IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (37-31) vs. Norfolk Tides (36-31)

Published on June 20, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


The Indians seek a fourth straight home victory against Norfolk this afternoon at Victory Field. Today's lineups and game notes are attached.

Location: Victory Field

First Pitch: 1:35 p.m. ET

Game #69 / Home #35: Indianapolis Indians (37-31) vs. Norfolk Tides (36-31)

Probables: RHP Nick Kingham (3-1, 1.67) vs. RHP Asher Wojciechowski (3-3, 4.09)

Radio: FoxSports975.com / iHeart app

TV: MiLB TV / Comcast 90

From the Notes

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Indians overcame a 1-0 deficit with one run in the sixth, one in the seventh and two in the eighth to earn a hard-fought 4-2 victory over Norfolk last night. Indy has now won nine of its last 11 against the Tides. Jung Ho Kang tied the game with an RBI single in the sixth. Pablo Reyes laced a go-ahead single with two down in the seventh, and Kang tacked on two more with a single in the eighth. Clay Holmes delivered his most dominant start of the season, striking out a season-high tying eight batters over a career-high 7.1 innings of one-run ball. He scattered five hits and walked none. Johnny Hellweg pitched the ninth, allowing one run on one hit, one walk and one hit batter, but he fanned a pair to nail down his 11th save.

JACOB NOT JOKING AROUND: Tribe catcher Jacob Stallings is on a 10-game hitting streak thanks to his one-out double in the seventh last night. During the stretch, the 28-year-old is batting .371 (14-for-38) with one home run, four doubles, four RBI and eight runs scored. He has scored all eight of those runs over his last five games.

RYAN RAKING: Indy's second catcher, Ryan Lavarnway, is red-hot at the dish, too. He is riding a season-high eight-game hitting streak into today's contest. He owns a tremendous .922 OPS through 26 games and is batting .306 (26-for-85) with three homers, one triple, six doubles and 11 RBI on the season. He is batting .444 (12-for-27) with all three of his home runs this season, one double, six RBI and four runs scored during his hitting streak. He has also reached base safely in 19 of his last 20 games.

KEVIN!: After a brief 0-for-10 skid spanning three games from June 10-12, Kevin Newman has hit safely in six straight, going 9-for-25 (.360) to raise his average from .297 to .303. He currently ranks first in the IL with 39 runs scored, third in hits (74), tied for sixth in average and second in stolen bases (14). He has been a better hitter when behind in the count this season, owning a .341 average (30-for-88) in those situations, compared to a .238 clip (15-for-63) when ahead in the count.

IT'S HIS HOUSE: Today's starter, Nick Kingham, is 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA (7 ER/37.2 IP) in seven starts for the Tribe this season. He carried a perfect game into the seventh inning last Thursday against division-leading Toledo at Victory Field, leading to his second IL Pitcher of the Week Award this season (also: April 5-15). Over his last 12 games (11 starts) at Victory Field dating back to July 2, 2017 (including his playoff start at home against Durham in September), he's 7-2 with a 1.82 ERA (15 ER/74.0 IP). If you subtract his last regular-season home start in 2017 (3.2ip, 8er), his home ERA shrinks to a ridiculous 0.90 ERA (7 ER/70.1 IP) since July 2, 2017.

TOUGH AS CLAY: Clay Holmes tossed a career-high 7.1 innings of one-run ball in last night's victory, improving to 4-0 with a 0.71 ERA (2 ER/25.1 IP) in four June starts. He also tied a season high with eight strikeouts and has walked just four batters against 27 strikeouts this month. Holmes' dominance at Victory Field was again on display; he's now 10-5 with a 2.72 ERA (34 ER/112.1 IP) in 23 games (22 starts) all-time at The Vic.

JUNG HO: Kang led the Tribe offense with three singles and three RBI last night. He knocked a game-tying single in the sixth and provided the Tribe with much-needed insurance in the eighth, grounding a two-run single up the middle to make the score 4-1. Kang's three hits marked his second straight multi-hit performance and third overall in a Tribe uniform (also: 2 hits on April 26, 2016 at Durham). His three ribbies also tied a career high in a Tribe uniform, as he totaled three on April 26, 2016 at Durham. He is batting .545 (6-for-11) during his current three-game hitting streak.

ANOTHER WIN FOLLOWING A SCHEDULED OFF DAY: The Indians improved to 5-0 in games immediately following scheduled off days this season, averaging 8.0 runs (40) and 12.2 hits per game (61). They are batting .333 (61-for-183) with 17 doubles, three home runs and six stolen bases in 10 attempts on those dates. The pitching staff has held their own following scheduled off days as well, posting a 3.20 ERA (16 ER/45.0 IP) with 17 walks and 46 punchouts. Indy won on April 20 vs. Charlotte (4-1), April 27 at Columbus (17-5), May 15 at Norfolk (10-8), June 5 at Rochester (5-0) and again last night over Norfolk (4-2).

LAST 11: Indianapolis took two out of three games in Norfolk from May 15-17, earning 10-8 and 6-0 victories in the opener and finale of the series. Indy lost the middle game of that series in walk-off fashion, 4-3, after Jordan Luplow had tied the game in the top of the ninth with a three-run homer. The Indians' 4-2 win last night, however, made them 9-2 in their last 11 against the Tides. Indy has outscored them 56-38 during that stretch.

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International League Stories from June 20, 2018


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