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Tag: Jose Tabata

Indians Fall To Yankees Twice

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees �10, �Indianapolis Indians �7 (box)

IMG_3309This was the completion of the suspended game from last night. �(Take a look here to read more about the first 3.5 innings.)

The start of the restart was delayed about 40 minutes because of the threat of rain. �The tarp was put down, but when the rain never happened, it was pulled, and play began. �Despite worrisome weather forcasts, it didn't rain for the rest of the evening, and there was even a bit of sunshine.

The Yankees took the field for the restart, holding an 8-5 lead. �Starter Jeremy Powell had made a shaky start, allowing all 8 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. �The Yankees had batted around in the top of the 4th, as Powell struggled on a wet and slippery mound and his teammates behind him battled soggy grass. �Steven Jackson came on in relief of Powell, but 5 runs came in �to give the Yankees the lead.

On the restart, Anthony Claggett (photo) took the mound for the Indians. �Claggett just didn't have it tonight. �He walked 6 batters in 1.1 innings, though miraculously did not give up any runs. �He walked the first two batters in the top of the 5th, then got a double play, which eliminated one runner but put the lead runner (LF Chad Huffman) on third base. �Two more walks loaded the bases, but a grounder to SS Argenis Diaz gave Claggett a force out at second base, and he had escaped his self-made jam.

IMG_3311The next inning was more of the same, though. �The first batter flied out, with CF Jose Tabata first coming in, then having to reverse, and then make a running over-the-shoulder catch. �Claggett put the next three batters on base, with a walk to DH Jon Weber, a hit by C Jesus Montero, and a walk to Huffman. �That was enough for manager Frank Kremblas to see. �Claggett left having walked 6 of the 10 batters he faced.

Vinnie Chulk (photo) was next out of the bullpen. �He came into the game with one out and the bases loaded -- and proceeded to strike out RF Reid Gorecki and get 3B Matt Cusick to end the inning and leave those three runners right where he found them.

Chulk came back out for the 7th inning. �He gave up a single into right field to CF Greg Golson. �A grounder moved Golson to second base. �Chulk got a gift next. �He tried to pick Golson off second base, but his throw was wide and got into center field, and Golson raced to third base. �But the umpires pointed him back to second base -- home plate ump Mark Lollo had called time out just a split second before Chulk turned and made the throw to second, making the whole thing a "no play". �Then it turned out to be moot. �A single by 1B PJ Pilittere, who had taken over for David Winfree, singled down the right field line, and Golson scored anyway.

Indians And Scranton Suspended

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It really didn't help much.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees 8, Indianapolis Indians 5 SUSPENDED (box)

IMG_3305The rain was the winner at Victory Field tonight, halting play in the middle of the 4th inning. �The rain started mid-afternoon in central Indiana, and it had come down heavily until about 6 pm. �The Indians' ground crew was able to remove the tarp from the field around that time, and by 7 pm it was still overcast but not raining, so the game started on time. �Rain started falling again in the 2nd inning, and by the end of the 3rd, it was coming down pretty heavily. �The umpires still had the Indians come out and take the field for the top of the 4th, and only after a disastrous half-inning for the Indians was play halted.

(Photo: �Manager Frank Kremblas was very upset with the umpires' decisions on continuing and then halting play.)

Jeremy Powell was making the spot start for the Indians, taking the place of�Daniel McCutchen, who is now on the Disabled List. �Powell struggled in three of the four innings he pitched, though by the 4th inning, the rain could have been a factor.

IMG_3290Powell (photo) hit the first batter of the game, CF Greg Golson. �He got two outs, then gave up a double down the left field line, just out of reach of 3B Pedro Alvarez's dive, to 1B David Winfree. �That scored Golson, and the Yankees had a run on the board.

The Tribe got the run back in the bottom of the 1st. �CF Jose Tabata worked a walk to lead off, and he moved to second base on 1B Neil Walker's high bouncing grounder to first base. �A balk by Yankees' starter Ivan Nova put Tabata on third base. �DH Brian Myrow dribbled a little grounder over the mound (might have been tipped by Nova, but not sure) toward 2B Reegie Corona. �Corona came in onto the infield grass for the ball, but he was already thinking about firing the ball home to get Tabata before he actually had the ball in his glove -- and the ball got past him. �Tabata scored easily, and Myrow was safe on first base. �At first it was ruled an error, but this was later changed to an infield hit and an RBI for Myrow. �Pedro Alvarez bounced into a double play to end the inning, but the Indians had tied it up at 1-1.

