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Indians Move Above .500 And Into Second Place
Indianapolis Indians 6,�
�� Toledo Mud Hens 3
[Photo: �Hector Gimenez had 2 hits and 2 RBI tonight]
The Indianapolis Indians took advantage of Dontrelle Willis's wild night to beat the Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio today. �The win gave them a 3-1 win of the series in Toledo and moved the Tribe into a tie with the Mud Hens for second place in the International League's West Division. �It also moved the Indians above the .500 mark (68-67) for the first time in the 2009 season. �The Indians and the Mud Hens are still 10 games behind the first place Louisville Bats, and are not even close to being in the running for the wild card spot in the IL playoffs. �The Bats have clinched the West Division championship, and will be going to the playoffs. �
Detroit Tigers' lefty Dontrelle Willis made a rehab start for the Mud Hens, and for awhile, it looked like he wasn't going to make it out of the first inning. �He walked the first two Indians' batters, RF Jose Tabata and 2B Pedro Lopez on 11 pitches. � CF Jeff Salazar singled into right field to load the bases. �Then Willis walked LF Brian Myrow (photo) and 1B Tagg Bozied on 9 pitches, forcing in two runs. �With the bases still loaded, 3B Neil Walker�drove a liner into the right field corner -- but foul at the last moment. �He ended up�grounding to third, and the Mud Hens started a double play, 5-2-3, as 3B Brent Dlugach threw to the plate to force out Jeff Salazar, and C Dane Sardinha fired on to first base in time to get the out on Walker. � Tribe C Hector Gimenez�singled up the middle, just out of reach of the diving Toledo 2B Will Rhymes, and that brought in Myrow and Bozied, to give the Indians 4 runs. �
Tribe starter Ty Taubenheim, who stepped up to make the start today in place of Daniel McCutchen, gave up one run to the Mud Hens in the 2nd inning. �With two outs, LF Jeff Frazier doubled into center field, and the next batter, CF Wilkin Ramirez brought Frazier home with a line drive single into center. �
Taubenheim (photo) took advantage of two double plays to get out of the 1st and 3rd innings. �In the 1st, after Will Rhymes led off with a single, DH Scott Sizemore lined to third base, where Neil Walker made the catch, then fired across the diamond to first base to double off Rhymes. �In the 3rd, C Dane Sardinha singled, but Will Rhymes grounded right to 2B Pedro Lopez, who tagged Sardinha as he ran by, then threw to first to get Rhymes. �Of course, the Indians fell victim to the double play twice in the first three innings also. �Besides the 5-2-3 play in the 1st inning, Tagg Bozied grounded to third in the 3rd inning, for a 5-4-3 double play that erased Brian Myrow after his single. �
Taubenheim got out of a jam on his own in the 4th inning. �Former Indy Indian (2007) Don Kelly led off with a double into left field, and Brent Dlugach walked. �But Taubenheim struck out 1B Mike Hessman, LF Jeff Frazier, and CF Wilkin Ramirez, to end the inning. �
Dontrelle Willis got into trouble again in the 5th inning. �His control appeared to be a little better, as the balls he threw were closer to the strike zone, but he still walked the first three batters at the top of the order, Jose Tabata, Pedro Lopez, and Jeff Salazar, on just 15 pitches. �Willis headed to the showers, relieved by Zach Simons. �Simons' second pitch to Brian Myrow got away from C Dane Sardinha for a passed ball, and Tabata scrambled home. Myrow was intentionally walked to load the bases again. �Tagg Bozied lifted a sinking line drive �to left field, which Jeff Frazier was able to catch at his shoe tops and get back into the infield in time to keep Lopez from tagging up and scoring. �That brought up Neil Walker (photo) with the bases loaded for the second time in the game. �Walker hit another fly to left field, and this time Lopez did tag up and try to score -- but the throw in from Frazier was quick and on-target, and Lopez was out by at least 6 feet. �
