Tag: Justin Thomas

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Indianapolis Indians �5, �Columbus Clippers �0 (box)

The Indians shut out the Columbus Clippers, who currently reside in first place in the International League Western Division, at Victory Field tonight, to begin an 8-game home stand. �Four Indians' pitchers, starter Mike Crotta (photo above), Vinnie Chulk, Justin Thomas, and Brian Bass, combined to hold the Clippers to 4 hits and 4 walks, while the Tribe batters piled up 10 hits for 5 runs.

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Mike Crotta pitched 5.1 scoreless innings to earn his 3rd win with the Indians, needing 87 pitches (46 strikes) to get the job done. �He was responsible for 3 of the hits and 3 of the walks. �He kept his infielders busy, as all of the outs he recorded were either ground outs, except for two strikeouts and one runner thrown out at second base.

Crotta gave up a 2-out double to Columbus catcher Carlos Santana in the 1st inning, but ended the inning with a bouncing grounder to SS Argenis Diaz (photo above). �Crotta retired the Clippers in order in the 2nd and 3rd innings, then gave up a walk to former Indy Indian 2B Brian Bixler (photo) to begin the 4th. �Santana followed with a grounder to third base, and as 3B Pedro Alvarez made the scoop and throw to first, the speedy Bixler got a good jump and broke for third base, where he slid in safely before 1B Brian Myrow could return the throw across the diamond. �Bixler was left standing there, though, as Crotta struck out 1B Wes Hodges and got DH Jordan Brown to ground out to second.

Crotta had to have a little help from his friends to get out of the 5th inning. �LF Nick Weglarz worked a walk to open the inning, then 3B Brian Buscher hit a high hop right to Brian Myrow at first base. �Myrow turned and fired to second base, forcing out Weglarz, then scrambled back to cover the first base bag and take the return throw from Argenis Diaz for the double play. �SS Anderson Hernandez followed with a line drive into center field for a single, but when he tried to steal second base, C Luke Carlin's throw was right on target, and the inning was over.

Crotta and Carlin did not have the same luck in the 6th. �With one out, CF Michael Brantley slipped a single through the hole and into left field. �He stole second base, and as he slid in, Carlin's throw might have hit the ground near second base, or maybe even hit Brantley, but either way, the ball ricocheted into center field, and Brantley took off for third base. �Argenis Diaz chased down the ball and threw to third as Brantley was reaching the base there, but Diaz's throw went way wide of third, and very nearly sailed into the Indians' dugout. �Brian Bixler worked his second walk of the game, and that was all for Crotta.

Vinnie Chulk came on in relief, and the speedy Bixler stole second base without drawing a throw from Carlin, putting two runners in scoring position. �But Chulk made it not matter -- he struck out both Carlos Santana and Wes Hodges to end the inning without the Clippers scoring.

First, the Indians had to finish up yesterdays' game -- suspended due to rain. �Then they had to play a 7-inning game for today.

Gwinnett Braves �4, �Indianapolis Indians �3 � (suspended, now finished) (box)

Home runs were the key in the first part of this game, which was started on Monday night -- read more about it here. Gwinnett's Barbaro Canizares started the scoring with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 1st. �Indians' LF Brandon Moss knocked a solo homer in the top of the 2nd, and Braves' Alex Romero answered with a solo blast to lead off the bottom of the inning.

The Braves were leading 3-1 going into the bottom of the 4th. �Starter Daniel McCutchen (photo) got into trouble quickly, when LF Matt Young bounced a weird hop off 2B Argenis Diaz's shoulder for an error. �Alex Romero walked, putting runners on first and second, as the rain got serious. �A double steal moved the runners to second and third. �SS Brandon Hicks came to the plate and had a 1-2 count on him when the game was halted.

McCutchen finished with 3 innings of work, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. �Two of those hits and runs came on homers. �McCutchen threw 58 pitches, 30 for strikes.

When the game resumed on Tuesday, Anthony Claggett took over for McCutchen, inheriting two runners on base and a 1-2 count on Hicks at the plate. �Claggett threw two balls, but then got Hicks to ground out easily to Pedro Alvarez at third, with the runners forced to hold their positions. �C Clint Sammons bounced to first base, where 1B Brian Myrow scooped and fired back home, where C Erik Kratz tagged out the lead runner Young at the plate. �Claggett ended the inning with a strikeout, escaping the jam without letting a run score.

The Braves scored again in the 5th inning. �CF Jordan Schafer lined a single into center field, and when Claggett tried to pick him off first base, the throw hit Schafer. �After taking a few minutes to make sure he was ok, Schafer popped up and stole second base on the next pitch. �A sacrifice bunt by 3B Wes Timmons moved Schafer to third base, and a single lined into left field brought him home. �Braves up, 4-1.

