Naptown Buzz for March 4, 2016.
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Indianapolis Indians Baseball News - MiLB AAA Minor Leagues
Indianapolis Indians Win 6-1, Now 2-0 in Best-of-Five Series
Vance Worley went eight innings to keep the Tribe’s rotation perfect through the first two games of the postseason, and the outfield combined for four runs and several impressive defensive plays in Indianapolis’ 6-1 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Thursday night at Victory Field.
The Indians are 2-0 in their best of five series with the RailRiders. The club is just one victory shy of advancing to the Governors’ Cup championship as the series shifts to PNC Field in Moosic, Pennsylvania.
Worley allowed just seven baserunners and an unearned run in his victory. He followed a seven-inning outing from Game 1 starter, Wilfredo Boscan, and the starting rotation has now held Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to no earned runs over 15 innings through the first two games of the series.
Keon Broxton, Gorkys Hernandez and Willy Garcia combined to track down several well-hit fly balls in the outfield, and Garcia recorded an outfield assist when he cut down a runner stuck between first and second base.
The trio also finished with four runs scored, four base hits and two RBIs.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians Have 1st Home Playoff Win in 15 Years
The Indianapolis Indians batted around the order in the first inning, turned five double plays and won their first home playoff game in 15 years, defeating the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 7-3, in game one Wednesday night at Victory Field.
The last time the Indians won at home during the postseason was the title-clinching game of the 2000 Governors’ Cup finals against this same Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise (Red Barons).
Seven of 10 Indians batters reached safely in the opening frame with five hits and two walks. Willy Garcia singled home Alen Hanson, and Keon Broxton and Tony Sanchez each followed with a walk to load the bases with two outs.
Dan Gamache then ripped a three-run double to left field to pad the Indians’ lead, 5-0. Gamache also plated Mel Rojas Jr. on a sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to tie his career high of four RBIs tonight.
Tribe starter Wilredo Boscan won his seventh straight decision with a lone unearned run in seven strong innings. The right-hander is unbeaten over 13 straight appearances and 12 straight starts, dating back to the regular season.
Broxton made a highlight-reel catch in left field to save two runs and Josh Wall stranded a pair of RailRiders in his save to help seal the win.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
Indy Indians fall 4-2 to Clippers
The Columbus Clippers downed the Indianapolis Indians in the first inning for the second straight game, following up from last night’s seven-run opening frame with three runs tonight and a 4-2 win Wednesday at Victory Field.
The Clippers and Tribe are now tied for both the best record in the International League and first-place ranking in the IL West division.
Columbus sent eight batters to the plate in tonight’s opening inning, with five hitting safely and Zach Walters, Adam Moore and James Ramsey each plating a run.
Starter Chris Volstad then settled in and shouldered the load for a taxed Indianapolis pitching staff.
With the bullpen already logging 18 innings since Sunday, Volstad worked into the eighth frame on 123 pitches and just one additional run. The right-hander struck out five in the loss and moved into third in the league with 148 2/3 innings pitched on the season.
The Tribe rallied in the ninth to pull within 4-2 and move the potential tying run into scoring position, but its comeback stalled on a bases-loaded strikeout.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
Indians Top Columbus in 12, Earn 80th Win
Locked in a thrilling 3-3 tie in the top of the 12th inning, Willy Garcia delivered the game-winning hit for a second straight night, this time on a two-run single that helped the Indianapolis Indians (80-57) outlast the Columbus Clippers (78-59), 6-3, Monday night at Huntington Park.
It was the first of a four-game, home-and-home series between the top two teams in the International League West Division. The Indians’ division lead is now 2.0 games thanks to Monday night’s victory.
Garcia, who drove home 5 runs in Sunday’s 6-5 win at Toledo, ripped the biggest hit of tonight up the middle to score Alen Hanson and Gustavo Nunez. Tony Sanchez followed to drive home Keon Broxton for added insurance.
Vance Worley started the game for the Tribe and worked eight strong innings. He allowed just two runs on eight hits in the no-decision.
