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Rain Suspends Indians And Chiefs

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Butler University's Blue II chases down the first pitch.











Indianapolis Indians 2,  Syracuse Chiefs  2   (suspended)
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A storm moving through Central Indiana tonight forced the suspension of the Indians/Chiefs game at Victory Field, with the score tied at 2-2 in the 7th inning.  The game began under sunny skies with a game-time temperature of 92 degrees (though my car thermometer was reading 100 degrees at about 4 pm).  But in the 4th inning, the wind suddenly changed from blowing out to right-center field to blowing straight in from left field (from the north).  Dark clouds hovered over downtown Indianapolis, and lightning was visible in the distance to the north. The skies got darker and darker, and the wind blew more and more, until the rain began in the 6th inning.  It was just a light rain at first, but by the top of the 7th, large drops were falling and coming down heavily, and the game was suspended, to be finished on Sunday afternoon.

IMG_5965Sean Gallagher (photo, making a throw to first base) made the start for the Indians, and had a shaky 1st inning.  Chiefs' LF Gregor Blanco led off with a soft liner into left field for a single, and he advanced to second base when Gallagher balked on a throw to first base.  CF Corey Brown worked the count full then walked.  1B Chris Marrero lined another single into left field, allowing Blanco to score from second base, giving Syracuse a 1-0 lead.  Gallagher retired the next three batters in order, with two strikeouts, leaving two Syracuse runners on base.  

Gallagher went on to retire the side in the 2nd inning.  He gave up a one-out single through the right side of the infield to Brown in the 3rd.  A grounder by Marrero looked like it could be an inning-ending double play, and 2B Brian Friday flipped to SS Chase d'Arnaud for the force out on Brown, but d'Arnaud's throw on to first bounced in the dirt and got past 1B Matt Hague.  C Eric Fryer was right where he was supposed to be, backing up first base, so the ball did not get far enough away for Marrero to advance past first base.  Gallagher struck out 2B Tug Hulett for the second time to end the inning.  




Two Bombs By Presley Lead Tribe Explosion

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Alex Presley is congratulated after one of his two home runs.  











Indianapolis Indians  13, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees  2
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The Indianapolis Indians exploded for 13 runs on 15 hits to defeat the Yankees at Victory Field tonight, earning a split of both the 4-game series and the 8-game season series with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.  LF Alex Presley blasted a pair of 3-run home runs to lead the offense, as each member of the line-up collected at least one hit, and all but one scored at least one run.  

IMG_5929Both starting pitchers began their evening with struggles in the first inning.  For Tribe starter Justin Wilson (photo), the game started with a triple off the bat of Yankees' 2B Kevin Russo.  Russo's lined into right field, where RF Miles Durham raced in and made a feet-first slide, but missed the ball.  By the time, Durham got up and chased the ball down, Russo was gliding into third base.  SS Ramiro Pena dropped down a safety squeeze bunt, with Wilson scrambling off the mound to make the scoop and throw right back to C Eric Fryer as Russo came from third.  Fryer blocked the plate, but he dropped the ball, and Russo was safe.  It was first ruled a sacrifice bunt and a fielders' choice -- but then the ruling was changed to a missed catch error on Fryer, with no RBI for Pena.  

With a runner still on first base, Wilson got C Jesus Montero to fly out and struck out 3B Jorge Vazquez.  A wild pitch moved Pena to second base, then he scored on 1B Brandon Laird's single, lined over SS Chase d'Arnaud's head and into left field.  Both runs were unearned, but the Yankees had a 2-0 lead.  

But Yankees' starter Andrew Brackman was having his own troubles.  His pitches were going everywhere, with no apparent control on his part.  He walked lead-off batter d'Arnaud, with d'Arnaud ducking out of the way as one pitch came in a little too close to his head, and ball four going crazy wild all the way to the backstop.  Another crazy wild pitch to 2B Brian Friday let d'Arnaud advance to second base.  Brackman settled down enough to get Friday to fly out, then retired Presley on a high bouncer back to the mound, and struck out 1B John Bowker.  When Brackman came out for the second inning, his command was even worse -- reminiscent of the "Wild Thing" character in the movie "Major League".  Brackman walked both 3B Andy Marte and DH Matt Hague, with pitches going everywhere.  After three more balls for a 3-1 count on Fryer, Brackman threw another wild one that hit Fryer on his helmet, then bounced off the helmet and into the stands behind the visitors' dugout.  That was the last pitch for Brackman, who was quickly yanked.

