IL Indianapolis Indians

8.27.23 Game Information: Iowa Cubs (70-52, 27-22) vs. Indianapolis Indians (58-65, 25-24)

Published on August 27, 2023 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Victory Field

FIRST PITCH: 1:35 PM ET

GAME #124 / HOME #62: Iowa Cubs (70-52, 27-22) vs. Indianapolis Indians (58-65, 25-24)

PROBABLES: RHP Shane Greene (1-0, 2.84) vs. RHP Jared Jones (2-3, 5.91)

RADIO: FoxSportsIndy.com / Fox Sports 1260 / iHeart app

TV: Bally Live app / MiLB TV

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Nick Gonzales launched his eighth home run of the campaign and Aaron Shackelford scored on a little-league round-tripper off the wall as the Indianapolis Indians fell short of defeating the Iowa Cubs on Saturday night at Victory Field, 4-3. Indianapolis erased an early 2-0 deficit, with Gonzales' third-inning solo homer bringing the Indians within one. In the fifth, Shackelford cranked a triple off the top of the right-field wall and came into score on a throwing error by Cubs top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong. Miguel Andújar began the sixth with a leadoff double and later came around to score on a two-out single by Ryan Vilade but the lead was short lived. In the top of the seventh, an RBI triple by Chase Strumpf and subsequent single by Crow-Armstrong against John O'Reilly gave the I-Cubs the lead they needed for the win.

GONE GOES GONZO: Nick Gonzales clubbed his eighth home run of the season on Saturday night. Since being optioned by Pittsburgh on Aug. 3, he is hitting .295 (18-for-61) with four doubles, two home runs, six RBI, 11 walks and .427 on-base percentage. Pittsburgh selected his contract on June 23, when he made his major league debut at Miami. Gonzales played 31 games with the Pirates, hitting .216 (22-for-102) with six doubles, a triple, two home runs and 13 RBI. The 24-year-old has played 74 games with Indianapolis, with a .265 (74-for-279) average, 31 extra-base hits and a .835 OPS. Despite not having a triple since June 22, vs. Columbus, Gonzales leads the team with five triples and ranks tied for seventh in the International League.

VILADE HEATS UP: Ryan Vilade continued his hot streak with another multi-hit night on Saturday. He now has multi-hit games in four of his last seven games since Aug. 19. The outfielder is hitting .417 (10-for-24) with six RBI, four walks, a stolen base and .500 on-base percentage. As a mainstay in the Indians offense, he leads the team in games played (101) and walks (59). His 59 walks this season is a career best, surpassing his 56 walks with High-A Lancaster in 128 games in 2019.

FLASHING LEATHER: The Indians defense has the best fielding percentage in all of minor league baseball since June 1. In 71 games, Indy owns a .989 fielding percentage, committing just 27 errors in 2491 total chances, 1853 putouts, 611 assists and 63 double plays. Indy has committed just six errors this month and have played flawless defense this week. Indy committed the second-most errors in the month of April (27), before bouncing back and having the second-fewest errors since May 1.

RO SHOW: Roansy Contreras had another solid outing on Saturday night, fanning six over 5.0 two-run innings. His six strikeouts were his most since punching out six vs. St. Louis on June 2. Since he was assigned to Indianapolis on Aug. 8, he has a 2.81 ERA (5er/16.0ip) with 10 hits allowed, six walks and 15 strikeouts. At the Triple-A level, the 23-year-old is 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA (18er/54.0ip) in 14 outings. Contreras began his 2023 season on Pittsburgh's Opening Day roster. The righty made 19 appearances (11 starts) and is 3-7 with a 6.59 ERA (50er/68.1ip).

NICOLAS LOCKS IN: Kyle Nicolas continued his dominance out of the bullpen with 1.1 innings of no-hit relief, recording three of his four outs via strikeout. Nicolas' transition to the bullpen has suited him well, he is 1-0 with a 2.19 ERA (3er/12.1ip) with five hits allowed, five walks, 16 strikeouts and 0.81 WHIP in seven relief appearances this month. Opponents are hitting .122 (5-for-41) against him during this span.

THREE BAGS: Indy's offense has clubbed a triple in back-to-back nights, extending their league-lead in triples to 36. Aaron Shackelford belted a ball deep into the right-center field gap, coasting to third base with ease before a throwing error by Cubs top prospect Pete Crow Armstrong was launched into the dugout, scoring Shackelford. Catcher Grant Koch walloped his first three-bagger of the season on Friday, before scoring the game-winning run later. Koch's triple was just the second of his career and his first since Aug. 8, 2018 with Short-Season A West Virginia. Indy's backstop became the 23rd different hitter to club a triple this season. Indy is on pace to lead the International League in triples for the second consecutive season, with its 44 triples pacing the league in 2022 - which ranked sixth in all of professional baseball.

TODAY: The Indians will look to clinch a series win as they conclude their six-game set with the I-Cubs on Sunday at 1:35 PM ET at Victory Field. Iowa snapped Indy's three-game winning streak with Saturday night's win. Iowa has gotten the best of the season series so far, winners in 14 of 23 games against Indianapolis. Today, in a rematch of Tuesday night, RHP Jared Jones (2-3, 2.45) will take the hill for Indianapolis against Iowa's RHP Shane Greene (1-0, 2.84). Greene tossed 5.0 shutout innings in the win on Tuesday. The 34-year-old has made four career starts against Indy, he is 2-0 with a 0.94 ERA (2er/19.2ip).

MR. JONES: Jared Jones will take the hill in his 12th outing (11th start) and second against Iowa this week. Jones will look to bounce back from Tuesday night's loss. Since his promotion to Indianapolis from Double-A Altoona on June 20, he ranks second in the International League in strikeouts (68), behind only Nashville's Robert Gasser (69). Today marks his third time facing the I-Cubs, he's surrendered eight runs in nine innings. Jones is currently rated the No. 4 prospect in Pittsburgh's organization and No. 74 overall MiLB prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

THIS DATE IN 1998: In a 7-0 win at Richmond, third baseman Paul Konerko was a triple shy of the cycle as he went 4-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored. The game sparked an 11-game hitting streak for Konerko and was the first of four straight multi-hit contests for the future White Sox slugger.

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International League Stories from August 27, 2023


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