Tag: Anthony Claggett

First, the Indians had to finish up yesterdays' game -- suspended due to rain. �Then they had to play a 7-inning game for today.

Gwinnett Braves �4, �Indianapolis Indians �3 � (suspended, now finished) (box)

Home runs were the key in the first part of this game, which was started on Monday night -- read more about it here. Gwinnett's Barbaro Canizares started the scoring with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 1st. �Indians' LF Brandon Moss knocked a solo homer in the top of the 2nd, and Braves' Alex Romero answered with a solo blast to lead off the bottom of the inning.

The Braves were leading 3-1 going into the bottom of the 4th. �Starter Daniel McCutchen (photo) got into trouble quickly, when LF Matt Young bounced a weird hop off 2B Argenis Diaz's shoulder for an error. �Alex Romero walked, putting runners on first and second, as the rain got serious. �A double steal moved the runners to second and third. �SS Brandon Hicks came to the plate and had a 1-2 count on him when the game was halted.

McCutchen finished with 3 innings of work, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. �Two of those hits and runs came on homers. �McCutchen threw 58 pitches, 30 for strikes.

When the game resumed on Tuesday, Anthony Claggett took over for McCutchen, inheriting two runners on base and a 1-2 count on Hicks at the plate. �Claggett threw two balls, but then got Hicks to ground out easily to Pedro Alvarez at third, with the runners forced to hold their positions. �C Clint Sammons bounced to first base, where 1B Brian Myrow scooped and fired back home, where C Erik Kratz tagged out the lead runner Young at the plate. �Claggett ended the inning with a strikeout, escaping the jam without letting a run score.

The Braves scored again in the 5th inning. �CF Jordan Schafer lined a single into center field, and when Claggett tried to pick him off first base, the throw hit Schafer. �After taking a few minutes to make sure he was ok, Schafer popped up and stole second base on the next pitch. �A sacrifice bunt by 3B Wes Timmons moved Schafer to third base, and a single lined into left field brought him home. �Braves up, 4-1.

The Indians rallied in the top of the 6th. �CF Jon Van Every led off with a walk. �He moved to second base, then on to third, on ground outs by Argenis Diaz and Brian Myrow. �Pedro Alvarez smacked a double to deep center field, to plate Van Every. �Erik Kratz (photo) followed with a single slipped through the hole and into left field, and Alvarez raced around third to score. �That put the Tribe within one run of the Braves, at 4-3. �The rally ended when RF Brandon Jones grounded out.

Anthony Claggett also pitched the 6th inning, allowing only a walk. �He came out to begin the 7th inning, and got a strikeout, before turning the ball over to Justin Thomas. Claggett�finished with 3.1 innings of work, allowing one run on 2 hits and a walk, with 4 strikeouts. �Thomas finished the 7th inning with two quick outs, a strikeout and a fly out. �Brian Bass came on to pitch the 8th, working around a lead-off single to keep the Braves scoreless again.

After their two runs in the 6th, the Indians managed only one base runner for the rest of the game. �Manager Frank Kremblas decide not to use a pinch-hitter for Anthony Claggett. �Batting for himself, Claggett worked the count full then took a walk. �He moved to second base on a wild pitch, but was left there at the end of the inning. �The Indians went down in order in the 8th and 9th innings, including three strikeouts.

Argenis Diaz was the only Tribe batter to have 2 hits in the game (both singles). �Daniel McCutchen was charged with the loss, his second of the season with the Tribe.

Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Brandon Moss's (photo) solo home run, which put the Indians on the scoreboard in the 2nd inning.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �In the bottom of the 3rd inning, with one out and Joe Thurston on first base, Barbaro Canizares bounced a slow roller to Pedro Alvarez at third. �Alvarez grabbed it on the second hop, then fired to second base, where 2B Brian Friday made the pivot and threw on to first base for the inning-ending double play, which cut short the Braves' rally.

�

�

�

What is it with the suspended games?

�

Indianapolis Indians �3, �Charlotte Knights �1 (box)

When lightning and rain suspended this game on Friday night, it was a pitching duel between the Indians' Brad Lincoln and the Knights' Matt Zaleski. Lincoln had allowed one hit and one walk in 5 innings, while striking out 7 batters. �Zaleski had held the Tribe batters to 2 hits (a double to 1B Brian Myrow and a single to DH Brandon Moss), no walks, and he had struck out 6 batters.