The Indians rallied in the top of the 6th. �CF Jon Van Every led off with a walk. �He moved to second base, then on to third, on ground outs by Argenis Diaz and Brian Myrow. �Pedro Alvarez smacked a double to deep center field, to plate Van Every. �Erik Kratz (photo) followed with a single slipped through the hole and into left field, and Alvarez raced around third to score. �That put the Tribe within one run of the Braves, at 4-3. �The rally ended when RF Brandon Jones grounded out.

Anthony Claggett also pitched the 6th inning, allowing only a walk. �He came out to begin the 7th inning, and got a strikeout, before turning the ball over to Justin Thomas. Claggett�finished with 3.1 innings of work, allowing one run on 2 hits and a walk, with 4 strikeouts. �Thomas finished the 7th inning with two quick outs, a strikeout and a fly out. �Brian Bass came on to pitch the 8th, working around a lead-off single to keep the Braves scoreless again.

After their two runs in the 6th, the Indians managed only one base runner for the rest of the game. �Manager Frank Kremblas decide not to use a pinch-hitter for Anthony Claggett. �Batting for himself, Claggett worked the count full then took a walk. �He moved to second base on a wild pitch, but was left there at the end of the inning. �The Indians went down in order in the 8th and 9th innings, including three strikeouts.

Argenis Diaz was the only Tribe batter to have 2 hits in the game (both singles). �Daniel McCutchen was charged with the loss, his second of the season with the Tribe.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Brandon Moss's (photo) solo home run, which put the Indians on the scoreboard in the 2nd inning.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �In the bottom of the 3rd inning, with one out and Joe Thurston on first base, Barbaro Canizares bounced a slow roller to Pedro Alvarez at third. �Alvarez grabbed it on the second hop, then fired to second base, where 2B Brian Friday made the pivot and threw on to first base for the inning-ending double play, which cut short the Braves' rally.

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Sunday afternoon action for the Indians -- completing last night's suspended game (third one in 10 days) and then the regularly scheduled game.

Charlotte Knights �8, �Indianapolis Indians �4 (box)

When we left our heros (read more about the beginning of the game here), the Knights had just taken a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the 5th inning. �1B Brian Myrow gave the Indians their first 2 runs in the top of the 1st with a 2-run homer. �A single by 3B Pedro Alvarez and an RBI double by RF Brandon Moss added another run in the top of the 4th.

Jeremy Powell (photo) made the start for the Tribe, and had pitched 4.1 innings, allowing 4 runs on 4 hits and a walk, with 2 strikeouts when the game was suspended due to power outages. �Powell had allowed only one hit in the first 3 innings, but that one hit was a solo homer by Knights' DH Stefan Gartrell in the 2nd inning. �Powell got into trouble in the 4th inning, when he gave up a walk, a single, and a 2-RBI double to LF Jordan Danks, all coming with 2 outs in the inning.

The score was tied at 3-3 when the lights went out the first time. �That delay lasted only a short time, and the Indians threatened in the top of the 5th when play resumed. �A missed catch error by the Charlotte first baseman put CF Jose Tabata on second base, and Tabata stole third. �But he remained there as a strikeout, a walk, and another strikeout ended the inning. �Jeremy Powell was able to come back out and begin the bottom of the 5th, but the first batter, 2B Luis Rodriguez, homered to give Charlotte a 4-3 lead. �Powell got one out and had 2 strikes on the next batter, CF Buck Coats, when the power went out again.

Of course, neither starting pitcher returned when the game resumed this afternoon. �Brian Bass (photo) took the mound for the Indians, inheriting a 1-2 count on Buck Coats. �Bass needed just one pitch to get Coats to swing at strike three (strikeout credited to Bass). �Then he needed just one more pitch to get former Pirate farmhand SS Brent Lillibridge to pop out, ending the inning.

The Knights got the best of Bass in the 6th inning, though. �1B Dayan Viciedo led off with a line drive into center field on the first pitch he saw from Bass. �RF Josh Kroeger walked, and Gartrell moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt. �Danks singled into right field, scoring Viciedo. �Bass got a strikeout, but a sacrifice fly by Rodriguez scored Kroeger from third base. �3B Javier Colina singled also, driving in Gartrell, and the Knights had increased their lead to 7-3.

Corey Hamman took over for Bass for the last two innings. �He allowed only one hit, but that hit was a solo home run by Brent Lillibridge in the 7th, to give Charlotte an 8-3 lead. �Hamman worked around a hit batter in the 8th inning, striking out a total of 3 batters over the two innings.

