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The Pittsburgh Pirates have seen five players elect free agency from their Triple-A squad over the last few days. Edward Olivares, Jake Woodford, Billy McKinney, Ryder Ryan, and Justin Bruihl all elected free agency. All five...
The Major League Baseball Draft Lottery will take place for the third time this offseason, with teams getting a chance for the first overall pick based on their 2024 records. According to Baseball America, the Pittsburgh...

PawSox Early And Late Rallies Crush Tribe

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Brad Lincoln made the start for the Indians, and was charged with his 7th loss.  














Pawtucket Red Sox  12,  Indianapolis Indians  3
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Two big innings by the Pawtucket gave the Red Sox plenty of in-game fireworks to warm up the crowd for the post-game fireworks at Victory Field tonight.  The PawSox scored 4 runs in the 2nd and 5 runs in the 8th, and their total of 12 runs came on just 10 hits.

IMG_5134Indians' starter Brad Lincoln mowed down the first five batters he faced, striking out three of them.  But with two outs in the top of the 2nd, Lincoln suddenly got into trouble.  DH Ryan Lavarnway ripped a double into the right-center field gap for a double.  RF Nate Spears lined a single into center field, which CF Gorkys Hernandez fired back to the plate, as Lavarnway rounded third and headed for the plate.  The throw was on-target and on-time, but C Eric Fryer couldn't keep hold of it as he went to make the tag.  The ball dropped to the ground, and Lavarnway slid across the plate safely.  Lincoln walked C Luis Expositon on four pitches, then 2B Brent Dlugach rocketed a double over RF Alex Presley's head and off the top of the right field wall.  That brought in Spears, but Presley's strong throw in from right made Exposition hold up at third.  With both runners in scoring position, CF Che-Hsuan Lin blooped a single into short center field, which dropped in between three Tribe fielders, brining in both Exposito and Dlugach, for a 4-0 lead.  

Hernandez (photo) came through with a clutch double to help the Indians cut the PawSox lead in half in the bottom of the inning.  With one out, 3B Josh Harrison, just back from Pittsburgh, took a 4-pitch walk from Pawtucket starter Kyle Weiland.  Fryer grounded out, then 2B Josh Rodriguez also walked.  Hernandez followed with a double off the top of the wall in the right-center field gap, and both Joshes raced around to score.  The rally ended when Presley popped out to second, leaving Hernandez stranded, but the Tribe had made progress:  4-2.

Hague’s Homers Power Indians

Indianapolis Indians  5,  Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs  3 
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IMG_5113A sudden storm drove the Indians and the Iron Pigs from the field with one out and two runners on base in the bottom of the 9th at Coca Cola Park in Allentown, PA tonight.  The tarp was pulled as the rain came down harder and harder, and after the game was in a delay, the storm continued to increase in intensity.

RF Alex Presley (photo) continued his hitting dominance with 4 hits in the game, and 1B Matt Hague gave the Indians a big boost with two home runs.  The first homer, a high fly over the left field wall, got the game started in the top of the 1st.  With one out in the top of the 3rd, Presley and SS Brian Friday hit back-to-back infield singles right back to Iron Pigs' starting pitcher Ryan Feierabend.  Hague followed with his second homer, a 3-run shot into the bullpen behind left field, to give the Indians a 4-0 lead.  

Tribe starter Brian Burres pitched into the 6th inning.  He gave up a 2-out single to CF John Mayberry in the 1st, a 2-out walk to 1B Cody Overbeck in the 2nd, and a 2-out double to 2B Josh Barfield in the 3rd, but each time kept the Iron Pigs scoreless.  Barfield's double hit the top of the left field wall and bounced in, but away from Tribe LF Miles Durham.  The Pigs cut the Indians lead in half in the 4th.  Former Indian LF Brandon Moss led off with a single, then after two outs, Overbeck lifted a rising line drive over the left field wall, well over Durham's desperate leap.  Indians ahead, 4-2.  

Marte In Futures Game; Marauders Win In The 14th

Two Pirates' minor leaguers have been chosen to play in the MLB Futures game, which is held during the All-Star festivities.  OF Starling Marte will be on the World team, and INF Chase d'Arnaud was named to the USA team -- though that might change if d'Arnaud is indeed called up to Pittsburgh.  

The State College Spikes' game against the Jamestown Jammers was postponed due to rain.  They will go for two on Friday night, beginning at 6:05 pm.  


