IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Fox Helps Lift Tribe over Louisville 5-1

April 25, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


INDIANAPOLIS -- In his first start of the season, Indiana native and Cathedral High School graduate Jake Fox used two doubles to drive in three of the Tribe's five runs, while five Indianapolis pitchers combined to hold the Louisville Bats offense to a lone run in a 5-1 victory on Wednesday afternoon at Victory Field.

Despite eventually suffering the loss to fall to 0-3 on the season, major league veteran Brett Tomko (6.0 IP, 4 H< 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO) began the contest with four straight perfect innings. However, a lead-off walk to LF Nick Evans in the fifth inning led to an Indians rally and an eventual loss for the long-time big leaguer.

After Evans broke up the perfect game bid with his base-on-balls to leadoff the fifth, CF Brandon Boggs ended the no-hit attempt one batter later with a one-out single to left. Fox then followed with his first career hit for the Indians, a double to deep left field that plated both Evans and Boggs and gave Indianapolis a 2-0 advantage.

Louisville fell victim to another lead-off walk in the top of the seventh, when Boggs led off the frame with a base-on-balls off of reliever Scott Carroll, who took over for Tomko to begin the frame. Fox immediately made the Bats pay when he ripped his second double of the game to center field to plate Boggs and push the Tribe lead to 3-0.

Starling Marte would continue to tack onto the Tribe's lead with an RBI-double of his own later in the seventh that brought pinch-runner Gorkys Hernandez plateward. C Jose Morales then capped the Indians scoring with a two-out RBI-single that scored Marte to give the Indians a 5-0 advantage.

Fox and friends came alive at the plate late to support a fantastic combined effort from five Indians hurlers. Indianapolis pitchers Kris Johnson, Tim Wood, Daniel McCutchen, Daniel Moskos and Jose Diaz combined to hold the Bats to just one run on five hits while striking out eight.

Johnson (2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 SO), who was making his first start since May of 2011, worked out of a second-inning bases-loaded jam to complete two scoreless frames before Wood (3.0 IP, 2 H, 3 SO) worked three strong frames to pick up his first win of the season.

McCutchen (3.0 IP, 2 SO) would earn his first hold of the season with a dominating effort in which he struck out two over three perfect innings of relief. Finally, after getting two quick outs to begin the ninth LHP Daniel Moskos (0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB) would surrender the lone Bats run on an RBI-double from 3B Mike Constanzo before closer Jose Diaz (0.1 IP) came on to shut the door for his second one-out save in as many days.

After an off day Thursday, the Indians will hit the road for an eight-game road trip, beginning with a four-game series in Durham that kicks off with a 7:05 p.m. contest on Friday, April 27. The Indians are expected to send LHP Jo-Jo Reyes to the mound, while the Bulls are scheduled to start LHP Alex Torres.

The contest will be carried on WNDE 1260 AM, WNDE.com and via iheartradio, a mobile application for iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones, with Howard Kellman and Will Flemming on the call. The pre-game show begins at 6:45 p.m.

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Post-game quotes -- 1B Jake Fox

(On Louisville starter Brett Tomko being perfect through four innings) "Well, I tell you what, he had his stuff working today. He was hitting his spots and he looked good. He kept us off-balance, working in and out, and you go up there and you just key in on one pitch and try to put a good swing on it. After that first at bat, I went out there looking for a pitch out over the plate that I could put in the air and he gave me one."

(On coming off the disabled list) "It feels good. We've had a lot of guys working down there in the clubhouse trying to get me back on the field. [Indians trainer] Bryan Housand has been putting a lot of time in and really been working hard to get me back out here, so it felt good to come out and play today, to be on the field, and it felt good for those guys, too, because I know they've been working their butts off and it just was a good day for everybody."

(On playing in front of his parents in his first start with the Indianapolis Indians) "They were able to get their lunch breaks off and come out here. They wanted to see me play. I told them I was going to be in the lineup and they wanted to come out and see my first game so it was nice to see them up there and, like I said, it was just a good day to be out on the field and it felt good to be out there again."

(On tomorrow's off day before the trip to Durham) "Well, I've had quite a few off days up to this point, so I'm ready to get playing, but at the same time I think everyone could use the off day to let their bodies heal up a little bit from the long run here in the first stint of the year and it's gonna be good. We're going to come back, we're going to be ready to play, and I think these two have really shown what we're capable of doing and we're ready to get after it."

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