Tag: Jeremy Powell

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.

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.

Indianapolis Indians 7, �Louisville Bats 6 (box)

It's just a few minutes after midnight, radio broadcaster Howard Kellman just said "Good Morning Everyone" as he came back from a station ID break, and Erik Kratz just earned his first career save with a nicely pitched 15th inning. �The Indians' fifth lead in this game was finally the one that stuck, and the 4 hour 57 minute game has ended with an Indians' win. �CF Jose Tabata hit the Indians' only home run of the game in the top of the 15th for the winning run. � And, these players have to be on a bus in about 4 hours to head out to catch a flight to Pawtucket, Rhode Island, where they will be playing... later today. �"I just don't want it to go to my head," quipped Kratz about his first save.

The first half of the game was dominated by the starting pitchers. �Tribe starter Donnie Veal (photo) retired the first 8 batters he faced. �He gave up a walk and a single in the 3rd inning, but got out of the small jam with a strikeout. �Veal breezed through the 4th inning, then gave up a lead-off single in the 5th, but erased that batter with a double play. �Louisville starter Travis Wood gave up a single to LF Brandon Moss in the 2nd, and a single to 3B Doug Bernier in the 4th, but both of them were eliminated with subsequent double plays.

The Indians scored the first runs of the game in the 5th inning. �RF Steve Pearce led off with a single to third, and the next two batters struck out. �Then 2B Brian Friday rocketed a ball down the left field line, and while the ball was busy rattling around in the corner, Pearce came around to score all the way from first base. �SS Argenis Diaz followed with a line drive into right field, and Friday headed for home. �The throw in from the outfield came in on the first-base side of the plate, and Friday slid in safely, to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.

Veal seemed to be tiring in the 6th, when he walked two batters, but still held on to end the inning and keep the Bats from scoring. �With two outs in the 7th, Veal walked another batter, and he was relieved by Anthony Claggett. The first batter Claggett faced, C Wilkin Castillo, ran the count full, fouled off a few more pitches, then hit a 2-run homer over the right field wall to tie the game.

The Indians came right back in the top of the 8th. �Back-to-back singles by Argenis Diaz and Brian Myrow, who had come into the game in a double-switch to play first base, led off the inning. �Myrow's single dropped into left field just a few feet in front of LF Juan Francisco, who looked like he could have made the catch with a bit more hustle. �3B Doug Bernier surprised the Bats by dropping down a sacrifice bunt on a 3-2 count, and when pitcher Travis Wood threw to third in an attempt to get the force out on Diaz. �The throw was low and it skipped past third and into left field, allowing Diaz to score the go-ahead run. �Myrow made it to third base and Bernier was safe at first after his sacrifice. �That was the end of Wood's night, and Chad Reineke came on in relief. �Reineke struck out the next two batters, but then threw a wild pitch, allowing Myrow to score. �Indians 4, Bats 2.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Columbus Clippers 6, �Indianapolis Indians 1 (box)

Too many runners left on base were the downfall of the Indians this afternoon at Victory Field. �Too many times left in scoring position, too many times when the Tribe ran themselves out of the inning. �The Clippers did not have that problem, and they were able to take advantage of the runners they put on, to take the win and split this short 2-game series with the Indians.

Jeremy Powell (photo) made another spot start for the Indians, since Chris Jakubauskas's start was pushed back to Thursday. �Powell worked around runners on base in the 1st and 2nd innings, giving up two singles and a walk.

In the 3rd inning, the Clippers got an unhappy surprise. �With two outs, their star prospect, C Carlos Santana, fouled a 1-0 pitch off his left knee. �Santana fell to the ground at the plate, and remained on the ground for several minutes, eventually needing help to leave the field. �The Columbus back-up catcher, Damaso Espino, came in to finish Santana's at-bat, and he worked a walk. �The next batter, DH Shelley Duncan, hit a towering fly ball well over the left field wall, for a 2-run homer.

Powell finished off the 3rd inning, and then retired the Clippers in order in the 4th.

The Indians had also started the game quietly, as Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez struck out 6 batters over the first 3 innings. �2B Neil Walker had the Tribe's first hit, a single into right field, and he proceeded to steal second base, but was stranded there on second.

C Erik Kratz walked to lead off the 3rd inning, but he was forced out when LF Jose Tabata grounded to short. �Tabata beat out the relay throw to first base, avoiding the double play. �He advanced to second base when Gomez's pickoff throw to first went wide and ended up over by the Columbus bullpen. �Tabata stole third base, tying him for the league lead in stolen bases with 8. �But another strikeout ended the inning with Tabata still standing on third base.

