Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (28-28) at Columbus Clippers (26-30)
Published on July 9, 2021 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release
LOCATION: Huntington Park
FIRST PITCH: 7:05 PM ET
GAME #57 / Road #33: Indianapolis Indians (28-28) at Columbus Clippers (26-30)
PROBABLES: RHP Luis Oviedo (0-1, 9.00) vs. RHP Zack Godley (3-2, 2.45)
RADIO: FoxSportsIndy.com / Fox Sports 1260 / iHeart app
TV: MiLB TV
LAST NIGHT: After going through a 22-inning scoreless drought, their longest since 2017, the Indians racked up 10 runs on 12 hits to beat Columbus on Thursday night by a season-high seven runs, 10-3. Four hits, three for extra bases, in the second inning gave the Indians a 4-0 early, unreachable lead at Huntington Park. Will Craig, Bligh Madris and Hunter Owen recorded three consecutive hits to lead off the inning, with Owen's double driving in the first run of the game. With a 2-0 lead, Joe Hudson sent his third home run off the top of the left-field wall to extend the lead. Gabrial Arias hit a home run off Steven Wright in the bottom of the second, Wright's first long ball surrendered this season, but T.J. Rivera countered with a home run of his own in the third. With the score at 5-2 following Columbus' second home run, Indy's offense boomed for five runs in the eighth inning. The first four batters of the frame reached base safely, led off by back-to-back singles by Craig and Madris.
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JUST KEEP SWINGING: Joe Hudson and T.J. Rivera each homered and drove in three RBI in the Indians win over Columbus last night. Hudson hit the Indians first home run of the series at Columbus in the top of the second inning to cap off a four-run frame. Rivera's solo home run in the third inning was his fourth of the season. With the performances, both Hudson and Rivera each recorded a single-game season high with their three RBI apiece, and it was their second multi-RBI games of the season after both driving in two runs on June 4 vs. Columbus (Hudson in Game 1 of a doubleheader, Rivera in Game 2).
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BACK ON THE WRIGHT TRACK: In his former home ballpark, Steven Wright earned his first win since June 15 vs. Memphis and fourth of the season last night vs. Columbus. He tossed five two-run innings for his second win against the Clippers this season, following a two-run performance in a season-high tying 5.2 innings on June 4. Wright bounced back from two consecutive losses with six strikeouts of the Columbus offense, which tied a single-game season high (also: June 15 vs. Memphis). The only blemish on his line last night came in the home run column when he surrendered his only two long balls of the season to Gabrial Arias and Wilson Ramos. Wright last gave up two home runs on July 13, 2019 vs. Los Angeles (NL) in an outing with Boston.
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NEWBIE: Outfielder Fabricio Macias went 2-for-5 last night with his first Triple-A hit, RBI and run scored in the win over Columbus. He singled off Matt Koch in the fourth inning for his first hit, and then singled again in the eighth to score Hunter Owen from second base. Macias was promoted from High-A Greensboro to Indianapolis on Tuesday and made his Triple-A debut that night as a pinch hitter. He made his first start in right field for the Indians last night and went 0-for-2. The outfielder played in 44 games with the Grasshoppers and hit .316 (54-for-171) with 17 extra-base hits and 38 RBI to begin the season. He was signed by Pittsburgh as a minor league free agent on Feb. 21, 2018 after spending 2016-17 in the Mexican League. In 73 games with Saraperos De Saltillo in 2017, he hit .318 (55-for-173).
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TONIGHT: With a win tonight vs. Columbus, the Indians could go back above .500 after dropping to the even mark with a loss on Monday. They would also tie the six-game series with the Clippers at two games apiece and extend their season-series lead, 6-4. The Indians will have RHP Luis Oviedo on the mound to make his second rehab start. For Columbus, RHP Zack Godley will be making his second start with Columbus and third against the Indians. Godley was signed by Cleveland as a minor league free agent on June 29 after facing Indy on June 8 and 13 with Nashville. In those two starts, he went 0-2 with a 5.40 ERA (6er/10.0ip). In his first start vs. Indy, he fanned a season-high nine batters.
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OVIEDO ON A REHAB: MLB rehabber Luis Oviedo will make his second rehab start with the Indians tonight vs. Columbus. He began his rehab assignment on the Fourth of July and took the loss vs. Iowa as he surrendered two earned runs in as many innings. Oviedo, 22, made his major league debut on April 3 at Chicago (NL) (1.0ip, 1k) and appeared in 12 games with Pittsburgh before being placed on the 10-day injured list with a left quad strain on June 10. Primarily a middle reliever, the Venezuelan went 1-1 with a 7.23 ERA (15er/18.2ip) and 19 strikeouts. He earned his first major league win on May 14 vs. San Francisco when the Pirates came back from a 2-1 deficit in the 11th inning. Prior to making his big-league debut, Oviedo had never pitched above Single-A.
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RETURN TO HUNTINGTON PARK: The Indians returned to Huntington Park this week after finishing the 2019 season with a winning record in Columbus' home park. The Clippers took the 2019 series, 9-15, behind a 2-10 showing at Victory Field, but the Indians offense boomed in the hitters' park on the road to take seven of 12 games. After Columbus won the season-opening series, three games to one, the Indians flipped the script and won six of their last eight games in Columbus. In those final eight games, the Indians outscored the Clippers, 61-46. They also hit four home runs in each of the final two games and finished the season with a total of 20 home runs in 12 games at Huntington Park.
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