Hector Gimenez picked up his second hit of the game in the 6th inning, with a liner into center field to begin the inning. �SS Argenis Diaz sent Gimenez to third base with a grounder up the middle, and Jose Tabata's sacrifice fly brought Gimenez across the plate. �
Jeff Karstens came on to pitch the 6th inning, on his rehab assignment. �He was very quick, retiring three Mud Hens in order -- two fly outs, and a strikeout. �He also pitched the 7th inning, and allowed 2 singles. �He struck out 3 batters over the two innings. �
The Mud Hens brought in another rehabbing pitcher for the 7th inning. �Jeremy Bonderman gave up a single to Brian Myrow, who went 2-for-3 in the game, but got three outs, leaving Myrow on base. �
Juan Mateo came on to pitch the 8th for the Indians. �He gave up a lead-off single to Will Rhymes, then a walk to Scott Sizemore. �Don Kelly continued his hot hitting for the Mud Hens with an RBI single into center field, scoring Rhymes. �The inning ended when Mike Hessman lifted a little pop to the right of the mound. �Mateo was able to step over and catch the ball just before it hit the ground, then throw to first in plenty of time to double up Kelly, who had been running on contact. �
The Mud Hens scored one more run in the 9th. �Jean Machi (photo) took over for Mateo, and gave up a one-out triple to Wilkin Ramirez. �RF Brent Clevlen walked, and C Dane Sardinha brought in Ramirez with a sacrifice fly. �Machi ended the inning with a fly out to Brian Myrow in left field, and the Indians were ready to hop on the bus back to Indianapolis.
Indians' Hitting Gems of the Game: Two hits for Hector Gimenez. �His single in the first inning brought in the two runs that Dontrelle Willis did not force in. �Then he singled again in the 6th inning, sparking another rally.
Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �Five strong innings by Ty Taubenheim, throwing 75 pitches (48 strikes) on short notice. �He allowed only one run on 5 hits and struck out 6 batters. �After the game, Taubenheim said "I think I had really good fastball command... Five innings went by and I felt good and we won."
NOTES:
Lots of roster moves:
Daniel McCutchen�(photo) was originally scheduled to get the start today for the Indians, but he was called up to the Pirates. �He will make his major league debut on Monday, starting the first game of the Pirates' double header in Cincinnati. �A spot on the 25-man roster will be cleared by optioning Brian Bixler back to the Indians. �The spot on the 40-man roster will be addressed tomorrow.
Virgil Vasquez has also finished his season with the Indians. �He will be joining the Pirates for a September call-up on Tuesday. �Vasquez was with the Pirates earlier in the season, so he is already on the 40-man roster. ��
Jeff Karstens is with the Indians on a rehab assignment. �It might not be a long one, again due to the major league rosters expanding in two days.
Brad Lincoln�will be heading to North Carolina to join Team USA instead of McCutchen. �While the Pirates got a promise from Team USA that McCutchen would only be used as a starter, that is not the case with Lincoln. �He might be used as a starter, and he might find himself in the bullpen.
Jeremy Powell�will likely get a spot start for the Indians, with the loss of three starters. �And congratulations to Powell and his family, which has a new member, a son born today. �It was apparently a quick thing, and Powell was not able to get to Arizona on short notice.�
The Pirates have signed RHP�Jorge Julio�to a minor league contract for the last few games of the season, and he is with the Indians. �Julio appeared in 19 games with the Durham Bulls this season, all in relief. �In fact, his last appearance was against the Indians on August 2nd -- he pitched two innings and allowed only one walk. �Julio pitched a total of 22.2 innings for the Bulls, allowing 22 hits, 16 runs (15 earned), 15 walks, and 24 strikeouts. �His record was 0-1, with a 5.96 ERA. �Julio also made 15 relief appearances with the Milwaukee Brewers, pitching 17.1 innings and allowing 15 earned runs, 15 hits, 15 walks, and 13 (not 15) strikeouts. �
Go Tribe!
[Photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]
Daniel McCutchen Going to Pittsburgh After All
The Pirates have announced that the plan to have Daniel McCutchen (photo) play on Team USA in the World Cup in September has been scrapped. �McCutchen was supposed to make the start for the Indy Indians today, then leave the team and head down to North Carolina to join Team USA. �Instead, he will be traveling to Cincinnati, where he will make the start for the Pirates in Game 1 on Monday. �He'll continue with the Pirates for the rest of the major league season. �The Pirates will have to make a spot on their 40-man roster for McCutchen, and they have not yet said how that will happen. �
McCutchen has a 13-6 record with the Indians, in 24 starts this season. �He has already pitched 142.2 innings, and while that is a lot, particularly by the Pirates' standards, it is less than the 171.1 innings he threw last season (123.1 in the Yankees' organization and 48 in the Pirates'). �McCutchen has allowed 145 hits and 55 earned runs (ERA 3.47) with only 29 walks and 110 strikeouts. �He has been particularly effective since the All-Star break, when his ERA dropped from 4.37 pre-break to 1.90. �While his strikeout rate has been about the same throughout the season, his walk rate dropped almost in half after the break -- from 2.27 walks per 9 innings before to 1.04 walks per 9 innings after the break. �
(LATER)
Brad Lincoln has been named to take McCutchen's spot on Team USA.
Walker and Myrow Bomb the Mud Hens in Shutout
Indianapolis Indians 12,�� �Toledo Mud Hens 0
It was all Indians all night at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio tonight. �Two home runs by 3B Neil Walker (photo) and another by LF Brian Myrow led the Indians' offense, as all but one member of the line-up recorded at least one hit. �Walker had 3 hits, and Myrow and four other Indians had 2 hits each. �Walker collected 5 RBI and Myrow added 4 RBI to his total. �Brad Lincoln earned his 6th win with the Indians and his 4th win in his last 4 starts. �Lincoln, Corey Hamman, and Juan Mateo combined to shut out the Mud Hens.
Neil Walker started the fireworks in the 2nd inning. �With one out, 1B Tagg Bozied (photo below) walked. �Walker followed with a booming no-doubt-about-it homer over the right field wall, over the 375 mark, giving the Indians a 2-0 lead. �The Indians loaded the bases after the home run, with walks to DH Larry Broadway and C Erik Kratz, and a single into right field by RF Jose Tabata. �All three were left on base, though, when 2B Pedro Lopez flied out.
The Indians began a steady barrage of runs in the 4th inning, as they scored 3 runs in each of the next 3 innings. �The 4th inning began with four consecutive hits: �singles into right field by both Neil Walker and Larry Broadway, a double by Erik Kratz, and a single by SS Argenis Diaz. �Kratz's line drive into left field plated Walker, and Diaz's grounder up the middle brought in both Broadway and Kratz. �Diaz tried to make it a double on the throw in from the outfield, but he was out at second base. �
Brian Myrow walked and Tagg Bozied hit his second single in the 5th inning. �Neil Walker blasted his second home run of the game, again over the right field wall and again no doubt. �That gave Walker 5 RBI and gave the Indians an 8-0 lead. �
In the 6th inning, it was Brian Myrow's turn to send a ball sailing over the fence. �Argenis Diaz led off with a single up the middle. �He was out at second base when Jose Tabata grounded into a force out, leaving Tabata on first. �Pedro Lopez singled into right field. �Myrow brought both of them in with his 15th home run of the season, which flew over the right field wall in about the same spot os Walker's second blast. �Indians 11, Mud Hens 0.