Yankees' top prospect Jesus Montero led off the 2nd inning with a single up the middle, and a pitch from Powell that sailed all the way to the backstop moved Montero to second base. �Powell walked RF Reid Gorecki, then 3B Matt Cusick sliced a double down the right field line, inside the chalk by inches, and then curving into the Yankees' bullpen. �Both Montero and Gorecki scored by the time RF Brandon Moss could get the ball back to the infield.

Sanchez Returns To Haunt Former Teammates

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Pedro Alvarez takes a warm-up swing.

Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Yankees �7, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

IMG_3196Former Indianapolis Indian/Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Romulo Sanchez (photo) returned to Victory Field this afternoon, making the start for the Yankees. �It was not such a happy homecoming as far as the Indians were concerned. �Sanchez pitched 6 scoreless innings, allowing only one hit, and striking out 7 batters.

Sanchez was effectively wild, allowing 6 walks over those 6 innings. �He was able to pitch only one 1-2-3 inning, in the 5th. �He walked 1B Brian Myrow and 3B Pedro Alvarez with two outs in the 1st, and LF Kevin Melillo with two outs in the 2nd. �CF Jose Tabata led off the 3rd with a walk, but he was thrown out trying to steal second base. �Tabata also led off the 6th with a walk, and two outs later, Alvarez walked again too. �Other than when Tabata was thrown out in the 3rd, all the other walks resulted only in runners left on base.

RF Brandon Moss was the only Tribe batter to get a hit off Sanchez. �With two outs in the 4th, Moss squirted a single into right field. �But with C Erik Kratz at the plate, Moss took off a little too early from first base, making it easy for Sanchez to throw him out trying to steal second.

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Tribe starter Mike Crotta sailed through the top of the 1st, needing only 8 pitches to retire three batters. �Then his pitches started rising, and the Yankees starting hitting. �RF David Winfree led off the 2nd inning with a single into left field. �DH Jon Weber slipped a single through the hole into right field, putting Winfree on third base. �C Jesus Montero, a top Yankee prospect, grounded to short, where SS Argenis Diaz (left photo above) started a double play, with 2B Neil Walker (right photo above) making the turn at second base.

IMG_3189It got Crotta two outs, but Winfree was able to score from third base on the play. �1B Chad Huffman kept the inning going with a double over Brandon Moss's head in right field, as Moss first started to come in, then had to turn and try to make the catch as he ran back toward the wall. �CF Reid Gorecki plated Huffman with a single through the hole vacated on the right side by the Indians' defensive shift. �A ground out by 3B Matt Cusick ended the inning, but the Yankees had a 2-0 lead.

Crotta (photo) was still having trouble in the 3rd inning. �LF Kevin Russo led off with a line drive into left field for a double. �After a strikeout, SS Eduardo Nunez singled into right field, and Russo raced around from second base. �Brandon Moss came up throwing from right field and he fired straight in to Erik Kratz. �Kratz blocked the plate and caught the ball just as Russo arrived at the plate. �But with Russo barrelling into him, Kratz never got a good hold on the ball, and when the dust settled, Russo had crossed the plate but the ball was no longer in Kratz's possession. �Yankees 3, Indians 0

Veal Two-Hits Yankees; 3 Hits For Tabata

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Indianapolis Indians �3, �Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees �0 (box)

IMG_2667Donnie Veal (photo above) dominated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Victory Field on Tuesday night, holding the Yankees to just 2 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings of work. �Veal struck out a total of 7 batters, including 5 of the last 9 batters he faced. �Indians' CF Jose Tabata (photo) out-hit the Yankees all by himself, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while 1B Brian Myrow had 2 hits and 2 RBI.

Veal had more trouble in the early innings than he did later in the game. �With one out in the 1st, he gave up a walk to 2B Reegie Corona and a single to SS Eduardo Nunez, but got out of the inning with a grounder to SS Brian Friday for a double play. �He used 18 pitches to get through the 1st inning, and then needed another 19 in the 2nd inning, when he worked another walk but still kept the Yankees scoreless.