New Hampshire Fisher Cats  2,  Altoona Curve  0      
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This shortened game was a pitching duel, with the two teams combining for just 7 hits.  Kyle McPherson pitched 5 innings and allowed 2 runs on 3 hits.  Two of those hits were solo homers, both coming in the 4th inning, and that accounted for all of the Fisher Cats' scoring.  The only other 'Cats' hit was a single to lead off the 1st inning, and that runner was picked off base.  McPherson walked two batters, one in the 1st, and former Indy Indian Craig Stansberry in the 5th.  Stansberry was caught stealing second base.  Anthony Claggett pitched the bottom of the 6th, walking one and hitting one batter with a pitch.  

The Curve batters collected 4 hits.  CF Starling Marte led off the top of the 1st with a double, the only extra-base hit for the Curve.  SS Jordy Mercer singled, and C Tony Sanchez was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out.  But new Curve player RF Andrew Lambo lined right to the 'Cats' first baseman, who doubled off Sanchez for a double play.  The other 2 hits happened in the 4th.  Sanchez led off with a single up the middle, but he was caught stealing.  3B Jeremy Farrell also singled, but was left on base.  There were only 2 more base runners for the Curve for the rest of the game -- Sanchez walked in the 6th and 1B Matt Curry walked in the 7th, and both were left on base.  

This was scheduled to be Game 1 of a double-header, and so was scheduled for 7 innings.  But this game was also interrupted by rain, and the second game was washed out.  The Curve move on to Harrisburg to begin a series tomorrow.  They will play New Hampshire again in mid-August, and will have to do the make-up then.  

Harrison Down, d’Arnaud Up

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The Pirates have optioned infielder Josh Harrison back to the Indianapolis Indians today.  Harrison has been with the Pirates for about 3.5 weeks, and has appeared in 16 games in that time, playing mostly third base.  He also missed a few days due to an oblique strain.  He hit .283 (17-for-60) with 2 doubles and 4 RBI in that time, with one walk and 5 strikeouts.  Harrison was hitting .321 for the Indians when he left at the end of May, with 8 doubles, 2 triples, 2 homers, and 11 RBI.  While solid at the plate, the Pirates have some concerns about Harrison's defensive play.   He made 10 errors while with the Indians and one error since joining the Pirates.

The next move that's expected is for the Pirates to call up infielder Chase d'Arnaud (photo).  D'Arnaud is hitting .280 for the Indians, but while he began the season with a slow April (hitting .217), he stepped it up to .329 in May and .299 for June.  He also has 12 RBI in May and 14 RBI in June.  He's also hitting lefties much better than right-handed pitching:  .258 vs Left, and .241 vs Right.  D'Arnaud is not on the Pirates' 40-man roster, so 
the Pirates will have to make another move to open up a spot.  
 

Rodriguez Goes 3-For-3 In Debut; Owens Injured

Indianapolis Indians 10,  Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs  5
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The newest Indian, Josh Rodriguez, went 3-for-3 with 4 RBI as the Indianapolis Indians overcame a 4-0 deficit to beat the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA tonight.  The Indians posted 15 hits, while the Iron Pigs put up 14 hits; the Tribe also worked 8 walks.  SS Brian Friday also had 3 hits for the Indians, as all but one of the starting lineup had at least one hit.  The Tribe pitchers combined to strikeout 14 Iron Pigs' batters.


Once again, several former Indy Indians were on the field for Lehigh Valley:  CF Rich Thompson (2005-06), LF Brandon Moss (2010), 1B Tagg Bozied (2009).


IMG_5565Starter Rudy Owens (photo), who has been having trouble getting through the first inning in many of his starts this season, had problems again tonight.   Rich Thompson led off with a line drive off 1B Matt Hague's glove and into short right field for a single.  As usual for the speedy Thompson, he stole second base.  SS Pete Orr moved Thompson to third base with a single tapped back to the mound and deflected by Owens.  RF John Mayberry brought in both Thompson and Orr with a 3-run homer.  Owens got Brandon Moss to pop out, but Tagg Bozied blasted a no-doubt-about-it homer over the left field wall and well past the bullpen, for a 4-0 lead.  Owens also gave up a double to 2B Josh Barfield after the homer, but a fly out and a strike out ended the inning.  