Tribe starter Brad Lincoln�(photo)�was enjoying all the run support he was getting, but his outstanding performance was a bit lost amid the offensive explosions. �Lincoln pitched 6 scoreless innings, and allowed only 3 hits. �Former Indy Indian (2007) Don Kelly singled in the 1st inning. �Lincoln retired the next 10 batters he faced. �In the 5th inning RF Jeff Frazier led off with a single, but was promptly erased in a double play, when DH Wilkin Ramirez drove a liner right at Pedro Lopez, who then doubled Ramirez off first. �3B Brent Dlugach doubled, but a strikeout ended the inning. �Lincoln did not walk any batters, and he struck out 6 Mud Hens. �He threw 83 pitches, of which 48 were strikes. �
The Indians added one more run for good measure in the 8th inning. �Jose Tabata lined a single into left field. �CF Jeff Salazar, the only member of the line-up who did not have a hit, still reached base with a walk. �Brian Myrow followed with a single up the middle, bringing in Tabata from second base. �Tagg Bozied walked for the second time in the game, to load the bases. �This time the Mud Hens managed to hold off Neil Walker, who grounded into a force out to end the inning and leave the runners stranded. �Indians 12, Mud Hens 0.
By the top of the 9th inning, the Mud Hens decided that things were just too far out of hand. �Catcher Dane Sardinha made his professional pitching debut, taking the mound for the Mud Hens. �The first batter he faced, Larry Broadway, took Sardinha's third pitch into center field for a double. �A wild pitch by Sardinha let Broadway advance to third base, but Sardinha got three outs, a ground out and two fly outs, to get out of the inning, and give the Mud Hens' bullpen a bit of rest. �
Corey Hamman came on in relief of Lincoln in the 7th inning. �He pitched 2 hitless innings, allowing the only walk by the Indians' pitchers. �He also had a batter reach base on a throwing error by Neil Walker. �Juan Mateo pitched a perfect 9th inning, striking out Hens' 1B Mike Hessman to end the game. �
�
The win brings the Indians back to the .500 mark (67-67) for the third time this season. �In each of the other two times, they have remained at .500 only until the next game, and have not been able to take the next step to get above the mark. �The Mud Hens' loss means that the Louisville Bats have clinched the International League West Division Championship. �
I
ndians' Hitting Gems of the Game: �Home runs!
Brian Myrow (photo) hit his 15th of the season, and his 8th with the Indians. �His 4 RBI gave him 33 with the Tribe and 58 for the season. �Myrow is hitting .332 for the Indians and .307 overall for the season. �He's also got a .357 average in August and .538 (21-for-39) over his last 10 games. �He currently has a 7-game hitting streak and has at least one hit in 12 of his last 13 games.
Neil Walker last homered twice in a game on July 30th. His two tonight, one for 2 runs and the second for 3 runs, gives him 12 homers with the Indians (plus one for the GCL Bradenton Pirates on a rehab assignment). �Five RBI tonight is his season-best, and it ties Garrett Jones (now with the Pirates) for the most RBI in a game by an Indian this season. �He has 64 RBI total, and has raised his season average to .265. �Walker has also been hot in the past 5 weeks, hitting .351 in the month of August, and .357 in his last 10 games (15-for-40). �He has 8 hits so far in this series against Toledo. �In the post-game interview, Walker said that this is "the first time I've felt good here in Toledo. I'm going to ride this out as long as I can." �
"Both pitches [that he hit for home runs] were in a decent spot where I could drive them."
What has made the difference for him in the past several weeks? �"I had a lot of time to think when I was hurt, and a lot of time to watch baseball. �I think it put a lot of things into perspective for me. �I really wanted to make a conscious effort, when I came back, to play this game as hard as I could, and play it the right way. �I wanted to prepare myself as best I could on a daily basis. �This whole month of August has been really great and this is�the best I've felt in my pro career."
Walker is certainly giving the Pirates a reason to give him serious consideration for a September call-up. �He is already on the Pirates' 40-man roster, so a call-up would be relatively easy. �Brian Myrow has also earned consideration, but he is not on the 40-man roster, and so calling him up would require some manuevering that the Pirates might not be willing to do. �
Go Tribe!
