PIRATES PROSPECTSPITTSBURGH PIRATES MINOR LEAGUE NEWS, TRANSACTIONS, AND ARTICLES

The Indians stopped their 3-game skid with a win over the Bats tonight at Louisville Slugger Field in Louisville, KY. �Three booming home runs accounted for 5 of the Indians' 6 runs, as C Erik Kratz, 1B Robinzon Diaz, and CF Jose Tabata each collected a round-tripper. �Starter Brad Lincoln contributed 2 hits to his winning effort, while the relief corps shut the Bats down in the late innings. �Phil Dumatrait (photo) made another rehab appearance, and Jeff Sues made his AAA debut. �

Tonight's game began in a more encouraging way than yesterday's for the Tribe. �First,�Jose Tabata (photo) was back in the line-up after having missed a couple of days due to spasms in his leg. �Then, Tabata took a 2-1 pitch over the left field wall for a solo homer to open the game. �Two outs later,�Erik Kratz blasted what at first looked like the second home run of the inning. �The call was contested, though, and the final ruling (confirmed to be correct by radio broadcasters Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley, who had the benefit of seeing the replay) was that the ball hit the top of the left field wall, but below the yellow line, and bounced over the wall for a ground-rule double. �RF Tagg Bozied followed with a single into right field, and Kratz headed for the plate. �The throw in from Bats' RF Michael Griffin to C Corky Miller was right on target, though. �Kratz was unable to bowl over Miller to dislodge the ball, and he was out at the plate to end the inning. �

Brad Lincoln got off to a good start on the mound too. �He retired the Bats in order in the 1st and 3rd innings, but gave up a run in the 2nd inning, on singles to 3B Juan Francisco and LF Daniel Dorn, and a sacrifice fly by RF Michael Griffin. �

The Indians got that run back in the top of the 4th inning, amid flying bats (not Bats) and base running problems. �Neil Walker began with a broken-bat single into left field. �The barrel of his bat landed in the infield dirt at shortstop. �Robinzon Diaz took a swing at Bats' starter Ben Jukich's first pitch, and his bat went sailing over the infield and into the outfield grass behind third base. �With Diaz at the plate, Jukich turned and fired over to first base, picking Walker off first, on what the Indians felt should have been called a balk. �Diaz singled to deep short, and his bat also broke, with the barrel ending up by the third base coaching box. �SS Argenis Diaz�singled into left field, with Robinzon Diaz heading to second base. �Robinzon Diaz �broke for third base, and was easily caught off and trapped in a run-down. �Robinzon Diaz �delayed long enough for Argenis Diaz to advance to second base before the tag was applied. Brad Lincoln singled into left field for the fourth straight single of the inning, and Argenis Diaz rounded third and headed for the plate. �The throw in from LF Danny Dorn was short, and Argenis Diaz slid right across the plate, as home plate umpire Takeshi Hirabayashi called Diaz safe. �Bats' C Corky Miller had to go out in front of the plate to make the catch, but then he turned and chased Argenis Diaz who was heading back to the dugout. �Miller tagged Diaz with the ball, and the umpire �Hirabayashi called Diaz out -- then immediately called him safe again. �Confusion reigned for a few moments, but the last (and first) ruling held, and Diaz was safe. �Indians 4, Bats 1.

The Bats came back to score again in the bottom of the 4th. �3B Juan Francisco homered for the third straight game to bring the Bats closer: �4-2. �Brad Lincoln's (photo) struggles continued, as 1B Wes Bankston singled and Danny Dorn doubled. �Michael Griffin's sacrifice fly brought in Bankston to bring the Bats within one run of the Tribe. �Lincoln thew a wild pitch that sailed all the way to the backstop, and Dorn advanced to third base. �Corky Miller was intentionally walked, giving the Bats runners on the corners, but the pitcher Ben Jukich at the plate. �That stragegy backfired on the Indians. �Jukich ripped a line drive down the left field line, scoring Dorn easily from third base. �Miller, who is not exactly a speed demon, scrambled around to third base as the throw came in from LF Hector Gimenez. �If Gimenez's throw had been on target, Neil Walker would hav e been able to tag out Miller, but the throw was high and Walker had to make a basketball jump to bring it down, and Miller was safe. �Lincoln struck out 2B Luis Bolivar to end the inning, but the Bats had tied the score at 4-4.