IMG_5930Reliever Ryan Pope came on for the Yankees, with the bases full and no outs.  RF Miles Durham cleared the bases on Pope's first pitch, with a ringing double to the base of the wall in right-center field, and the Indians took a 3-2 lead as Marte, Hague, and Fryer all scored (photo).  Pope also gave up a single to CF Gorkys Hernandez and walked Friday before ending the inning on two fly outs.  

Wilson was able to relax after that first inning.  He gave up a two-out single to CF Austin Krum in the 2nd inning, but struck out Russo to end the inning.  He loaded the bases in the 3rd inning with singles by Montero and RF Jordan Parraz and a walk to Vazquez.  But with two outs and the bases loaded, Wilson reached deep, and fired two pitches at 92-93 mph to strike out LF Dan Brewer and end the inning.  Wilson went on to pitch 3 more innings, without allowing another hit.  He walked two batters in the 5th, but erased one base runner with an around-the-horn double play (Marte to Friday to Bowker, 5-4-3).  Alex Presley made the final out of the inning with a spectacular leaping catch of Laird's fly ball to deep left field, snatching the ball at the top of the left field scoreboard.  

Ford, Bowker, and Watson Lead Come-From-Behind Win

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Shelby Ford gets the force out at second base, as Brian Friday backs him up.








Indianapolis Indians  8,  Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees  5
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The Indianapolis Indians engineered another come-from-behind win tonight, to defeat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees at Victory Field.  2B Shelby Ford (photo), who last played for the Indians in 2009, celebrated his return to AAA with 3 hits and started two big Tribe rallies.  LF John Bowker also contributed 3 hits and 3 RBI.  Reliever Tony Watson celebrated his 26th birthday with two scoreless innings of work, including 5 strikeouts.  

When starters Sean Gallager and Adam Warren squared off last week, Warren dominated the Indians and held the Tribe batters to just 3 hits in 8 innings.  Today, Gallagher and the Tribe turned the tables on Warren.

The Yankees began the game by taking advantage of an error in the top of the 1st.  With one out, Gallagher walked SS Ramiro Pena, then gave up a single up the middle to DH Jesus Montero.  1B Jorge Vazquez tapped a fast bouncer back to the mound, which Gallagher easily fielded.  He whirled and fired to Ford covering second base (photo above), for the force out on Montero.  Ford's relay on to first base, though, was airmailed and landed in the visitor's dugout.  Vazquez was awarded second base, and Pena, who had reached third base, was sent on home, for the Yankees' first run of the game.  The run would have been unearned, but while pitching to CF Justin Maxwell, Gallagher threw a wild pitch.  If the throwing error had not been made, Pena would have been on third base, and would have scored on the wild pitch, which changed to run from "unearned" to "earned".  Maxwell popped out to Ford to end the inning.  

PawSox Pitching Shuts Down Tribe

Pawtucket Red Sox  9,  Indianapolis Indians  2
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IMG_5140The Pawtucket Red Sox had enough of losing to the Indians, and enough of losing at home.  They had lost 8 of their last 9 home games, including the last 3 games to the Tribe.  So maybe it isn't so surprising that their frustration erupted into a 12-hit game, as they scored in all but two of their at-bats to beat the Indians 9-2 at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.  

The Indians started the game on the right foot.  With two outs in the top of the 1st and rehabbing Bobby Jenks on the mound for Pawtucket, LF Alex Presley worked a walk, then stole second base.  He came around to score from second on a single up the middle by 3B Andy Marte (photo), who also stole second base.   That gave the Tribe a 1-0 lead.... and that was all the scoring they would do until the 9th inning.  

Brad Lincoln had the start for the Indians.  He began the bottom of the 1st by giving up a single to CF Che-Hsuan Lin, and he too stole second base.   A ground out moved Lin to third and 3B Hector Luna plated Lin with a line drive single into center field, tying the score at 1-1.  As seemed to be the trend, Luna stole second base too.

Unfortunately, the PawSox had their hitting shoes on.  They took the lead in the bottom of the 2nd, after Lincoln struck out the first two batters.  SS Brent Dlugach was hit by a pitch, and RF Ronald Bermudez doubled into right field.  Dlugach raced around from first base to score ahead of the errant relay throw from the cut-off man 2B Josh Harrison.  That gave the PawSox a 2-1 lead.  Lincoln gave up a single in the 3rd, but did not allow a run to score in that inning.  A double by 2B Tony Thomas and an RBI single by Bermudez added a run in the 4th.  Lincoln was attacked again in the 5th, with a double by Lin, an RBI single by LF Daniel Nava, bringing in Lin.  A fielding error by CF Gorkys Hernandez moved Nava to second, and he tagged up and advanced to third on a fly out.  Nava scored on a wild pitch by Lincoln, increasing the PawSox lead to 5-1.

