Indians Rally Past Red Wings 4-3
Published on July 18, 2010 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- Right fielder Jonathan Van Every doubled home the game-winning run in the top half of the eighth inning and three Indianapolis Indians relievers combined for four scoreless innings of work to lead the Tribe to a 4-3 win over the Rochester Red Wings on Sunday afternoon at Frontier Field.
The win improves Indianapolis' record to 50-46 on the season, while, with the loss, Rochester falls to 35-61 on the year. The victory also gives the Indians the final 5-3 edge in the two teams' head-to-head season series.
With the contest tied at 3-3 in the top half of the eighth inning, Van Every stepped to the dish with a runner at first base and no outs in the frame. The Indians' outfielder, who had already collected a game-tying, two-run home run in the fourth inning, worked the count even at 2-2 before lofting the fifth pitch of his plate appearance out to deep center field for a run-scoring double and a 4-3 Indianapolis edge.
Before Van Every gave the Indians the lead for good in the late stages of the contest, Rochester jumped out to an early 2-0 advantage in the home half of the third.
With one out in the inning, CF Dustin Martin worked a five-pitch walk before the next three Rochester batters recorded a base hit to give the Red Wings a two-run advantage. A double by SS Trevor Plouffe sent Martin to third before back-to-back run-scoring singles by LF Matt Macri and RF Brian Dinkelman plated both base runners.
Indianapolis responded with two runs of its own in the top half of the next inning to tie the score at 2-2 in the fourth. CF Alex Presley started the inning with a triple to deep center field and was plated one batter later on Van Every's seventh home run of the season.
With Presley's inning-opening triple, the Indians' outfielder has now recorded a hit in 10 consecutive contests, during which time he has batted .421 (16-for-38) with seven runs scored, three doubles, two triples and three RBI.
The Tribe took their first lead of the contest at 3-2 with a single run in the top half of the fifth inning. With one out in the frame, 2B Jim Negrych singled home DH Brandon Moss, who had recorded his team-leading 20th double of the season one batter earlier, to give the Indians the one-run advantage.
Moss' double upped his season-best hitting streak to nine consecutive games and gives the outfielder a .375 batting average (15-for-40) with eight runs scored, four doubles, two home runs and 10 RBI during that span.
The Red Wings responded with a single score of their own in the home half of the sixth inning to tie the contest at 3-3. C Jose Morales led off the frame with a double to center field and was promptly plated two pitches later on a single by 2B Brendan Harris. A single 3B D'Angelo Jimenez put runners at first and second with no outs in the inning, but a spectacular over-the-shoulder catch by 1B Jeff Clement and a strong inning of relief work from RHP Steven Jackson kept Rochester from taking the lead.
Neither starting pitcher figured in the final decision, as Indians' RHP Mike Crotta (5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 SO) allowed three runs on eight hits in five innings of work, while Red Wings' LHP Ryan Mullins (2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 SO) held the Indians scoreless over two innings of work before being removed from the contest in the top of the third inning.
Tribe reliever Jackson (2.0 IP, 0 R, 2 SO) earned his second win of the year with two scoreless innings of work, before RHP Jean Machi (1.0 IP, 0 R) recorded his 13th save of the season to seal the victory for the Indians. Red Wings' reliever Kyle Waldrop (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 SO) was strapped with his third loss of the season after giving up Van Every's run-scoring double in the eighth.
While Presley (2-for-4, 2 R, 1 3B, 1 BB, 2 SO) and Moss (1-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 SO) each extended their hitting streaks, Van Every (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 SO), who also upped his own hitting streak to six games, provided the offensive spark on the afternoon with three of the four Indians' RBI. Three Red Wings batters drove in a run, while Morales (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 2B) was the only Rochester batter to record multiple hits.
Indianapolis now heads home to Victory Field for an eight-game homestand starting with a four-game set against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Monday, July 19 at 7:00 p.m. LHP Dana Eveland is expected to get the start for the Tribe, while RHP Nate Bump is the probable starter for the IronPigs.
The contest will be carried by WXLW-950 AM and broadcast live on Comcast and Bright House Networks digital channel 81 with Howard Kellman and Scott McCauley on the call. The pre-game show on WXLW-950 AM begins at 6:40 p.m.
Post-game quotes -- OF Jonathan Van Every
(on his two-run home run in the fourth)
"There was a runner at third base with nobody out and I was just trying to put it in play. They were giving us a run with the infield back. I just bailed out and threw the head of the bat at the ball and I found a way to square it up and put it over the fence."
(on his game-winning double in the eighth inning)
"You're just trying to lock in on the pitcher and figure out a way to do some damage. I just try to focus on that guy that's 60 feet away."
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