IL Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (25-23) vs. Iowa Cubs (18-28)

Published on June 30, 2021 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Victory Field

FIRST PITCH: 1:35 PM ET

GAME #49 / Home #20: Indianapolis Indians (25-23) vs. Iowa Cubs (18-28)

PROBABLES: RHP Mitch Keller (0-0, 3.18) vs. RHP Mike Hauschild (0-1, 5.68)

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

TV: MiLB TV / MyINDYTV 23

LAST NIGHT: Thanks to a pouring of I-Cubs' runs in the top of the third inning, the Indians lost the first game of the six-game series to Iowa, 9-3. After the Cubs took a lead on back-to-back home runs by Michael Hermosillo and Taylor Gushue with two outs in the first inning, the Indians scored two runs on a long ball of their own by Will Craig. The Cubs then poured on the runs in the third inning, sending 10 to the plate with eight consecutive reaching safely after starter Cam Vieaux recorded the first two outs to begin the inning. The six runs on five hits were the difference in the game, giving Iowa more than enough runs it needed for the win. The Indians got one run back in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI single off the bat of Cole Tucker, but Iowa took the run back in the top of the ninth for the 9-3 final.

MOONSHOT: Down 2-0 in the first inning, cleanup hitter Will Craig tucked a towering fly ball into the left-field corner of the lawn for his eighth home run of the season to tie the game. Craig has four home runs in as many games after notching his third career multi-homer game on June 25 at Louisville. In that time frame, he has seven RBI. Since joining the Indians lineup from Pittsburgh on June 10, the first baseman is hitting .328 (22-for-67) with five home runs and 16 RBI. In 24 games with Indy this season, Craig is hitting .301 (28-for-93) with a team-leading eight home runs and 23 RBI. He finished the 2019 season leading the Indians with 23 home runs and 78 RBI.

ADDING REINFORCEMENTS: Two relief arms were added to the Indians' pitching staff prior to their game on Tuesday to help offset the recent transactions made to pad Pittsburgh's starting staff. Relief righty Geoff Hartlieb was optioned back to Indianapolis when starter Max Kranick was officially recalled by the Pirates to make his MLB debut on Sunday. In seven outings with the Indians this season, he is 1-1 with a 2.70 ERA (2er/6.2ip) with eight strikeouts. More on the second reliever added, Austin Davis, is below.

SOUTHPAW SUCCESS: Southpaw Austin Davis was also optioned to Indy on Tuesday morning, one day after the big-league club recalled starter Cody Ponce. After a scoreless inning of work last night, Davis hasn't allowed a run in his last 3.2 innings. Only one of his nine Triple-A appearances this season have featured runs, and he began his stint with Indianapolis on a 5.1 inning scoreless streak. In total, he is 0-1 with a 2.70 ERA (3er/10.0ip) and 15 strikeouts, with his loss and earned runs all coming on June 10 at Nashville.

TODAY: The Indians will look to bounce back and tie the series with the Iowa Cubs this afternoon at 1:35 PM ET at Victory Field. The first time the two teams met this season, Indianapolis shut out Iowa in the first game of the series, only to lose the rain-shortened five-game set, three games to two. The Indians would not only tie the series with a win but would also break a three-game losing streak, their longest since dropping three straight from June 9-11 at Nashville. RHP Mitch Keller will make his second start with Indy this season and first at Victory Field against RHP Mike Hauschild. Hauschild, a veteran, has made just two starts with Iowa this season and has not gone further than 3.2 innings in an outing.

MITCH AT THE VIC: Mitch Keller will make his first start at Victory Field since Aug. 2, 2019, his last Triple-A start of that season. In 11 starts at Victory Field during his International League Most Valuable Pitcher campaign, Keller went 4-4 with a 3.55 ERA (25er/63.1ip) and 69 of his 123 strikeouts. This season, Keller has made three appearances (one start) with Indianapolis and has compiled a 3.18 ERA (2er/5.2ip) with three walks and seven strikeouts. In two relief appearances at Victory Field, he has allowed one unearned run in 1.2 innings with five strikeouts.

HISTORY VS. IOWA: Indianapolis and Iowa played each other from 1969-1997 as members of the American Association. On June 23, 1997, the Indians scored 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to set a Victory Field era record for runs in a single inning and went on to beat Iowa by 16 runs (18-2), the largest margin of victory for Indianapolis against Iowa since 1988.

IT'S A MARATHON, NOT A SPRINT: On this date in 1990, Indianapolis prevailed at Iowa in 14 innings, 5-4, behind an 18-hit attack. The Indians sent the game to extra innings by scoring one run in the ninth to make it 3-3, and both teams traded single runs in the 12th to extend the game further. Indy left 19 total runners on base to Iowa's eight in the triumph. It was the longest game by innings between the two teams dating back to 1988, with the next-longest coming exactly seven years later on June 30, 1997. Iowa won that '97 contest, 5-4, in 12 innings.

NO THANKS: In the series finale of Opening Week on May 9 in Des Moines, four Iowa Cubs pitchers combined to throw the first no-hitter against the Indians since April 18, 2018 (1) at Syracuse (7.0 innings) and the last 9.0-inning no-no since June 10, 2002 against Columbus. Shelby Miller, Tommy Nance (W), Brad Wieck and Ryan Meisinger (S) combined with 15 strikeouts and held the Indians to three baserunners (all walks) and only three balls hit to the outfield (Chris Sharpe, Cole Tucker and Kevin Kramer). It was the second no-hitter in the all-time series history between Iowa and Indianapolis, the first coming when Iowa Oaks' pitcher Homer Stinson no-hit the Indians on Aug. 25, 1974 (9.0ip, 0r, 5bb, 6k).

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