IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (13-12) vs. Gwinnett Stripers (10-16)

Published on May 5, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


The Tribe and Stripers meet tonight at Victory Field on Indy's first of three Prospects Nights this summer. A Steven Brault bobblehead giveaway, Pirates themed Indians jerseys and team autographs are all part of the promotion. Indy fell victim to a Gwinnett comeback Friday night as the Stripers earned their 10th win.

Location: Victory Field

First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET

Game #26 / Home #15: Indianapolis Indians (13-12) vs. Gwinnett Stripers (10-16)

Probables: RHP Tyler Eppler (3-1, 2.92) vs. RHP Miguel Socolovich (1-2, 6.75)

Radio/TV: Fox Sports 97.5 / AM 1260 / iHeart app / MiLB TV / Comcast 90

From the Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Gwinnett Stripers evened the series at a game apiece after scoring two in the seventh and two more runs in the eighth to record a 4-3 comeback victory over Indy. Carlos Franco hit a two-run homer to make it a 3-2 ballgame, and after a Rio Ruiz game-tying double, Sean Kazmar Jr. drove home the winning run with a sacrifice fly to left field. The Indians wasted a solid effort from right-hander Alex McRae (6.1ip, 4h, 2r/er, 1bb, 5k) in the loss. Indy scored twice with two outs in the second to go up 2-0 thanks to an RBI double by Pablo Reyes and a run-scoring single by Christopher Bostick. Kevin Kramer then belted his third home run of the season in the fifth off Andres Santiago, a 365-foot dinger to right. Dovydas Neverauskas, who hadn't allowed a hit against 22 batters this season in Triple-A entering the game, surrendered three knocks against five batters and took the loss.

WE GOT ONE: Kevin Kramer's home run in the fifth last night was Indy's 10th of the season but just its first at Victory Field in 14 home games played. In order, the Indians were the seventh team to homer at their own ballpark this season. The list of teams and dates they first homered at The Vic prior to the Indians are below:

Columbus Clippers - April 6 Indiana University - April 17 Noblesville High School - April 27

Toledo Mud Hens - April 9 Charlotte Knights - April 22 Butler University - May 1

ONE OF THE BEST: Indy's offense ranks among the International League's best in terms of overall production. The Tribe rank first in average (.270), doubles (67) and triples (12), second in slugging percentage (.415), third in fewest strikeouts (185) and tied for third in hits (219).. The pitching staff has had a roller-coaster start to the season, but much like previous years, the team ERA at home (2.98) is significantly lower than the road ERA (5.90).

CINCO DE MAYO NOTES: Indy's overall record on May 5 since 1996 is 9-11. They were rained out on Cinco de Mayo at Columbus last year and didn't have a scheduled game on the date in 2016. The Indians have dropped three straight games on the date from 2013-15, that stretch coming on the heels of a three-game winning streak from 2009-12 (DNP in 2010). Indy has matched up with the Braves' Triple-A affiliate on May 5 just one time since '96, falling 3-2 at Richmond in 2008. The largest Victory Field crowd on Cinco de Mayo was in 2001, when 10,009 fans in attendance witnessed a 3-1 loss against Rochester.

STRETCH 'EM OUT: Alex McRae's 6.1-inning start last night was the longest by a Tribe pitcher this season and his third consec-utive start of six or more innings pitched. The Indians have had just five quality starts in 25 games and only seven outings where the starting pitcher tossed six-plus innings.

TANNER AND JOHNNY: Tanner Anderson, who allowed five earned runs in his Triple-A debut, is riding a 14.0-inning scoreless streak dating back to April 8, the longest scoreless streak by a Tribe pitcher this season. He tossed another 1.2 shutout frames in last night's loss, fanning a pair of Stripers. Another late-inning reliever, Johnny Hellweg, still has a perfect 0.00 ERA on the season. He has recorded three saves in as many tries and has allowed just five hits and four walks with eight strikeouts in 10 innings pitched, good for a 0.90 WHIP and .152 (5-for-33) batting average against.

IF YOU'RE NOT FIRST, YOU'RE LAST: Through Indy's first 11 games of the season, opponents owned a 19-2 run advantage in the first inning against the Tribe. In the last 14 games, the Indians have flipped the script in the opening frame, posting a +16 run differential (20-4). On the past six-game road trip, Indy hung a crooked number in the first inning five times, scoring two, three, four (2x) and five runs.

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