Veal also had to work around a base runner in each of the 3rd and 4th innings. �C Chad Moeller began the 3rd inning with a double, but Veal left him standing right there, while he racked up his first two strikeouts of the game around a pop up. �The third walk Veal allowed came in the 4th inning to LF Jon Weber, but another double play started by Brian Friday ended that inning.

IMG_2301Meanwhile, Jose Tabata was leading the Indians' offensive attack. �He opened the bottom of the 1st with a line drive into left field for a double. �2B Neil Walker was hit on the foot by a pitch, then Brian Myrow (photo) lined a single into right field, and Tabata came around from second base to score. �After a pop out by 3B Pedro Alvarez, RF Brandon Jones walked to load the bases, but C Luke Carlin bounced into a double play, and the Indians could not take advantage of the bases-loaded situation.

Yankees' starter Jason Hirsch thought he had the Indians under control in the 2nd inning, when he began the frame with two fly outs. �But then Brian Friday ripped a double into left field, and surprised Hirsch by stealing third base. �Jose Tabata grounded to third base, but beat out the throw to first for a hit, allowing Friday to score. �Neil Walker lined a single into right field, moving Tabata to third base. �With runners on the corners, Brian Myrow again slapped an RBI single, this time into center field, and Tabata scored easily. �A ground out ended the inning, but the Indians had a 3-0 lead.

Both teams were pretty quiet for the remainder of the game. �Jose Tabata collected his third hit of the game in the 4th inning, again beating out a throw on an infield hit. �As Neil Walker stepped into the batters' box following Tabata's hit, some serious jawing erupted from the Yankees' dugout, possibly related to what had been a close play at first base. �1B Umpire Dan Bellino tossed someone in the dugout -- it wasn't clear whom until S/W-B manager Dave Miley came out of the dugout to continue the jawing �-- yup, it was Miley. �Once the dust had settled and the game resumed, Tabata promptly stole second base, then stole third. �Neil Walker walked, but the Indians left the runners stranded on the corners when Brian Myrow grounded out.

Lincoln Comes Up Short In Pitchers’ Duel

Toledo Mud Hens �3, �Indianapolis Indians �0 (box)

IMG_3066On any other day, six perfect innings and 10 strikeouts would have been more than enough for Brad Lincoln. On any other day, that one tough inning and a 3-run homer would have been shrugged off. �Not today, though. �Not when Toledo pitcher Enrique Gonzalez pitched a 2-hit complete game shutout, to win only his second game of the season, and send the Indians home from Toledo having lost the 4-game series 1 to 3.

Five days ago, Lincoln began his start against the Rochester Red Wings by retiring the first 13 batters he faced. �This morning, he retired the first 16 batters he faced, taking a perfect game into the 6th inning. �He had struck out 7 batters up to that point, including striking out the side in the 5th.

Then in the 6th, it fell apart. � Lincoln got a bit of a gift for the first out of the inning, when the wind held up RF Ben Guez's huge fly ball long enough for LF Kevin Melillo to make the catch on the warning track. �LF Deik Scram broke up the perfect bid with a single just past 2B Neil Walker's desperate dive and into right field. �C Max St. Pierre popped out, and for a moment, it looked like Lincoln would not be in too much trouble.

Back to the top of the Mud Hen's batting order, 3B Will Rhymes dropped down a perfect bunt to the left of the mound. �Lincoln scrambled over and picked up the ball with his bare hand, but he was rushing and his back foot slid as he made the throw to first base. �The throw went wide to the outfield side and up the foul line. �Rhymes was credited with a hit, and Lincoln charged with a throwing error. �With runners on second and third bases and two outs, Lincoln delivered up a 2-1 pitch that SS Brent Dlugach blasted into the wind and over the left field wall for a 3-run homer. �CF Ryan Raburn followed the homer with his fifth double of the series, bounding down the right field line. �Lincoln then walked 1B Jeff Larish, but left both Raburn and Larish on base when he ended the inning with a fly out.

Those four hits and three runs were all the Mud Hens would need. �Lincoln struck out the side again in the 7th, bringing his strikeout total to 10. �Lincoln had made 89 pitches (57 strikes). �Reliever Vinnie Chulk took the mound for the 8th inning. �He gave up an infield hit to St. Pierre, when Neil Walker made another dive for a grounder. �This time Walker was able to stop the ball from going into the outfield, but he did not have time to make a throw, and St. Pierre was on first. �Raburn singled with two outs, but Chulk ended the inning without allowing a run to score.

