Dusty Brown (photo) made the score 2-0 with another solo home run in the 2nd inning. His blast went to nearly straight out center field, landing in the grass above the center field camera well. Friday walked after the home run, but the Tides engineered the first of three double plays in the game, to eliminate Friday and end the inning. The second double play came in the 3rd inning, after SS Pedro Ciriaco reached base on a throwing error by the Tides’ 3B (former Indy Indian) Nick Green. Green made the scoop of Ciriaco’s grounder, but his throw to first base pulled 1B Brandon Snyder off the bag on the infield side, and when Snyder tried to put a swipe tag on Ciriaco, he missed. After a 4-pitch walk to Presley, Hague lined right to Green, who quickly threw over to second base, doubling off Ciriaco.
Brad Lincoln made the start for the Tribe. He began the afternoon by buzzing through the first three innings. The only hit off Lincoln in those three was a double off the right field wall by 2B Ryan Adams in the 1st inning. After the double, Lincoln retired the next 9 batters in order.
The first sign of trouble for Lincoln came in the top of the 4th. After one out, Snyder blooped a broken bat single into short right field. Lincoln struck out LF Nolan Reimold for the second out, then he ran the count full on DH Rhyne Hughes. The final pitch to Hughes was close — and it was called a ball, making Hughes the first batter Lincoln has walked this season. With two runners on base, Green took the first pitch he saw over the left field wall for a 3-run home run, and the Tides had taken a 3-2 lead.
Lincoln (photo) retired the side in order in the 5th, but gave up another run in the 6th. With one out, Snyder took a ball to the base of the center field wall for a double. A line out to Ciriaco at short gave the Tribe the second out. Then Hughes brought Snyder in with a double down the left field line. Tides up, 4-2.
The Indians fell to another double play in the 5th inning, when the Tides did not fall for the same sly trick the Indians pulled on them yesterday. Friday led off with a single up the middle, and CF Gorkys Hernandez also was credited with a single when 3B Green’s throw to first base pulled 1B Snyder off the bag. D’Arnaud dropped down a sacrifice bunt, which was also fielded by Green. Green’s throw to first was again wide, and Snyder again had to reach, stretching out fully — but was his foot still on the bag? 1B umpire Gerard Ascani ruled that it was, but according to radio broadcasters Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley, the replay showed a gap between his toe and the bag. While everyone was focused on first base, Friday had advanced to third base, and then headed for home. But today the Tides were paying more attention, and Snyder hopped up and made the throw to another former Indian, C Michel Hernandez. Hernandez blocked the plate, and made the tag on Friday for the third double play of the game.
The Indians cut the Tides’ lead to one run in the bottom of the 6th. Presley led off by taking a 4-pitch walk. He tried to steal second base, but was easily thrown out by Michel Hernandez. That was another unfortunate base running problem, because two pitches later, Hague lifted a home run over the left field wall. It was another solo home run, but this one too could have been a 2-run homer.
Lincoln came back out to begin the 7th inning, and again got into trouble. With one out, he hit Michel Hernandez (photo) with a pitch (on the shoulder). The next batter, RF Tyler Henson, blasted a long high fly ball toward the left field wall. Presley turned and ran for the wall, but could only stand at the base of the wall and watch the ball sail over his head, for a 2-run homer. Tides up further, 6-3.
After a ground out to first and a walk, Lincoln was relieved by Justin Thomas. Thomas finished the 7th inning with a fly out to left field.
Then the Indians had their big inning. In the bottom of the 7th, Brown led off with a double into center field, and Friday walked. Gorkys Hernandez brought both of them in with a double down the line and into the left field corner. The ball did not bounce the way LF Reimold expected it to, and he had to chase it down before he could get it back into the infield. With the Tides’ lead cut to 6-5, D’Arnaud’s ground out let Hernandez advance to third base. Ciriaco plated Hernandez with a sacrifice fly to tie the score at 6-6. Presley lined a single into left-center field, and he moved to second base when Tides’ reliever Armando Gabino balked. Hague lined a single to left, for his third hit of the game, and Presley raced around third and crossed the plate with the go-ahead run. DH Andy Marte’s grounder to short forced Hague out at second to end the inning.
(Photo: Brian Friday, Pedro Ciriaco, Matt Hague)
The indians threatened again in the bottom of the 8th, when RF Andrew Lambo walked, and Friday singled through the hole into left field. Gorkys Hernandez grounded to third , where Green started what he hoped would be a double play with a throw to second base. But Friday’s slide into second base took the legs out from under 2B Adams, who could not make the throw to first. That gave the Tribe runners on the corners with two outs. A grounder to third by d’Arnaud ended the inning without further runs scoring.
Justin Thomas began the top of the 8th with a strikeout and a walk, then he was replaced by Tim Wood. Wood struck out Green, then got out of the inning with a grounder to first. Wood finished the game with a scoreless 9th inning. Henson reached base on a throwing error by Friday at third, but d’Arnaud made the play on a grounder, and Wood struck out Adams to end the game.
(photo: Presley’s homer)
Lincoln did not figure into the decision. He allowed 6 runs on 6 hits with 2 walks and 5 strikeouts in 6.2 innings, and he threw 99 pitches (59 strikes).
Besides Hague’s 3 hits, Presley, Brown, Friday, and Hernandez each had 2 hits.
Indians’ Hitting Gem of the Game: Even though Hague had 3 hits, including the game winning RBI, none of that would have been possible if Gorkys Hernandez had not sparked the inning with his 2-RBI double down the left field line, driving in Brown and Friday.
Indians’ Defensive Gem of the Game: #1 — In the 4th inning, Ryan Adams grounded to third, where Brian Friday had to go to his right to make the catch. He did a spin, turning toward the outfield, then coming around so that he had the momentum of the spin behind him when he made his throw to first base for the out. #2 — In the top of the 9th, with one out and one on, Matt Angle grounded to the right side of the infield, about a third of the way from first to second. Matt Hague was holding the runner on first base, so he was not goi
ng to be able to get to it. Just as it looked like the ball was going to get through to right field, Chase d’Arnaud raced over from second base, coming out of nowhere to make the stop, then throw to Hague for the out.
Brian Friday at third……………………………. charting in the stands (Wilson and Gallagher)
Justin Thomas ……………………….. the infield: Pedro Ciriaco, Chase d’Arnaud, and Matt Hague
Tim Wood
Go Tribe!
(photos by Nancy)
