Bailey gave up only one hit over the next three innings, and that was a double down the left field line by LF Alex Presley in the 3rd. Reliever David Johnson took over for Bailey to begin the 5th. He retired three Indians in order, then gave way to Daniel Ray Herrera, who kept the Tribe scoreless for two more innings. Herrera did give up a lead-off single to Lambo in the 7th, on a grounder that skipped just past the diving 2B Negron. Harrison bunted Lambo to second base, but Lambo was doubled off when Brown hit a hard line drive right to SS Zach Cozart. Brian Friday (photo, with manager Dean Treanor) began the top of the 8th with a triple to the wall in right-center field. But Herrera left him standing there, with two strikeouts and a ground out to short.
When Burres was finished, Dan Meyer came on to pitch the bottom of the 8th. Meyer walked Negron, then hit pinch-hitter Brian Barton (who later remained in the game in right field) with a pitch. CF Dave Sappelt’s sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position, then Meyer loaded the bases with an intentional walk to Cozart.
Meyer was relieved by Daniel Moskos, who was greeted by a RF Jeremy Hermida’s fly to the wall in deep center field, which cleared the bases to give the Bats a 3-0 lead. Frazier bounced a grounder to his counterpart Josh Harrison at third, but the ball skipped off Harrison’s glove and landed behind him, moving Hermida to third base. C Devin Mesoraco lifted a sacrifice fly, driving in Hermida, and Louisville had a 4-0 lead.
The Indians answered right back in the top of the 9th, as the first five Indians who came to the plate reached base safely. With Carlos Fisher on the mound for the Bats, Presley walked, and 1B Matt Hague tripled into the right field corner, plating Presley. Lambo single to bring in Hague, and Harrison singled, moving Lambo to second base. Fisher was replaced by Jerry Gil, who gave up a double down the left field line to Brown, which brought in Lambo and Harrison to tie the score at 4-4. Brown was replaced by pinch runner Corey Wimberly, and Friday moved Wimberly to third base with a sacrifice bunt — the first out of the inning. Wimberly got no further, though, as Gil struck out the just-arrived pinch-hitter Jason Jaramillo, and got CF Gorkys Hernandez to fly out to end the inning.
Justin Thomas (photo) came on to pitch the 9th for the Indians. He got two outs, then had Barton reach second base on a throwing error by Harrison. Harrison made the next play just fine, though, with a long throw from deep behind third base to end the inning and send the game into extras.
Hague doubled to the center field wall in the top of the 10th for the Indians, but was left on base. The Bats also put a runner on in the 10th, when Thomas walked Frazier, but Frazier was also left stranded. The Tribe went down in order in the top of the 11th. Cesar Valdez came out of the bullpen for the Tribe in the bottom of the frame, and kept the Bats scoreless, despite a double by Negron.
The Tribe put two runners on base in the top of the 12th. Jaramillo bunted for a hit to begin the inning, and Hernandez moved him to second base with another bunt. SS Chase d’Arnaud worked a walk, and Presley’s fly out let Jaramillo tag up and move to third, giving the Indians runners on the corners. Matt Hague came within about an inch of bringing in at least one run with a fly down the left field line (I thought it hit the foul line, since it kicked up the chalk), but it was ruled a foul, and Hague flied out to end the inning. Valdez walked two batters in the bottom of the 12th, but left them both on base, and the game continued. The Indians went down in order in the top of the 13th too. Brad Lincoln pinch-hit for the Indians, who had run out of position players. Then came the bottom of the 13th, and the 2-run homer that ended the afternoon.
Tony Watson got the loss, and reliever Tom Cochran, who pitched the last 3.1 innings for the Bats, earned the win. Andrew Lambo went 3-for-6, and Matt Hague went 2-for-6 for the Indians.
(Photo: Matt Hague and Josh Harrison)
Hitting Gem of the Game: The triple by Matt Hague in the 9th inning, which started the scoring for the Indians.
Defensive Gem of the Game: In the bottom of the 9th, with two outs and a runner on first because of a wide throw to first by Josh Harrison, Dave Sappelt smacked a grounder to deep behind third base. Harrison went back and to his right to cut off the ball, then made another long throw across the diamond, this one on-target, to just barely make the out at first. If the ball had gotten past Harrison, that would have been the end of the game, as the runner from second would have scored.
NOTES:
As expected, Jason Jaramillo joined the Indians today, and got into the game….. Brian Burres at the plate
Dan Meyer………….Daniel Moskos
(photos by Nancy)