Marte Slams The Tribe To A Win

Indianapolis Indians  6,  Pawtucket Red Sox  3
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3B Andy Marte (photo) IMG_5597blasted a grand slam in the top of the 9th to boost the Indians to a win over the Pawtucket Red Sox at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.   

Brian Burres made the start for the Indians, though he did not figure into the decision tonight.  After retiring the PawSox in order in the 1st inning, Burres gave up a double to LF Daniel Nava with one out in the 2nd.  A walk to C Luis Expositio followed.  1B Matt Hague dropped a foul pop that should have been an out, giving 2B Brent Dlugach a second chance.  Dlugach took advantage of the opportunity, ripping a double on a line into left field, driving in Nava.  Exposito advanced to third base.  SS Jose Iglasias lined a single up the middle, and Exposito also scored.  Dlugach rounded third and headed for the plate, but was tagged out at the plate  when CF Gorkys Hernandez's throw to C Dusty Brown was on target and on time.  

Boston Red Sox' Bobby Jenks, with Pawtucket on a rehab assignment, pitched the first inning for the PawSox.  He threw 14 pitches (8 strikes) for a scoreless inning, though LF Alex Presley singled off Jenks, with a liner into center field.  

When Jenks finished his inning, he was relieved by the regularly scheduled starter, Matt Fox.  The first two Indians who faced Fox reached base -- Hague singled into left field, and Marte worked a walk.  Fox got out of the jam by striking out DH Jason Jaramillo, getting Brown to fly out, then doubling Hague off second base. 

Tribe Bullpen Quiets Yankees

Indianapolis Indians  5,  Scranton /Wilkes-Barre Yankees  3
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IMG_5741The Indians' bullpen shut down the Yankees' bats in the second half of the game, as the Tribe took the first game of this 4-game series at PNC Field in Moosic, PA.  Starter Brian Burres earned his second win of the season, while RF John Bowker and C Jason Jaramillo contributed 2 RBI each.  

The Indians got right down to business in the top of the 1st, opening the game with back-to-back line drive singles into left field by SS Chase d'Arnaud and 2B Josh Harrison.  After a strikeout by LF Alex Presley, Bowker loaded the bases with a line drive single to right field.  1B Matt Hague (photo) made it four line drive singles (to left again), and his single drove in both d'Arnaud and Harrison to give the Indians a 2-0 lead.

The Yankees came right back with two runs off Tribe starter Brian Burres in the bottom of the 1st.  Burres got a ground out, then gave up a single to SS Romiro Pena, followed by a 2-run homer to C Jesus Montero.  LF Justin Maxwell struck out, then 1B Brandon Laird singled, and Burres walked 2B Kevin Russo.  A grounder to short by RF Dan Brewer forced Russo out at second base, to get Burres and the Indians out of the inning, with the score tied 2-2.
 
Burres settled in after that first inning.  Relying on his breaking ball and changeup, Burres retired the next 8 S/W-B batters in a row, before allowing a single in the 4th inning.  Brewer lifted a fly ball into right field, and advanced to second base on a fielding error by Bowker in right.  The error was made meaningless with a fly out to end the inning.  

Wilson, Bowker, Presley, and Brown Lead The Charge Against The Bison

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Alex Presley (7) had three hits and scored three times for the Indians tonight.  












Indianapolis Indians  10,  Buffalo Bison  1
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The Indianapolis Indians posted 16 hits and 10 runs as they stampeded the Buffalo Bison at Victory Field tonight.  Each position player in the Indians' lineup had at least one hit, and three players had 3 hits each:  CF Alex Presley, LF John Bowker, and C Dusty Brown.  Bowker contributed 4 RBI, while Brown and RF Andrew Lambo had 2 RBI each.  Justin Wilson earned the win with another very strong start, and rehabbing reliever Evan Meek pitched a scoreless 8th inning.  