The game was resumed at 6 pm on Saturday, and LF Kevin Melillo (photo) got the restart off with a bang -- he slammed the first pitch from reliever Kyle McCulloch over the right field wall for a solo home run.

Anthony Claggett took over for Lincoln for the second part of the game. �With one out in the bottom of the 6th, Claggett gave up a solo homer to CF Buck Coats, to tie the game at 1-1. �Claggett went on to retire three Knights in order in the 7th inning.

The Tribe broke the tie in the top of the 7th. �C Erik Kratz led off the inning with a double to deep center field. �A single by Brandon Moss moved Kratz to third base. �With the runners on the corners, 2B Brian Friday bounced a grounder to third base, starting a double play. �Kratz scored from third base, though (no RBI), and the Indians had a 2-1 lead. �Another double play squelched a rally in the 8th inning, when CF Jose Tabata singled, but was doubled off first when Melillo lined out right to the Knights' first baseman.

Charlotte threatened in the bottom of the 8th. �Claggett (photo) began the inning by hitting RF Jordan Danks with a pitch. �DH �Donny Lucy dropped a sacrifice bunt, which Claggett fielded cleanly, but Friday could not make the catch on Claggett's throw to first. �The error put Knights on the corners. �Another sacrifice bunt by 2B CJ Retherford moved Lucy to second base, but Danks had to hold at third. �That was all for Claggett. �Justin Thomas came in from the bullpen, and he ended the inning with a foul pop out to 3B Pedro Alvarez and a strikeout, leaving two runners in scoring position.

�

Alvarez gave the Tribe an insurance run in the top of the 9th. �His 11th home run of the season left the yard over the left field wall, giving the Indians a 3-1 lead. �The next three Indians' batters went down in order, and Jean Machi finished the game for the Tribe by doing the same to the Knights in the bottom of the frame. �Machi earned his 7th save of the season. �Claggett was charged with a Blown Save, due to the home run in the bottom of the 6th, but he was also given the win, since he was the pitcher of record when the Indians scored in the top of the 7th. �That homer was only the 2nd, and the last, �hit of the game for the Knights.

�

Indians' Hitting Gems of the Game: �Home runs by Kevin Melillo and Pedro Alvarez. �Melillo's was his second of the season and the second in two games (over three days). �Alvarez's homer was his 11th of the season and his 44th RBI.

Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �Five one-hit innings by Brad Lincoln �(photo), needing only 61 pitches to do it. �He dominated the Knights, and made it look easy.

�

�

�

(Click on "Read more" for the second game)

�

.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Gwinnett Braves �6, �Indianapolis Indians �5 (box)

A 9th-inning rally, sparked by a pair of Gwinnett errors, put the Indians within one run of tying the game. �The rally fell short, though, and the Braves held on to take the win at Victory Field on Monday night.

The Indians were trailing 6-3 going into the bottom of the 9th. �With Braves' reliever Michael Dunn on the mound to begin his second inning, pinch-hitter Luke Carlin grounded to short, but SS Brandon Hick's throw to first was low and short, and Carlin was safe at first on the error. �Dunn was removed, and reliever Stephen Marek came in from the bullpen to take care of the Indians. �CF Jose Tabata greeted Marek with a line drive into center field, moving Carlin to second base. �2B Neil Walker was next, and he had the crowd holding its breath for a moment with a long fly ball to left-center, but it turned out to be only a long out. �1B Brian Myrow did what he does best -- get on base, somehow, some way. �This time it was by working the count full, fouling off another pitch, and taking a walk to load the bases.

That brought up 3B Pedro Alvarez (photo).�Alvarez bounced the 1-0 pitch to first base, for what should have been an easy out at first. �But Braves' 1B Freddie Freeman charged the slow roller and missed. �It looked like he was already thinking about how he was going to throw to the plate before he actually had the ball in his glove. �The ball went under his glove and skipped down the line about 12 - 15 feet behind first base. �Carlin scored easily from third, and Tabata also scored as Freeman had to reverse and chase down the ball. �Both runs were unearned, and Alvarez was credited with one RBI.

