IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Indians Battle Bats For 6-4 Victory

Published on August 19, 2009 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Center fielder Jose Tabata, first baseman Robinzon Diaz and catcher Erik Kratz all launched home runs as the Indianapolis Indians collected six runs on 14 hits to avoid the series sweep with a 6-4 win over the Louisville Bats on Wednesday night at Louisville Slugger Field.

With the win the Indians improve to 61-63 overall and 30-35 on the road, while the Bats drop to 72-52 overall and 41-25 at home with the loss. Indianapolis avoids the series sweep with the win, but Louisville takes the series 2-1 and leads the season series 9-5 with the two teams set to match up in a three-game set beginning Thursday at Victory Field.

The Indians began the game with a bang as their leadoff hitter Tabata started the game with a solo home run to left field. Indianapolis then added two more scores in the very next inning as Robinzon Diaz launched a roundtripper of his own, a two-run blast to left field.

Robinzon Diaz's long ball plated 3B Neil Walker who began the second inning with a leadoff double. The two-run dinger was the Tribe first baseman's second in the past two games and his third of the season for Indianapolis.

After the Tribe jumped out to an early 3-0 advantage via the homers, Louisville quickly chipped away at the lead. The Bats plated a run in the bottom of the second when 3B Juan Francisco came home on a sacrifice fly.

Francisco led off the frame with a single and with one-out moved to third base when LF Daniel Dorn collected a base knock of his own. With one-out and runners on first and second RF Michael Griffin smacked a sac fly to right field that brought Francisco home for Louisville's first score of the contest.

Indianapolis though countered with another score in the top half of the fourth. Again Walker reached base in the first at-bat of the inning with a single to left, but was then picked off of first base for the first out of the frame.

Both Robinzon Diaz and Tribe SS Argenis Diaz then reached on their own singles to place runners on first and second with one out. But like Walker, Robinzon Diaz was thrown out on the basepaths as he was picked off and caught stealing.

Argenis Diaz moved to second on the play and then came plateward as Indians' starting pitcher Brad Lincoln slapped an RBI single through the hole at shortstop. The RBI single was the second hit of the night for the Tribe starter as he recorded one of five Indianapolis multi-hit performances.

The single gave the Indians a three-run lead, but Louisville managed to put together a three score rally to nod the contest at four apiece. The Bats plated three runs in the bottom of the fourth as Francisco, 1B Wes Bankston and Dorn all collected one-out hits and came plateward in the frame.

Francisco kicked off the rally with a solo home run to left field before Bankston singled and Dorn doubled. Following Dorn's two-bagger Bankston trotted home on Griffin's second sacrifice fly of night, while Dorn scored on a single by Louisville's starting pitcher Ben Jukich.

However, the Tribe overcame the Bats' three-run rally with two runs of their own in the top of the fifth. After LF Hector Gimenez reached first on a one-out single, Kratz smacked the Indians' third long ball of the night with a two run dinger to left-center field.

The blast ended up being the game-winner as neither team scored for the remaining four frames. Lincoln (5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 IBB, 3 SO, 1 WP) did well at the plate with a two-hit performance for the Tribe, but also succeeded on the mound as he earned the win after he struck out three and gave up four runs on six hits in five innings of work.

The Tribe starter received excellent help upon his exit in the sixth as the Indians' relief corps combined to give up just one hit in four innings of relief. LHP Phil Dumatrait (2.0 IP, 1 SO), RHP Jeff Sues (0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 SO) and LHP Corey Hamman (0.1 IP) all received holds with their scoreless work out of the bullpen, while RHP Jean Machi (1.0 IP, 1 SO) picked up his third save of the season with one strikeout in a perfect ninth inning.

Lincoln's counterpart, Jukich (5.0 IP, 12 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 4 SO, 1 WP), was pinned with the loss after he allowed all six Tribe runs on 12 hits in five innings of work. Like Indianapolis, Louisville received excellent work out of their bullpen as LHP Lee Tabor (2.1 IP, 2 H, 1 SO, 1 WP), RHP Federico Baez (0.2 IP, 1 SO) and RHP Sean Watson (1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 SO) combined to allow just two hits in their four innings of relief.

Lincoln (2-for-3, 1 RBI) not only earned the win for the Tribe but also tallied a multi-hit performance along with Robinzon Diaz (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Kratz (2-for-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI), Walker (2-for-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB) and 2B Pedro Lopez (2-for-4, 1 BB). One of Walker's base knocks was a two-bagger as he has now collected a double in four of his last five games, while Lopez has now recorded multiple base knocks in each of his last five contests.

Francisco (2-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI) continues to shine for the Bats with his second straight contest with a long ball along with his fourth multi-hit effort in the five contests he has played with Louisville. Francisco was joined in the multiple hits department by Dorn (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B) who tallied a single and a double.

Indianapolis will return to Victory Field and open a seven-game homestand with a Thursday night match-up against Louisville. RHP Daniel McCutchen, who was named the IL Pitcher of the Week for August 10-16, is scheduled to start for the Indians in the series opener at 7:00 p.m., while RHP Matthew Klinker is expected to get the nod for the Bats.

The contest will be carried by WXLW-950 AM and www.IndyIndians.com with Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley. The pre-game show begins at 6:40 p.m.

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Post-game quote -- C Erik Kratz

(on their success off of Louisville starter Ben Jukich who has dominated the Indians in the past)

"We were just able to stay patient. He's (Bats Starter Ben Jukich) got that great changeup that he gets a lot of guys out on and he's got a good cutter or slider that goes in back off of the plate. I remember the other times we had faced him we were chasing some pitches. We were patient and weren't afraid to go to two strikes on him and we made him pay."

(on his double initially being called a home run and then being reversed)

"They just said that one of them (umpires) saw one thing and one of them saw another thing and they made a decision. From what I've heard it ended up being the right decision. But at the time it's obviously frustrating to have a home run taken away. Hey but you know it wasn't meant to be at that time and I did end up getting on base but did get thrown out at the plate."

(on his home run that was crushed to left-center field in his third at-bat against Bats' starter Ben Jukich)

"Yea obviously when you hit it like that you go, you know what there is no doubt about that one. But it was my third at-bat against him and normally that's unusual for me. Normally hitting lower in the lineup I'm not going to see a starter who has given up a few hits for a third time. My second time up he had thrown me a changeup with two strikes and I felt like I saw it, but he ended up taking a little bit extra off of it. Then in my next at-bat he threw a slider down and in and then he threw another changeup with two strikes again, but this time I was able to wait long enough on it and barrel it up."

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International League Stories from August 19, 2009


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