Enrique Gonzalez let four Indians batters reach base as he pitched 9 innings and threw 119 pitches (79 strikes). �1B Brian Myrow was hit on the jersey by a pitch in the top of the 1st inning. �Kevin Melillo drilled a double down the right field line in the 2nd inning. �CF Jose Tabata lined a single into right field in the 3rd, and he moved to second base on a wild pitch by Gonzalez. �The next 14 Indians' batters went down in order, until Melillo walked to lead off the 8th inning. �But Melillo was caught stealing in a strike-out-throw-out double play (RF Brandon Moss struck out). �The Tribe went down quietly in the 9th, as Gonzalez struck out Neil Walker and Brian Myrow to end the game.

The loss drops the Indians down to third place in the International League Western Division standings and moves the Mud Hens up to second place. �Toledo is now 2.5 games behind the first-place Columbus Clippers, and the Indians are 3 games behind. �The Louisville Bats are in fourth place, 8.5 games behind Columbus.

The Indians return to Victory Field on Tuesday, to begin an 8-game home stand: �4 games against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, and 4 against the Gwinnett Braves.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �There were only two hits to choose from, and Kevin Melillo's was a double.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �A career-high 10 strikeouts for Brad Lincoln, and 6 + 1 perfect innings of work.

NOTES:

Enrique Gonzalez struck out 9 Tribe batters, including striking out Brandon Moss 3 times.

3B Pedro Alvarez went 0-for-3 with a strikeout. �Neil Walker was 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

UPDATE: �The Indians have placed starter Daniel McCutchen on the Disabled List due to arm fatigue. �He might miss one or two starts. �Sounds like Jeremy Powell is back into the starting rotation.

Go Tribe!

(photo by Nancy)

Machi Surrenders Walk-Off Win

Toledo Mud Hens �6, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

IMG_3105The Indians' bullpen collapsed out from under them this afternoon at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio, allowing the Mud Hens to score 4 runs in the last two innings, and giving the Hens the walk-off win.

The Tribe was ahead 5-2 going into the bottom of the 8th inning. �Starter Hayden Penn had allowed one earned and one unearned run in his 5 innings of work, and had pitched a little better than he did in his first Indians' start last week. �Steven Jackson came on in relief to pitch the 6th and 7th innings, and he had retired 6 batters in order. �Wil Ledezma (photo)�took over for Jackson to begin the 8th, and he was greeted by a triple into the right field corner by Toledo 2B Will Rhymes. �SS Brent Dlugach followed with a grounder to short, but SS Brian Friday's throw to first pulled 1B Brian Myrow off the bag. �It was initally ruled an error on Friday, but later changed to a hit for Dlugach, since Friday had made the play pretty deep into the hole. �Rhymes scored easily on the play, and the Mud Hens had crept a little closer, 5-3. �Those were the first runs Ledezma had given up since joining the Indians.

CF Ryan Raburn was up next, and he singled into right field, through the space 2B Neil Walker had vacated when he had to move to cover second base as Dlugach took off from first. �Dlugach rounded second and stopped at third base. �Ledezma got a gift when he picked Raburn off first base, and caught him stealing, with the throw going from Ledezma to Myrow to Friday covering second. �Friday made a quick turn, keeping Dlugach standing on third base. �He didn't stay there long, though, as 1B Jeff Larish's grounder behind first base brought Dlugach in easily. �A strikeout ended the inning, and the Indians were clinging to a slim 5-4 lead.

IMG_2467The Indians could only get a stuttering attempt at a rally going in the top of the 9th. �RF Brandon Moss singled up the middle, but when he tried to steal second on the early part of pitcher Robbie Weinhardt's motion, he was easily thrown out -- making a somewhat ungraceful slide, but finishing with a graceful flip, and kicking SS Dlugach's glove right off his hand in the process. �Moss ran back to the dugout unhurt and laughing. �LF Kevin Melillo walked, but a ground out forced him out at second to end the inning.

No one was laughing in the bottom of the inning. �Jean Machi (photo), who came on to pitch for the Indians, had allowed only 2 earned runs in his first 10 appearances this season (both of those in one game), but now has given up runs in each of his last 3 outings. �Today he did not even record an out. �It began with 3B Max Leon's double over Kevin Melillo's head in left field. �RF Ben Guez singled through the hole into left field, moving Leon to third base. �A single by RF Deik Scram, who had had come into the game with only one hit during the month of May (1-for-24) chose this time to find his second hit of the month, a line drive into right field which scored Leon from third base to tie the score at 5-5. �It was over moments later, when former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz lifted a fly ball into right field, allowing Guez to come around from second base and score the winning run.

