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Meanwhile, the Indians were putting runners on base against Durham starter Richard De Los Santos, but not getting them pushed around to score.� Ryan Doumit walked in the 1st inning, but was picked off base.� RF Mitch Jones singled in the 2nd, but was out when he tried to stretch it into a double.� Brian Friday, Alex Presley, and Jones all singled and Pedro Ciriaco doubled over the next three innings, but all were left standing on base.
The Tribe finally got to De Los Santos in the 6th.� C Luke Carlin (photo),� who had taken over behind the plate for Ryan Doumit, began the inning with a ball smacked into the right center field alley, and his aggressive base running let him stretch the hit into a double.� Alex Presley walked on 4 pitches.� DH Brandon Moss flied out to center field, but it was deep enough to let Carlin tag up and reach third base.� That was critical, because Carlin was able to score from third base when De Los Santos threw a wild pitch.� Mitch Jones flied out, and that was all for De Los Santos.� He was relieved by Joe Bateman.� Bateman threw just one pitch, which John Bowker rocketed on a line drive — but right at the Durham third baseman Chavez, to end the inning.� At least the Indians had avoided the shutout, but they could not get any more, going down in order in the 7th.
Lincoln’s loss was his 3rd of the year with the Indians.� The Indians posted only 6 hits (to Durham’s 13) and Mitch Jones was the only Tribe hitter to have 2 hits.
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Indians’ Hitting Gem of the Game:� Luke Carlin’s aggressive baserunning to make a double out of his hit into the gap, which started the Indians’ run-scoring rally in the 6th.
Indians’ Defensive Gem of the Game:� The double play started by Brian Bass in the 4th, which ended that Durham rally.
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Indians� 4,� Bulls 1� (Game 2) (box)
The Tribe bounced back in the night-cap, as they faced former Indian and Pirate Virgil Vasquez.� The Indians posted the same number of hits (6) in this game as they did in Game 1, but they made better use of them, while starter Brian Burres (photo) held the Bulls to just 3 hits.
LF Kevin Melillo, as if trying to make up for the soft offense in Game 1, greeted Vasquez by blasting a lead-off home run over the center field wall to begin the game.� After a fly out, DH Ryan Doumit doubled, and after another fly out, RF John Bowker also doubled, driving in Doumit to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.� Doumit added another 2 runs in the 3rd inning, when he took another home run over the center field wall, following a single by SS Pedro Ciriaco.
Brian Burres, starting his work with 2 runs in his back pocket, faced only one batter over the minimum in the first four innings.� The first batter he faced, RF Desmond Jennings, reached base when Ciriaco’s throw from short to 1B Jonathan Van Every pulled Van Every’s foot off the bag.� Former Indian 2B JJ Furmaniak worked a walk, but then Burres got LF Elliot Johnson to bounce into a double play.� Furmaniak was erased, and Jennings advanced to third base.� Burress got the rest of the way out of the jam by striking out CF Justin Ruggiano.� Burres retired the Bulls in order in the 2nd inning.� He gave up a single to 3B Angel Chavez in the 3rd, but erased him with a double play.� He walked Furmaniak again in the 4th, but again erased Furmaniak with another double play — the third double play turned by the Indians in 4 innings.
Burres got out of another jam in the 5th.� DH Joe Dillon led off the inning with a double.� 1B Leslie Anderson and Angel Chavez each walked, loading the bases with Bulls, with one out.� But Burress got both SS Omar Luna and Desmond Jennings to smack line drives right at two Tribe outfielders (John Bowker in right and Brandon Moss in center), and all three base runners were left standing on their bases.
The Bulls scored their only run in the 6th.� With one out, Elliot Johnson walked, and a wild pitch by Burres let Johnson advance to second base.� Johnson scored on Joe Dillon’s line drive into left field for a double.� Burres was done at that point, having thrown 95 pitches (56 strikes).� He gave up that one run on 3 hits and 5 walks, with 3 strikeouts.� Burres was relieved by Jean Machi, who left Dillon on second base with a fly out to end the inning.
Virgil Vasquez settled down after the 3rd inning, and held the Indians to one single and one walk for the rest of the game.� Jonathan Van Every led off the 4th with a walk, but he was picked off first and caught in a run-down.� Vasquez retired the next 7 Tribe batters in order, until John Bowker singled in the 6th.� Bowker was also left stranded.� The Tribe went down in order in the 7th.� Vasquez pitched the entire (7 inning) game, throwing 101 pitches (64 strikes) though he suffered the loss.
Jean Machi finished the game by retiring the Bulls in order in the 7th inning, and that earned him his 15th save of the season.� Burres’s win was his 4th with the Indians.� Of the Indians’ 6 hits, both Ryan Doumit and John Bowker had 2 each.
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Indians’ Hitting Gem of the Game:� Ryan Doumit’s 2-run home run, which gave the Indians some insurance, and is sending Doumit back to the Pirates on a high note.
Indians’ Defensive Gems of the Game: Three double plays turned by the infield — all a little different.� 1st inning–� 4-6-2 (2B Brian Friday (photo) to SS Pedro Ciriaco to 1B Jonathan Van Every);� 3rd inning –� 5-4-3� (3B Doug Bernier to Friday to Van Every);� 4th inning — 6-4-3 (Ciriaco to Friday to Van Every).
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NOTES:
Reliever Justin Thomas is on his way back to the Indians, optioned down to make room for reliever Chan Ho Park on the Pirates’ active roster.
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Go Tribe!
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(photos by Nancy)
