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Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (43-45) vs. St. Paul Saints (47-41)

August 15, 2021 - International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Victory Field

FIRST PITCH: 1:35 PM ET

GAME #89 / Home #42: Indianapolis Indians (43-45) vs. St. Paul Saints (47-41)

PROBABLES: RHP Max Kranick (1-2, 5.74) vs. LHP Andrew Albers (5-4, 4.23)

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

TV: MiLB TV / MyINDY TV 23

LAST NIGHT: Facing a 4-0 deficit through the first three innings following two home runs off the bats of Tomas Telis and Nick Gordon, the Indians came back to beat the Saints, 7-4. The rally began in the seventh inning when, with no outs and two runners on base, Christian Bethancourt roped a triple to the deepest part of the ballpark in left-center. Phillip Evans then followed with a two-run double to the same alley to tie the game at 4-4. The effort continued into the eighth inning, thanks in part to an error and walk that loaded the bases with one out. Chris Sharpe then shot a line drive down the left-field line to clear the bases and give the Indians a three-run lead for the win.

CHRIS COMES THROUGH CLUTCH: With the bases loaded and a 1-2 count, Chris Sharpe roped his 22nd double of the season to move him into a tie with Nolan Jones (Columbus) and Blake Rutherford (Charlotte) for the doubles lead in the Triple-A East. The bases-clearing two-bagger broke a 4-4 tie between the Indians and Saints to cap off Indy's comeback win on Saturday night. Sharpe entered the at-bat with a .051 batting average when behind in a two-strike count (0-2, 1-for-38; 1-2, 3-for-40) but used a key piece of hitting to give his team the win. In the month of August, Sharpe currently is hitting .308 (4-for-13) with two doubles in nine games. His three RBI last night tied a season high, all of which have come at Victory Field (also: June 16 vs. Memphis, July 18 vs. Omaha).

BETHANCOURT TRIPLES: Christian Bethancourt's seventh-inning triple to put the Indians on the board last night was his 12th career triple in affiliated baseball and first since May 12, 2014 with Gwinnett at Lehigh Valley. He sent a line drive out of the deepest part of the Victory Field confines to score a pair of runs and jumpstart a comeback effort that would eventually lead to the Indians win. Bethancourt has never hit more than three triples in a season, roping three in 2008 with the DSL Braves and in 2011 with Single-A Rome.

EVANS TIES IT: With two runners on and two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Phillip Evans sent a long double out to center field to tie the game at 4-4. The hit also extended his hitting streak to a team-high tying 10 games, last met by Tucupita Marcano earlier this week. Evans has only played in 10 total games with the Indians this season between a rehab assignment (June 1-6) and five games this week after being optioned by Pittsburgh on Aug. 7. In those 10 games he owns a .400 batting average (12-for-30) and .971 OPS.

TODAY: The Indians will look to tie the six-game series with St. Paul in the series finale today at Victory Field. They have not lost a series to their former American Association opponents yet this season, going 4-2 from May 18-23 and splitting their last six games from July 27-Aug. 1. After a high-scoring battle in Game 1, RHP Max Kranick and LHP Andrew Albers will face off again to end the series.

PETERS TO PITTSBURGH: Indianapolis native Dillon Peters was recalled by Pittsburgh and will make a start with the big league club today. Since being traded from Los Angeles (AL) to Pittsburgh on July 19, Peters has appeared in five games (two starts) with the Indians with a 1-0 record, 1.50 ERA (2er/12.0ip), 0.83 WHIP and .100 average against (4-for-40). In his last start on Aug. 7 at Iowa, he tossed 5.0 hitless innings with five strikeouts to earn his first win with his hometown team. Peters made his MLB debut in 2017 with Miami and in 31 big league games (24 starts), owns a 5.83 ERA (86er/132.2ip).

SPITZBARTH IN THE BIGS: After being named the Indians July Player of the Month on Friday, Shea Spitzbarth was recalled by Pittsburgh yesterday as the 27th man for their doubleheader vs. Milwaukee and allowed one run in 1.0 inning. The right-handed relief pitcher made his major league debut on Aug. 2 at Milwaukee (1.1ip, 1h, 1bb), and has yet to record a big-league strikeout in three outings. In 30 appearances with Indianapolis this season, Spitzbarth has gone 3-2 with a 1.53 ERA (6er/35.1ip), 1.05 WHIP and .184 average against (23-for-125).

UNDEFEATED AT HOME: During the 1948 season, the Indians went 11-0 against St. Paul at old Victory Field (later named Bush Stadium) in the regular season. Indianapolis went on to win 100 games that season, their only 100-win campaign in franchise history. After finishing with an 11.0 game lead in the American Association, the Indians faced off against St. Paul in the American Association semifinals and lost the series, 4-2, with a pair of losses in extra innings. That 1948 team featured the American Association MVP, Les Fleming, who hit .323 (170-for-527) and led the league with an Indianapolis franchise record 143 RBI.

HOME SWEET HOME: With the 10 Triple-A Final Stretch games added onto the end of the schedule, the Indians are home for five of their final eight series in 2021. The remaining home schedule features seven more games vs. St. Paul (Aug. 10-15, Sept. 14-19), six games vs. Louisville (Aug. 24-29) and Iowa (Aug. 31-Sept. 5), and a final five games vs. Nashville (Sept. 29-Oct. 3). The Indians are currently 23-18 at Victory Field this season.

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