IL Indianapolis Indians

Game Information: Toledo Mud Hens (21-18) vs. Indianapolis Indians (20-19)

Published on May 22, 2022 under International League (IL)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOCATION: Victory Field

FIRST PITCH: 1:35 PM ET

GAME #40 / HOME #23: Toledo Mud Hens (21-18) vs. Indianapolis Indians (20-19)

PROBABLES: RHP Garrett Hill (0-0, -.--) vs. RHP Cody Bolton (1-1, 3.86)

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

TV: MiLB TV / WISH-TV 8

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Only half of the Mud Hens' runs last night were earned against Indians pitchers as Toledo took Game 5 of the six-game series, 12-2. Both teams traded runs in the fourth inning before Toledo took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning. The Mud Hens then erupted for six runs in the sixth and four in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Indianapolis also scored both of its runs with the aid of defensive miscues. Ji-Hwan Bae reached base safely on dropped fly ball in left field to begin the fourth and scored on a double play off the bat of Mason Martin two batters later. In the sixth, Jason Delay led off with a single and scored on a Cal Mitchell sacrifice fly after a fielding error at second base extended the inning.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY: Cal Mitchell went 2-for-3 last night with a double and the Indians' lone RBI to mark his team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the season. He has now hit safely in each of his last five games, 10 of his last 11 and 13 of 15 contests in May, good for a .311 average (19-for-61). Mitchell has been nothing but consistent all season, going hitless in consecutive games just once (4/28-29). He owns a .308 average (37-for-120) with an .866 OPS in 33 games this season.

WE'VE GOT THE SWAG: Travis Swaggerty notched a season-high three hits last night for his second consecutive multi-hit contest and sixth this season. On Friday night, he went 2-for-3 with a triple and home run for his first game since 4/21 vs. Columbus with an extra-base hit. It was his first game with multiple extra-base hits since 8/17/19 with High-A Bradenton at Lakeland when he hit a pair of solo home runs. After a slow start to the season, Swaggerty is now working a four-game hitting streak and is hitting .385 (10-for-26) with a 1.025 OPS in eight May games.

GOING STREAKING: The Indians own two of the three longest on-base streaks in the International League this season, all of which are still active. Canaan Smith-Njigba (23 games) and Ji-Hwan Bae (20) both walked in the sixth inning last night to extend their respective on-base streaks. Smith-Njigba, Bae and Cal Mitchell (16) all have notched at least a 16-game on-base streak in just 39 team games this season. In all of 2021, Bligh Madris (26), Anthony Alford (25) and Tucupita Marcano (16) were the only Indians batters to reach base safely in 16-plus consecutive games. More details about Smith-Njigba and Bae's active streaks are listed below:

Canaan Smith-Njigba - Smith-Njigba's 23-game on-base streak currently ranks as the longest in the IL this season and the third-longest active streak in Triple-A behind El Paso's Taylor Kohlwey (30) and Nomar Mazara (29). His streak began with a single on 4/22 vs. Columbus, and since he owns a .253 batting average (19-for-75) with a .411 on-base percentage. During that time, he has taken almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (24). Smith-Njigba's longest career on-base streak came in 2017 with the GCL Yankees East, his first year in professional baseball, when he reached base safely in a GCL-leading 27 consecutive games with a .360 average (31-for-86) from 8/3-9/1.

Ji-Hwan Bae - Bae is currently working a 20-game on-base streak, which trails Smith-Njigba and is tied with Durham's Rene Pinto (20) for the second-longest in the IL this season. Since his streak began on 4/27 at Iowa, Bae has hit safely in 15 of his 20 games with a .342 average (25-for-73), .444 on-base percentage and 1.074 OPS. All four of his home runs and 11 of his 13 total extra-base hits this season have come in that time span. He has also struck out just 10 times compared to 15 walks. Bae's longest career on-base streak lasted 25 games from 8/15-9/15/21 with Double-A Altoona, in which he registered a .348 average (31-for-89) with a .459 on-base percentage.

A GREAT VIEAUX: Cam Vieaux continued his dominant streak last night, entering the game with the bases loaded and recording the final two outs of the fourth inning without allowing a run to score. He is currently working a 12.2-inning streak dating back to 4/26 at Iowa without surrendering an earned run. In his last seven appearances, Vieaux is 3-0 with a 0.32 WHIP and .051 average against (2-for-39) with two walks and eight strikeouts. He has surrendered just three earned runs this season across two of his nine appearances and owns a 1.47 ERA (18.1ip), 0.71 WHIP and .115 average against (7-for-61). He has not allowed a hit in his last four appearances (5.1ip).

TODAY: The Indians will look to clinch a series win against their long-time International League rival, the Toledo Mud Hens, in today's 1:35 PM ET series finale at Victory Field. The Indians and Mud Hens are no strangers to each other, facing off every year since 1998. In that time, the Indians have lost only five season series against Toledo, the last coming in 2014 (10-11). In 2021, the Indians went 7-5 vs. the Mud Hens at Victory Field but finished the year with a 9-9 record against the familiar foe. Today, Cody Bolton will take the mound for the Indians against Garrett Hill, who is making his Triple-A debut.

CYCLING THE BASES: The Indians hit for the cycle in the bottom of the fourth inning on Friday (Cal Mitchell single, Mason Martin two-run home run, Canaan Smith-Njigba double and Travis Swaggerty RBI triple), and have now hit for the cycle in an inning as a team twice in the past week. On Sunday at Charlotte, Jason Delay doubled, Josh Bissonette singled, Oneil Cruz launched a three-run homer and Ji-Hwan Bae tripled - all in consecutive at-bats - to lead to a four-run top of the eighth inning. Prior to this season, the last time the Indians hit for the cycle as a team in one inning was the bottom of the seventh on 4/6/19 vs. Toledo at Victory Field. In that inning, Jason Rogers and Max Moroff launched home runs, Jose Osuna and Elias Diaz doubled, Christopher Bostic tripled and Danny Ortiz capped the feat with a one-out single.

THIS DATE IN 1977: Paul Moskau pitched 7.0 innings of one-hit ball while scattering four walks with five strikeouts in a 3-0 win over Omaha at Bush Stadium. Reliever Joe Henderson finished up the game with 2.0 hitless innings. Ron Oester gave Indy the lead with a solo home run in the second inning, and Arturo DeFreites clubbed a two-run shot in the fifth to cap the scoring.

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International League Stories from May 22, 2022


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