IL Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (7-6) vs. Columbus Clippers (10-4)

Published on April 21, 2022 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Victory Field

FIRST PITCH: 12:05 PM ET

GAME #14 / Home #9: Indianapolis Indians (7-6) vs. Columbus Clippers (10-4)

PROBABLES: LHP Nathan Kirby (0-0, 1.69) vs. LHP Jaime Arias

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

TV: MiLB TV / MyINDY-TV 23

ABOUT YESTERDAY: Anthony Alford launched his first home run with Indianapolis in his rehab assignment, Canaan Smith-Njigba roped a go-ahead two-run single and Cal Mitchell went 3-for-4 to lead the Indians to a 5-3 win over Columbus yesterday afternoon. After Alford gave Indy its first lead of the series in the bottom of the first with a solo homer to deep left field, Jose Fermin countered with a solo shot of his own in the third to tie the game. The Clippers took the lead in the fourth when a throwing error by shortstop Oneil Cruz scored former Indian Mitchell Tolman from second base. The deficit didn't last long, however, and the first five Indians batters reached base safely in the bottom of the fourth to shift the game back in Indy's favor. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Smith-Njigba smacked a single up the middle to score Mason Martin and Rodolfo Castro. He was then driven in on a double play three batters later. Indianapolis added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to offset Fermin's second solo homer of the day in the top of the ninth inning.

SWINGING A HOT BAT: Cal Mitchell led the Indians offense yesterday afternoon with a season-high tying three hits - all singles. The performance extended Mitchell's hot streak to begin the season, and he is now hitting .372 (16-for-43) with four doubles, three home runs and 12 RBI in 12 games. He is one of three players in all of Minor League Baseball to record an RBI in seven straight games this season (4/5-13), which also is tied for the longest such streak by an Indians batter dating back to 2005. The left-handed corner outfielder currently ranks among International League leaders in batting average (T-4th), RBI (T-5th) and slugging percentage (T-7th, .674) and OPS (T-7th, 1.065). In 2021, the corner outfielder ended the Double-A campaign ranking among league leaders in hits (4th, 107), average (8th, .280) and RBI (9th, 61).

HEATING UP: With a go-ahead two-run double to but the Indians on top for good last night in the fourth inning, Canaan Smith-Njigba recorded his first multi-RBI Triple-A game since being promoted from Double-A Altoona to Indianapolis on 9/20/21. He went 1-for-3 with two runs scored, a walk and his second stolen base of the season. After going 5-for-23 with no RBI through his first seven games, Smith-Njigba is currently working a three-game hitting streak with three RBI in that span. His two-run base knock was the Indians first and only hit with runners in scoring position in 22 at-bats this series.

THE FLASH: With stolen bases by Mason Martin, Canaan Smith-Njigba, Cal Mitchell and Jared Oliva yesterday, the Indians have moved into a tie for the Triple-A lead with 21 stolen bases this season. They stole four bases in each of the last two games and have three games of four stolen bases this season (also: 4/7 vs. OMA). The last time Indy as a team stole four-or-more bases three times in a season was in 2015 when they had eight total games of that nature (two 5 SB games). Prior to this season, the team's last game with four-plus stolen bases was 4/13/19 vs. Charlotte, and the last eight games with that many stolen bases have come at Victory Field. In 2008, the Indians had 18 games with four-or-more stolen bases, their most dating back to 2005. The single-game high of stolen bases in that time came on 5/4/09 when the Indians swiped nine bases vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

HE GOT ALL OF IT: In the fourth game of his rehab assignment and his second with Indianapolis, Anthony Alford launched a solo home run deep to left field to give the Indians a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Between Single-A Bradenton and Indianapolis, he has gone 4-for-13 with three extra-base hits, two RBI and four runs scored. Alford played in 56 games with Indy last season and hit .307 (58-for-189) with 12 doubles, 14 home runs and a 1.013 OPS. He went 9-for-21 with four home runs and 11 RBI in the five games prior to having his contract selected by Pittsburgh on 8/7/21.

MARTIN MASHING: Mason Martin roped his sixth double of the season to rank among leaders in Minor League Baseball with 11 extra-base hits (T-1st) and 33 total bases (T-8th) this season. He also is tied for third with three triples. He has recorded at least one XBH in eight of his 12 games this season to rank among International League leaders in triples (1st, 3), extra-base hits (1st), total bases (T-2nd), doubles (T-3rd) slugging percentage (4th, .733) and OPS (6th, 1.108). Martin has paired his power with speed on the basepaths, stealing his second base of the season last night and stretching three triples already this season. He is now just one three-bagger away from tying his single-season career high (2019: 4) after just nine games.

TODAY: Indy will look to build on yesterday's win vs. Columbus today at 12:05 PM ET in Victory Field's first Baseball in Education game of the season. In 2021, the Indians faced the Clippers 11 times and won the season series, 6-5, thanks to a 4-2 record at Victory Field that included a doubleheader sweep. LHP Nathan Kirby will make his second start in four games with Indianapolis and look to continue a strong beginning of the season after surrendering just one earned run in 5.1 innings. Countering for Columbus is Jamie Arias, who will make his Triple-A debut after being promoted from High-A Lake County yesterday. In three relief outings in High-A to begin the season, he is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA (1er/8.0ip).

THE HOOSIER: On 8/9/15, in Evansville, Ind. native Jerad Eickhoff's lone career start against the Columbus Clippers, he tossed 8.0 shutout innings - just one out shy of his career high - to earn the win with Lehigh Valley. He surrendered five hits in the start, which is tied for the longest shutout outing of his career (also: 5/8/19 at STL). Eickhoff, a graduate of Mater Dei (Evansville) High School, was signed by Pittsburgh as a minor league free agent on 11/28/21 and has gone 1-0 with a 8.53 ERA (6er/6.1ip) in two games (one start) with Indianapolis this season.

THIS DATE IN 2006: Indians second baseman Yurendell DeCaster was the star of the game by accounting for all of Indy's runs in a 4-2, walk-off win over Ottawa at Victory Field. Trailing 2-0 in the seventh, DeCaster recorded a game-tying, two-run single. He then launched a two-run homer with one away in the ninth, his first of two walk-off homers hit that season (also: July 4, 2006 vs. Columbus). DeCaster finished his Indianapolis career with three walk-off home runs and provided six career walk-off hits in an Indians uniform, more than any other player in the Victory Field era.

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International League Stories from April 21, 2022


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