[Photos by Nancy Zinni --MVN]
Mud Hens Take a See-Saw Game From Indians
Toledo Mud Hens 7,
�� � �Indianapolis Indians 6
The Indians and the Mud Hens battled back and forth as the rain came and went, but in the end, it was the Mud Hens who came out on top tonight at Fifth Third Field in Toledo, Ohio. � The teams combined for 22 hits, with the Indians posting 13 of them. �CF Jeff Salazar (photo) and SS Argenis Diaz had 3 hits and 2 RBI each, and DH Brian Myrow and 3B Neil Walker both continued their hot hitting with 2 hits apiece. �
The lead changed hands 4 times during the game. �Jeff Salazar opened the game by taking Toledo starter Jeff Bonine's first pitch on a line into right field. �He advanced to second base on 2B Pedro Lopez's ground ball, but had to hold there when RF Jose Tabata bounced back to the mound. �Brian Myrow, who is hitting over .500 against the Mud Hens, slipped a single into left field, and Salazar raced home with the first run of the game. �
The Mud Hens returned fire in the bottom of the inning. �Tribe starter Eric Hacker (photo),�who often struggles in the early innings, did just that tonight, as the first four batters he faced reached base safely. �3B Will Rhymes singled through the hole into left field, as did 2B Scott Sizemore. �Former Indy Indian (2007) Don Kelly was walked to load the bases. �1B Mike Hessman lifted a fly ball into short center field. �Jeff Salazar came charging in, but was not quite able to get there in time. �Instead he trapped it, and all the base runners were safe, with a run scoring to tie the game. �Then Hacker settled down and struck out both SS Brent Dlugach and RF Brent Clevlen (on three pitches), and then ended the inning by getting LF Wilkin Ramirez to ground out. �
Argenis Diaz gave the Tribe a run in the top of the 3rd to take the lead again. �He singled into right field to open the inning, and promptly stole second base -- his first stolen base since �joining the Indians. �Jeff Salazar dropped a single into short center field, just out of CF Don Kelly's reach, and Diaz was able to come around and score from second base, ahead of Kelly's throw that came in a bit in front of the plate. �A double play erased Salazar, and a strikeout to Jose Tabata ended that inning. �
Eric Hacker held his own in the 2nd and 3rd innings, allowing only a double to Will Rhymes and a walk to Mike Hessman. �Then the Mud Hens took the lead back in the 4th. �Wilkin Ramirez grounded up the middle, deflected by Hacker and into center field, and then Ramirez stole second base. �A walk to C Dusty Ryan put two runners on. �DH Max Leon tapped a bunt back to Hacker, who whirled and threw to third base, but his throw was short and bounced in front of�Neil Walker and away from him, and Ramirez scrambled home to tie the score. �Will Rhymes walked next, but ball four was a wild pitch, and that let Ryan score, to give the Mud Hens a 3-0 lead. �Rhymes stole second base as 2B Scott Sizemore struck out, and Hacker intentionally walked Don Kelly to load the bases. �That was the end of Hacker's night, and he left the game having thrown 88 pitches (47 strikes), with 5 hits and 5 walks, and 6 strikeouts. �
Jeff Sues (photo) took over for Hacker, with the bases loaded, one out, and the dangerous Mike Hessman at the plate. �Sues cooly got Hessman to pop up to the right side of the infield, where 1B Larry Broadway took it on the infield fly rule. �Then Sues struck out the equally dangerous SS Brent Dlugach looking to get out of the jam without allowing an inherited run to score. �
The Tribe got busy in the 5th and 6th innings. �With one out in the top of the 5th, C Robinzon Diaz singled up the middle, and Argenis Diaz doubled into left field, scoring Robinzon Diaz from first base. �Jeff Salazar slipped a single just past 2B Scott Sizemore and into center field, and Argenis Diaz also came around to score. �The Indians had the lead again, 4-3. �
They made it 6-3 in the 6th, when Brian Myrow led off with a single, and LF Tagg Bozied walked. �Neil Walker dropped down a bunt, with Hens' 3B Will Rhymes charging in. �Rhymes slid to make the catch, but with the grass wet from the steady rain, he slid more than he'd expected to. �He made the throw to first from a seated position, but the throw was to the infield side of the bag, and Walker was safe at first. �Myrow rounded third and scored, Bozied went to third, and Walker advanced to second base on the throwing error. �After two outs, Argenis Diaz rapped the ball back to the mound, where it ricocheted off pitcher Eddie Bonine's legs and headed over to shorstop. �That allowed Bozied to score, and it chased Bonine to the showers. �The Indians had a little insurance, 6-3.
