
Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (18-16) vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (18-14)
May 14, 2019 - International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release
The Indians carry a three-game winning streak into their series opener against Scranton/WB, the first of six games on the homestand.
Location: Victory Field
First Pitch: 7:05 p.m. ET
Game #35 / Home #18: Indianapolis Indians (18-16) vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (18-14)
Probables: RHP Mitch Keller (3-0, 3.97) vs. LHP Daniel Camarena (0-0, 5.00)
Radio: Fox Sports 97.5 / AM 1260 / iHeart app
TV: MiLB TV / Comcast 90
SATURDAY: Eduardo Vera tossed 6.0 innings of one-run ball for his second quality start, and both Jason Martin and Will Craig recorded three-hit performances in a 6-1 win on Saturday at Lehigh Valley. The Indians never trailed in their 18th win of the season, scoring once in the fourth on a Craig RBI single and two more in the fifth on a run-scoring single by Martin and RBI fielder's choice by Ke'Bryan Hayes. Indy put the IronPigs away with three insurance runs in the ninth as four straight batters reached base with two outs. With Sunday's game being postponed due to rain, the Tribe earned their third sweep of the season and finished the road trip 3-2 overall.
IT'S HOW YOU FINISH: For a third consecutive return home from a road trip, the Indians are riding a winning streak of two or more games. Indy started its first road trip of 2019 to Columbus and Toledo with three straight losses, followed by three straight wins. Their second trip to Gwinnett and Charlotte featured four consecutive losses before closing the trip with two wins. Indy began its last road trip with a pair of losses but bounced back with three straight victories before Sunday's postponement.
VERA GOOD: Vera was mired in a slump on the bump, going 0-3 with a 7.56 ERA (21er/25.0ip) and 36 hits allowed in his five starts prior to Saturday's gem at Lehigh Valley. Vera held the IronPigs to five hits, one walk and one hit batter with a season-high seven strikeouts to pick up his first career Triple-A victory. He lowered his season ERA significantly as well, going from 6.10 to 5.35.
BRING THE LUMBER HOME: Ke'Bryan Hayes and Jacob Stallings had successful road trips at the plate for Indy. Hayes hit .300 (6-for-20) with three doubles, three RBI, four runs scored and four walks in five games. Stallings appeared in three games on the road trip, hitting .444 (4-for-9) with three doubles, three RBI, two runs scored and one walk.
OFF DAY ACTIVITY: The Indians had plenty of activity on their off day as utility player Jake Elmore had his contract selected by Pittsburgh. He went 1-for-2 with a single in his Pirates debut last night in Arizona. Elmore, 31, ranked among International League leaders in batting average (1st, .380), base hits (T-5th, 41), doubles (T-2nd, 12), OBP (5th, .444) and OPS (6th, .990). The Tribe also welcomed relievers Dovydas Neverauskas (optioned) and Tyler Lyons (outrighted) back from Pittsburgh. Additionally, it was announced that OF Lonnie Chisenhall would be joining the Tribe on a rehab assignment for a second time this season.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Tribe starter Alex McRae was perfect through 5.0 frames and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning last Thursday at Scranton/WB, leading to him being named as the IL Pitcher of the Week yesterday. The weekly honor was the first of McRae's career and the third won by a Tribe starter already this season, joining Dario Agrazal (May 6) and Mitch Keller (April 22). McRae's final line against the RailRiders was a dandy: 6.2ip, 1h, 0r, 2bb, 5k.
TONIGHT: Right-hander Mitch Keller (3-0, 3.97) will square off against lefty Daniel Camarena (0-0, 5.00) in the homestand opener. Keller, 23, was named the IL Pitcher of the Week on April 22 and is one of eight remaining pitchers in the IL with three-plus wins while sporting a 1.000 winning percentage. He is third in the league in punchouts (42), tied for fifth in walks issued (17) and 10th in ERA. Camarena, 26, has a 2-0 record and 2.12 ERA (4er/17.0ip) in three games (two starts) against Indy all-time. He beat the Tribe twice in 2017, including an outing on April 22 at Victory Field, where he threw 6.1 shutout innings and allowed just three hits with five strikeouts.
SUCCESS VS. LEFTIES: The Indians are 5-2 when facing a left-hander starter this season. The Tribe are batting .283 (87-for-307) with 16 home runs against southpaws this year, numbers that rank third and tied for second in the league, respectively.
WHAT'S THE COUNT?: The Indians rank second in the International League in batting average during both 2-0 and 0-2 counts. The Tribe are 17-for-35 (.486) with five homers and nine RBI on 2-0 counts and 21-for-97 (.216) with seven extra-base hits and seven RBI on 0-2 counts.
YES-COBAR: Tribe reliever Luis Escobar inherited two runners on base with no outs in Lehigh Valley's four-run bottom of the ninth Friday night, and he allowed just one run to score to preserve the series-opening win. Escobar, 22, struck out two in his first Triple-A inning and earned the save while doing so. He has not allowed a run in 14.1 innings of work this year between High-A Bradenton and Indy.
International League Stories from May 14, 2019
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- Seventh Inning Rally Leads to Stripers to 11-3 Win - Buffalo Bisons
- Woes Continue on the Road - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Indians Stop RailRiders 4-2 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Bulls Ride Errors to Comeback Win - Durham Bulls
- Riley Homers Again as Stripers Pound Buffalo, 11-3 - Gwinnett Stripers
- Mathias, Clippers Top PawSox - Pawtucket Red Sox
- Father's Day Lunch Package on Sale Now - Rochester Red Wings
- Hens Home for An Epic Homestand: May 14-19 - Toledo Mud Hens
- Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (18-16) vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (18-14) - Indianapolis Indians
- Bisons Game Notes - Buffalo vs. Gwinnett (6:05 p.m.) - Buffalo Bisons
- Knights Move August Game up to June 10 to Alleviate Uptown Congestion - Charlotte Knights
- Red Wings Back Home May 21-27 - Rochester Red Wings
- Syracuse and Louisville Postponed Tuesday, Doubleheader Scheduled for Wednesday at 4:05 p.m. - Syracuse Mets
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- Wings' Smeltzer Unveils Catch Cancer Looking Apparel - Rochester Red Wings
- Hideki Matsui to Host Clinic at PNC Field - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
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