In the top of the 5th, Erik Kratz got his revenge for just missing a homer in the 1st inning. �This time he crushed the ball about 440 feet, well over the left field wall, bouncing on the concrete and up to hit the jumbotron scoreboard. �Hector Gimenez had singled ahead of Kratz, so the 2-run homer put the Indians ahead 6-4. �

The Indians had planned to have Brad Lincoln pitch only 5 innings, as the Pirates are getting concerned that Lincoln (among other pitchers in the organization) have racked up quite a lot of innings this season, with three weeks still to go. �Lincoln left with the lead, having thrown 72 pitches (49 strikes), and allowed 4 runs on 6 hits, with a walk and three strikeouts. �Phil Dumatrait came in from the bullpen, making his last rehab appearance with the Indians. �He retired the Bats in order in two innings, with the help of Jose Tabata, who made a catch at the center field wall on 1B Eric Eymann's long fly ball.

The Indians put a runner on base in each of the last three innings, but couldn't get them around to score. �2B Pedro Lopez collected his second hit of the game with a lead-off single in the 7th, but was out in a force at second base, and no run scored. �Neil Walker (photo) smacked his second hit of the game in the 8th, on a fly ball into left field that got past Danny Dorn and rolled all the �way to the wall for a double. �Walker was still standing on second base, though, when the inning ended. �Lopez walked in the 9th inning, but was again left stranded.

The newest member of the Tribe, righty reliever Jeff Sues, fresh up from Altoona, came in to pitch the 8th inning. �The first batter he faced, CF Darnell McDonald, tripled into the right field corner. �He struck out Juan Francisco and pinch-hitter Chris Heisey, and that was enough for Sues in his AAA debut. �Corey Hamman, a lefty, came on to face the left-handed Danny Dorn. �He got Dorn to roll a little grounder down to first base for the third out, leaving McDonald still standing 90 feet away from scoring another run. �

Jean Machi pitched the bottom of the 9th inning, and retired the Bats in order, to earn his 3rd save. �

The Tribe totalled 14 hits in the game, and five Indians' batters had 2 hits each: �Pedro Lopez, Erik Kratz, Neil Walker, Robinzon Diaz, and Brad Lincoln. �Lincoln's batting average now stands at .571. �

The Indians return home on Thursday to begin a week-long homestand. �They will have three games against the Bats, and then four games with the Columbus Clippers. �

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Erik Kratz (photo) had two hits, but his 9th home run of the season, which came in the 5th inning, broke the tie and gave the Indians a go-ahead run and an insurance run.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �In the bottom of the 3rd inning, � hit a sharp grounder toward third base. �Neil Walker charged onto the infield grass to make the play between bounces, and make the off-balance throw to first base, where Robinzon Diaz made the low scoop for the out. �Walker made a few other good plays at third as well.�

NOTES:

Roster Moves:

Reliever Jeff Sues (rhymes with "juice") has been promoted from Altoona to the Indians. �He had made 40 appearances, all in relief, for the Curve, with a 2-6 record, 2 saves, and a 4.46 ERA. �Opponents hit .225 off him. � In 78.2 innings, Sues gave up 66 hits, 43 runs (39 earned), 37 walks, and struck out 74 batters. �Sues has done better in July and early August. �His ERA was 2.93 in this last 7 weeks, with 30 strikeouts in 30.2 innings. �

Phil Dumatrait's rehab appearance was his last before his rehab time expires on Friday (before the game). �The Pirates now have to decide what to do with him. �Dumatrait is not currently on the 40-man roster, so if he is added, someone else will have to come off. �If they want him to stay in Indianapolis, he would have to go through waivers.

Pedro Lopez now has 5 straight multi-hit games. �His batting average is .342.

Go Tribe!

[Photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]

The afternoon game:

The Pirates and the Blue Jays held a slug-fest, featuring a total of 31 hits, and a 6-run 4th inning by the Pirates. �C Andrew Walker and 2B Elevys Gonzalez each had 3 hits, including a home run each, for the Pirates, with 4 RBI for Gonzalez, 2 for Walker, and 3 for LF Rogelios Noris.