The Tribe put runners on base in each of the first three innings, though none of them came around to score.  Chase d'Arnaud, who was on third base again tonight, led off the top of the 1st for the Indians by reaching first when SS Orr made a high throw to first base, bouncing it off the screen in front of the Indians' bullpen.
 Friday singled, moving d'Arnaud to second, and a fly out by LF Alex Presley moved d'Arnaud to third.  But RF John Bowker bounced into a 3-6-1 double play to end the inning, keeping d'Arnaud from scoring.  


The Indians threatened again in the 2nd inning, when Hague lined a ball off the Iron Pigs' 3B Cody Overbeck's glove and into left field.  With one out, new Indian 2B Josh Rodriguez grounded to short, where SS Orr made the scoop then fumbled the ball a bit, and Rodriguez was credited with his first Indians' hit.  A grounder by CF Gorkys Hernandez forced out Rodriguez at second, but left runners on the corners with two outs.  They got no further that time either, as Owens struck out to end the inning.  Presley singled in the 3rd inning, but was left on base.

FIve Tribe Pitchers Combine For Shutout

Indianapolis Indians  2,  Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs  0
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IMG_5846Five Indians' pitchers combined to shut-out the Iron Pigs at Coca-Cola Park in Allentown, PA this evening.  The Pigs were held to just 4 hits, while the Indians posted 6 hits.  

Starter Sean Gallagher (photo) earned his 2nd win of the season, pitching 5 scoreless innings and allowing 2 hits and 4 walks, with 5 strikeouts.  Gallagher retired the Pigs in order in the 1st inning, then had to battle with runners on base in each of the next four innings.   With two outs in the 2nd inning, Gallagher walked former Indy Indian C Erik Kratz and hit former Indy Indiana 1B Tagg Bozied with a pitch.  He walked SS Brian Bocock to load the bases, then struck out Pigs' starter (and another former Indy Indian) Brian Bass to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.  

The 3rd inning looked like an instant replay.  With two outs, Gallagher again loaded the bases.  He gave up a single by CF John Mayberry, who also stole second, and a walk to former Indian LF Brandon Moss.  He struck out RF Delwyn Young, but strike three was a wild pitch, and Young made it safely to first base.  This time it was Kratz who struck out to end the inning and leave the bases full.  

Three of the Indians' six hits came off the bat of 1B Matt Hague.  CF Gorkys Hernandez had 2 hits, and 2B Brian Friday had the last Tribe hit.   Hernandez's first hit was a line drive single into left field to begin the 3rd inning.  Gallagher dropped down a sacrifice bunt, moving Hernandez to second base, and when he saw that none of the Pigs were covering third base, Hernandez took off and reached third safely.  "Gallagher put down a pretty good bunt, and when I got to second, I saw the third baseman was off the base.  I said if I can take another base, I help my team," said Hernandez after the game.  It was a help, because after SS Chase d'Arnaud walked, Friday singled, and Hernandez scored from third.  LF Alex Presley grounded to first, moving the runners to second and third bases.  RF John Bowker walked, loading the bases.  This time it was the Indians who left the bases loaded, though, as a fly out ended the inning, but with the Indians ahead 1-0.  

Pigs Slop Tribe With Late Inning Rally

Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs  4,  Indianapolis Indians  3
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The Indianapolis Indians were in the lead for most of the game tonight at Coca-Cola park in Allentown, PA, but the Iron Pigs staged a 8th inning rally to take the win.  

SS Chase d'Arnaud began the game with a double into right field, skipping between the Iron Pigs' 1B Cody Overbeck and the first base bag.  2B Brian Friday singled into left field, and d'Arnaud rounded third and headed for the plate as former Indy Indian (2010) LF Brandon Moss made the throw in from left field.  Moss' throw was on time, and another former Indian (2009-10) C Erik Kratz made the catch and tried for the tag.  But d'Arnaud was faster, and Kratz lost the ball when he went for the tag, and the Tribe had a 1-0 lead.  LF Alex Presley flied out to left field, and again Moss' throw to the infield was not in time, so that Friday was safe when he tagged up and raced for third.  But Moss got it right on his third try -- RF John Bowker also flied out to left, and Moss turned it into a double play when this throw to the plate was on target and on time, allowing Kratz to tag out Friday as he tried to tag up and score from third.  

Back-to-back singles by 3B Andy Marte and 1B Matt Hague led off the 2nd inning for the Indians.  C Wyatt Toregas bounced into an around-the-horn double play, eliminating Hague at second, but allowing Marte to reach third base.  CF Gorkys Hernandez grounded to short, but he was fast enough to beat out the throw to first, earning an infield single and an RBI, as Marte scrambled home from third to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.  