IMG_5138The Indians got right down to business in the bottom of the 1st inning, when five of their first six batters singled.  2B Chase d'Arnaud started with a bouncer right back to the mound. The ball hit the leaping Buffalo starter Josh Stinson's glove and ricocheted 90 degrees to the left, landing over near the third base line.  That was all the time the speedy d'Arnaud needed to reach first base safely.  D'Arnaud promptly stole second base, and after SS Pedro Ciriaco popped out, d'Arnaud moved up to third base on Presley's (photo) first hit of the night, a single lined into right field.  A wild pitch by Stinson got away from his catcher Mike Nickeas and skittered over towards the visitor's dugout, far enough away that d'Arnaud was able to score from third, while Presley advanced to second.  Presley scored on Bowker's line drive into center field.  1B Matt Hague and 3B Josh Harrison both singled, loading the bases for Lambo.  Lambo grounded sharply to short, for what should have been a double play to end the inning.  Buffalo SS Luis Hernandez made the scoop and the toss to former Indy Indian 2B Luis Figueroa, forcing out Harrison at second, but Figueroa's relay to first pulled 1B Valentino Pascucci off the bag.  Lambo was safe, so Bowker scored from third.  Then, Hague, who had been on second base, rounded third and dashed for the plate, taking advantage of the Bison infielders having to regroup after the poor throw, and also taking advantage of the fact that they were not really paying attention to him.  Hague scored easily, giving Lambo 2 RBI on his fielder's choice.  Another grounder for a force out at second base ended the inning, with the Indians ahead, 4-0.  

Meek’s Perfect Inning, Ciriaco’s Big Homer

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The throw from first bounced off the runner Ezequiel Carrera and skipped past 2B Pedro Ciriaco.













Indianapolis Indians  7,  Columbus Clippers  3

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Another rainy day, an another win for the Indians.

IMG_5558The Tribe waited out a 95 minute delay before the game even started, then hung on through a drizzly rainy game, to win their fourth game in a row -- their longest winning streak of the season.  They also handed the first-place Columbus Clippers their fourth loss in a row.  Justin Thomas earned his second win of the season, and 2B Pedro Ciriaco blasted a huge 3-run homer, while 3B Brian Friday went 3-for-4 at the plate.

Rudy Owens (photo) made the start for the Tribe, but ended up not being involved in the decision.  Owens pitched 6 innings and allowed only 2 runs, which came in the top of the 1st and involved a strange play.  Clippers' CF Ezequiel Carrera led off with a bunt single, which Owens could not get into his glove.   Owens made a pick-off throw to first as Carrera took off for second.  1B Matt Hague relayed the throw to second, but the ball bounced off the sliding Carrera and eluded 2B Ciriaco.  The ball skipped into left field, and Carrera advanced to third base, as Ciriaco was charged with a missed catch error.  RF Jerad Head tapped back to the mound.  Owens scooped up the ball, glared Carrera into staying put on third base, then threw to first for the out.  3B Lonnie Chisenhall was hit on the hip by a pitch to give the Clippers runners on the corners.  DH Chad Huffman slipped a grounder past a diving Hague, and Carrera scored from third base.  2B Jason Kipnis followed with a long fly ball to center field for a sacrifice fly, which scored Chisenhall for a 2-0 lead.  

The Indians came right back to score one run in the bottom of the 1st off Columbus starter Zach McAllister.  With one out, Ciriaco reached base when 3B Chisenhall made the scoop but dropped the ball on the transfer.  CF Alex Presley blooped a single into short left field, which fell in between two Columbus fielders.  Ciriaco rounded second base and got partway to third, then got hung up as the Columbus LF Josh Rodriguez had the ball and was about to throw it in.  Ciriaco got out of his poor base-running when he made a dash for third, and Rodriguez made a poor throw to third base, as Ciriaco slid in safely.  Presley moved up to second base on the throw to third.  LF John Bowker grounded to short, collecting an RBI as Ciriaco scored from third to cut the Clippers' lead to 2-1.

Wilson and Hague Lead Indians To Win

Indianapolis Indians  9,  Durham Bulls  6
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IMG_5423Starter Justin Wilson (photo) pitched 7 innings of one-hit, shutout ball, to earn his third win of the season for the Indians at Durham Bulls' Athletic Park in Durham, North Carolina.  Wilson did not allow a hit until the 7th inning, when former Indy Indian 2B JJ Furmaniak singled on a line drive off the glove of Tribe 2B Pedro Ciriaco.  While Wilson held the Bulls to just one hit, he put 5 Bulls on base with walks, and had to work around a fielding error by Ciriaco.