Gonzalez and Walker combined for 2 runs in the 1st inning, when Gonzalez led off with a single and Walker smacked a 3-run homer over the right field wall. �The Jays took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 2nd, on two singles, a triple, and a sacrifice fly. �

The Pirates batted around in the 4th inning, putting up 6 runs. �The fun began with a throwing error, which put 1B Gerlis Rodriguez on base. �Singles by Andrew Walker and DH Ramon Cabrera loaded the bases, and Rogelios Noris' double brought in Rodriguez and Walker. �3B Henry Henry added another run with an RBI single to score Cabrera. �Then Elevys Gonzalez hit a 3-run homer, as the Pirates took the lead back again, 8-3. �The Jays came right back with 3 runs in the bottom of the inning, on another triple, plus a single, a walk, and an RBI ground out. �Pirates 8, Jays 6. �

A double by Gerlis Rodriguez, a wild pitch, and a grounder that went for a double play added one more run for the Pirates in the 5th inning, and Henry Henry scored in the 6th on a walk, a stolen base, and Elevys Gonzalez's RBI single. �Pirates 10, Jays 6. �The Pirates scored one more time in the top of the 7th, on Andrew Walker's double and Rogelio Noris' triple, and that was all they would get.

But the Blue Jays got busy in the late innings. �Ryan Beckman had started for the Pirates, and he pitched 3.1 innings, allowing the first 5 runs on 5 hits and a walk. �Andres Santos finished the 4th inning and was responsible for one run. �Sandobal Septimo took over in the 5th inning. �He pitched a scoreless 5th, but gave up one run in the 6th on a double and a single. �Septimo gave up 2 more runs in the 7th, on four straight singles. �He came out to begin the 8th inning, and gave up a solo home run, then another four straight singles, bringing in another 2 runs. �Those 6 runs put the Blue Jays on top, 12 - 11, and the Pirates could not come back in the 9th. �

And the evening games:

In a game delayed more than 2 hours by rain, the Senators rallied in the 7th inning for a come-from--behind win. �Curve starter Tim Alderson pitched 6 innings and left with the lead, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks, with 6 strikeouts. �Alderson allowed only a walk over his first three innings, while the Curve had only a single over those same innings. �

The Curve bats, led by 1B Jason Delaney, who had 2 doubles and a single, and 3B Pedro Alvarez, who homered and singled, got to work in the 4th inning. �SS Brian Friday doubled and CF Gorkys Hernandez singled, putting runners on the corners. �Pedro Alvarez's RBI single brought in Friday. �Hernandez moved to third base when RF Miles Durham bounced into a double play, and he scored on Delaney's first double. �

Harrisburg came back in the bottom of the inning with 3 runs off Alderson. �Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and a double cleared the bases to give the Senators a 3-2 lead. �

Alderson himself tied the game in the top of the 5th, with his second home run of the season. �Pedro Alvarez homered to lead off the 6th inning, breaking the tie. �Delaney's second double of the game and an RBI single by C Steve Lerud brought in another run, and the Curve were ahead 5-3. �

Alderson gave up another run in the bottom of the 6th, on two singles, a fielding error, and a sacrifice fly, to make it 5-4. �Jared Hughes came on in relief in the bottom of the 7th inning, and he gave up 5 straight singles, scoring 2 runs, and the Senators had the 6-5 lead. �Hughes was charged with the Blown Save and the Loss, as the Curve could not score again. �

The Hillcats had to hold on through a 4-run Salem rally in the 8th, but they got the win for starter Bryan Morris. �DH Kris Watts went 4-for-5 at the plate, with 2 doubles.��Morris earned his 4th win of the season, going 6 innings and allowing an unearned run and only 3 hits, with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. �That run came in the 1st inning, when two consecutive batters reached on two fielding errors by SS Jordy Mercer. �An RBI single brought the first runner in to score. �Morris gave up a hit in each of the next two innings, then faced only one batter over the minimum (a walk) over the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. �

Lynchburg got onto the scoreboard with 2 runs in the 2nd inning. �With two outs,�Kris Watts doubled, and LF Jared Keel brought him in with an RBI single. �C Eric Fryer and CF Alex Presley also singled, to score Keel. �The Hillcats threatened in th e 3rd inning, again with two outs. �RF Jamie Romak walked and 1B Matt Hague singled. �Watts also singled, and Hague raced around third, heading for home, but an on-target throw in from right field got Romak out at the plate. �

The 'Cats added another run in the 5th inning, when Jordy Mercer led off with a double. �Jamie Romak's single combined with a fielding error brought Mercer in to score. �Another error by the Red Sox contributed to 3 more runs for the Hillcats in the 6th. �Eric Fryer walked, but was forced out at second on Alex Presley's grounder. �2B Chase d'Arnaud singled and Presley went to third base. �3B Josh Harrison doubled, and combined with a throwing error by the Sox' second baseman on the relay, that cleared the bases and gave the Hillcats a 6-1 lead. �

The Hillcats posted 14 hits, including 5 doubles -- by Watts (2), Mercer, Harrison, and Fryer.�

Harrison Bishop pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, but fell victim to the Red Sox in the 8th. �Three singles, two doubles, and a sacrifice fly brought in 4 runs, to bring the Sox within one run of the Hillcats. �RJ Rodriguez earned his 26th save with a scoreless 9th inning. �

It was all Brooklyn in this game, as the Spikes were held to just 3 hits-- singles by 1B Aaron Baker and RF David Rubinstein, and a double by 3B Pat Irvine. �Their lone run came in the 2nd inning, when Rubinstein led off with a walk, and Irvine doubled him in. �The next 13 Spike batters went down in order, until Rubinstein singled and Irvine walked in the 7th -- but both were left on base. �Baker singled and Irvine walked again in the 9th, but again they were left on base. �

Nelson Pereira started for the Spikes, and he allowed 3 runs (one earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks in 4 innings. �A walk, a single, and a grounder brought in one run in the 2nd inning. �In the 4th inning, a fielding error plus two singles and a walk gave the Cyclones 2 more runs. �Ricardo Paulino pitched 2 innings, and allowed another run in the 5th inning, with two singles and a fielding error. �Mike Williams also pitched 2 innings, and he gave up 2 runs on 3 hits (double and two singles) in the 7th inning. �Teddy Fallon finished things up for the Spikes with a scoreless 9th, working around the Spikes 3rd fielding error of the game. �

Another game in which it was "all somebody" but the "somebody" was not us. The Power were shut off, limited to just 5 singles, while the Tourists scored early and often. �2B Danny Bomback had two of the hits, and DH Calvin Anderson, 3B Bobby Spain, and SS Adenson Chourio had the others. �Sloppy fielding was an issue, as the two teams combined for 9 errors in the game. �

The Power scored one run in the 4th inning, when 1B Kyle Morgan and Calvin Anderson both walked and Bobby Spain singled to load the bases. �Danny Bomback's RBI single scored Morgan, but Anderson was thrown out at the plate. �They scored again in the 8th, aided by two errors. �Anderson walked again, and went to second base on a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. �Spain also walked, but was out at second base on a grounder force out by Bomback. �A fielding error by the shortstop allowed Anderson to score. �Adenson Chourio singled, loading the bases, but a ground out ended the inning. �

Brett Lorin took the loss, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits and 6 walks, with 3 strikeouts. �A throwing error, a single, and two sacrifice flies brought in 2 runs in the 1st inning. �A fielding error, a double, a single, and a triple gave the Tourists 2 more in the 3rd. �After two walks, a wild pitch, and his own throwing error in the 5th inning, Lorin was relieved by Noah Krol. �Krol finished the 5th, then pitched the next two innings. �A run scored in the 6th, with the help of another error. �The run that came in the 7th was error-free -- it was a solo home run. �Ryan Kelly pitched the last 2 innings, and gave up 2 runs in the 8th, also error-free, on a single, a triple, and a sacrifice fly. �

The afternoon game:

The Pirates and the Blue Jays held a slug-fest, featuring a total of 31 hits, and a 6-run 4th inning by the Pirates. �C Andrew Walker and 2B Elevys Gonzalez each had 3 hits, including a home run each, for the Pirates, with 4 RBI for Gonzalez, 2 for Walker, and 3 for LF Rogelios Noris.