Garrett Olson began his night on the mound with 4 perfect innings.  Moss broke up the (brief) no-hitter with a double to lead off the 5th inning, then was out in a double play.  RF Delwyn Young flied out to center, then Hernandez's throw in to third base allowed Marte to tag out Moss as he tried to advance to third.  

Lincoln and Friday Lead Tribe To Series Split

Indianapolis Indians  8,  Rochester Red Wings  3
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Brad Lincoln earned his 6th win of the season, pitching into the 8th inning at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY this afternoon.  The win meant that the two teams split the 4-game series.   Lincoln gave up 3 runs (one earned) to the Red Wings, and struck out 7 batters.  The Indians posted 16 hits, with each member of the lineup picking up at least one hit.  2B Brian Friday led the offense with 4 hits (4-for-5), and DH John Bowker drove in 3 runs.

The Tribe jumped right out to an early lead with 4 runs in the top of the 1st.  SS Chase d'Arnaud began the game with a single into left field, and a wild pitch moved him to second base.  Friday lined a single into left field, and d'Arnaud scored from second base.  LF Alex Presley grounded to short, and a force at second removed Friday, but Presley was safe at first base.  Presley came in on Bowker's 2-run homer for a 3-0 lead.  Three singles -- by 3B Andy Marte, RF Miles Durham, and C Wyatt Toregas -- brought in Marte for the 4th run of the inning.  The Indians added 2 more runs in the 3rd.  1B Matt Hague doubled with one out, and he scored on Toregas' liner into left field.  CF Gorkys Hernandez walked, then d'Arnaud singled into left field.  Toregas scored easily on d'Arnaud's hit, but Hernandez was thrown out at the plate when he tried to come around and score from first.  Indians up, 6-0.

Lincoln took the mound in the bottom of the 1st with a 4-run lead in his pocket.  He gave up a single to SS Trevor Plouffe, the first of three for him in the game, but erased him with a double play.  Three singles, including one by Plouffe, and a fielding error by Hernandez brought in two runs for the Red Wings in the bottom of the 3rd.  Lincoln retired the side in order of the 4th, and he worked around two singles in the 5th.  He gave up another unearned run in the 6th, on a single and a fielding error by Presley.  The Red Wings went down in order in the 7th also, then began the 8th with two singles and a strikeout.  That was all for Lincoln, who allowed 9 hits and a walk on the way to the 3 runs.  He did not hit any batters (sometimes a problem for Lincoln, who likes to pitch inside).  He threw exactly 100 pitches, with 66 strikes.  Justin Thomas came on in relief, and got two quick outs to end the inning without a run scoring.  

The Indians threatened again in the 4th, when Friday led off with a double.  He moved to third base on a ground out.  Bowker grounded to short, where Plouffe made the scoop and fired back to the plate, where Friday was tagged out.  Presley singled in the 7th, went to second base on a ground out, and on to third on a wild pitch, but was left there when the inning ended.  

Another rally brought in 2 more runs for the Tribe in the top of the 9th.  Friday also opened this inning with a double (ground-rule).  He scored from second on Bowker's line drive single into deep right field, and Bowker moved to second base on the throw in from the outfield.  Bowker advanced to third base on Marte's ground out, and scored on Hague's RBI single.  

Jose Ascanio pitched the bottom of the 9th for the Tribe.  He pitched a perfect inning, with a ground out and two strikeouts, in his second appearance since returning to the Indians from Pittsburgh.  

The Indians will be traveling to Lehigh Valley, where they will have 4 games against the Iron Pigs.


Go Tribe!
 

Indians Split The Split Double Header

Indianapolis Indians  7,  Rochester Red Wings  5   (Game 1)
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A 4-run 6th inning gave the Indians the edge this afternoon at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY, despite being out-hit 13-9.  SS Chase d'Arnaud led the Tribe with 3 hits and 2 RBI, and LF Alex Presley and 3B Andy Marte had 2 hits apiece.

Both teams got their scoring started early with 2 runs in the 1st inning.  With former Indy Indian (2009) Eric Hacker making the start for Rochester, d'Arnaud began with a strikeout, then 2B Corey Wimberly was hit by a pitch.  Presley walked, and when Hacker pick-off attempt went wild, both runners moved into scoring position on the error.  RF John Bowker's grounder let the Rochester third baseman fire back to the plate, where Wimberly was tagged out.  With Bowker still on first base, Marte lined a double into left field, scoring both Presley and Bowker for the early 2-0 lead. 