McCutchen Stumbles in Toledo

Toledo Mud Hens �7, �Indianapolis Indians �3 (box)

IMG_3022Former Indian Phil Dumatrait made a strong start for his new team, the Mud Hens, as they shut down the Indians at Fifth Third Field in Toledo on Saturday evening. �Indians' starter Daniel McCutchen (photo) struggled through his 6 innings, allowing 12 hits and 7 runs. �The Tribe batters were held to just 6 hits, and only one of their three runs was earned.

The Mud Hens jumped out to an early lead, as they collected 7 hits off McCutchen in the first two innings. �2B Will Rhymes began the bottom of the 1st with a single up the middle. �He stole second base, then moved on to third when C Luke Carlin's throw to second was off-target. �Rhymes had to hold at third base on a ground out to short, but CF Ryan Rayburn doubled into left field to bring in Rhymes. �1B Jeff Larish followed with another double, scoring Rayburn. �DH Jeff Frazier was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second. �3B Max Leon singled next, and Larish scored from second base. �Two ground outs ended the inning, but the Mud Hens had a 3-0 lead.

McCutchen continued to have trouble in the 2nd inning. �RF Ben Guez took McCutchen's second pitch of the inning over the left field wall for a solo home run. �After a ground out, SS Brent Dlugach lined a single into center field, and Ryan Raburn doubled for the second time, scoring Dlugach. �McCutchen settled down a bit after a brief visit from pitching coach Dean Treanor, and ended the inning with two ground outs. �Mud Hens now up 5-0.

IMG_3076The Tribe batters were slow to get started in this game. �CF Jose Tabata was the only batter to reach base in the first two innings, on a double into left field. �Things looked up a bit in the 3rd inning. �Luke Carlin led off with a walk, then in a reversal of the first inning play, it was Carlin who stole second base and proceeded to third base when Mud Hens' C Max St. Pierre made a throwing error. �Carlin scored on SS Brian Friday's (photo)�ground out to second.

McCutchen was looking better over the 3rd and 4th innings. �He gave up just one single, to Guez, to lead off the 4th. �Luke Carlin removed Guez from the base paths by throwing him out trying to steal. �But trouble came back to McCutchen in the 5th. �Back-to-back doubles led off the inning -- Ryan Raburn with his third triple of the game, and Jeff Larish to follow with a liner down the right field line. �Raburn scored, then Larish came in on St. Pierre's single into center field. �McCutchen pitched one more inning, allowing a single by Rhymes in the 6th, but erasing him quickly with a timely double play. �McCutchen threw 81 pitches (56 strikes) over his 6 innings, which is not a lot considering that he gave up 12 hits and 7 runs. �He needed 17 pitches in the 1st inning, when three of the eight batters hit the first pitch they saw, and McCutchen hit Frazier with his first pitch.

Homers By Alvarez, Friday, and Walker Help Crotta Cruise

Indianapolis Indians 8, �Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

IMG_2743The Indians scored in four consecutive innings on Friday night, then added one more run in the top of the 9th for good measure, as they cruised past the Mud Hens in Toledo. �Mike Crotta (photo) made the start for the Indians, and pitched 7 innings, allowing just one run on 7 hits, no walks. �He struck out 5 batters. �Three Indians homered -- 3B Pedro Alvarez, DH Brian Friday, and 1B Neil Walker -- as the Tribe collected 10 hits.

The first three innings were quiet for both teams. �Crotta gave up a double to SS Brent Dlugach in the 2nd inning and single to former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz in the 3rd, but stranded both of them on base. �The Indians put only one runner on base over those innings, when SS Doug Bernier made Mud Hens' 3B Will Rhymes dive for a grounder behind the bag, but still beat out his throw to first base. �Bernier was still left on base at the end of the inning.

The Indians dented the scoreboard in the top of the 4th. �Neil Walker led off with a walk, then stole his 10th consecutive base of the season. �Pedro Alvarez drove in Walker with a huge home run over the 406' sign in right-center field, and the Tribe was up 2-0.