Now the Indians were with in one run, 6-5, and C Erik Kratz came to the plate. �Kratz already had a single in the game, and he'd walked twice. �But this time, he grounded a 0-2 pitch to short, and SS Brandon Hicks began a 6-4-3 double play that ended the rally and the game.

The Indians had scored first, back in the bottom of the 1st inning. �Jose Tabata led off by slipping a grounder through the right side of the infield for a single. �Neil Walker lined a double into right field, sending Tabata to third base. �1B Brian Myrow (photo) grounded to first base, and the Braves conceded the run to get the out, as Tabata scored from third. �Pedro Alvarez brought in Walker, who had advanced to third base on Myrow's play, with a sacrifice fly. �The throw from Gwinnett's CF Jordan Schafer came in high and up the third base line, and Walker scored easily. �The Indians had a 2-0 lead.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees �10, �Indianapolis Indians �7 (box)

This was the completion of the suspended game from last night. �(Take a look here to read more about the first 3.5 innings.)

�

The start of the restart was delayed about 40 minutes because of the threat of rain. �The tarp was put down, but when the rain never happened, it was pulled, and play began. �Despite worrisome weather forcasts, it didn't rain for the rest of the evening, and there was even a bit of sunshine.

The Yankees took the field for the restart, holding an 8-5 lead. �Starter Jeremy Powell had made a shaky start, allowing all 8 runs on 7 hits and 3 walks. �The Yankees had batted around in the top of the 4th, as Powell struggled on a wet and slippery mound and his teammates behind him battled soggy grass. �Steven Jackson came on in relief of Powell, but 5 runs came in �to give the Yankees the lead.

On the restart, Anthony Claggett (photo) took the mound for the Indians. �Claggett just didn't have it tonight. �He walked 6 batters in 1.1 innings, though miraculously did not give up any runs. �He walked the first two batters in the top of the 5th, then got a double play, which eliminated one runner but put the lead runner (LF Chad Huffman) on third base. �Two more walks loaded the bases, but a grounder to SS Argenis Diaz gave Claggett a force out at second base, and he had escaped his self-made jam.

The next inning was more of the same, though. �The first batter flied out, with CF Jose Tabata first coming in, then having to reverse, and then make a running over-the-shoulder catch. �Claggett put the next three batters on base, with a walk to DH Jon Weber, a hit by C Jesus Montero, and a walk to Huffman. �That was enough for manager Frank Kremblas to see. �Claggett left having walked 6 of the 10 batters he faced.

Vinnie Chulk (photo) was next out of the bullpen. �He came into the game with one out and the bases loaded -- and proceeded to strike out RF Reid Gorecki and get 3B Matt Cusick to end the inning and leave those three runners right where he found them.

Chulk came back out for the 7th inning. �He gave up a single into right field to CF Greg Golson. �A grounder moved Golson to second base. �Chulk got a gift next. �He tried to pick Golson off second base, but his throw was wide and got into center field, and Golson raced to third base. �But the umpires pointed him back to second base -- home plate ump Mark Lollo had called time out just a split second before Chulk turned and made the throw to second, making the whole thing a "no play". �Then it turned out to be moot. �A single by 1B PJ Pilittere, who had taken over for David Winfree, singled down the right field line, and Golson scored anyway.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Indianapolis Indians �3, �Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees �0 (box)

Donnie Veal (photo above) dominated Scranton/Wilkes-Barre at Victory Field on Tuesday night, holding the Yankees to just 2 hits and 3 walks over 7 innings of work. �Veal struck out a total of 7 batters, including 5 of the last 9 batters he faced. �Indians' CF Jose Tabata (photo) out-hit the Yankees all by himself, going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while 1B Brian Myrow had 2 hits and 2 RBI.

Veal had more trouble in the early innings than he did later in the game. �With one out in the 1st, he gave up a walk to 2B Reegie Corona and a single to SS Eduardo Nunez, but got out of the inning with a grounder to SS Brian Friday for a double play. �He used 18 pitches to get through the 1st inning, and then needed another 19 in the 2nd inning, when he worked another walk but still kept the Yankees scoreless.