Gonzalez and Walker combined for 2 runs in the 1st inning, when Gonzalez led off with a single and Walker smacked a 3-run homer over the right field wall. �The Jays took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 2nd, on two singles, a triple, and a sacrifice fly. �

The Pirates batted around in the 4th inning, putting up 6 runs. �The fun began with a throwing error, which put 1B Gerlis Rodriguez on base. �Singles by Andrew Walker and DH Ramon Cabrera loaded the bases, and Rogelios Noris' double brought in Rodriguez and Walker. �3B Henry Henry added another run with an RBI single to score Cabrera. �Then Elevys Gonzalez hit a 3-run homer, as the Pirates took the lead back again, 8-3. �The Jays came right back with 3 runs in the bottom of the inning, on another triple, plus a single, a walk, and an RBI ground out. �Pirates 8, Jays 6. �

A double by Gerlis Rodriguez, a wild pitch, and a grounder that went for a double play added one more run for the Pirates in the 5th inning, and Henry Henry scored in the 6th on a walk, a stolen base, and Elevys Gonzalez's RBI single. �Pirates 10, Jays 6. �The Pirates scored one more time in the top of the 7th, on Andrew Walker's double and Rogelio Noris' triple, and that was all they would get.

But the Blue Jays got busy in the late innings. �Ryan Beckman had started for the Pirates, and he pitched 3.1 innings, allowing the first 5 runs on 5 hits and a walk. �Andres Santos finished the 4th inning and was responsible for one run. �Sandobal Septimo took over in the 5th inning. �He pitched a scoreless 5th, but gave up one run in the 6th on a double and a single. �Septimo gave up 2 more runs in the 7th, on four straight singles. �He came out to begin the 8th inning, and gave up a solo home run, then another four straight singles, bringing in another 2 runs. �Those 6 runs put the Blue Jays on top, 12 - 11, and the Pirates could not come back in the 9th. �

And the evening games:

In a game delayed more than 2 hours by rain, the Senators rallied in the 7th inning for a come-from--behind win. �Curve starter Tim Alderson pitched 6 innings and left with the lead, allowing 4 runs (3 earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks, with 6 strikeouts. �Alderson allowed only a walk over his first three innings, while the Curve had only a single over those same innings. �

The Curve bats, led by 1B Jason Delaney, who had 2 doubles and a single, and 3B Pedro Alvarez, who homered and singled, got to work in the 4th inning. �SS Brian Friday doubled and CF Gorkys Hernandez singled, putting runners on the corners. �Pedro Alvarez's RBI single brought in Friday. �Hernandez moved to third base when RF Miles Durham bounced into a double play, and he scored on Delaney's first double. �

Harrisburg came back in the bottom of the inning with 3 runs off Alderson. �Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and a double cleared the bases to give the Senators a 3-2 lead. �

Alderson himself tied the game in the top of the 5th, with his second home run of the season. �Pedro Alvarez homered to lead off the 6th inning, breaking the tie. �Delaney's second double of the game and an RBI single by C Steve Lerud brought in another run, and the Curve were ahead 5-3. �

Alderson gave up another run in the bottom of the 6th, on two singles, a fielding error, and a sacrifice fly, to make it 5-4. �Jared Hughes came on in relief in the bottom of the 7th inning, and he gave up 5 straight singles, scoring 2 runs, and the Senators had the 6-5 lead. �Hughes was charged with the Blown Save and the Loss, as the Curve could not score again. �

The Hillcats had to hold on through a 4-run Salem rally in the 8th, but they got the win for starter Bryan Morris. �DH Kris Watts went 4-for-5 at the plate, with 2 doubles.��Morris earned his 4th win of the season, going 6 innings and allowing an unearned run and only 3 hits, with 2 walks and 2 strikeouts. �That run came in the 1st inning, when two consecutive batters reached on two fielding errors by SS Jordy Mercer. �An RBI single brought the first runner in to score. �Morris gave up a hit in each of the next two innings, then faced only one batter over the minimum (a walk) over the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings. �

Lynchburg got onto the scoreboard with 2 runs in the 2nd inning. �With two outs,�Kris Watts doubled, and LF Jared Keel brought him in with an RBI single. �C Eric Fryer and CF Alex Presley also singled, to score Keel. �The Hillcats threatened in th e 3rd inning, again with two outs. �RF Jamie Romak walked and 1B Matt Hague singled. �Watts also singled, and Hague raced around third, heading for home, but an on-target throw in from right field got Romak out at the plate. �

The 'Cats added another run in the 5th inning, when Jordy Mercer led off with a double. �Jamie Romak's single combined with a fielding error brought Mercer in to score. �Another error by the Red Sox contributed to 3 more runs for the Hillcats in the 6th. �Eric Fryer walked, but was forced out at second on Alex Presley's grounder. �2B Chase d'Arnaud singled and Presley went to third base. �3B Josh Harrison doubled, and combined with a throwing error by the Sox' second baseman on the relay, that cleared the bases and gave the Hillcats a 6-1 lead. �

The Hillcats posted 14 hits, including 5 doubles -- by Watts (2), Mercer, Harrison, and Fryer.�

Harrison Bishop pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 7th, but fell victim to the Red Sox in the 8th. �Three singles, two doubles, and a sacrifice fly brought in 4 runs, to bring the Sox within one run of the Hillcats. �RJ Rodriguez earned his 26th save with a scoreless 9th inning. �

It was all Brooklyn in this game, as the Spikes were held to just 3 hits-- singles by 1B Aaron Baker and RF David Rubinstein, and a double by 3B Pat Irvine. �Their lone run came in the 2nd inning, when Rubinstein led off with a walk, and Irvine doubled him in. �The next 13 Spike batters went down in order, until Rubinstein singled and Irvine walked in the 7th -- but both were left on base. �Baker singled and Irvine walked again in the 9th, but again they were left on base. �

Nelson Pereira started for the Spikes, and he allowed 3 runs (one earned) on 4 hits and 3 walks in 4 innings. �A walk, a single, and a grounder brought in one run in the 2nd inning. �In the 4th inning, a fielding error plus two singles and a walk gave the Cyclones 2 more runs. �Ricardo Paulino pitched 2 innings, and allowed another run in the 5th inning, with two singles and a fielding error. �Mike Williams also pitched 2 innings, and he gave up 2 runs on 3 hits (double and two singles) in the 7th inning. �Teddy Fallon finished things up for the Spikes with a scoreless 9th, working around the Spikes 3rd fielding error of the game. �

Another game in which it was "all somebody" but the "somebody" was not us. The Power were shut off, limited to just 5 singles, while the Tourists scored early and often. �2B Danny Bomback had two of the hits, and DH Calvin Anderson, 3B Bobby Spain, and SS Adenson Chourio had the others. �Sloppy fielding was an issue, as the two teams combined for 9 errors in the game. �

The Power scored one run in the 4th inning, when 1B Kyle Morgan and Calvin Anderson both walked and Bobby Spain singled to load the bases. �Danny Bomback's RBI single scored Morgan, but Anderson was thrown out at the plate. �They scored again in the 8th, aided by two errors. �Anderson walked again, and went to second base on a throwing error on a pick-off attempt. �Spain also walked, but was out at second base on a grounder force out by Bomback. �A fielding error by the shortstop allowed Anderson to score. �Adenson Chourio singled, loading the bases, but a ground out ended the inning. �

Brett Lorin took the loss, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing 5 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits and 6 walks, with 3 strikeouts. �A throwing error, a single, and two sacrifice flies brought in 2 runs in the 1st inning. �A fielding error, a double, a single, and a triple gave the Tourists 2 more in the 3rd. �After two walks, a wild pitch, and his own throwing error in the 5th inning, Lorin was relieved by Noah Krol. �Krol finished the 5th, then pitched the next two innings. �A run scored in the 6th, with the help of another error. �The run that came in the 7th was error-free -- it was a solo home run. �Ryan Kelly pitched the last 2 innings, and gave up 2 runs in the 8th, also error-free, on a single, a triple, and a sacrifice fly. �

The Louisville Bats took their stadium's name to heart tonight, as they pounded the Indianapolis Indians at Louisville Slugger Field, scoring 10 runs on 15 hits. �2B Pedro Lopez and reliever Jon Meloan�were the bright spots for the Indians. �Lopez (photo) went 4-for-4 at the plate, with a double and three singles, raising his batting average to .333. �Meloan made his Indians' and Pirates' organizational debut, facing 6 batters and allowing only one hit. �

Starting pitcher�Eric Hacker has had trouble in the early innings in the past, and tonight was no different. �The Bats scored 4 quick runs in the bottom of the 1st inning to take the early lead. �2B Luis Bolivar led off with an infield single on a swinging bunt, and he stole second base. �RF Darnell McDonald walked on four pitches and Hacker hit CF Chris Heisey with his next pitch to load the bases with no outs. �3B Juan Francisco lifted the first pitch he saw to left field, which turned into a sacrifice fly, scoring Bolivar. �1B Wes Bankston also gave his first pitch a long ride, over the wall in left center, for a 3-run homer. �Hacker gave up two more singles, to LF Daniel Dorn and C Chris Denove, but ended the inning by striking out the opposing pitcher Matt Maloney.