Charlotte replaced their starting pitcher with Noblesville, Indiana native (and 2001 Indiana "Mr. Baseball") Wes Whisler. �Whisler had been struggling in some recent appearances, particularly during the month of May, but he did not have much trouble with the Indians. �He retired the first 10 Tribe batters he faced in order, taking him into the top of the 9th. �With one out in the 9th, the Indians started a rally against Whisler, putting four batters in a row on base. �C Luke Carlin started with an infield hit to deep short, then Brandon Moss and SS Doug Bernier followed with two more singles. �Bernier's single scored Carlin. �2B Argenis Diaz worked a walk to load the bases. �The Knights took that opportunity to relieve Whisler and bring in reliever Greg Aquino. �Aquino faced only Jose Tabata, and on a 2-2 pitch, got Tabata to bounce to short, where Lillibridge started a 6-4-3 double play, cutting short the Tribe rally and ending the game.

Jeremy Powell was charged with the loss, his 5th of the season. �Doug Bernier and Brandon Moss each had two hits, a single and a double, and one RBI in the game.

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Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Brian Myrow's home run in the top of the 1st, his 4th blast of the season.

Regularly scheduled game -- click "read more"

What is it with the suspended games?

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Indianapolis Indians �3, �Charlotte Knights �1 (box)

When lightning and rain suspended this game on Friday night, it was a pitching duel between the Indians' Brad Lincoln and the Knights' Matt Zaleski. Lincoln had allowed one hit and one walk in 5 innings, while striking out 7 batters. �Zaleski had held the Tribe batters to 2 hits (a double to 1B Brian Myrow and a single to DH Brandon Moss), no walks, and he had struck out 6 batters.

The game was resumed at 6 pm on Saturday, and LF Kevin Melillo (photo) got the restart off with a bang -- he slammed the first pitch from reliever Kyle McCulloch over the right field wall for a solo home run.

Anthony Claggett took over for Lincoln for the second part of the game. �With one out in the bottom of the 6th, Claggett gave up a solo homer to CF Buck Coats, to tie the game at 1-1. �Claggett went on to retire three Knights in order in the 7th inning.

The Tribe broke the tie in the top of the 7th. �C Erik Kratz led off the inning with a double to deep center field. �A single by Brandon Moss moved Kratz to third base. �With the runners on the corners, 2B Brian Friday bounced a grounder to third base, starting a double play. �Kratz scored from third base, though (no RBI), and the Indians had a 2-1 lead. �Another double play squelched a rally in the 8th inning, when CF Jose Tabata singled, but was doubled off first when Melillo lined out right to the Knights' first baseman.

Charlotte threatened in the bottom of the 8th. �Claggett (photo) began the inning by hitting RF Jordan Danks with a pitch. �DH �Donny Lucy dropped a sacrifice bunt, which Claggett fielded cleanly, but Friday could not make the catch on Claggett's throw to first. �The error put Knights on the corners. �Another sacrifice bunt by 2B CJ Retherford moved Lucy to second base, but Danks had to hold at third. �That was all for Claggett. �Justin Thomas came in from the bullpen, and he ended the inning with a foul pop out to 3B Pedro Alvarez and a strikeout, leaving two runners in scoring position.

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Alvarez gave the Tribe an insurance run in the top of the 9th. �His 11th home run of the season left the yard over the left field wall, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead. �The next three Indians' batters went down in order, and Jean Machi finished the game for the Tribe by doing the same to the Knights in the bottom of the frame. �Machi earned his 7th save of the season. �Claggett was charged with a Blown Save, due to the home run in the bottom of the 6th, but he was also given the win, since he was the pitcher of record when the Indians scored in the top of the 7th. �That homer was only the 2nd, and the last, �hit of the game for the Knights.

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Indians' Hitting Gems of the Game: �Home runs by Kevin Melillo and Pedro Alvarez. �Melillo's was his second of the season and the second in two games (over three days). �Alvarez's homer was his 11th of the season and his 44th RBI.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �Five one-hit innings by Brad Lincoln �(photo), needing only 61 pitches to do it. �He dominated the Knights, and made it look easy.

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(Click on "Read more" for the second game)

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Indianapolis Indians �9, �Charlotte Knights �7 (box)

3B Pedro Alvarez tallied 4 hits and an RBI, while LF Kevin Melillo and SS Argenis Diaz each contributed 2 hits and 2 RBI, as the Tribe bullpen bailed out starter Hayden Penn for a victory over the Knights in the suburbs of Charlotte, NC.