The Tribe scored one run in the 4th inning. �DH Brian Myrow led off with a double to deep center field, and when the Columbus CF Jose Constanza dropped the ball while transfering it from his glove to his throwing hand, Myrow kept going and slid into third (photo) as the 3B Brian Buscher had to chase after the wide throw. �3B Pedro Alvarez (photo below) took the first pitch he saw into right field, allowing Myrow to score what would by the Indians' only run. �1B Steve Pearce followed with a sharply hit grounder along the third base line, which Buscher could only knock down and keep from getting into left field.

Toledo Mud Hens 7, �Indianapolis Indians 4 (box)

The Mud Hens spoiled the Indianapolis Indians' home opener at Victory Field with a 4-run 8th inning, taking advantage of four errors committed by the Indians themselves. �3B Pedro Alvarez and DH Brandon Moss both homered for the Indians, but the homers couldn't overcome the errors.

The Indians got onto the scoreboard first. �After his teammates went down in order in the 1st inning, 3B Pedro Alvarez led off the 2nd inning with his first hit at Victory Field, a single through the hole on the right side of the infield. �Neil Walker, in his first pro appearance as a first baseman, worked a walk, moving Alvarez to second base. �Brandon Moss dropped down the perfectly placed sacrifice bunt to move both runners into scoring position. �C Erik Kratz pushed Alvarez across the plate with an RBI ground out to short.

�

Jeremy Powell made another spot start for the Indians, and did a reasonable job over 4 innings of work. �Powell gave up a splintered-bat single and a walk in the first inning, but left both runners on base. �He also gave up a lead-off walk in the 2nd inning, but SS Argenis Diaz made a slick double play,�scooping the ball just two steps from second base, and making that force himself before firing on to Walker at first.

The first error of the game came there in the 2nd inning, when former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz grounded towards third base. �Alvarez went to his left a couple of steps, but the ball slid just under his glove and into left field and was ruled an error -- it might have ticked his glove as it went by, but I couldn't tell from where I was sitting. �That error turned out to be moot, luckily. �The next batter, 3B Danny Worth, grounded another ball right to Alvarez, and on his second try, he made a nice throw to second base for the force out.

�

�

Toledo Mud Hens 6, �Indianapolis Indians 3 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians had the early lead at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio tonight, but a 5-run inning by the Mud Hens took the victory away.

Compared to the games they played in Columbus, which lasted way over 3 hours, this 2 hour 19 minute game must have seemed lightning-fast to the Tribe. �With a flurry of roster moves made by the Pirates (see below), the Indians' scheduled starter, Brian Burres had already left for San Francisco. �The ever-flexible Jeremy Powell stepped up to made the start for the Tribe. �Powell breezed through the first two innings, needed only 10 pitches for the 1st and 14 pitches for the 2nd.

The Indians scored in the top of the 2nd using the "bloop-and-blast" method. �3B Pedro Alvarez opened the inning with his first non-homer hit of the season, a line drive single into right field. �1B Steve Pearce followed with the blast -- a homer that sailed over the back of the concourse behind the left field wall. �Pearce knew as soon as it left his bat that it was gone, turning to watch it when he still had one foot in the batters' box. �The Indians had a 2-0 lead.

Leads in Toledo are always tenuous for the Indians, though. �Sure enough, Powell ran into trouble in the bottom of the 3rd. �A lead off walk to LF Clete Thomas was followed with a single by former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz, which slipped past SS Brian Friday. 3B Danny Worth grounded to his counterpart Pedro Alvarez, and it would have been a double play, but Alvarez bobbled the ball and only had time to get the out at first base, leaving runners on second and third. �RBI singles by 2B Will Rhymes and SS Brent Dlugach brought in Thomas and Diaz to tie the score at 2-2. �Then RF Brennan Boesch took Powell's 0-1 pitch on a line drive over the right field wall for a 3-run homer and a 5-2 lead.

Columbus Clippers 17, �Indianapolis Indians 4 � �(box)

We were hoping for a glorious AAA debut for top Pirates' prospect 3B Pedro Alvarez. Instead, it was a glorious AAA debut for a different top prospect -- Clippers' C Carlos Santana. �Santana blasted two home runs, a double, and a single to lead the Columbus Clippers in their rout of the Indianapolis Indians at Huntington Park in Columbus, Ohio. �And the Indians' performance was anything but glorious.

It really didn't start out too badly. �Starter Kevin Hart walked two batters after two outs in the bottom of the 1st inning, but then got Santana to fly out to end the inning. �He also walked the first batter he faced in the 2nd inning, and then gave up a home run to RF Chris Gimenez. �Hart got out of the 3rd inning with a timely double play, and he had made it through 3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits, throwing 66 pitches, 35 for strikes. �It was the 66th pitch, though, that got him into trouble.

After two quick at-bats, the Indians began the 3rd inning with 2B Brian Friday getting hit by a pitch. �Friday moved to second when SS Argenis Diaz grounded back to the mound, and scored on CF Jose Tabata's (photo) single up the middle. �Tabata stole second base, then Alvarez followed with his first AAA home run -- a rocket-powered shot that hit the roof over the 328 sign in right field. �The idea of the glorious debut was looking good, as the Indians took a 3-2 lead.

