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Lincoln continued to pitch to Carlin, and eventually walked him.� At that point, Lincoln had thrown 37 pitches, approaching his pitch limit set for the night.� Joe Martinez (photo), who had been warming up in the bullpen since the 2nd inning, came on in relief.� SS Josh Rodriguez greeted Martinez with a long fly ball to straight out center field.� CF Alex Presley made a mighty leap, but the ball hit the wall above his glove, and then Presley hit the wall and fell.� He scrambled up, but could not immediately find the ball, which had bounced away.� LF Kevin Melillo got to the ball and fired back to the infield, but by then Rodriguez was standing on third base, and Carlin had come around from first base to score the second run of the inning (charged to Lincoln).� After a tapper back to the mound by Jose Constanza, CF Ezequiel Carrera grounded right up the middle and over second base for an RBI single, plating Rodriguez from third base.� 2B Cord Phelps also singled on a line drive into center, moving Carrera to third base.� DH Wes Hodges grounded to third base, where 3B Akinori Iwamura charged in to make the scoop, then started an around-the-horn double play (Iwamura to Friday to Jones) to end the inning (5-4-3).
Martinez went on to pitch four more innings.� The first three were scoreless.� He allowed a single to 1B Drew Sutton in the 4th, but Sutton was erased with a double play when 3B Jared Goedert bounced to short — Bernier to Friday to Jones� (6-4-3).� Josh Rodriguez lined a single into center field int he 5th, and Jose Constanza beat out a slowly rolling infield single in the 5th.� Martinez got Ezequiel Carrera to ground to second base, forcing out Constanza, then a fly out ended the inning.� Sutton was hit by a pitch in the 6th (and the umpires did not respond by tossing anyone), and he was also erased with a 5-4-3 double play started by Aki Iwamura fielding a difficult hop.
(Photo:� Jeff Clement)
The Clippers scored one more time in the 7th.� The inning began with an odd and controversial play.� Matt McBride grounded to short for what looked like a routine play, but SS Doug Bernier’s throw to first was low and it got past 1B Mitch Jones.� Jason Jaramillo had come up the line to back up Jones, and he picked up the ball and flipped it to Jones — who then tagged McBride as he was coming back to the bag.� Umpire Chris Bakke immediately called McBride out, and much arguing ensued.� The call appeared to be centered on what McBride did after he crossed the first base bag.� Bakke said that McBride had not just continued straight on down the first base line (which would have let him come back to the bag at his leisure), but instead had made the turn and head toward second base, meaning that he was still in play and could be tagged out if he was not standing on the bag.� McBride argued, went into the dugout, continued to argue, and finally was ejected from the game.� Then Clippers’ manager Mike Sarbaugh argued more, and he also was ejected.� According to radio broadcasters Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley, on the replay it did not seem that McBride had made much, if any, turn toward second base.
It was a lucky break for the Indians, because McBride would have been able to come around to score as the inning progressed.� Luke Carlin lined a double to the wall in the right-center field alley, and if that had not allowed McBride to score, he would certainly have come in when Josh Rodriguez ripped his third hit of the game, a double down the right field line, scoring Carlin.� Rodriguez might have had a triple, but the carom off the wall in the corner bounced right to RF Brandon Moss, instead of making him chase down the ball, so he could get the ball back to the infield quickly.� A fly out and a strikeout ended the inning, but the Clippers had increased their lead to 4-1.
Brian Bass pitched the final two innings for the Tribe.� He gave up a lead-off single to Cord Phelps in the 8th, then after a fly out, erased Phelps on the Indians’ fourth double play of the game.� Drew Sutton grounded sharply right to Brian Friday, who fielded the ball right at the basepath.� Friday took one step forward and tagged Phelps as he ran past, then turned and threw to first base to make the out on Sutton.� Bass gave up two singles in the 9th, including Josh Rodriguez’s fourth hit of the game (two singles, a double, and a triple), but ended the inning with a tapper back to the mound.
After the Indians scored in the 2nd inning, Clippers starter Corey Kluber, who was making his AAA debut, held the Tribe batters to just two more hits over the next 4 innings.� Mitch Jones singled in the 4th and Jeff Clement (photo) lined a single into right field in the 6th, but both were left on base.� Kluber also walked Doug Bernier in the 5th.� Clement also reached base in the 4th on an unusual play.� With two outs, Clement flied out to left-center field, but instead of going into the dugouts, everyone remained on the field — the plate umpire had called interference on Luke Carlin, who had touched Clement’s bat during his swing, and Clement was awarded first base.� Even though Jones followed the unusual call with his single, the Indians could not take advantage of the mistake.
Three relief pitchers each took an inning to finish things up for the Clippers.� Carlton Smith pitched the 7th, and allowed the only hit the Indians had in the last third of the game — Doug Bernier doubled down the right field line and into the Clippers’ bullpen, but he could not come around to score.� Zach Putnam retired the Tribe in order in the 8th.� Saul Rivera gave the Indians a trace of hope in the 9th.� He got Jeff Clement and Mitch Jones to fly out, then walked Jason Jaramillo and Doug Bernier.� But pinch-hitter Jonathan Van Every, fresh off the disabled list, struck out to end the game.
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This gives the Clippers a 13 – 8 win of the season series between the two teams.� The Louisville Bats also won, 8-3 over the Toledo Mud Hens, so the Clippers maintain their half-game lead in the International League Western Division standings.� Louisville leads the Wild Card race, by 4 games over Syracuse and 4.5 games over Buffalo.
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Indians’ Hitting Gems of the Game:� #1 –Jason Jaramillo’s RBI single in the 2nd inning, which drove in the only Tribe win.� #2 — Doug Bernier’s double in the 7th inning, which was the only extra-base hit for the Indians.
Indians’ Defensive Gems of the Game:� The Tribe turned four double plays, which might be a season high for one game.� Two were started by 3B Aki Iwamura, who made outstanding stops to begin both of them.� The 5-4-3 double plays came in the 3rd and 6th innings.� One double play, in the 4th, was started by Doug Bernier at short.� The other was the unusual double play, started by Brian Friday at second base, when he tagged the runner going past him, then threw to first to complete the play.
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Photos:
Jason Jaramillo�� and� Akinori Iwamura
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Jeff Clement and Pedro Ciriaco at first base;�� Mitch Jones
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Brad Lincoln� and Joe Martinez
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NOTES:
John Bowker was called up to the Pirates, and he got into this afternoon’s game against the Cubs.� He came in as a pinch-hitter in the 6th inning, but struck out.
As noted, both Brad Lincoln and Jonathan Van Every came off the Disabled List today.� Moving Bowker up freed up one roster space, and another space had been opened up last week when Brian Burres was recalled.
Jeff Clement is here with the Indians on a rehab assignment.� How he does, or rather, how his knee does, may help determine whether or not he has surgery (again) on his knee.
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Go Tribe!
(photos by Nancy)