Penn (photo) got into trouble early, surrendering runs to the Knights in each of the first four innings of the game. �He walked 6 batters and gave up 8 hits for 6 runs over 3.2 innings of work. �Penn began the bottom of the 1st by giving up a triple to Knights' LF Buck Coats and an RBI single by former Pirate farmhand SS Brent Lilibridge. �C Luke Carlin threw out Lillibridge trying to steal second base, which probably saved another run from scoring -- a single by 1B Dayan Viciedo might have scored Lillibridge from second base. �After a walk by DH Josh Kroeger, a strikeout and a pop out ended the inning. �A walk, and singles by Coats and Lillibridge added another run in the 2nd inning.

Penn had needed 20 pitches to get through the first inning, and 22 for the second inning. �He continued to struggle in the 3rd inning, using another 22 pitches. �The 3rd began with a walk to Kroeger, then a strikeout. �RF Stefan Gartrell's 2-run homer to right-center field gave the Knights a total of 4 runs. �Two more batters reached, on a walk and a throwing error by 2B Brian Friday, but 2B CJ Retherford flied out and 3B Luis Rodriguez was doubled up when he tried to tag up and advance on the throw in from center field.

Penn quickly got into more trouble when he came back out to begin the 4th inning. �A walk by Coats and a single by Lillibridge started the inning, and a sacrifice bunt by Viciedo moved the runners up to second and third bases. �Kroeger struck out, but a walk to C Tyler Flowers loaded the bases for Gartrell. �Gartrell licked his chops and drove in two more runs with a line drive double into right field. �That was all for Penn, who finished with 84 pitches (only 42 strikes). �Justin Thomas relieved Penn, and ended the inning without letting in any more runs.

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Gwinnett Braves �6, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

A 9th-inning rally, sparked by a pair of Gwinnett errors, put the Indians within one run of tying the game. �The rally fell short, though, and the Braves held on to take the win at Victory Field on Monday night.

The Indians were trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of the 9th. �With Braves' reliever Michael Dunn on the mound to begin his second inning, pinch-hitter Luke Carlin grounded to short, but SS Brandon Hick's throw to first was low and short, and Carlin was safe at first on the error. �Dunn was removed, and reliever Stephen Marek came in from the bullpen to take care of the Indians. �CF Jose Tabata greeted Marek with a line drive into center field, moving Carlin to second base. �2B Neil Walker was next, and he had the crowd holding its breath for a moment with a long fly ball to left-center, but it turned out to be only a long out. �1B Brian Myrow did what he does best -- get on base, somehow, some way. �This time it was by working the count full, fouling off another pitch, and taking a walk to load the bases.

That brought up 3B Pedro Alvarez (photo).�Alvarez bounced the 1-0 pitch to first base, for what should have been an easy out at first. �But Braves' 1B Freddie Freeman charged the slow roller and missed. �It looked like he was already thinking about how he was going to throw to the plate before he actually had the ball in his glove. �The ball went under his glove and skipped down the line about 12 - 15 feet behind first base. �Carlin scored easily from third, and Tabata also scored as Freeman had to reverse and chase down the ball. �Both runs were unearned, and Alvarez was credited with one RBI.

Now the Indians were with in one run, 6-5, and C Erik Kratz came to the plate. �Kratz already had a single in the game, and he'd walked twice. �But this time, he grounded a 0-2 pitch to short, and SS Brandon Hicks began a 6-4-3 double play that ended the rally and the game.

The Indians had scored first, back in the bottom of the 1st inning. �Jose Tabata led off by slipping a grounder through the right side of the infield for a single. �Neil Walker lined a double into right field, sending Tabata to third base. �1B Brian Myrow (photo) grounded to first base, and the Braves conceded the run to get the out, as Tabata scored from third. �Pedro Alvarez brought in Walker, who had advanced to third base on Myrow's play, with a sacrifice fly. �The throw from Gwinnett's CF Jordan Schafer came in high and up the third base line, and Walker scored easily. �The Indians had a 2-0 lead.

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Indianapolis Indians �4, �Gwinnett Braves �3 (box)

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Brad Lincoln (photo) was dominating for his third straight start, as he earned his 5th win of the season over the Braves at Victory Field this evening. �Lincoln pitched 8 innings, and allowed 3 runs on 4 hits, no walks, with 3 strikeouts. �Reliever Justin Thomas picked up his second save. �Four of the Tribe's six hits went for extra bases, including 3B Pedro Alvarez's 10th homer of the season.

Former Pirate prospect Todd Redmond made the start for Gwinnett. �Both pitchers are fast workers, and both were on a roll, pitching as if they had a plane to catch. �The entire game was played in three minutes short of two hours. �That's six minutes shorter than yesterday's 7-inning contest.

