IL Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (23-26) at Columbus Clippers (25-24)

Published on May 28, 2023 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Huntington Park

FIRST PITCH: 1:05 PM ET

GAME #50 / ROAD #30: Indianapolis Indians (23-26) at Columbus Clippers (25-24)

PROBABLES: RHP Osvaldo Bido (2-3, 3.83) vs. RHP Aaron Civale (0-0, 2.84)

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

TV: Bally Live app / MiLB TV

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Trailing 8-0 at the end of the second inning, the Indianapolis Indians came back to tie the game at 8-8 before falling to the Columbus Clippers at Huntington Park on Saturday night, 10-9. The Indians were blanked through the first six innings by Clippers starter Gavin Williams but broke through in the top of the seventh thanks to an RBI double down the left field line from designated hitter Mark Mathias and a sacrifice fly from center fielder Chavez Young. A six-run eighth followed, highlighted by Aaron Shackelford's fourth home run in his last three games to cut the lead to three. Aside from Shackelford's blast, the runs came in on an RBI double by left fielder Miguel Andújar, a bases-loaded walk issued to Young, an RBI single on a looping line drive to left by Nick Gonzales and a sacrifice fly from Canaan Smith-Njigba. The Clippers took control of the game for good in the bottom half of the eighth inning thanks to an RBI double from Bo Naylor and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Oscar Gonzalez against Hunter Stratton. Mathias laced another run-producing double in the top of the ninth, but the two-run bottom of the eighth proved to be the difference.

THREE WIDE: Utilityman Mark Mathias tallied his second consecutive three-hit performance against Columbus on Saturday night. He finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs, two doubles, an RBI, walk and stolen base. In four games against Columbus this week, the 28-year-old is now hitting .500 (7-for-14) with four runs, three doubles, a home run, five RBI and four walks. In 23 games with Indy this season, he is hitting .303 (23-for-76) with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBI, 419 on-base percentage, .853 OPS and three stolen bases. Mathias was acquired by Pittsburgh from Texas in exchange for cash on March 8.

FUELING THE OFFENSE: Aaron Shackelford left the yard for the fourth time in three games on Saturday night, collecting his team-high eighth home run of the season. His four homers this week leads the International League and is tied for the second-most in all of professional baseball, trailing only Alberto Rodriguez with High-A Everett (5). During the month of May, the 26-year-old is hitting .295 (18-for-61) with 13 runs scored, three doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 16 RBI, 14 walks, .442 on-base percentage and 1.163 OPS.

POLE SITTER: Right-handed Eli Villalobos kept the Clippers offense at bay after the Indians found themselves facing an eight-run deficit, allowing a comeback effort. Villalobos allowed only one baserunner ñ a single by Jhonkensy Noel in the seventh inning ñ over 3.0 scoreless frames. His 3.0 innings was a season-high, it was his longest outing since he tossed 3.0 on July 29th, 2022 with Double-A Pensacola vs. Mississippi. The 25-year-old has kept the opposition scoreless in five of his last six appearances. Pittsburgh claimed him off waivers from Miami on April 11. He was originally selected in the 14th round (417th overall) of the 2018 First-Year Player Draft out of Long Beach State University.

BOMBS AWAY: Indianapolis' offense has showcased its power throughout their series with the Clippers at Huntington Park. The Indians have homered in each of the five contests at Columbus, clubbing three or more homers in three games, including a season-high four home runs in their 12-9 victory on Wednesday night. Indy's four-homer performance was the team's most since Sept. 26, 2021 at Omaha. The Indians have now clubbed 11 homers this week, which is the second most in the International League, behind Louisville (12). Aaron Shackelford leads the team with four home runs this week, followed bv Canaan Smith-Njigba with three. Indy has outslugged the Clippers 11-5 and outscored them 37-33 this series.

MR. RELIABLE: Outfielder Cal Mitchell has been a steady force in Indianapolis' offense as of late. The 24-year-old has reached base safely in 17 of his last 19 games and is having an excellent month of May. This month, he's hitting .315 (23-for-73) with four doubles, four home runs, 15 RBI, 14 walks, four stolen bases, .433 OBP and .967 OPS. Mitchell leads the Indians offense in RBI, hits, runs and stolen bases this month.

START YOUR ENGINES: The Indians and Clippers will continue wrap up their six-game set at Huntington Park today at 1:05 PM ET. The Indians are behind 3-2 after last night's loss and will look the split the series with a win this afternoon. The two club's first matched up first at Victory Field from April 25-29, Columbus took three of five games in the rain-shortened series. Today, right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-3, 3.83) will take the mound for Indianapolis against Columbus' right-hander Aaron Civale (0-0, 2.84).

THE GREATEST SPECTACLE IN RACING: With the 107th running of the Indianapolis 500 today, the Indians will look to improve to 9-8 in road games on race day dating back to 2005. The Indians are coming off an 8-7 walk-off loss against the St. Paul Saints. Today, the Indians will look to break their two-game losing streak on race day after dropping 2021's contest at Omaha, 7-2. It is the first time the Indians have lost back-to-back contests on the day of the Indy 500, with 2017-18 marking the only time that they've won consecutive games on race day.

BIDO ON THE BUMP: Right-hander Osvaldo Bido will make his 10th appearance of the season today at Columbus. He is 2-3 with a 3.83 ERA (17er/40.0ip) with 44 strikeouts, 1.30 WHIP and .218 batting average against. His last outing was on Tuesday night against Columbus, he allowed four runs on five hits and five walks in 4.2 innings. He's allowed only one earned run or less in six of his nine outings. He ranks among International League qualifiers in average against (3rd), WHIP (6th) and ERA (7th). In 2022, he was a mainstay in the Indians rotation and went 3-8 with a 4.76 ERA (63er/119.0ip) and a team-high 129 strikeouts.

THIS DATE IN 2011: Shortstop Josh Harrison went 5-for-5 at Pawtucket as the Indians earned a comeback win, 9-7. Harrison finished the day with three doubles, two RBI, three runs scored and a stolen base. After falling behind 7-0 through three innings, Indianapolis put together a string of four multi-run innings, including a two-run ninth, for the win. Indy's bullpen combined for 7.0 three-hit innings to close out the game, with Tony Watson earning his first win of the season after pitching the eighth.

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International League Stories from May 28, 2023


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