Daily Recap: 7/10

On Thursday, the Indians announced they have traded INF RYAN MULHERN and RHP DAN REICHERT to the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations. Mulhern and Reichert were both playing for the AAA Buffalo Bisons. Mulhern hit .250 (50-200) with 7RH & 26RBI in 58 games this season, while Reichert was 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA (43.0IP, 52H, 25R/21ER, 15BB, 29K) in 8 starts for the Bisons.

Also, the Indians signed their 3rd round selection from the 2008 First-Year Player Draft on Thursday, inking INF CORD PHELPS (107th overall pick) to his first professional contract. The junior second baseman hit .351 (91-259) this season for Stanford University with 16 2B, 3 3B, 13HR and 58RBI in 63 games for the Cardinal (76RS, 41BB, 38K). The Santa Barbara, CA native led the team in walks and on-base % (.445) and was an All-Pac 10 selection at second base. He hit .389 (7-18) in 4 College World Series games w/6RS, 2 2B, 2 3B & 5RBI. He is a switch-hitter and is 6-2, 200lb. He will report to the Gulf Coast League in Winter Haven to rehab a sprained ankle he suffered prior to the CWS before moving on to Mahoning Valley. The Indians have signed 20 picks overall and 15 of their top 21 selections.

Also, the Indians claimed RHP BRYAN BULLINGTON off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates and optioned him to AAA Buffalo. Bullington, 27, has pitched at AAA Indianapolis the entire season, going 4-6 w/a 5.52 ERA in 15 starts (75.0IP, 90H, 46ER, 25BB, 60K, 8HR). He was with the Pirates, but did not pitch, from May 29-June 12 and was named International League Pitcher-of-the-Week after going 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA (2GS, 13.0IP, 12H, 2ER, 15K) in two starts during week of May 19-26. He was designated for assignment on July 3.

Right-hander Rick Bauer cleared waivers and elected free agency and will not return to Buffalo.

Aeros Rally Again, Nip Bowie 10-9

AKRON, OH – The Aeros scored four runs in the eighth inning to tie the game and Wyatt Toregas drove a sacrifice fly to left field in the bottom of the ninth, lifting the Aeros to a 10-9, walk-off win over Bowie before 5,007 fans at Canal Park Thursday night. Akron improved to 58-34, while the Baysox fell to 53-40, 5.5 games behind Akron.

Bowie tallied the first three runs of the game in the third inning with a two-out rally. Mike Rodriguez started things with a walk, and Jonathan Tucker followed with a single to move runners to the corners. Lou Montanez then sneaked a three-run home run into the first row of bleachers in right field. The Aeros responded with a run in the bottom half on an RBI single by Wes Hodges, but Jeff Nettles made it 5-1 Bowie with a two-run homer to right-center in the fourth.

The Aeros picked up three runs in the bottom of the fourth when Toregas was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run, Brandon Pinckney brought home a run on a double play, and Josh Rodriguez delivered a two-out RBI single. The Baysox, though, tacked on four runs in the fifth, highlighted by a two-run home run by Matt Wieters, to take a 9-4 lead they carried into the seventh.

After two strikeouts to start the inning, Matt LaPorta singled and Hodges followed with an RBI double into the left-field corner to make it 9-5. Two walks put runners on first and second with one down in the eighth when Toregas doubled into the same corner, scoring both runs. Brandon Pinckney followed by legging out a double to put runners on second and third, and Rodriguez walked to load the bases for LaPorta. The newly acquired prospect singled through the left side to plate Toregas, but Lou Montanez gunned out Pinckney at the plate with a perfect throw. Hodges, the Eastern League RBI leader then doubled to left-center to score Rodriguez and tie the game, but the relay throw from Blake Davis came to Wieters at the plate and he held on as LaPorta steamrolled him, keeping the game tied.

Erik Stiller shut down Bowie in the top of the ninth, and the Aeros won it in the bottom half. Stephen Head led off with a single off Bowie closer Julio Manon and moved to second on an error. Matt Whitney drew a walk, and Bowie intentionally passed Nathan Panther to load the bases. Bronson Sardinha, pinch-hitting for Ryan Goleski, struck out, but Toregas delivered the winning RBI on the sacrifice fly, as Head raced home standing up.

Stiller (5-2) earned the win on his birthday, tossing two innings of perfect baseball and striking out three. Manon (1-5) took the loss and blown save, his third this season against the Aeros. Steven Wright started for Akron and was good early, striking out five of the first nine he faced. He went four innings, allowing seven runs on six hits with three walks and seven strikeouts. Hodges was 4-5 with two doubles and three RBI on the night and Pinckney, Rodriguez, and LaPorta had two hits apiece. Toregas drove in four runs on the night, giving him 13 RBI in his last four games.