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Lincoln threw a total of 77 pitches (50 strikes) in his 8 innings. �He did not go deep into counts, and in fact threw three balls to only two of the 29 batters he faced. �He did not have a full count on any batter. �He zipped through the first two innings, retiring the Braves in order on a total of 15 pitches.

Lincoln gave up a double to SS Brandon Hicks to lead off the 3rd inning, on a ball that bounced down the left field line, barely fair, to just beyond the Indians' bullpen, where LF Jose Tabata had a little trouble picking up the ball. �Hicks reached third base a few moments later when Todd Redmond grounded back to the mound, but he got no further as Lincoln retired two more Braves besides Redmond.

The Braves put another batter on base in the 4th inning. �With one out, RF Gregor Blanco dribbled a little grounder along the first base line, and Lincoln charged over from the mound to field it. �His momentum carried Lincoln into foul territory, forcing him to make a turning throw right along where Blanco was running. �The ball got past 1B Brian Myrow, though 2B Brian Friday was right there to back up the play, so Blanco could not take another base.

Lincoln was charged with a throwing error on the play. �No problem for Lincoln -- he made it moot by getting 1B Freddie Freeman to ground to SS Argenis Diaz who took two steps to touch the second base bag, then threw on to first for the inning-ending double play.

There was a brief scare in the 5th inning. � With one out, 2B Joe Thurston rocketed a 1-0 pitch right back at the mound, hitting Brad Lincoln on the left leg near his knee. �The ball hit him so hard that it ricocheted almost all the way back to the plate, putting it in perfect position for C Luke Carlin to pick it up and fire to first to make the out. �Lincoln fell to the ground face down, but quickly rolled and got up. �Manager Frank Kremblas and the training staff rushed out to the mound, but Lincoln shrugged it off (photo above) then threw a test pitch to prove to them that he was ok (photo here and at the top). �Then he further proved that he was ok by retiring the next 7 batters in order. �After the game, Lincoln said that he'd felt it a bit over the next inning, then he put it out of his mind and continued pitching.

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

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

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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.

The 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.

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Pedro Alvarez takes a warm-up swing.

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

Former 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.

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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.

It 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

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

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Former 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.

The 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.

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Luke Carlin congratulates Erik Kratz after his 2-run homer.

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Indianapolis Indians 8, �Rochester Red Wings 3 (box)

The Indianapolis Indians came from behind again on Thursday afternoon at Victory Field, scoring 7 unanswered runs to beat the Red Wings. �The Indians piled on 14 hits, led by 2B Neil Walker's 4 hits, DH Erik Kratz's 3 hits, and CF Kevin Melillo's 3 hits. �Both Kratz and LF Brandon Moss homered in the late inning rallies.

The Indians had at least one runner on base in every inning but the 8th. �They began with two hits in the 1st, when�Kevin Melillo singled, and Walker doubled down the right field line and into the Red Wings' bullpen. �Melillo tried to suprise the Red Wings and steal second base, but Rochester's starter Deolis Guerra, making his AAA debut, didn't blink. �He didn't balk either, but easily threw out Melillo at second base (photo).

RF Brandon Jones led off the 2nd inning with another double down the right field line and into the Wings' bullpen. � C Luke Carlin worked a walk. �This time, the Indians did get Guerra to balk. �That put Jones on third base (and Carlin on second) and in position to score when Erik Kratz lifted a sacrifice fly into center field.

Starter Donnie Veal (photo) looked good in the early innings. �He walked the first batter he faced, RF Jason Repko, then retired the next six batters he faced, including two strikeouts in the 2nd inning. �He began to struggle in the 3rd, beginning when his third pitch glanced off DH Erik Lis' helmet. �With the new thicker helmets, Lis seemed to barely feel it -- didn't even go down. �Home plate umpire Manny Gonzalez was not even sure that the pitch had hit Lis, but after some jawing by Lis and a conference between the umpires, Lis was awarded first base. �Veal got the next two batters out, and then threw a ball into the dirt, which bounced up and hit SS Trevor Plouffe in the knee. �With runners on first and third, Veal gave up a single to LF Brian Dinkelman, and Lis came around from second to tie the score at 1-1.

The Red Wings took the lead in the 3rd. �With one out, CF Dustin Martin dropped a perfectly placed bunt to the left of the mound, and raced to first before Veal's throw could get there. �3B Danny Valencia crushed a double to the center field wall, and Martin came around from first base to score.

Veal again hit Erik Lis with a pitch in the 4th inning, this time just grazing his jersey. �It was the third hit batter for Veal in the game, but unlike in his last start, it did not get him a warning from the umpires.

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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 first

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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

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