(Photo: Former Indy Indian [2005-06] Furmaniak)
Gallagher was pitching deep into the count to many of the batters he faced, particularly in the first two innings. After 3 innings, he had thrown about 61 pitches, and after 4 innings, he was up to 84 pitches. He began the 5th inning by surrendering three consecutive hits straight into center field: a single to Ruggiano, a single to RF Brandon Guyer, and a 2-RBI double to Carter.
Gallagher was relieved by Cesar Valdez, who came in with two runs in, a runner on second, and no outs. Valdez gave up a line drive single to Canzler, the first batter he faced, then a sacrifice fly by 1B Leslie Anderson brought in Carter (the run charged to Gallagher) to give the Bulls a 7-0 lead. Gallagher, who suffered the loss, surrendered those 7 runs on 9 hits and a walk, with 3 strikeouts. He threw 93 pitches in 4+ innings, with 56 strikes.
Valdez finished the 5th with a pop out and a ground out, then pitched a scoreless 6th — the first inning in which the Bulls did not put their lead-off batter on base. He did allow a single (to the second batter), but worked around that base runner.
Jose Ascanio came on to pitch the 7th, and he too retired the first batter of the inning, though he then gave up back-to-back singles to Canzler and Anderson. Both were left on base, with a pop up and a ground out.
All that time, Bulls’ starter Edgar Gonzalez was keeping the Indians’ batters under control, similar to what Norfolk’s Ryan Drese did yesterday. The only Indians’ batter to reach base in the first three innings was Brian Friday, who worked a walk in the 3rd inning, though was left on base. SS Pedro Ciriaco and Presley hit back-to-back singles in the 4th inning, but Ciriaco was thrown out trying to steal second base, and Presley was left on base. With two outs in the 5th, C Dusty Brown and Friday also hit back-to-back singles. A quick line out ended that small threat.
Like last night, the Tribe finally got onto the scoreboard in the 7th inning. With one out, Lambo lined a double into the right field corner (OK, that was what he also did two nights ago). After a ground out, Brown blasted a long fly over the left field wall, for a 2-run homer. The next batter, Friday, was hit by a breaking pitch on the top of his helmet (a glancing skip off the top, not a direct hit), and CF Gorkys Hernandez bounced a double off the front of the mound and possibly the pitcher’s glove, which gave it a crazy bounce into the no-man’s-land between the mound and the Bulls’ second baseman. Hernandez raced to first base and just barely beat out the throw. DH Corey Wimberly slipped a single through the hole and into left field, and Friday came across to score. Hernandez and Wimberly pulled off a double steal, but they got no further, since Ciriaco lined out softly to Furmaniak to end the inning.
That was all the Indians would get. Presley singled again to lead off the 8th, but former Broad Ripple High School (Indianapolis) grad Corey Wade, now a reliever for the Bulls, struck out three consecutive batters to end the inning. Wade also struck out two more batters in a 1-2-3 final inning.
The Bulls answered the Indians’ 3 runs with another 3 runs of their own in the top of the 8th. Justin Thomas (photo) walked the first two batters of the inning, Olmedo and Jennings. After a foul pop out, Thomas hit Guyer with a pitch, to load the bases. Carter’s third hit of the game, a single lined into left, drove in one run, then a bloop single by Anderson added two more runs, for a 10-3 lead.
Tim Wood pitched the top of the 9th, as the Bulls kept rolling right along. Furmaniak and Olmedo opened the inning with back-to-back singles. A passed ball put both runners into scoring position, and after a tapper back to the mound for the first out, another pair of singles, by Ruggiano and Guyer, drove in a run each, giving the Bulls 12 runs.
The Indians have finished the month of April with a 7-17 record. They are 3-11 at home and 4-6 on the road. That puts them in last place in the International League West Division. The Columbus Clippers lead the division, 2 games ahead of the Louisville Bats. The Toledo Mud Hens are 4.5 games behind the Bats, and the Indians are 5 games behind the Mud Hens. The Norfolk Tides have a 7-16 record, and are in last place in the IL South Division.
Indians’ Hitting Gem of the Game: Dusty Brown’s 2-run homer (photo) in the 7th inning, which put the Tribe onto the scoreboard. It was Brown’s second home run of the week.
Indians’ Defensive Gem of the Game: Alex Presley’s outfield assist in the top of the 1st, which had Ruggiano out at second base after he drove in a run. That halted the Bulls’ momentum in that inning at least.
NOTES:
Bulls’ starter Edgar Gonzalez pitched 5 scoreless innings, allowing only 4 hits and a walk. He came back out to pitch the 6th, but after throwing almost all of his warm-up tosses, he abruptly stopped and called his manager and trainer out from the Bulls’ dugout, apparently due to back tightness. After a brief conference, Gonzalez threw a very tentative experimental pitch, with everyone looking on. Another couple of words with the Durham trainer, and Gonzalez walked off the mound and into the dugout. No further word about his condition.
Danny Moskos, who was called up to Pittsburgh, made his major league debut tonight, with a perfect 8th inning for the Pirates.
Go Tribe!
(Photos by Nancy)