The Bats continued to attack Hacker (photo) in the 2nd inning, with three doubles over the heads of the three Indians' outfielders. �Luis Bolivar hit a fly to the center field wall beyond CF Chris Barnwell, Darnell McDonald lined one over RF Tagg Bozied's head to score Bolivar, and Juan Francisco put his double into left field, over LF Brian Myrow's head, to bring in McDonald. �The Bats lead 6-0.

Matt Maloney was not having trouble with the Indians, though. �He allowed only three singles over the first four innings -- �singles by�Pedro Lopez in the 1st and 5th innings, and a single along the first base line and a stolen base by Tagg Bozied in the 2nd inning. �

The Indians finally got onto the scoreboard in the 5th, when C Robinzon Diaz homered over the left-center field wall on Maloney's 1-1 pitch. �Diaz lifted the ball high enough to get into the wind, which helped the ball over the fence.�

Hacker settled down after the second inning, allowing only one single over the next two innings. �But he struggled again in the 5th. �With one out, Daniel Dorn dropped a single into short center field, just out of reach of both CF Chris Barnwell and SS Argenis Diaz. �Chris Valaika followed with a triple to deep center field, scoring Dorn. �Chris Denove's sacrifice fly scored Valaika, and the Bats were ahead 8-1. �

The Bats chased Eric Hacker in the 6th inning, when Darnell McDonald led off with a home run, and after a ground out, Juan Francisco added another solo homer. �Hacker had made 98 pitches (64 strikes) in what was his toughest outing of the season -- 10 runs, all earned, on 13 hits and a walk, three homers, and 4 strikeouts. �He was charged with his 6th loss of the season. �

Jon Meloan came in from the bullpen to relieve Hacker with one out in the 6th. �He began by getting Wes Bankston to pop out to Robinzon Diaz in foul territory, then gave up a single to Daniel Dorn, before Chris Valaika flied out to end the inning. �Meloan retired the Bats in order in the 7th inning,�

Larry Broadway (photo) pinch-hit for Meloan in the 8th inning, but lined into a double play, as Argenis Diaz was caught off first base. �Broadway remained in the game to pitch the bottom of the 8th inning. �Manager Frank Kremblas and pitching coach Ray Searage were facing a shortage in the bullpen, with Jason Davis unavailable, Corey Hamman and Juan Mateo having just pitched last night, and Jeremy Powell away from the team for a few days (for the birth of his baby). �Broadway has pitched successfully for the Tribe earlier this season, and several times last season for the Columubs Clippers. �Tonight, Broadway gave up a double down the left field line to Darnell McDonald to open the 8th inning. �Then he got two pop outs and a line out to end the inning. �

The Indians scored one more run in the 9th inning. �Pedro Lopez collected his 4th hit of the game with a line drive double into right field. �Brian Myrow singled, moving Lopez to third base. �1B Jeff Clement brought in Lopez with a sacrifice fly. �Myrow moved to second base on a wild pitch and to third on Tagg Bozied's single. �But a pop out and a fly out left the runners on the corners, and the game was (mercifully) over. �

The Indians have now lost 3 games since they briefly touched the .500 mark on Saturday. �

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Four hits in four trips to the plate by Pedro Lopez. �He has gone 11-for-18 (.611) in his last 4 games. �

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �In the bottom of the 8th inning, with Darnell McDonald on second base and two outs, and Larry Broadway on the mound, Wes Bankston smacked a sharp line drive down the third base line, which looked like it was heading for the outfield. �3B Neil Walker (photo) made a dive and a stab to his right to get the third out, and keep McDonald from scoring.�

NOTES:

Jose Tabata's hamstring injury yesterday was felt to be due to cramps -- a common problem in the heat and humidity in Louisville. �He was able to take batting practice today, but will be out of the line-up for a couple of days as a precaution.

Last weekend, the Washington Nationals played the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. �Two former Indy Indians are now on the Nationals, Nyjer Morgan, who was in center field, and lefty reliever Sean Burnett, who pitched in Saturday night's game facing two batters and recording two outs. �Morgan went 2-for-5 on Saturday, and scored twice. �On Sunday, he was 0-for-5.�

Nyjer Morgan

Sean Burnett�

Nyjer Morgan, Sunday afternoon

Go Tribe!

[Photos by Nancy Zinni -- MVN]