Wilson walked LF Justin Ruggiano in the 1st inning, but erased him with a double play.  He walked Furmaniak in the 2nd inning and RF Desmond Jennings in the 3rd, but left both on base.  The southpaw did retire the side in order in the 4th and 6th innings.  He walked both 1B Russ Canzler and C Robinson Chirinos in the 5th, but an unsual play helped him out -- SS Ray Olmedo grounded to short, where SS Chase d'Arnaud made the pickup and flipped the ball to 2B Ciriaco covering the bag.  But the ball hit Ciriaco's glove and bounced off, going all the way back to d'Arnaud, who still had time to step on the bag and force out Chirinos for the second out of the inning.  That left runners on the corners, but Wilson got a strikeout to end the inning.


After the game, Wilson admitted that he felt "a little shaky" in the first inning, but then settled in and "felt comfortable later as I was able to get in the strike zone more and attack guys.... My plan for the whole night was to get in the strike zone early and make them swing at my pitch, and get ground balls."  Wilson credited his catcher Dusty Brown for calling a great game, and also had props for his defense behind him.  1B Matt Hague made an unassisted double play in the 1st inning on a line drive by CF Brandon Guyer, doubling Ruggiano off the bag.  In the 3rd, Ruggiano chopped a ball down the first base line and bounced it off the edge of the first base bag.  Luckily for Wilson and the Indians, the ball ricocheted into the infield, back down along the first base line, where Hague could pick it up and make the easy tag out.  D'Arnaud made a leaping stab on a line drive by Furmaniak in the 5th inning, saving a hit.  

Indians Fall In 11th Despite Strong Start By Owens

Durham Bulls  2,  Indianapolis Indians  1
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IMG_5096The Indians and the Bulls took it into extra innings at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, but it was the Bulls who came out on top.  After taking advantage of an Indians' error, Bulls' LF Justin Ruggiano lined a bases-loaded single for the walk-off win.  

Rudy Owens (photo) made the start for the Indians, one day later than he would have been regularly scheduled, because he was serving out the end of his suspension from last week.  Owens gave up only a single over the first two innings, then found himself needing to work out of big jams in the 3rd and 4th.  With one out in the 3rd, Bulls' SS Ray Olmedo reached base when his Indians' counterpart, SS Pedro Ciriaco, dropped his grounder for an error.  CF Desmond Jennings walked, and Ruggiano beat out an infield hit on a swinging bunt down the third base line.  3B Josh Harrison was not expecting such a short hit, and by the time he charged in to get it, Ruggiano was already at first base.  RF Brandon Guyer stepped to the plate with the bases loaded, and bounced to third, where Harrison made the scoop and instead of trying for an around-the-horn double play, he fired to the plate, and C Dusty Brown made the force out on Olmedo.  Owens struck out 3B Felipe Lopez to end the inning without a run scoring.  

Owens had to work out of a jam again in the 4th.  He walked DH ChrisCarter, then C Robinson Chirinos smacked a grounder to third base, which hit Harrison on the leg and ricocheted all the way behind second base and into short right field.  By the time 2B Brian Friday could track it down, Carter had rounded second and alertly advanced to third base.  1B Leslie Anderson followed with a line drive into right field, scoring Carter from third base with the first run of the game.  There were still two runners on base and no outs.  2B Omar Luna dropped down a bunt that got too close to the mound -- Owens was able to snatch it up and throw to third base for the force out of the lead runner Chirinos.  A single into center field by Olmedo loaded the bases again, but Owens held tight.  He got a pop out (infield fly rule) and a fly out to end the inning without any more runs scoring.  Bulls 1, Indians 0.  

Owens retired the next 6 Bulls in order to finish his evening's work.  In 6 innings, Owens threw 90 pitches (55 strikes), and allowed that one run on 5 hits and 2 walks, with 3 strikeouts.  

Presley And Lincoln And The Pink Shoes Lead The Tribe To A Win

Indianapolis Indians  6,  Norfolk Tides  2
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IMG_5358The Indianapolis Indians earned a split of both the 4-game series and the 8-game season series with the Norfolk Tides, with a win today at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia.  Brad Lincoln (photo) earned his second win of the season, following a win in his last start -- his best two starts of the season.  LF Alex Presley provided the big offensive spark, with 3 hits for the second day in a row.  The Tribe posted 12 hits, all singles, with each member of the lineup getting at least one hit.  DH Andrew Lambo was the other batter with a multi-hit game, recording 2 singles and 2 RBI.  In past Mothers' Days and breast cancer awareness days, the Indians had taken advantage of the Magic Pink, using pink bats and jerseys to earn wins.  Today, with the Tides wearing the pink jerseys and wielding pink bats, the Indians had to make do with pink on their spikes, particularly Lincoln's entirely pink shoes.


