IL Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (44-49) at Toledo Mud Hens (52-41)

Published on August 21, 2021 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Fifth Third Field

FIRST PITCH: 7:05 PM ET

GAME #94 / Road #52: Indianapolis Indians (44-49) at Toledo Mud Hens (52-41)

PROBABLES: RHP Beau Sulser (5-5, 4.50) vs. RHP Mark Leiter Jr. (5-2, 3.86)

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

TV: MiLB TV

LAST NIGHT: The Indians won their first game of the series last night as the pitching staff combined for a shutout of the Mud Hens, 5-0. Scoreless through the first four innings, Indy put up three runs in the fifth. Christian Bethancourt hit his 10th home run of the season to open the inning, and Jared Oliva drove in two more on a two-out triple. Only one of the Indians five runs was earned on Toledo's pitching (Bethancourt's home run), as two errors by Isaac Paredes and a passed ball led to four runs crossing the plate. The Indians scored one run in the eighth without recording a hit and tacked on another insurance run on an RBI single by Oliva in the ninth.

MAD MAX FURY ROAD: Max Kranick allowed four hits over six scoreless innings to earn his second Triple-A win of the season last night. His performance, his longest since July 21, 2019 with High-A Bradenton at Tampa, was his first Triple-A quality start and the team's first since Beau Sulser on Aug. 3 at Iowa. Of nine Triple-A starts this season for Kranick, last night was only his second on the road. He has yet to allow a run on opponents' home turf in the Triple-A East, combining for a 2-0 record, five hits and 12 strikeouts in 11.0 scoreless innings in away contests.

SHUTTING THEM OUT: After Max Kranick opened the game with six shutout innings, Sam Howard and Tyler Bashlor combined for the final three innings to clinch the shutout. Howard tossed two perfect innings and after Bashlor surrendered a one-out walk, the door was slammed with a sharp line drive caught by Cole Tucker to double off the runner on first base. It was the team's third shutout of the season and first against a team other than the Iowa Cubs. Its last shutout came on Aug. 5 at Iowa (2-0), which was its first since Opening Night at Principal Park (May 4, 3-0). All shutouts this season have come on the road.

HOWARD HAS IT: Sam Howard made his second rehab appearance with the Indians last night and tossed two perfect innings to continue Max Kranick's shutout effort. The southpaw was placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain on July 13. He appeared in 38 games with the Pirates this season prior to his injury and went 2-2 with a 5.76 ERA (19er/29.2ip) and 41 strikeouts. Howard is the fifth Pirates pitcher to rehab with Indianapolis this season and combined they have gone 0-3 with a 2.88 ERA (11er/34.1ip), 20 hits, 11 walks and 33 strikeouts. Howard's full line from his two rehab appearances and those of the previous four pitchers are listed below:

LHP Sam Howard - 0-0, 0.00 ERA (0er/2.2ip), 1h, 1bb, 3k

LHP Steven Brault - 0-1, 1.64 ERA (2er/11.0ip), 6h, 1bb, 9k

LHP Austin Davis - 0-0, 0.00 ERA (0er/5.1ip), 0h, 0bb, 1k

RHP Chad Kuhl - 0-0, 1.42 ERA (1er/6.1ip), 2h, 3bb, 9k

RHP Luis Oviedo - 0-2, 8.00 ERA (8er/9.0ip), 11h, 6bb, 11k

BETHANCOURT BELTED IT: With a fifth-inning home run to give the Indians a 1-0 lead, Christian Bethancourt became the third Indianapolis slugger to reach 10 home runs with the Indians this season, following Anthony Alford (14) and Hunter Owen (12). The dinger also drove in his team-leading 46th RBI.

OLIVA'S RBI: Jared Oliva went 2-for-5 with his second triple of the season and three RBI to boost the Indians over the Mud Hens last night. It was his fifth multi-hit performance of August and his second with three RBI, both of which last occurred on Aug. 11 vs. St. Paul. Since hitting safely in eight consecutive games with an official at-bat to begin the month, Oliva went hitless in four games before picking a streak back up. He has hit safely in his last three games to raise his monthly average to .271 (16-for-59) in 16 games.

TONIGHT: The Indians will look to tighten the six-game series at Toledo with their second win tonight at 7:05 PM ET. After the Indians took five of six games from their former International League West opponent to open the season and entered this week with 7-5 record on the season against Toledo, the season series is now tied 8-8. Indy has finished with a .500 record or above at Fifth Third Field in eight of 10 seasons going back to 2010 and will have to take each of the next two games to continue the streak. RHP Beau Sulser will take the mound for his third career start vs. Toledo. For the Mud Hens, RHP Mark Leiter Jr. will make his second start against the Indians this season. On July 24 at Victory Field, Leiter tossed 5.0 one-hit innings with one walk and six strikeouts to earn the win over Indianapolis.

SULSER'S SUCCESS: In two outings (one start) against the Mud Hens this season, Sulser is 2-0 with three runs (one earned) surrendered and nine strikeouts in 10.0 innings. His last appearance vs. Toledo came out of the bullpen on July 23, and he allowed just one run over 5.0 innings of work. Sulser currently ranks ninth among Triple-A East qualified pitchers with a 4.50 ERA (43er/86.0ip) in 18 appearances (16 starts) in his first year as a full-time starter.

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