The Red Wings came right back in the bottom of the inning.  The first batter Brian Burres faced, CF Dustin Martin, doubled into right field, and the next batter, SS Trevor Plouffe, smacked a 2-run homer to tie the score.  

Marte doubled again in to lead off the top of the 4th, and when the Wings' right fielder misplayed the ball, Marte advanced to third.  A sacrifice fly by 1B Matt Hague plated Marte, to give the Indians a 3-2 lead.  

Burres had a tough second inning to work through.  The lead off batter, 3B Chase Lambin, led off with a single, but was picked off first and caught stealing.  After a ground out, a walk, a single by Martin, and another walk loaded the bases.  Burres got out of the jam with a ground out, leaving the bases full.  Burres also got lucky in the 4th, when another single by Lambin and a double by C Steve Holm had Lambin rounding third and heading for the plate.  Presley made the play on the double in left field, then his throw in was relayed by d'Arnaud, who fired on to C Wyatt Toregas for the tag out of Lambin at the plate.   

Indians Fall Despite Last-Minute Rally

We're on the road, so just brief recaps for a few days....

Rochester Red Wings  7,  Indianapolis Indians  4
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Indians' errors contributed to the Red Wings' big inning, and the Indians' own big inning was not big enough, as the Tribe lost to the Red Wings at Frontier Field in Rochester, NY.  

The Wings jumped all over Tribe starter Rudy Owens in the bottom of the 1st, beginning with a ground-rule double on the first pitch Owens threw.  A walk and a grounder force out gave Rochester runners on the corners.  Both of those runners scored on 1B Aaron Bates' double down the right field line, for a 2-0 lead.  

The Indians got one run back in the top of the 2nd.  1B John Bowker led off with a single, then stole second base.  C Eric Fryer lined a single to short, and Bowker scored from second base.  

Owens worked around a walk and a single in the bottom of the 2nd inning, then allowed just one hit over the next three innings.  But things fell apart on him in the 6th.  Bates led off with a double into right field.  After a walk, 2B Toby Gardenhire dropped down a sacrifice bunt.  Owens fielded the bunt but threw wildly to first, and all three runners were safe on the error.  Owens walked the next batter, forcing in a run.  He was relieved by Justin Thomas, but Thomas hit the first batter he faced with a pitch, forcing in another run.  A single drove in two more runs.  A double play finally gave the Tribe two outs, and Thomas was relieved by Jose Ascanio, who had just been assigned to the Indians.  The first batter Ascanio faced grounded to third, but a throwing error by 3B Matt Hague allowed the batter to reach safely, while the runner from third base scored the 5th run of the inning.  Red Wings 7, Indians 1.

Jared Hughes and Sean Gallagher each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to finish the game for the Tribe.  Meanwhile, the Tribe batters were not having much success with the Red Wings' pitchers.  CF Gorkys Hernandez singled in the 3rd, but was caught trying to steal second base.  Bowker and Hague hit back-to-back singles in the 6th, but were left on base.  Hernandez also doubled down the right field line in the 7th, but was stranded.  

The Tribe rallied in the top of the 9th.  Three pinch-hitters started the inning: Andy Marte led off with a double into center field, Wyatt Toregas struck out, then Miles Durham singled, bringing Marte across the plate.  After a fly out, Hernandez hit his second double of the game, a ground-rule double, moving Durham to third base.  SS Chase d'Arnaud also doubled, which drove in Durham and Hernandez to bring the score to 7-4.  But Rochester ace reliever Anthony Slama was brought in from the bullpen, and Slama got DH Corey Wimberly to ground out, ending the game.  

The Indians and Red Wings play a split double header on Saturday -- one game at 1:05 pm, and the second game at 7:05 pm.  




 

Tribe And Braves Take Duel To The 9th

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Corey Wimberly got back to first base safely this time... but was picked off moments later.








Gwinnett Braves  4,  Indianapolis Indians  0
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Another pitching duel erupted at Victory Field tonight, as the Indianapolis Indians and the Gwinnett Braves battled it out over a scoreless tie for 8 innings.  The loss dropped the Indians to below the .500 mark as they finish this home stand.  The Indians and the Braves split this 4 game series, two games each.