The Tribe and Clippers play their final game in Columbus tomorrow night before swinging back to Victory Field Wednesday.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
Indians Give Up 15 Hits, Fall 10-5
Greg Bird doubled, homered and drove in three runs to help lead the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders to a 10-5 win over the Indianapolis Indians Wednesday afternoon at Victory Field.
Eight of nine RailRiders batters hit safely and six turned in multi-hit games. The lineup chased Tribe starter Adrian Sampson (8-8) with two outs in the sixth, tagging the right-hander for six runs and his sixth home loss of the season.
Gustavo Nunez collected a game high-tying three hits for the Indians and both Steve Lombardozzi and Willy Garcia went 2-for-5.
Alen Hanson stole his 26th base to eclipse last season’s total in just the 98th game of this year.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians Win 3-2, Improve to 57-40
Willy Garcia opened the ninth with a shot off the outfield wall that was ruled to have stayed in the park as a triple, and Steve Lombardozzi singled him home with a walkoff single to lead the Indianapolis Indians to a 3-2, come-from-behind win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tuesday at Victory Field.
Garcia snapped an 0-for-37 stretch in his home ballpark and nearly cleared the fences with his first career hit at Victory Field. Scranton then brought in an additional, fifth infielder, but Lombardozzi lined a single past a diving first baseman for the game-winning hit.
Alen Hanson scored the tying run in the eighth after singling, taking second when his ball was misplayed in left field and scoring on Keon Broxton’s first hit in four at-bats on the night.
Starter Chris Volstad tossed seven innings of two-run ball but did not factor into the decision.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
AJ Morris Leads Tribe to 5-0 Shutout
AJ Morris tossed six scoreless innings in a spot start, Keon Broxton capped a three-run third inning with a double off the right field wall and the Indianapolis Indians (56-40) shut out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (51-46), 5-0, Monday night at Victory Field.
Morris (4-1) made his In first start since Aug. 31, 2014, cruising on 71 pitches with four hits and just one walk. He struck out three in the win and has now gone 18 innings with one run and 12 strikeouts over his last six appearances.
Jeff Inman pitched the seventh and eighth and Bobby LaFromboise tossed the ninth to complete the shutout.
Jose Tabata, Elias Diaz and Pedro Florimon each had two hits in the win. Gift Ngoepe added a single and two runs scored.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
Indianapolis Indians Give up 2 in the 9th, Fall 3-2
Pedro Florimon delivered the go-ahead run in both the eighth and 10th innings, but Mike Hessman homered to send the game to extras and Tyler Collins hit a walkoff double to help the Toledo Mud Hens salvage the series finale against the Indianapolis Indians, 3-2, at Fifth Third Field.
Florimon originally broke a scoreless tie when he crossed home on a wild pitch with two outs in the eighth.
After Hessman sent the game to extras with a solo homer in the ninth, Florimon tripled home Alen Hanson to give the Tribe a 2-1 lead one inning later.
Tribe starter Radhames Liz took a no-decision with six strikeouts in six scoreless innings. He now ranks second in the International League in strikeouts (38) and fourth in ERA (1.44) since his debut.
Toledo’s Mike Belfiore took a shutout into the eighth inning.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians
Clippers Sweep Indians, Tribe Heads Into All-Star Break 52-39
The Indianapolis Indians’ (52-39) pitching staff pieced together four solid innings in place of scratched starter Wilfredo Boscan, but the Columbus Clippers (50-41) erupted for eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to down the Tribe, 10-3, on Sunday afternoon at Huntington Park.
Despite the three-game sweep, the Indians still hit the All-Star break boasting a 2.0-game lead over Columbus in the International League West division.
Tribe right-hander Brad Lincoln filled in with his first start of the season, allowing just one run in three innings of work. He was spotted an early 3-1 lead when Willy Garcia singled home two runs in the top of the first inning and Brent Morel continued his torrid stretch with an RBI double in the third.
Morel now caps the first half of the season with a 17-game on-base streak, hits in 16 of those 17 games and a .359 average (21-for-63) since June 23.
SOURCE: Indianapolis Indians