In the top of the 4th, Brian Friday was hit by a pitch again. �This time it was a high and inside pitch, that skipped off the top of Friday's helmet (the new big style) as he ducked down and away from the plate. �The Indians were not pleased with Friday being hit twice, and manager Frank Kremblas had a quick chat with home plate umpire David Rackley. �Rackley did not make any motions toward the dugouts though, and did not make any show of warning both managers or benches. �So, when Kevin Hart's 66th pitch, the first one to Carlos Santana in the bottom of the frame, went sailing behind Santana, Hart and his teammates were surprised to hear Rackley immediately toss Hart from the game.

A pair of pitchers, one a prospect and one a returning veteran:

Jeff Karstens is a 27-year-old righty, who was drafted by the Yankees in the 19th round of the 2003 draft. �He began his pro career at the A+ level in 2004, and rose quickly, reaching the major leagues on August 22, 2006. �He made 6 starts and 8 relief appearances for the Yankees that season, earning a 2-1 record and a 3.80 ERA. �Karstens broke his leg and missed most of the 2007 season. �When he returned, he began the season at the Yankees' AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre affiliate. �He made 12 starts at AAA, with a 6-4 record and a 3.80 ERA, before being traded to the Pirates in the big trade that also brought Ross Ohlendorf, Daniel McCutchen, and Jose Tabata to Pittsburgh. �Since Karstens had been doing well at AAA, the Pirates assigned him to the major league club, where he jumped right into the starting rotation. �His first two starts were excellent -- 6 shutout innings, then 7 no-hit innings -- but he struggled over the rest of the season. �He made a total of�9 starts and earned a 2-6 record and a 4.03 record. �After having thrown 68.2 innings in the Yankees' organization, Karstens pitched another 51.1 innings over the rest of the season for the Pirates. �He gave up 32 runs (23 earned) and 56 hits. �He did not walk a lot (13) and struck out 23.

Karstens returned to the Pirates' starting rotation to begin 2009. �He made 11 starts, which generally did not go well. �In June, when Charlie Morton joined the team, Karstens was moved to the bullpen, where he usually pitched in long relief. �He made 23 relief appearances, but continued to struggle with his command. �In mid-August, back problems put Karstens onto the Disabled List. �He made three relief appearances in Indianapolis on a rehab assignment, pitching 6 scoreless innings, with 4 hits and 7 strikeouts (no walks).

The Pirates moved six pitchers and one catcher to minor league camp today. �Jeff Karstens, who had been a starter for the Pirates in 2009 but was removed from the 40-man roster after the season, could be either a starter or a long reliever in Indianapolis to begin 2010. �Relievers Brian Bass, Anthony Claggett, Vinnie Chulk, Steven Jackson, and Jeremy Powell were all sent to Indianapolis. �Powell pitched for the Indians in 2009, and signed a minor league contract for 2010. �Bass and Chulk also were signed as free agents over the winter. �Also sent to Indy was another free agent, catcher Luke Carlin, who will likely play a back-up role for the Indians.

That leaves the Pirates with relievers DJ Carrasco and Jack Taschner. Neither of them are on the Pirates' 40-man roster, so two roster moves will have to be made to accommodate them. �There are a few more players and positions who remain in question. �Infielder Ramon Vasquez seems to have lost out to a group of other infielders (Aki Iwamura, Delwyn Young, Bobby Crosby, and Ronny Cedeno) and the Pirates are trying to trade him before they have to just release him. �A decision has to be made between the two prospective back-up catchers Erik Kratz and Jason Jaramillo. The Pirates have to determine whether or not they will keep Rule 5 outfielder John Raynor. �Steve Pearce might also be optioned back to the Indians, since he has an option left and is being squeezed out by Jeff Clement at first and a host of outfielders. �Then, the Pirates just picked up reliever Hayden Penn yesterday and have promised to give him a good look before making a decision.

In today's Grapefruit League action: � �Twins 4, �Pirates 1 �(box)

Apparently the Pirates used up all of their extra bat-power in yesterday's 15-hit attack. �Today at Fort Myers, they managed only 4 hits and one run in the loss to the Twins. �A host of minor leaguers got a chance to have some fun with the big leaguers today, but they were no match for Twins' starter Francisco Liriano, who allowed just 3 hits and 3 walks in 6 scoreless innings. �In fact, the Pirates didn't have a hit until the 5th inning, when LF Robbie Grossman singled. �SS Bobby Crosby and C Jason Jaramillo also singled. �The Pirates' only run came in the 9th inning, when 2B Shelby Ford tripled, then scored on C Erik Kratz's RBI ground out.