Not for long. �Jeff Sues had kept the Mud Hens from scoring, despite two walks and a wild pitch, in the 5th inning. �In the bottom of the 6th, Toledo took advantage of more walks and an error, scoring 3 runs to tie the score. �Will Rhymes led off with a walk, and quickly stole second base. �He scored on Scott Sizemore's single into center field. �Don Kelly walked for the third time in the game. �That brought manager Frank Kremblas out to the mound for a pitching change -- Jon Meloan took over
for Sues, facing Mike Hessman. �Hessman popped up into foul territory near the Mud Hens' dugout and Robinzon Diaz gave chase, but the ball glanced off his glove, and Diaz was charged with an error. �With new life, Hessman doubled down the left field line and into the corner, scoring Sizemore. �A sacrifice fly by Brent Dlugach brought in Kelly, and the score was tied at 6-6. �
The Tribe came close to taking the lead again in the 7th inning. �With two outs, Brian Myrow walked, and Tagg Bozied followed with a double into right field, over the head of Brent Clevlen and off the wall. �Myrow was running hard all the way from first base, but an alert throw in from Clevlen, and an on-target relay from the cut-off man Sizemore got the ball to C Dusty Ryan in time, and all he had to do was reach across and swipe Myrow, tagging him out at the plate. �
Jean Machi came on to pitch the bottom of the 7th inning for the Tribe. �Dusty Ryan greeted Machi with a triple that sailed way over Jeff Salazar's head and rolled all the way to the center field wall before Salazar could track it down. �Maxwell Leon walked, and Will Rhymes brought Ryan in with a sacrifice fly. �The inning ended on a strike out/throw out double play, with Scott Sizemore providing the strikeout part, and Leon thrown out trying to steal second base. But the Mud Hens had taken a 7-6 lead.
Both teams threatened with doubles in the 8th inning. �Neil Walker (photo) started the inning with a double off the right field wall, missing a home run by just a few feet. �He tried to steal third base, but was called out, despite video that made it look like Walker's foot had slid onto the bag before the tag was applied to his leg. �Robinzon Diaz singled, but was left on base when Argenis Diaz struck out. �In the Mud Hens' half of the frame, Mike Hessman doubled into the left field corner with one out, but Jean Machi struck out the Brents (Dlugach and Clevlen) for the second time in the game to end the inning. �
The top of the 9th brought the Tribe's last chance. �Jeff Salazar went down swinging, and Pedro Lopez and Jose Tabata both flied out to end the game. �
The loss dropped the Indians to one game below .500 again, and ended their 4-game winning streak. �They have not won 5 games in a row this season. �Jean Machi, who gave up the run in the 7th, was tagged with the loss (his first with the Indians), and Jon Meloan was charged with a Blown Save. �The Tribe pitchers combined for 10 walks
Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Argenis Diaz's (photo) three hits, a double and two singles. �His double in the 5th inning brought in a tying run, and a single in the 6th brought in the Indians' 6th run. �He also singled in the 3rd inning and came around to score. �
Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �The strike-em-out/throw-em-out double play to end the 7th inning. �Robinzon Diaz caught strike three on Scott Sizemore, then fired down to second base for Pedro Lopez to tag out Maxwell Leon as he slid into the bag.
NOTES:
Getting the scoop:
During last night's game, manager Frank Kremblas received a message from the Pirates asking him to limit Virgil Vasquez to 45-50 pitches in his start. �That's why Vasquez was lifted early from the game, which worked out ok since he was not having his best outing anyway. �No further word from the Pirates, but Vasquez might be needed this weekend.�
Go Tribe!
[Photo by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]