Brian Friday added another run in the 5th inning with his first home run of the season, a long fly ball over the left field wall. �Then the Tribe kept going with a run in the 6th. �With one out, Alvarez walked, and a wild pitch moved him to second base. �RF Brandon Jones singled up the middle, and Alvarez raced around from second base to score. �That gave the Indians a 4-0 lead and sent the Toledo starter Ryan Ketchner to the showers. �Scot Drucker struck out C Erik Kratz and LF Brandon Moss to end the inning.

Lincoln Dominates Red Wings, 3 RBI For Alvarez

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Indianapolis Indians 5, �Rochester Red Wings �2 (box)

IMG_3067Indians' starter Brad Lincoln (photo) made his seventh and longest start of the season this afternoon at Victory Field, going 8 innings to earn his 4th win. �He was aided by 3 RBI by DH Pedro Alvarez, who doubled and homered, as well as RBI hits by 1B Brian Myrow and LF Kevin Melillo.

Lincoln got right down to business and worked quickly all afternoon -- the game lasted only 2 hours 12 minutes. �He began his work by retiring the first 13 batters he faced in order. �He went to a full count in only one of those 13 batters, and struck out one batter in each of the first three innings. �When the Rochester batters did make contact, they hit easy balls, mostly right to Lincoln's teammates behind him.

Rochester RF Dustin Martin was the first Red Wing to reach base against Lincoln, with a one-out double down the right field line in the 5th inning. �Lincoln hit the next batter, 3B Danny Valencia, then gave up another hit, a grounder through the hole and into right field by DH Jacque Jones. �That scored Martin from second base. �1B Brock Peterson next fired a liner right back at Lincoln. �The ball struck Lincoln's right leg as he finished his follow-through, but Lincoln was able to turn and recover the ball, and still make the throw to first base to get Peterson out. �Manager Frank Kremblas and the Indians' trainer Thomas Pribyl came out of the dugout to check on Lincoln, who was shrugging it off. �After a trial pitch to prove that he was indeed ok (photos below), Lincoln remained in the game and ended the inning with a ground out.

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Lincoln further proved that his leg was fine when he retired the Red Wings in order again in the 6th inning. �With one out in the 7th, Dustin Martin got to Lincoln again, this time with a little bunt into the no-man's-land between third base and the pitcher's mound. �Danny Valencia singled through the hole into right field, moving Martin to third base, and Jacque Jones picked up a second RBI with a sacrifice fly to score Martin again. �A grounder forced out Valencia at second base to end the inning.

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(Photo: �3B Doug Bernier makes an out in foul territory.)

Lincoln had been efficient with his pitches, throwing only 37 pitches over the first four innings. �That 5th inning took 18 pitches, as Lincoln faced 6 batters. �Then he needed 12 pitches for the 6th and only 11 pitches for 5 batters in the 7th. �That was still only 78 pitches over 7 innings, and Lincoln was still not letting that leg bother him. �He may have been tiring a little in the 8th, but allowed just a two-out single to SS Trevor Plouffe, but left him stranded when he struck out LF Brian Dinkelman to end the inning. �Lincoln threw 16 pitches in the 8th, for a total of 94 pitches (63 strikes).

In The Pink — Photos from May 9th

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More photos from May 9th, with the Indianapolis Indians wearing pink jerseys for Breast Cancer Awareness.

Left: �Pedro Alvarez takes a practice swing; �Right: Doug Bernier coaches at firstIMG_2830

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Left: �Rowdie leaps past Neil Walker; � Right: Alvarez at third base

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Left: Argenis Diaz at shortstop; � �Right: �Brian Friday

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Click on "read more" �or on the title above "In the Pink" -- to see more photos

Penn Looks Strong in Indians’ Loss

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Rochester Red Wings 7, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