The Aeros hit the road for a four-game, wrap-around series in Reading starting Friday at 7:05 p.m. in the final set before the All-Star break. Akron left-hander Ryan Edell (5-5, 4.53 ERA) will take the mound against Reading’s Carlos Carrasco (5-7, 4.18 ERA) in the series opener. The game broadcast begins at 6:50 p.m. on SportsRadio 1350 AM and online at http://www.akronaeros.com/.

Kinston Splits Double-header

Kinston split a double header with Lynchburg, winning game two 9-2 after the Indians dropped the opening game of the double dip 7-1. Kinston jumped all over the Hillcats in game two, scoring five runs in the first inning helped by a grand slam home run from Jared Goedert. It was Goedert eighth home run and second grand slam of the season. Every K-Triber in the lineup had a hit in game two as Kinston banged out a total of 14. Niuman Romero went 2-for-4 with a home run in game two, extending his team high hit streak to 15 games. Goedert, Nick Weglarz and Johnny Drennen each added two-hit a piece for Kinston. Matt Meyer (3-0) picked up the win for Kinston, pitching two innings of scoreless relief. Sung-Wei Tseng got the spot start for the K-Tribe, giving up just two hits and an earned run in three innings of work.

The Hillcats scratched the K-Tribe, handing Kinston a 7-1 loss in game one of a double header. The Hillcats got to Kinston ace Hector Rondon in the second inning, scoring three runs on three hits and two walks. Rondon would give up three more runs on back to back to back hits in the fifth inning. Rondon (7-3) suffered his first loss since May 9th, giving up six earned runs on eight hits. The K-Tribe starter had won his last five starts in a row coming in. Rondon’s next appearance will be for the World Team in the MLB futures game from Yankee Stadium on Sunday. The K-Tribe got their lone run of the ballgame when Johnny Drennen delivered an RBI double, scoring Cirilo Cumberbatch, in the fifth inning. Drennen went 2-for-3. Blair Johnson (3-1) picked up the win for Lynchburg.

The K-Tribe takes on Lynchburg in the final game of the three game series Friday night in Virginia. Kinston will send Josh Tomlin to the mound for the 7:05 start.

CAPTAINS NIPPED BY CRAWDADS 2-1

(Eastlake, OH) – Matt Brown hit a solo home run in the ninth inning but it wasn’t enough as the Hickory Crawdads defeated the Lake County Captains 2-1 on Thursday. All the runs in the game came via the long ball. The Captains bullpen pitched 16.1 innings in the series and allowed only one run. The final 13.1 innings they pitched were scoreless.

The Crawdads got on the board in the third inning when Jordy Mercer hit a solo home run off of Captains starter Ryan Miller to take a 1-0 lead. The lead was raised to 2-0 on a solo home run by Matt Cavagnaro in the fifth inning. The Captains lone run came in the ninth on a solo home run fro Matt Brown.

Miller took the loss giving up two runs on only two hits, both home runs, walking four and striking out four in 4.2 innings of work. His record is now 7-4 and he has not picked up a win since May 18th. John Gaub relieved Miller and pitched 2.1 scoreless innings striking out two. Gary Campfield came on in the eighth inning and pitched two scoreless innings a well. Bradley Clapp got the win to up his record to 3-6 tossing six scoreless innings and Charles Benoit picked up his first save.

The Captains will continue their home stand by hosting the Asheville Tourists for four games beginning Friday at 7:05 PM. The Captains will send RHP Chris Archer (2-8, 4.05) to the mound against the Tourists RHP Robinson Fabian (2-2, 5.40). All Captains games can be heard on AM 1330 WELW, WELW.COM or CAPTAINSBASEBALL.COM.

In Other Games...

- Buffalo lost 2-0. RHP Frank Herrmann was awesome on the night, going 6 innings and not allowing an earned run on 3 hits, 3 walks and an unreal 10 strikeouts. Unfortunately, the Buffalo bats diappeared (again). RHP J.D. Martin went 1 inning of shutout relief allowing 1 hit, 1 walk and striking out 1.

- Mahoning Valley won 9-4. RHP Kaimi Mead went 5 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 5 hits, 3 walks and struck out 3. 1B Robbie Alcombrack went 3-for-4 with a 2B, 3B Jeremie Tice went 2-for-5 with a HR and RBI, and 2B Isaias Velasquez went 3-for-4 with a 2B and 2 RBI.

- The GCL Indians won 14-13 in 10 innings. RHP Franklin Soto went 2 innings and gave up 6 runs on 5 hits, 4 walks and had 3 strikeouts. 3B Abner Abreu went 2-for-5 with a 3B and 3 RBI, SS Kevin Fontanez went 4-for-6 with a 2B and 2 RBI, LF Angel Rodriguez went 3-for-5 with a 2B and an RBI, 2B Rafael Vera went 3-for-6 with a 2B and RBI, and DH John Allman went 3-for-6 with a 2B and RBI.

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