Monthly Archives: June, 2009

Tom Gorzelanny (photo) almost seemed like he wanted all the fun for himself. �The Indians' starter pitched 5 innings at Victory Field tonight, and struck out 12 Toledo MudHens, a season high for both himself and the Indians. �With those 12 strikeouts, Gorzelanny and his catcher Hector Gimenez took care of all but three of the outs in those 5 innings. �Gorzelanny let his teammates handle things without him only twice: �in the 1st inning, CF Jeff Salazar made an out on a fly ball, and in the 5th inning, 3B�Luis Cruz and 1B Brian Myrow made an out on a grounder to third base. �The remaining out in the 5 innings had Gorzelanny's touch too -- Toledo SS Brent Dlugach led off the 4th inning with a single into left field, but Gorzelanny picked him off first base, and he was tagged out at second base: �Gorzelanny to Myrow to SS Brian Bixler.�

Gorzelanny struck out every batter in the MudHens' lineup except Dlugach, and he struck out RF Clete Thomas, 1B Jeff Larish, LF WIlkin Ramirez, and C Dane Sardinha twice each. �That's not to say that there weren't some glitches in Gorzelanny's night. �In the 2nd inning, after the first strikeout, 2B Brent Clevlen doubled down the line into right field. �Dlugach followed with a grounder bounced to second base, which looked like it was going for a double play. �But 2B Shelby Ford (photo) couldn't handle the hop. �By the time he picked the ball up again, there was only time to throw to first. �He rushed the throw, pulling 1B Brian Myrow off the bag to the outfield side. �The error put runners on the corners with one out. �Gorzelanny struck out Wilkin Ramirez for the second out, but then Mike Hessman smacked a double off the upper part of the wall in right-center field, scoring both Clevlen and Dlugach. �Both of the runs were unearned. �

Gorzelanny also walked two batters in the 3rd, mixed in among the three strikeouts that inning. �

He gave up another double in the 5th, to 2B Scott Sizemore, but left him stranded on base. �Gorzelanny was relieved after 5 innings, enough innings to let him earn his 3rd win with the Tribe. �He had taken many of the MudHens deep into counts, including on the strikeouts, and by the end of 5 innings, he had thrown 87 pitches (53 strikes). �In the post-game interview, Gorzelanny's catcher Hector Gimenez said that the fastball was Gorzelanny's top pitch in the game, and "the key" to all the strikeouts. �

[Photo: �Jeff Salazar makes the catch in straight-away center field.]

While Gorzelanny was taking care of the MudHens' bats, the Tribe batters were handling the MudHens' pitching. �Toledo's pitching staff was drained by their 15-inning game last night, which might have been part of the reason that their starter, Ruddy Lugo, threw 113 pitches (65 strikes) tonight. �The Tribe jumped on Lugo in the first inning. �Shelby Ford worked the first walk to lead off the inning,�

and Brian Bixler grounded deep enough into shortstop so that the MudHens could not turn it into a double play. �Ford was forced out at second base, but the speedy Bixler reached first before the relay throw. �CF �Jeff Salazar made his only out of the game, a foul pop out for the second out. �DH Garrett Jones brought Bixler in with a double just barely inside the right field line and so far down into the corner that Bixler came all the way around from first and scored standing up. �

Jeff Salazar (photo) got his first hit of the game in the 3rd inning, with a two-out single, though he was left stranded. �The Indians went into the bottom of the 4th behind 2-1. �With one out, Hector Gimenez tied the game on a solo home run over the right field wall. �The Indians kept working away at Lugo, as RF Chris Snelling followed the home run with a single into right center field. �LF Pedro Lopez hit an "oops" dribbler to the left side of the infield in front of the mound, which Lugo could not get to in time to throw out Lopez at first. �Shelby Ford plated Snelling with a single into left field. �The throw in from LF Wilkin Ramirez to home was off target and a couple of steps up the first-base line, and Snelling came in easily with the go-ahead run. �

Salazar gave the Indians an insurance run in the 5th inning, with a solo blast to right field, for his 10th home run of the season. �Garrett Jones nearly followed the homer with a hit, but he was robbed of a line drive single by a quick side-ways leap and stab by Toledo 2B Scott Sizemore.. �Bryan Myrow did get a hit, which he slipped just underneath SS Brent Dlugach, and Hector Gimenez walked, but the threat ended with Chris Snelling grounding into a double play. �The Tribe had only one base runner over the last 3 innings of the game, and that was Jeff Salazar's third hit of the game in the 8th -- a checked-swing looper that fell in just behind the mound, whe re no one could get to it. �

OF Starling Marte is moving up from Bradenton to the West Virginia Power.

RHP Noah Krol has also moved from Bradenton to the Power, where he pitched two-thirds of an inning last night.

P Quinton Miller, who started for State College last night is being promoted to the Power. In two starts for the Spikes, he pitched a total of 7 innings and allowed 5 runs (3 earned) on 10 hits and 3 walks, with 4 strikeouts.