IL Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (50-54) vs. Iowa Cubs (43-62)

September 3, 2021 - International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Victory Field

FIRST PITCH: 7:05 PM ET

GAME #105 / Home #52: Indianapolis Indians (50-54) vs. Iowa Cubs (43-62)

PROBABLES: LHP Cam Vieaux (2-2, 8.13) vs. RHP Cory Abbott (1-6, 7.22)

RADIO: Fox Sports 1260

TV: MiLB TV

LAST NIGHT: Behind a career-high tying 4-for-4 performance by Diego Castillo and 12 total hits, the Indians won for the fifth time in their last six games last night, 6-2. Jared Oliva kicked things off in the first inning with his second home run of the season, a two-run, 414-foot shot to left field. Indy never trailed in the contest, taking a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning with an RBI double off the bat of Hunter Owen. The I-Cubs plated their only two runs in the fourth inning. With one out, Jared Young hit an RBI triple and a fielder's choice tightened Indy's lead to one run. Castillo roped an RBI double in the fourth inning to score the first of three insurance runs for the Indians. They tacked on one run in the sixth and another on the eighth, both on force plays.

MOVING ON UP: Diego Castillo recorded his first Triple-A hit and then some last night, tying a career high with four hits in the win over Iowa. After two singles to begin the game, he doubled to left field to drive in a run in the fourth inning. He reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances with a sixth-inning walk. It was his eighth career four-hit game and second of the season (June 6 with Double-A Somerset vs. Reading). The 23-year-old was promoted to Indy on Tuesday after beginning the season between Somerset and Altoona. In 86 games, he hit .278 (93-for-334) with 16 home runs and 48 RBI, and ranked among Double-A Northeast leaders in hits (T-6th), batting average (9th) and total bases (162, 9th) at the time of his promotion to Triple-A. He was traded to Pittsburgh from New York (AL) with Hoy Park in exchange for Clay Holmes on July 26 after being signed by the Yankees as a non-drafted free agent on Dec. 18, 2014 out of Venezuela.

ON A ROLL: Jared Oliva is currently working a six-game hitting streak dating back to Aug. 27 vs. Louisville. In that span, he is hitting .478 (11-for-23) with a .556 on-base percentage and 1.208 OPS. Last night he recorded his fourth multi-hit performance in the past six games, going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run in the first inning and a single in the sixth. The long ball was his first since Aug. 11 vs. St. Paul. Since the beginning of August, Oliva has been one of the Indians most consistent batters with a .310 batting average (31-for-100), eight extra-base hits and 18 RBI in 27 games.

HOLDING AN ACE: Beau Sulser tossed his team-leading fourth quality start of the season last night to earn the win against Iowa. He went 6.0 innings and allowed two unearned runs on just two hits. The performance lowered his season ERA from 4.53 to 4.26 (48er/101.1ip), which ranks ninth among Triple-A East qualifiers. Sulser, who is in his first season as a full-time starter, is also tied for first among league leaders with 19 games started and third in innings pitched.

AUGUST PLAYER OF THE MONTH: The Indianapolis Indians today announced that Bligh Madris has been named the August Player of the Month after he compiled an impressive OPS and strikeout-to-walk ratio in the month. The outfielder hit .261 (18-for-69) with four home runs to effectively double his season total in 24 August games. Eleven of his 18 hits came for extra bases, good for a .536 slugging percentage and team-leading .913 OPS (min: 70 plate appearances). He also took 13 walks compared to 15 strikeouts, good for a 1.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Three of his four home runs in the month came against the I-Cubs.

TONIGHT: The Indians will look to clinch at least a series tie with the I-Cubs tonight at 7:05 PM ET. In their last seven games against Iowa, the Indians are 6-1 with a 48-23 advantage in runs scored and 73-44 advantage in base hits. LHP Cam Vieaux will take the mound for his third start against the Cubs this season. In his last outing against them on Aug. 5, he tossed 5.0 scoreless innings to earn the win. RHP Cory Abbott will toe the rubber for his fourth start against Indy in 2021. On Aug. 4 (2) vs. the Indians at Principal Park, he surrendered four runs in 4.2 innings but fanned nine to take a no-decision.

MAJOR REHABBERS AT THE VIC: The Chicago Cubs announced on Tuesday that two-time National League All-Star and 2016 World Series champion Willson Contreras was assigned to the Iowa Cubs for a rehab assignment this week. In his Victory Field debut that night, he went 1-for-3 with a home run and two runs scored in the No. 2 spot of Iowa's lineup as the starting catcher. Since 2015, Contreras is the sixth top-tier rehabber to appear at Victory Field with an opposing team. The other five are listed below:

7/22, 7/25/21: Michael Fulmer ('16 AL ROY, '17 AL All-Star) - 2 games, 2.0ip, 1h, 0r, 2bb, 2k

6/24-25/19: Scooter Gennett ('18 NL All-Star) - 2 games, 2-for-8, 1 2B

6/19-20/18: Tim Beckham ('08 No. 1 overall pick) - 2 games, 1-for-8, 1 R, 5 K

7/5/15: Raisel Iglesias - L, 4.2ip, 4h, 2r, 2er, 1hr, 0bb, 7k

5/31/15: Justin Verlander ('06 AL ROY, '11 AL MVP, '11 & '19 AL Cy Young, 8x AL All-Star) - ND, 2.2ip, 6h, 3r, 3er, 2bb, 3k

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