�

Veal also had to work around a base runner in each of the 3rd and 4th innings. �C Chad Moeller began the 3rd inning with a double, but Veal left him standing right there, while he racked up his first two strikeouts of the game around a pop up. �The third walk Veal allowed came in the 4th inning to LF Jon Weber, but another double play started by Brian Friday ended that inning.

Meanwhile, Jose Tabata was leading the Indians' offensive attack. �He opened the bottom of the 1st with a line drive into left field for a double. �2B Neil Walker was hit on the foot by a pitch, then Brian Myrow (photo) lined a single into right field, and Tabata came around from second base to score. �After a pop out by 3B Pedro Alvarez, RF Brandon Jones walked to load the bases, but C Luke Carlin bounced into a double play, and the Indians could not take advantage of the bases-loaded situation.

Yankees' starter Jason Hirsch thought he had the Indians under control in the 2nd inning, when he began the frame with two fly outs. �But then Brian Friday ripped a double into left field, and surprised Hirsch by stealing third base. �Jose Tabata grounded to third base, but beat out the throw to first for a hit, allowing Friday to score. �Neil Walker lined a single into right field, moving Tabata to third base. �With runners on the corners, Brian Myrow again slapped an RBI single, this time into center field, and Tabata scored easily. �A ground out ended the inning, but the Indians had a 3-0 lead.

Both teams were pretty quiet for the remainder of the game. �Jose Tabata collected his third hit of the game in the 4th inning, again beating out a throw on an infield hit. �As Neil Walker stepped into the batters' box following Tabata's hit, some serious jawing erupted from the Yankees' dugout, possibly related to what had been a close play at first base. �1B Umpire Dan Bellino tossed someone in the dugout -- it wasn't clear whom until S/W-B manager Dave Miley came out of the dugout to continue the jawing �-- yup, it was Miley. �Once the dust had settled and the game resumed, Tabata promptly stole second base, then stole third. �Neil Walker walked, but the Indians left the runners stranded on the corners when Brian Myrow grounded out.

Indianapolis Indians 8, �Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

The Indians scored in four consecutive innings on Friday night, then added one more run in the top of the 9th for good measure, as they cruised past the Mud Hens in Toledo. �Mike Crotta (photo) made the start for the Indians, and pitched 7 innings, allowing just one run on 7 hits, no walks. �He struck out 5 batters. �Three Indians homered -- 3B Pedro Alvarez, DH Brian Friday, and 1B Neil Walker -- as the Tribe collected 10 hits.

The first three innings were quiet for both teams. �Crotta gave up a double to SS Brent Dlugach in the 2nd inning and single to former Indy Indian C Robinzon Diaz in the 3rd, but stranded both of them on base. �The Indians put only one runner on base over those innings, when SS Doug Bernier made Mud Hens' 3B Will Rhymes dive for a grounder behind the bag, but still beat out his throw to first base. �Bernier was still left on base at the end of the inning.

The Indians dented the scoreboard in the top of the 4th. �Neil Walker led off with a walk, then stole his 10th consecutive base of the season. �Pedro Alvarez drove in Walker with a huge home run over the 406' sign in right-center field, and the Tribe was up 2-0.

Brian Friday added another run in the 5th inning with his first home run of the season, a long fly ball over the left field wall. �Then the Tribe kept going with a run in the 6th. �With one out, Alvarez walked, and a wild pitch moved him to second base. �RF Brandon Jones singled up the middle, and Alvarez raced around from second base to score. �That gave the Indians a 4-0 lead and sent the Toledo starter Ryan Ketchner to the showers. �Scot Drucker struck out C Erik Kratz and LF Brandon Moss to end the inning.

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

Mike Crotta and Donnie Veal are charting in the stands.

McCutchen worked around a 2-out single by 1B Brock Peterson and a walk to C Jair Fernandez in the 2nd inning. �In the third, again with two outs, he gave up a single to Luke Hughes and an RBI double by CF Dustin Martin off the top of the wall in left-center to the right of Jackie Robinson's "42". �Martin was left stranded when RF Matt Macri struck out, but the Red Wings had increased their lead to 2-0.