The Indians missed a scoring opportunity in the top of the 1st, when the first three batters reached base safely.  SS Chase d'Arnaud walked, 2B Pedro Ciriaco lined a single just past the middle infielders and into center field, and Presley lifted his first hit of the game into center field to load the bases.  All three were left right there, though, when 1B Matt Hague and new RF John Bowker both struck out, and C Jason Jaramillo bounced out back to the mound.  3B Brian Friday also singled in the 2nd inning, but was caught stealing second base.  

IMG_5248The next time the Indians loaded the bases, they took advantage of the opportunity.  In the 3rd, the Tribe sent 8 batters to the plate, and scored 3 runs.  D'Arnaud led off with a single, and Ciriaco bunted him to second.  Presley (photo) slapped a grounder over the shoulder of Tides' 1B Rhyne Hughe's shoulder and into right field, and d'Arnaud came around from second to score the first run of the game.  A fielding error at third put Hague on first and moved Presley to second base, then Jaramillo worked a walk to load the bases with two outs.  Lambo came through on a 3-2 pitch, zipping a grounder up the middle, past the swipe of the pitcher's glove, and past the middle infielders through to the outfield.  Both Presley and Hague scored, to give the Indians a 3-0 lead.  There was a brief scare, when Jaramillo slid into second base then got up favoring his right ankle.  Manager Dean Treanor and the training staff checked him out, and Jaramillo was able to walk around a bit and remain in the game.  

Lincoln used the pink shoes to keep the Tides from scoring in the first three innings.  He gave up a lead-off single to RF Tyler Henson, then after two outs, another single to 3B Josh Bell, putting runners on the corners, but got out of the inning with a strikeout.  He also gave up a single to former Indy Indian C Michel Hernandez singled off Lincoln in the 2nd, and walked 2B Ryan Adams in the 3rd, but left them on base too.

Tides Sink Indians With Home Runs

Norfolk Tides  8,  Indianapolis Indians  2
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IMG_5275Yesterday the Indians blasted 3 home runs in their win over the Tides.  Today the Tides returned the favor, with 3 home runs off the Indians' pitchers, accounted for all but one of their 8 runs, to tie the series at 1 game each at Harbor Park in Norfolk, Virginia.  

The Indians put runners on base in both the 1st and 2nd innings.  2B Chase d'Arnaud opened the game with a line drive single into left field, but he was erased when SS Pedro Ciriaco bounced into a double play.  1B Matt Hague led off the 2nd inning with another liner into left field.  He advanced to second base on a wild pitch, and moved to third on C Jason Jaramillo's ground out, but a pair of strikeouts left Hague on third.  

3B Brian Friday (photo) began the Indians' third inning in a row with a lead-off single, this time lining into center field.  CF Gorkys Hernandez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Friday to second base.  Next up was d'Arnaud, who lifted a long fly ball to center field.  The Tides' CF Matt Angle had trouble finding the ball at first, losing it in the hazy lights.  D'Arnaud, thinking that Angle was not going to find the ball, put his head down, rounded first, and headed for second. Friday held up part way to third, in case the ball was caught.  Angle caught sight of the ball at the last second, raced in and made a desperate lunging catch.  As Friday was scrambling back to second base with a head-first dive, d'Arnaud also was diving head-first into second base.  D'Arnaud crashed into Friday's upper body, knocking him completely off the bag with a roll.  Luckily, the throw back from center field was not right to the second base bag -- and luckily, d'Arnaud did not slide in spikes-first.  Friday quickly rolled back to touch the second base bag, and was still safe at second.  About then, d'Arnaud figured out that his fly ball had been caught and he was out, and he trotted off the field.  Moments later, Friday raced around to score on Ciriaco's RBI single up the third base line.  Ciriaco stole second base (his 7th steal of the season), then LF Alex Presley reached base when his grounder slipped under the glove of Tides' 1B Brandon Snyder.  The ball shot into right field, and though C John Hester plunked himself down in front of the plate to block Ciriaco, the throw in from RF Blake Davis came in up the third base line.  Hester had to go chase after the ball, letting Ciriaco score.  The ball ended up in the dugout, for an error on Davis, and Presley was awarded third base on that error.  He was left on third, though, when Hague struck out to end the rally.