| 05 July 2011
Corey Wimberly congratulates John Bowker on his 2-run homer in the 4th inning.
Indianapolis Indians 10, Toledo Mud Hens 4
[ box ] 
It was a good night for hitting, at least for the Indians, tonight at Victory Field. The Tribe posted 13 hits, 10 more than they allowed the Mud Hens, as they easily defeated Toledo to even up this 5-game series at 2 games each. The Indians had scored only one run in each of their last two games, but tonight, all but one member of the Indians' line-up scored at least one run, and all but two had at least one hit. SS Jordy Mercer (photo), who did not have a hit, scored one run. CF Anthony Norman, who had neither a hit nor a run scored, drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. 2B Corey Wimberly and DH Dusty Brown each smacked 3 hits, while LF John Bowker and C Kris Watts had 2 hits each.
The Tribe scored in each of the first 5 innings:
In the 1st -- Wimberly led off with a double down the left field line, which landed about a foot inside the foul line and continued down to the left field corner. Toledo LF Timo Perez had to fight the sun a bit, and had a little trouble tracking it down, so Wimberly made it into second base easily. Mercer was hit in the back as he ducked away from the first pitch from Toledo starter LJ Gagnier. A ground out to first by Bowker pushed Wimberly to third and Mercer to second. Then rehabbing Pedro Alvarez, who played third base today, snuck a single between the Mud Hens' first- and second-basemen and into right field, scoring both Wimberly and Mercer for a 2-0 lead. Two fly outs ended the inning.
In the 2nd -- RF Miles Durham led off with a blast into the right-center field gap, past the diving Toledo CF (and former Indy Indian) Jeff Salazar. Once the ball got past Salazar's desperate reach, it bounced to the wall, and Durham had all the time in the world to motor around and into third base standing. Brown ran the count full, fouled off five more pitches, then doubled down the left field line to almost the same spot as Wimberly hit in the 1st inning. That brought in Durham to boost the lead to 3-0. Norman bounced back to the mound, where Gagnier whirled and caught Brown in between second and third bases. Brown dodged back and forth long enough so that Norman could reach second base before he was tagged out. Norman reached as far as third on Wimberly's ground out, but a strikeout ended the inning.
In the 3rd -- With one out, Alvarez worked a walk, as ball four bounced about two feet in front of the plate. 1B Matt Hague hit the Indians' third double down the left field line, just barely fair, which ducked under the bullpen bench so that Time Perez had to dig it out. Alvarez was running "carefully" on his pretty-much-healed-up quad (photo), but manager Dean Treanor did not want to take any chances, so he held Alvarez at third. Watts followed with a single lined into center field, picking up his first two AAA level RBI, as both Alvarez and Hague scored. Durham hit a sharp bouncer toward third base, which bounced off former Indy Indian 3B Argenis Diaz's glove and into left field. It was a 2-base error, putting Durham on second base and moving Watts to third. Brown's long fly ball into right field became a sacrifice fly, bringing in Watts from third, as the throw in from Hens' RF Ben Guez was way wide of the plate. Indians up, 6-0.
In the 4th -- Wimberly led off with a grounder up the middle for a single. Bowker brought him in with his 2-run homer, which left the playing field at the corner between the last seating area and the grass berm in right field, over the top of the fence by just a few feet. That gave the Tribe 8 runs.
In the 5th -- Watts began the inning with a single lined over 1B Ryan Strieby's head and into right field. Brown's double just inside third base and into left field put Watts on third base. Norman's sacrifice fly brought in Watts. Wimberly lined a flare into left field, plating Brown, who had tagged up and moved to third on the sacrifice fly. Ten runs for the Indians, and an early shower for Toledo starter Gagnier.
Tribe starter Garrett Olson (photo) earned his third win of the season, aided by all the run support. Olson zipped through the first three innings, allowing only one hit, to Guez to lead off the 3rd inning. Guez advanced to second base when Olson hit C Max St. Pierre on the foot with a pitch, but a pop out and a ground out ended the inning.
Rehabbing Toledo 2B Carlos Guillen began the 4th inning with a solo home run that barely cleared the fence over the scoreboard in left field. Olson walked Timo Perez after the homer, but retired the next three batters in order. He also walked the first two batters in the top of the 5th, DH Cale Iorg and St. Pierre. Iorg tagged up and advanced to third base on Salazar's fly out, then scored on Diaz's sacrifice fly, to give the Mud Hens their second run. Olson finished his outing by retiring the side in order in the 6th. He threw 95 pitches (52 strikes) and allowed those 2 runs on just 2 hits, with 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.
