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Late-Inning Homer Stops Indians’ Streak
Pawtucket Red Sox 7, � Indianapolis Indians 6 (box)
The Indianapolis Indians came from behind twice, but could not answer a 7th-inning home run, as the Pawtucket Red Sox halted the Indians' winning streak at 6 games tonight in Rhode Island. �The Indians were hoping for a sweep of the 4-game series, but had to settle for a 3 games to 1 series win.
Brad Lincoln (photo) made the start for the Tribe, and he struggled through 6 innings, allowing 6 runs on 7 hits and 4 walks. �The Indians gave him an unearned run to work with in the top of the 1st. �CF Jose Tabata opened the game with a ringing double into left field, and then he stole 3rd base. �The stolen base was his 9th of the season -- third in the International League. �With DH Brian Myrow at the plate, the Pawtucket 3B Jorge Jimenez dropped a foul pop for what should have been the second out of the inning. �Given the second chance, Myrow responded with a single through the hole into right field, and Tabata scored.
When Lincoln took the mound in the bottom of the 1st, that slim lead was immediately erased: �the first batter, DH Josh Reddick, lifted a long, high, no-doubt-about-it home run over the right field wall. �Lincoln worked around a single to keep the PawSox from scoring again in that inning.
1B Steve Pearce broke the 1-1 tie in the top of the 2nd inning. �He led off with a double into left, then advanced to third on a ground out by RF Brandon Moss, and scored on another grounder, this one by C Luke Carlin. The PawSox came right back in the bottom of the inning, though. �Lincoln walked the first two batters of the inning -- something that is sure to come back to haunt you. �It did just that -- a single by CF Bubba Bell loaded the bases with one out, and Josh Reddick doubled into left field. �The first two runners scored easily, and Bell rounded third and aimed for the plate as Tribe LF Neil Walker's throw came in to the infield. �The relay to the plate arrived in Carlin's glove before Bell got there. �Bell tried to bowl over Carlin, but Carlin held onto the ball, and Bell was out. �The PawSox took a 3-2 lead.
Game 22: Doumit, Burres Propel Pirates to Third Straight Win
Traveling to the west coast after a Wednesday day game, I figured the Pirates would be sluggish. But the pitching staff turned in the best performance of the year and two early runs held up. Bucs win.Indians Move Above .500 With 6th Straight Win
Indianapolis Indians �4, �Pawtucket Red Sox �1 (box)
The Indianapolis Indians held the PawSox to 5 hits as they earned their 6th straight win tonight. �The win moves them above the .500 mark, with an 11-10 record. �It was warmer in Pawtucket tonight than in the past couple of days, which could only help matters as far as the Indians were concerned.
Both C Luke Carlin and CF Jose Tabata recorded 2 hits each for the Indians, and four Indians contributed RBI: �Tabata, LF Neil Walker, DH Brian Myrow, and SS Brian Friday. Every member of the lineup had at least one hit, except for 3B Pedro Alvarez.
Daniel McCutchen (photo), who was recently reassigned to the Indians,� made his first AAA start of the season, and he was impressive. �McCutchen threw 103 pitches (62 strikes), and scattered 5 hits over 7 innings of work. �Pawtucket DH Josh Reddick had the most success against McCutchen, when he singled with two outs in the 3rd inning (but was thrown out trying to steal second), and homered to lead off the 6th inning. �SS Angel Sanchez doubled off McCutchen in the 4th and singled in the 6th, but both times was left stranded at the end of the inning. �McCutchen also walked two batters and hit one, but left all of them on base too.
The Indians' batters got started with their scoring in the top of the 1st. �Jose Tabata began the game with a single into center field, and when Pawtucket CF Bubba Bell threw wildly back into the infield, Tabata advanced to second base. �Brian Myrow brought him in from second base with a double ripped into right field. �The Tribe added a second run in the 2nd inning. �With one out, Luke Carlin crushed a 3-1 pitch into the right field corner, and raced all the way to third base when RF Matt Sheely had trouble coming up with the ball. �Brian Friday followed with a sacrifice fly, and Carlin scored easily, to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.