IMG_6063Tribe starter Garrett Olson pitched 5 hitless and scoreless innings but did not figure into the decision.  He allowed one base runner over those innings.  Braves SS Julio Lugo worked the count full then took a walk in the top of the 1st.  After Olson struck out rehabbing Atlanta Brave outfielder Jason Heyward (photo, not looking too pleased), he got 1B Mauro Gomez to ground to short to force out Julio at second base.  Olson retired the next 12 batters in order, including 4 more strikeouts.  He got some help from his fielders.  In the 5th inning, 3B Dan Nelson took a long fly ball into deep right field.  Alex Presley, playing right field for the second day in a row, headed back for the wall.  He turned one way, then the other, and finally made the over-the-shoulder catch at the warning track for the second out of the inning.  That play was followed by a nice play by SS Brian Friday on a sharp grounder off the bat of 2B Ed Lucas.  Friday went to his right for a back-hand catch, then fired over to 1B Matt Hague to end the inning.  

Olson was relieved by Chris Leroux after 5 innings.  Olson was on a 50 pitch count for his last start on June 8th -- due to working in relief in the earlier part of the season, and also having been on the Disabled List.  So, even though he was pitching a no-hitter, Olson's outing was cut short after 66 pitches (44 strikes).  Leroux continued the no-hitter with a 1-2-3 inning in the 6th.  

Lincoln’s Start Spoiled By Lack Of Run Support


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Corey Wimberly was the only Tribe batter to reach third base tonight.  














Gwinnett Braves  2,  Indianapolis Indians  0
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IMG_6053Starter Brad Lincoln pitched 6 strong innings in his first time out after missing his last start, but he didn't get any run support, and suffered his 6th loss of the season, as the Indianapolis Indians lost to the Gwinnett Braves at Victory Field tonight.  The Tribe batters recorded 6 hits, with two by Corey Wimberly, but could not push any of their base runners across the plate.  


The Indians had some unusual situations in their defense and also in their lineup tonight.  Clearly the injuries affecting the Pirates have the major league club looking more closely at what players in Indianapolis are doing.  With Josh Harrison still out due to an oblique muscle strain, the Pirates are looking for another infielder who can play third base.  Tonight, Chase d'Arnaud played third base for the first time this year, and the first time since a few games back at State College in 2008.  Wimberly played second base for the first time this season.  The Pirates have been talking about bringing up Alex Presley next week, when they begin interleague play again.  Tonight Presley played right field for the first time this season.  He did play some right field during spring training, and also last season when he had his September call-up to the Pirates.  Andrew Lambo moved over to left field tonight.


IMG_6045The other change was that Brad Lincoln batted 8th in the order (photo above), with Wimberly taking the 9th spot.  Manager Dean Treanor wanted to give Wimberly the chance of being in a position to bunt, and he felt that the 9th spot in the order would be best for that.  


Lincoln had to face Atlanta Braves' rehabbing outfielder Jason Heyward (photo), and it was Heyward who got the Braves' scoring started in the top of the 1st.  Lincoln retired the first two batters, LF Jose Constanza and SS Julio Lugo, both of whom had a hit-fest last night.  Heyward ripped a line drive into the left field corner for a double.  1B Mauro Gomez followed with a grounder back up the middle, just out of reach of SS Brian Friday's dive, driving in Heyward.  A fly out left Gomez on first, but the Braves had a 1-0 lead.  

Lincoln worked around one runner on base in three of the next four innings.  He walked CF Jeff Fiorentino to begin the 2nd inning.  2B Ed Lucas rocketed a liner right back at Lincoln, whose glove hand came up almost in self defense.  The ball almost tore the glove off his hand, but stuck in the web for a line out.  Lincoln tossed to first, easily doubling off Fiorentino.  He retired the side in the 3rd, then gave up a double to Gomez in the 4th.  Gomez hit a rising line drive that missed being a home run by inches.  Instead, it caromed off the top of the right field fence at the edge of the grass berm and back toward Presley, who got it back to the infield quickly, holding Gomez to two bases.  Two other great defensive plays kept more Braves from reaching base in the 4th.  Heyward lifted a high foul pop to the left side of the field, which d'Arnaud chased down and caught with a slide on the grass in front of the Indians' dugout.  3B Wilkin Castillo followed Gomez's double with a grounder to the middle of the infield.  Wimberly went to his right and made a diving stop, keeping the ball from going into the outfield.  His foot slipped as he was getting up, but Wimberly was still able to fire over to first base in time for the out on Castillo.  Gomez went to third on the play, but Wimberly had saved a run.  

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