(Photo: Pedro Alvarez played the full game at third base tonight)
Mike Crotta pitched the 7th inning for the Indians, retiring the side in order. Jose Ascanio threw a scoreless 8th. He walked Salazar, but got Diaz to bounce into a 4-6-3 (Wimberly to Mercer to Hague) double play.
Once Toledo starter Gagnier sat down, with the Tribe up 10-2, the Indians did not have as much success with the Mud Hens' bullpen. Reliever Enrique Gonzalez finished the 5th inning with a fly out, then came back to pitch the next two innings. Bowker walked to begin the 6th, but was forced out at second base when Hague bounced to third. 3B Diaz made a diving stop, then threw to second for the force. 2B Guillen made the relay to first, hoping for a double play, but his throw was not in time. Hague was left on base when Watts popped out. Brown ripped his third hit of the night down the right field line, just inside the first base bag, in the 7th, but he was also forced out at second when Norman grounded to short. Guillen had trouble handling the ball after making the out at second, so there was no throw to first and Norman was safe. But he too was left on base when Wimberly grounded out to first.
The Tribe put a runner on third base in the 8th, but did not score again. Reliever Matt Hoffman gave up a one-out single to Bowker, then walked Alvarez. Hague's chopper glanced off Hoffman's glove and over to 2B Will Rhymes, who had taken over for Guillen. Rhymes forced out Alvarez at second, but the relay to first was again not in time. Bowker moved to third on the play, giving the Indians runners on the corners, but a pop out ended the inning.
(Photo: Tim Durham battles the sun but makes the catch)
Tim Wood came on to pitch the top of the 9th for the Tribe. He had not pitched in several days, and it showed. Wood walked Timo Perez. He got Strieby to ground to third base, where Alvarez seemed to be undecided about where he should throw the ball. He looked at second base, then looked to first, then looked back to second, and finally decided to throw to second, for the force out on Perez. Wood walked SS Danny Worth, then gave up a double to the deepest reaches of the stadium, in the left-center gap at the 418' mark. Strieby scored on the double, then Worth scored from third on Iorg's sacrifice fly to the right field corner. The game ended when Wood struck out St. Pierre.
Indians' Hitting Gems of the Game: Three hits each for Corey Wimberly and Dusty Brown, who was in his first game since returning to the Indians. Wimberly had a double and two singles, with an RBI. Brown had a single and two doubles, with two RBI. Watts and Bowker each had two hits and two RBI. Watts' RBI came on a single and Bowker's came on a homer.
Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: In the top of the 7th, Ben Guez led off with a fly ball that drifted more and more foul, down the right field line. 2B Corey Wimberly and 1B Matt Hague gave chase, then Wimberly said he saw RF Miles Durham "come out of nowhere" and race in front of the other two. As Durham approached the wall in foul territory, in the visitor's bullpen, he went into a slide. Durham caught the ball, then in a cloud of dust, slid into the wall in front of the stands. As the dust drifted into the stands, Durham held up his glove, with the ball in it, and the umpire signalled the out.
Kris Watts.......... former Indian Jeff Salazar 
From yesterday, Jared Hughes....................former Indian Argenis Diaz
Miguel Perez.................. Donnie Veal
Mike Crotta.............. the infielders - Jordy Mercer, Corey Wimberly, Matt Hague
NOTES: 
Brian Friday, who injured his knee at a collision at the plate yesterday, had the knee examined after the game yesterday, then had an MRI today. Both were ok. Toledo's C Omir Santos, who was the other half of the collision, was placed on the DL today.
Pedro Alvarez has been working on his timing at the plate during batting practice. He had 2 hits yesterday and went 1-for-3 today with two walks.
Reliever Cesar Valdez (photo) was traded by the Pirates to the Marlins today, for a player to be named later or cash. Valdez pitched 42 innings for the Tribe this season, with a 1-1 record and 5 Saves. He allowed 20 runs (18 earned) on 36 hits for a 3.86 ERA with 17 walks and 36 strike outs.
Garrett Olson was moved back from the Bradenton Marauders' roster (which was a paper move) onto the Indians roster, in time for today's start.
Go Tribe!
(photos by Nancy)
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