IL Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (17-20) at St. Paul Saints (21-15)

Published on May 14, 2023 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: CHS Field

FIRST PITCH: 3:07 PM ET

GAME #38 / ROAD #24: Indianapolis Indians (17-20) at St. Paul Saints (21-15)

PROBABLES: LHP Caleb Smith (1-3, 8.78) vs. RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 1.80)

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

TV: Bally Live app / MiLB TV

ABOUT YESTERDAY: A quintet of Indianapolis Indians pitchers combined to hold the St. Paul Saints scoreless following a first-inning home run en route to a Saturday afternoon victory at CHS Field, 3-1. After Matt Wallner put the Saints on top with his first long ball of the series, the Indians countered quickly in their next at-bat. A single off the bat of Mark Mathias drove in Cal Mitchell from second base to knot the game at 1-1. A costly run-scoring error on a single by Ryan Vilade and subsequent sacrifice fly by Mitchell against starter Aaron Sanchez gave Indy a two-run lead in the third inning for the victory. Kent Emanuel fired the first four innings for Indianapolis and fanned four in his outing. After single-inning appearances by Cody Bolton and Eli Villalobos, Angel Perdomo entered and did not allow a hit over 2.0 frames. Colin Selby came in for the ninth and set the Saints down in order with two strikeouts to seal the victory.

SELBY IS LOCKED IN: Indians closer Colin Selby collected his team-leading third save of the season and second this month after retiring the Saints in order in the ninth on Saturday afternoon. Along with keeping his opponents scoreless over his last five games, he has not allowed a hit (6.0ip). His five-game no-hit streak is the second-longest active streak in the International League behind Lehigh Valley's Yunior Marte. During this stretch, he has struck out 12 while issuing only three baserunners via three walks. On the season, the 25-year-old has a 3.00 ERA (5er/15.0ip) with 19 strikeouts, 1.13 WHIP and .151 average-against. Selby was selected by Pittsburgh in the 16th round (474th overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Randolph-Macon (Ashland, Va.) College. He is currently rated Pittsburgh's No. 26 rated prospect by Baseball America.

ANGEL IMPRESSES: Angel Perdomo picked up his first win of the season on Saturday with 2.0 scoreless relief innings without allowing a hit, two walks and two punchouts. He is currently working on a six-game scoreless streak, which is tied for the second-longest active streak in the International League, alongside teammate Cody Bolton who is also riding a six-game scoreless streak (4/15-5/13). After allowing three runs without recording an out on April 14 vs. St. Paul, he has strung together some strong outings. In his last nine relief appearances, he owns a 0.77 ERA (1er/11.2ip) with six hits allowed, seven walks, 15 strikeouts, 1.11 WHIP and .154 average-against. The 29-year-old leads the team with 15 appearances this season - tied for fifth-most appearances in the International League - and is 1-1 with a 2.76 ERA (5er/16.1ip) with 25 strikeouts and a 1.29 WHIP. Perdomo was signed by Pittsburgh as a minor league free agent on Feb. 9, 2023.

RYAN RAKES: Ryan Vilade has been one of the most reliable bats in the Indians lineup as of late.. Since May 4, he is hitting .289 (11-for-38) with two home runs, two doubles, six RBI, .357 on-base percentage, .500 slugging-percentage and .857 OPS. During this span, his 11 hits are tied with outfielder Cal Mitchell for the most hits by an Indians hitter. Pittsburgh claimed the 24-year-old off waivers from Colorado on Nov. 9, 2022, he was rated as the Rockies' No. 6 rated prospect in '22 by Baseball America. He was originally selected by Colorado in the second round (48th overall) of the 2017 First-Year Player Draft out of Stillwater (Okla.) High School.

CAL IT A COMEBACK: Cal Mitchell has been heating up, he has hit safely in 10 of his last 12 games. On Thursday night, he went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer, a double and scored two runs. In 11 games in May, he is hitting .371 (13-for-35) with three home runs, two doubles, nine RBI, .452 on-base percentage, .686 slugging-percentage and 1.138 OPS. Since May 4, he leads the Indians offense in average (.355), home runs (3), RBI (8), on-base percentage (.447), slugging-percentage (.710), OPS (1.157) , extra-base hits (5) and runs (7).

CAME TO PLAY IN MAY: Nick Gonzales is off to a hot start to May while hitting safely in all six games. To start May, he is hitting .333 (9-for-27) with four runs, two doubles and two walks in six games. The 23-year-old is now hitting .273 (27-for-99) this season with two home runs, five doubles, two triples and 5 RBI. Pittsburgh selected him seventh overall in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of New Mexico (Las Cruces) State. He is currently rated Pittsburgh's No. 5 rated prospect by MLB Pipeline.

TODAY: The Indians and Saints will matchup for the on Sunday afternoon to wrap up their six-game set today at 3:07 PM ET at CHS Field. The Indians are 7-4 during their two-week road trip, taking five of six at Toledo, and will look to split the six-game set with St. Paul with a win today. The Saints took four of six games in their first meeting at Victory Field from April 11-16. Today, in a rematch of Tuesday's pitching matchup, left-hander Caleb Smith (1-3, 8.78) will take the mound for Indianapolis against St. Paul's right-hander Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 1.80). On Tuesday night, Balazovic tossed 4.0 scoreless innings with three hits allowed, two walks and five strikeouts.

SMITH GETS THE KNOD: Caleb Smith will take the hill today for his seventh start of the season, making his second start this week against the Saints. On May 8, he was named the International League Pitcher of the Week after tossing a 7.0-inning complete-game shutout in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Toledo on May 4. Smith pitched the first complete-game shutout in all of minor league baseball this season. This season, he is 1-3 with a 8.78 ERA (26er/26.2ip) with 19 strikeouts.

THIS DATE IN 1948: In his first season at the helm, player-manager Al Lopez caught all nine innings and went 1-for-3 with one RBI as Indy upped its record to 18-10 with a 7-3 win over Toledo at old Victory Field. Right fielder Ted Beard finished 2-for-3 with a triple, run scored and RBI in the triumph. The Indians won a club record 100 games that season, finishing 100-54.

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International League Stories from May 14, 2023


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