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IL1 Indianapolis Indians

Tribe Blanks Red Wings 2-0 in Front of 11,006

June 12, 2012 - International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release


INDIANAPOLIS -- The Indianapolis Indians shut out the Rochester Red Wings 2-0 as starting pitcher Rick VandenHurk tossed seven scoreless innings before relievers Chris Leroux and Tim Wood finished out victory with two hitless frames to give the Tribe the series victory in front of a crowd of 11,006 on Tuesday night at Victory Field.

VandenHurk (7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 SO) held the Red Wings to just five hits and one walk while striking out five over seven shutout innings to earn the victory and improve to 4-0 on the season. Since joining the Tribe on May 14, the Eindhoven, Netherlands native has been nothing short of brilliant, posting a 4-0 record and 1.14 ERA (4 ER in 31.2 IP) with 26 strikeouts and just 12 walks over six outings (four starts).

Following VandenHurk, Leroux and Wood held Rochester to just a hit by pitch over two scoreless frames of work. In his second game as part of a major league rehab assignment, Leroux (1.0 IP) earned his first hold, while Wood (1.0 IP, 1 SO) tossed a perfect ninth to earn his sixth save of the season.

After being blanked for the first four frames, the Indians offense, which just the day before plated 16 runs, gave the Tribe hurlers all the offense they would need with single scores in the fifth and sixth frames.

3B Brian Friday was hit by a pitch to led off the bottom of the fifth inning, but after moving to second on a wild pitch, Friday would eventually be tagged out when Rochester 1B Sean Burroughs made a heads up play and nailed the lead runner with a throw to third on a grounder hit by SS Chase d'Arnaud.

After reaching on the fielder's choice, d'Arnaud would make the most of his opportunity on base as he swiped second to take over the team lead in stolen bases with 15 steals in 15 attempts on the season. With d'Arnaud at second, CF Starling Marte would step to the plate and come through with a clutch two-out base hit to left to drive in what turned out to be the game-winning run.

With the RBI base knock, Marte extended his hitting streak to five games, during which time he is batting .364 (8-for-22) with two doubles, a triple and six RBI.

Indianapolis would continue to use their speed on the basepaths to tack on an insurance tally in the following frame as 2B Yamaico Navarro drew a one-out walk and moved into scoring position by stealing second. Friday would then come through with another two-out base knock to plate Navarro and give the contest its final score of 2-0.

Despite suffering the defeat, three Rochester hurlers were able to work around seven walks to hold the Indians to just the two scores. Starter Samuel Deduno (4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 SO) did not figure in the final decision despite allowing just a single hit and striking out five over four frames of work.

Rochester reliever Esmerling Vasquez (2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO) would suffer the loss for the Red Wings to fall to 3-4 on the season after allowing both Tribe scores in just 2.2 innings of work. RHP Carlos Gutierrez (1.1, 2 SO) tossed a perfect final 1.1 innings for the Red Wings in a losing effort.

After their second-straight shut out victory, the Indians are now 38-27 on the season and extend their lead to eight games over the Columbus Clippers in the IL West Division. Following an off day on Wednesday, the Indians will embark on an eight-game road trip, beginning with a 7:15 p.m. contest in Charlotte on Thursday. LHP Jeff Locke is expected to take the mound for the Indians, while the Knights are scheduled to counter with RHP Dylan Axelrod.

The game will be carried on WNDE 1260 AM-WFBQ-HD2, WNDE.com and via iheartradio, a mobile application for iPhone, Blackberry and Android phones with Howard Kellman and Will Flemming on the call. The pre-game show begins at 6:55 p.m.

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Post-game quotes -- 3B Brian Friday

(On his run-scoring single) "I just wanted to be aggressive. They kept trying to throw fastballs in, so I wanted to be aggressive with that and look for that first pitch. It was there, and fortunately, it got through."

(On making a few nice plays at third base) "I enjoy it over there. I kind of just stay in there and react, so there's not a lot of thinking going on. It's fun to play different positions, and I'm enjoying third."

(On starting pitcher Rick VandenHurk's performance) "He's been pitching great for us this season. We all love playing behind guys who work quick. It's always fun playing behind him for sure."

(On staying prepared to play every day) "I just work hard in preparation before the game. I try to come to the park expecting to play every day. Whether you do or not, it's out of your control, so just try and stay sharp and do your best."

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