/ 9 innings in 2008. �His ERA was just 0.84 in 10.2 innings in April, up to 3.11 ERA in 8.2 innings in May, and 2.77 ERA in 13 innings in July.

9th Inning Rallies Sink Indians and Pirates

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 4, �Indianapolis Indians 1

The Indians and the Yankees took a 1-1 tie into the top of the 8th in this afternoon's game in Bradenton, Florida. �But that was when the Yankees got to reliever Jean Machi, who gave up two singles, including one for an RBI, to give the Yankees a 2-1 lead. �Back-to-back singles and a 2-RBI double added two more runs in the 9th. �The Indians scored in the 1st inning, on a double by 1B Brian Myrow and an RBI single by 3B Pedro Alvarez. Machi suffered the loss, with 3 innings of work, including one walk and one strikeout. �Octavio Dotel started the game for the Indians and pitched "one inning", with 3 strikeouts, though in order to get in a little more work, he actually got to face 5 batters and make 5 outs. �He threw 21 pitches.

Astros 6, �Pirates 4 � (box)

Starter Zach Duke pitched 6.2 scoreless innings and allowed only 2 hits and a walk, with 2 strikeouts, to get the Pirates off to a good start in their afternoon Grapefruit League game in Kissimmee, Florida. �Duke had been scheduled to throw either 6 innings or 80 pitches, and after going back out to begin the 7th inning, he finished at right around 80 pitches. �He also contributed 2 of the Pirates' 8 hits, both doubles, one into each outfield corner, though he did not come around to score either time. �The Pirates got onto the scoreboard first, with one run in the 4th inning off the Astros' Roy Oswalt. �LF Lastings Milledge doubled to lead off the inning, then advanced to third base on a ground out, and scored on an RBI single by Jeff Clement. Clement scored in the top of the 7th, when he doubled, went to third base on SS Bobby Crosby's single, and then scrambled home when 3B Ramon Vasquez bounced into a double play.

Duke took it into the 7th inning, but when he gave up a 2-out single (only the second hit he'd allowed), he was relieved by Javier Lopez. Lopez finished that inning, but gave up a bunt single and a sacrifice bunt plus a fielding error by 3B Josh Harrison, who was up from minor league camp. �A triple off Jack Taschner, and the Astros had a 4-2 lead.

Led by the minor leaguers, the Pirates came back to tie it up in the top of the 9th. �LF Brandon Moss walked, and CF Robbie Grossman singled. �A wild pitch brought Moss across the plate, then SS Benji Gonzalez singled to score Grossman. �Tie score, 4-4. �Unfortunately, the Astros rallied in the bottom of the frame. �With reliever Jeremy Powell on the mound, a double and a walk-off 2-run homer gave Houston the win, with Powell charged for the loss.

Also in the game: �2B Shelby Ford, 1B Steve Pearce, PH Erik Kratz, and C Luke Carlin.

Hart, Walker To Indianapolis

The Pirates made more roster moves this morning. �Righty starter Kevin Hart was optioned to AAA Indianapolis. �Pirates' management points out that, because of the scheduling vagarities, there will be only one time in the first 3 weeks of the season when a 5th starter is going to be needed. �With Hart in Indianapolis, he will have the opportunity to make a few starts during those 3 weeks.

Also optioned to Indianapolis: �3B Neil Walker and reliever Chris Jakubauskas.

INF/OF Brian Myrow, C/INF Hector Gimenez, and relievers Jean Machi, Wil Ledezma, and Brian Burres were all reassigned to minor league camp. �All five were signed as free agents. �Myrow and Gimenez both played for Indianapolis last season and with their minor league contracts were expected to return to Indy for 2010. �Machi pitched at AA and AAA in 2009. �All three relievers had an outside chance of making the major league bullpen.