The Indians lost the suspended game, but won the regularly scheduled game.









Syracuse Chiefs  6,  Indianapolis Indians  4  (completion of suspended game)
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When we last left our heroes, trying to escape the pouring rain....
The Indians/Chiefs game was suspended after a 1 hour 44 minute wait last night.  Tribe starter Sean Gallagher had given up a run in the top of the 1st, then the Indians took the lead in the 3rd on a single by CF Gorkys Hernandez, a triple by SS Chase d'Arnaud, and an error by the Syracuse 2B Tug Hulett.  Syracuse tied the score in the top of the 6th on a solo homer by Hulett of reliever Chris Leroux.  The top of the 7th began with Leroux still on the mound.  He gave up a single and a sacrifice bunt, then was relieved by Justin Thomas.  With the rain pouring down and the ball wet and slippery, Thomas hit both LF Gregor Blanco and CF Corey Brown with pitches to load the bases.  Play was halted ...

The game restarted this afternoon at Victory Field, under overcast skies, with sprinkling rain that did not last long.  Cesar Valdez (photo) took the mound for the Indians, with two outs and the bases loaded.  1B Chris Marrero stepped to the plate, and rocketed a grand slam over the left field wall, to give Syracuse a 6-2 lead.  

The Tribe got two of the runs back in the bottom of the frame.  Andrew Lambo, who had entered the game as a pinch-hitter for Gallagher and remained in the game in right field, opened the inning with a double into right field.  After d'Arnaud struck out, 2B Brian Friday hit another double, just inside the first base bag and down the right field line, scoring Lambo.  John Bowker, who had taken over left field at the restart, flied out.  3B Andy Marte blooped an RBI single into left field, bringing Friday around from second base to score.  1B Matt Hague also singled, and pinch-hitter Shelby Ford walked on four pitches to load the bases, but C Eric Fryer struck out on a checked swing, to end the rally.  

Dan Meyer pitched the last two innings for the Indians.  He struck out the first two batters in the 8th, then gve up a single to SS Matt Antonelli, then retired the next 4 Chiefs in order.  

The Indians managed only one base runner over the last two innings -- Hernandez led off the bottom of the 8th with a double to the center field wall.  The remaining 6 Tribe batters went down in order, and the Chiefs had the win.

Sunday action with the Pirates' lower minor leaguers:

Portland Sea Dogs  12,  Altoona Curve 4
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The Sea Dogs posted 17 hits on their way to 12 runs, scoring in three big innings.  They began with 3 runs in the top of the 1st off Curve starter Aaron Pribanic, who suffered the loss.  A walk, two singles, and two doubles brought in the runs in the 1st.  Portland added a run in the 2nd on a single, two stolen bases, a fielding error, and an RBI ground out.  Pribanic retired the side in order in the next two innings, but gave up one more run in the 5th on three singles.  Pribanic gave up the 5 runs on 8 hits and 2 walks, with 4 strikeouts.  He threw 90 pitches with 61 strikes.  

The Curve were held to 6 hits, and three of them belonged to C Kris Watts, including a solo homer.  SS Jordy Mercer had 2 hits, both solo home runs.  CF Starling Marte's double was the other run.  Watts singled and 3B Jeremy Farrell was hit by a pitch in th 2nd inning, but both were left on base.  Mercer put the Curve onto the scoreboard with his first home run in the 4th, and Watts also singled after the homer.  

Aaron Thompson pitched a scoreless 6th inning for the Curve, then Donnie Veal, who was just promoted from the Marauders, pitched the 7th.  Veal gave up a solo homer to lead off the 7th, then gave up a single and a 2-run homer, giving Portland an 8-1 lead.  Things got even worse in the 8th, with Diego Moreno on the mound.  a single, a double, and a walk loaded the bases, then a grand slam raised Portland's lead to 12-1.  

Mercer's second home run came in the bottom of the 8th, after Marte's double.  Watts picked up his third hit in the bottom of the 9th, a solo home run, but that was all the Curve could get.   

Butler University's Blue II chases down the first pitch.











Indianapolis Indians 2,  Syracuse Chiefs  2   (suspended)
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A storm moving through Central Indiana tonight forced the suspension of the Indians/Chiefs game at Victory Field, with the score tied at 2-2 in the 7th inning.  The game began under sunny skies with a game-time temperature of 92 degrees (though my car thermometer was reading 100 degrees at about 4 pm).  But in the 4th inning, the wind suddenly changed from blowing out to right-center field to blowing straight in from left field (from the north).  Dark clouds hovered over downtown Indianapolis, and lightning was visible in the distance to the north. The skies got darker and darker, and the wind blew more and more, until the rain began in the 6th inning.  It was just a light rain at first, but by the top of the 7th, large drops were falling and coming down heavily, and the game was suspended, to be finished on Sunday afternoon.

Sean Gallagher (photo, making a throw to first base) made the start for the Indians, and had a shaky 1st inning.  Chiefs' LF Gregor Blanco led off with a soft liner into left field for a single, and he advanced to second base when Gallagher balked on a throw to first base.  CF Corey Brown worked the count full then walked.  1B Chris Marrero lined another single into left field, allowing Blanco to score from second base, giving Syracuse a 1-0 lead.  Gallagher retired the next three batters in order, with two strikeouts, leaving two Syracuse runners on base.  

Gallagher went on to retire the side in the 2nd inning.  He gave up a one-out single through the right side of the infield to Brown in the 3rd.  A grounder by Marrero looked like it could be an inning-ending double play, and 2B Brian Friday flipped to SS Chase d'Arnaud for the force out on Brown, but d'Arnaud's throw on to first bounced in the dirt and got past 1B Matt Hague.  C Eric Fryer was right where he was supposed to be, backing up first base, so the ball did not get far enough away for Marrero to advance past first base.  Gallagher struck out 2B Tug Hulett for the second time to end the inning.