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Three runs in the top of the 10th inning broke a 4-4 tie and gave the extra-inning win to the Red Wings at Victory Field on Tuesday night. �With the usually reliable Jean Machi on the mound for the Tribe, the inning began in a promising way: �Machi threw one pitch and got one ground out. �Then things went downhill. �Rochester's RF Brian Dinkelman bounced a double down the left field line, and he moved to third base on a wild pitch. �2B Luke Hughes was hit by the next pitch to put runners on the corners. �Machi got DH Dustin Martin to tap one back to the mound,a and the Indians were nearly out of the jam. �But the ball was rolling slowly, and even though Machi fielded it cleanly, whirled, and fired to second base to force out Hughes, �SS Brian Friday's (photo) relay throw to first base was not in time to beat Martin to the bag. �Dinkelman scored from third base, and the Red Wings had the go-ahead run. �Martin stole second base, then advanced to third on another wild pitch by Machi. �3B Danny Valencia followed with another slow roller to the right side of the infield between the mound and the third base line, for an infield hit, scoring Martin. �LF Jacque Jones doubled, driving in Valencia, and the Red Wings had a 7-4 lead. �Machi walked 1B Brock Peterson, before striking out C Allan de San Miguel to end the inning.

IMG_3054The Indians had come from behind three times already during the game, and in the bottom of the 10th, they made one more effort. �RF Brandon Moss led off with a line drive single into center field. �After C Erik Kratz lined out to center field, LF Kevin Melillo (photo), in his first start with the Indians, ripped a double into the right field corner, which moved Moss over to third base. �Brian Friday grounded to first base, allowing Moss to score. �This time the Indians' catch-up bid fell short, as the rally and the game ended with a strikeout by CF Jose Tabata, and the Red Wings had the win.

Righty pitcher Hayden Penn (photo at the top), who had been designated for assignment by the Pirates, then sent to Florida for extended spring training, joined the Indianapolis Indians today and was immediately inserted into the starting rotation. �Penn was limited to 80 pitches, and he stretched those pitches out so that he could pitch 6 innings -- he actually threw only 78 pitches, with 55 strikes. �He gave up 3 hits on 8 hits, no walks, with 6 strikeouts. �Penn pitched well against most of the Red Wings' batting order, but he had trouble with the very top of the order: �CF Jason Repko and SS Trevor Plouffe.

Carlin, Friday, and McCutchen Clip the Wings


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Mike Crotta and Donnie Veal are charting in the stands.

Indianapolis Indians 7, �Rochester Red Wings 2 (box)
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C Luke Carlin went 3-for-3 at the plate and SS Brian Friday gave the Tribe the lead with a huge triple, to help Daniel McCutchen and the Indians take the first game of a 4-game series against the Rochester Red Wings at Victory Field on Monday night.
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Daniel McCutchen (photo) had to work hard during the first three innings. �In the first inning, he threw 21 pitches, and threw a first pitch ball to each of the 5 batters. �He needed 26 pitches in the 2nd inning, and three of those five batters also saw a first pitch ball. �Finally in the 3rd, McCutchen started throwing first pitch strikes, to four of the five batters in that inning.
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The game began with a bang, as Red Wings' 2B Matt Tolbert ripped a 2-1 pitch down the right field line and into the corner. �Tolbert rounded second and headed for third. �He got there just as the ball did, but the throw from the relay man, 2B Neil Walker, came in to 3B Pedro Alvarez high, and Alvarez had no chance to apply a tag. �McCutchen got the next batter, SS Trevor Plouffe, to ground out to short and Tolbert did not advance, but when LF Brian Dinkelman grounded to the right side of the infield, Tolbert scored easily. �3B Luke Hughes singled into right field, but was left on base, and the Red Wings had a 1-0 lead.
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IMG_2378McCutchen worked around a 2-out single by 1B Brock Peterson and a walk to C Jair Fernandez in the 2nd inning. �In the third, again with two outs, he gave up a single to Luke Hughes and an RBI double by CF Dustin Martin off the top of the wall in left-center to the right of Jackie Robinson's "42". �Martin was left stranded when RF Matt Macri struck out, but the Red Wings had increased their lead to 2-0.
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Rochester starter Glen Perkins came into the game with an 0-3 record and a ERA above 10. �He did not pitch like that for the first four innings, though. �Perkins faced only one batter over the minimum in those four innings. �He retired the side in order in the 1st. �He gave up a walk to Pedro Alvarez in the 2nd, but erased him in a double play. �He let Luke Carlin (photo) single up the middle in the 3rd, but erased him with another double play. �The Indians left their first runner on base in the 4th, when CF Jose Tabata led off with a grounder to short and beat out the throw to first base. �Tabata stole his 17th base of the season, but got no further, as Perkins ended the inning with two short fly outs (Neil Walker and 1B Brian Myrow) and a strikeout (Alvarez).
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