Tribe rallies for win over Toledo
Published on June 12, 2008 under International League (IL1)
Indianapolis Indians News Release
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Indianapolis scored five times in the seventh, once in the eighth and once in the ninth to post an 8-6 victory over Toledo in front of 7,279 Thursday evening at Fifth Third Field.
The Indians improve to 33-35 overall and 17-19 on the road, while the Mud Hens fall to 39-29 on the season and 22-16 at home.
SS Brian Bixler, 2B Josh Wilson, CF Andrew McCutchen and LF Nyjer Morgan opened the Tribe's big inning with four straight singles. DH Ronny Paulino then knotted the affair with a towering grand slam to left center.
Indianapolis took the lead in the eighth when Bixler walked and eventually crossed the dish on Morgan's base knock to right. The Indians added an insurance run in the ninth when Pearce singled and scored moments later on C Michel Hernandez's double to center.
Paulino (1-for-4, 2 R, 4 RBI) is now 11-for-20 with three homers, five doubles, seven runs and eight RBI in five Triple-A games since being optioned from Pittsburgh on June 7.
Morgan (2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI), who registered back-to-back RBI singles during the Tribe's late rally, has now hit safely in six consecutive games. He is 9-for-24 with five runs and five RBI during the stretch.
Bixler (3-for-4, 2 R), 1B Steve Pearce (3-for-5, 1 R) and RF Kevin Thompson (2-for-5, 1 RBI) joined Morgan in the multi-hit column for Indianapolis. The Indians scored their first run in the fourth when Thompson brought home Paulino on a single to center.
Toledo scored its first five runs via the long ball and eventually built a five-run cushion through six frames.
Mud Hens 3B Mike Hessman crushed his International League-leading 23rd homer of the season -- a two-run blast to left -- in the second. 2B Derek Wathan then whacked his second roundtripper of the campaign -- a three-run shot to right -- in the fifth.
SS Maxwell Leon (2-for-4, 2 R) and 1B Ryan Roberson (2-for-4, 1 RBI) collected two hits apiece for Toledo.
Indianapolis RHP Romulo Sanchez (3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 SO) improved to 3-0 with the win, while RHP Jesse Chavez (1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 SO) notched his fifth save of the year.
Mud Hens RHP Francis Beltran (2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO) slipped to 2-3 with the loss.
Neither starter -- Indians RHP Ty Taubenheim (5.0 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 5 BB, 6 SO) or Mud Hens RHP Anastacio Martinez (3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 SO) -- figured in the decision.
Indianapolis improves to just 8-25 against Toledo in games at Fifth Third Field over the past four years.
The teams wrap up their four-game series on Friday at 7 p.m. RHP John Van Benschoten is scheduled to start for the Indians, while RHP Virgil Vasquez is expected to get the nod for the Mud Hens.
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 quotes -- OF Nyjer Morgan
(on winning at Toledo) "It feels good to grind out this win because our guys really battled. Our position players strung together some hits, and our pitchers recorded big outs when they needed to. It was one heck of an effort all the way around."
(on DH Ronny Paulino's seventh-inning grand slam) "(Indianapolis DH Ronny) Paulino put a great swing on that ball, and I knew it was gone when he hit it. I was just bustin' on (Indianapolis CF Andrew) McCutchen because he wasn't running. You can't just stand there when you're in front of me on the bases (laughing)."
(on his eighth-inning RBI single) "With a 3-2 count, I knew (Toledo RHP Francis) Beltran was going to throw off-speed pitches. I knew he wouldn't pump the gas."
(on 3B Mike Hessman's third-inning homer which was changed to a foul ball) "The ball (Toledo 3B Mike) Hessman hit was definitely foul, and I had to let the umpire know. It was to the left of the foul pole, and I wasn't going to let that one slide."
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