Dotel performing better than it seems
According to the box score, Octavio Dotel allowed a run in two innings yesterday, blowing a save and nearly costing the Pirates the win. In reality, the tying run scored when a simple ground ball somehow eluded the glove of second baseman Aki Iwamura and bounded into center field. Such is the life of a major league reliever.Walker Leads Come-From-Behind Tribe Win
Indianapolis Indians 10, �Pawtucket Red Sox 9 (box)
It was a dreary, rainy, frigid afternoon in Rhode Island this afternoon, but it probably looked quite sunny to Tribe LF Neil Walker (photo). He began the day with a solo home run in his first at-bat in the top of the first inning, and he ended the day with a line drive single into center field, which drove in the game-winning run, giving the Tribe their fifth win in a row. �It also moved the Indians back to .500 (10-10), where they hadn't been since April 12th, just 4 games into the season.
Kevin Hart made the start for the Indians. �After retiring Pawtucket in order in the bottom of the 1st, including two strikeouts, Hart struggled mightily. �The second inning began with a double by 2B Tug Hulett, on a ball that fooled Tribe RF Brandon Moss, going over his head and to the wall. �A quick out, then a walk to C Dusty Brown and a single to 3B Jorge Jimenez loaded the bases. �Moss got the ball back to the infield quickly on Jimenez's hit, so the lead runner Hulett was held at third base. �It didn't matter, though, as RF Bubba Bell lined a single in to center field, scoring both Hulett and Brown to take the lead. �Bell stole second base, and SS Ryan Khoury singled next, driving in Jimenez, and moving Bell to third base. �CF Josh Reddick dropped down a bunt, meant to get Bell in from third, but the ball dropped foul, rolled into fair territory, rolled away from the grass, then stopped right on the chalk line, which is where C Erik Kratz picked it up. �Bell did not take off from third, though Khoury did advance to second base, and again the bases were loaded. �Hart struck out LF Daniel Nava, then walked DH Angel Sanchez forced in the fourth run of the inning. �Finally, a ground out by Hulett ended the inning -- 10 batters to the plate, 4 runs in, and 39 pitches from Hart.
The Indians got two of the runs back in the top of the 3rd. �SS Brian Friday led off with a walk, and CF Jose Tabata brought him in with a triple off the top of the wall in center field. �Neil Walker collected his second RBI of the game with a sacrifice fly to plate Tabata, and the Indians were within one run, 4-3.
But when Hart (photo) went back out to begin the bottom of the 3rd, he got into trouble again when the first four batters reached base. �A single by 1B Aaron Bates bounced just base the outstretched glove of SS Argenis Diaz and into left field. �Hart then threw 8 straight balls, walking both Dusty Brown and Jorge Jimenez. �Bubba Bell slipped a single through the hole and into right field, bringing in Bates and leaving the bases still loaded. �That was all for Hart, who exited having thrown 68 pitches, half for strikes. Steven Jackson, who had finished serving his suspension for hitting a batter last Thursday night, came on to relieve Hart. �The first batter Jackson faced was Khoury, who grounded to third base. �It was tailor-made for a 5-2 play back to the plate to force out the lead runner, and maybe even a double play if Kratz could throw on to first. �But, 3B Pedro Alvarez got excited and had trouble picking the ball out of his glove, then threw it over Kratz's head. �Brown scored from third, and while Kratz was tracking down the ball behind him, Jimenez rounded third and scored too, just before Kratz could throw to Jackson, covering the plate. �The error was Alvarez's fourth of the season, but the first throwing error.
Game 21: Bucs Mark Another Comeback with Extra Innings Win
It took another 9th inning rally to propel the Pirates to victory. This one took a bit longer as Garrett Jones delivered an RBI double in the 14th as the Pirates won a series in Milwaukee seemingly for the first time since Potsy was hanging out at the Cunningham's house.