Game Recaps 6/6: Indians cut to the Chase in win

Chase Burnette (Photo: Tony Lastoria)

Kinston Beats up Blue Rocks 11-1

The K-Tribe offense exploded for 11 runs on 16 hits beating the Blue Rocks Monday night in Wilmington, Delaware. The series opening win got Kinston one game closer to first place, now just 3 1/2 Myrtle Beach with 14 games to play in the first half. Kinston blasted seven doubles and a total of nine extra base hits on the night, the most in both categories since May of 2007.

In the top of the first inning, Casey Frawley walked then advanced to third on a single by Bo Greenwell. Frawley would score when Blue Rocks starting pitcher Tyler Sample threw wide of first base on a pick off attempt. Sample would be stuck with an error and Kinston took a 1-0 lead. The Kinston offense would fire up in the second inning when Abner Abreu started the frame with a double. Justin Toole was then hit by a pitch. Chase Burnette followed with a run scoring single, driving home Abreu. Roberto Perez kept his hot bat going with an RBI double, driving home Toole. Tyler Cannon gave Kinston a 5-0 lead with a two RBI double, scoring Burnette and Perez. The Indians made it 6-0 when Frawley drove home Cannon with a ground rule double in the top of the fourth inning.

Kinston rubbed salt in the wound by batting around and scoring three runs on three hits in the fifth. Abraham started with a double. Toole walked. Burnette drove both men home with a triple off the wall in dead center field. After back-to-back walks to Perez and Cannon loaded the bases, Delvi Cid drove in a run with an infield single. Sample made it through only half of the inning, giving up eight runs on nine hits, for his fourth loss of the season. Glen Gibson didn't fare much better, as the reliever allowed the final run of the fifth inning, but then gave up another in the sixth inning. Burnette was at it again, blasting an RBI single to score Toole. It was Burnette's third run scoring hit of the evening, giving Kinston a 10-1 lead.

Kinston's first baseman finished 4-for-5 with three singles, a triple, two runs and four RBI's. Catcher Roberto Perez also had a strong night with three hits and a walk before being removed from the game after a sixth inning double. Every K-Triber in the starting lineup got a hit.

Fittingly Cleveland's first round draft pick in 2010, Drew Pomeranz, got the start for Kinston on this 2011 draft night. Pomeranz (2-1) cruised for just his second win of the season in limiting Wilmington to one run in five innings. Pomeranz allowed two hits, walked four and struck out five. The K-Tribe ace started the sixth but departed after walking the leadoff man. Marty Popham and Joey Mahalic threw the final four innings without allowing a run.

Seven doubles and nine extra base hits are high marks this season for the K-Tribe. Additionally, Kinston's 16 hit total falls just one shy of the 2011 high set on April, 19th which also came against Wilmington.

The four game away series continues in Delaware Tuesday night at 7:05 pm. New Jersey native Brett Brach will get the start for Kinston.

Clippers split doubleheader

The Clippers split a doubleheader with the Louisville Bats at Huntington Park on Monday night, finishing a five-game series between the teams. The Game 2 win for the Clippers ended an eight-game winning streak for the Bats. The Clippers now sit two games up on the Bats in the IL West.

In Game 1, the Bats pitching staff became the first of the year to shutout Clippers, albeit in a shortened seven-inning game. The Bats would prevail 5-0. Clippers starter Corey Kluber (3-4, 6.10) took the loss in Game 1, going 6.1 innings and allowing three earned runs on six hits while walking two and striking out nine.

Short a starting pitcher due to a series of transactions by the Reds, Bats manager Rick Sweet opted to go the bullpen-by-committee approach in Game 2, but it failed to work in his favor. In the bottom of the third, Paul Phillips cut the Bats lead to 2-1 with a solo home run off Bats starter David Johnson. Chad Huffman added a solo home run of his own to lead off the bottom of the fourth and tie the game at 2-2. Huffman's home run was followed by a Jared Goedert single that would chase Johnson in favor of Chris Mobley.

Luis Valbuena doubled on the first pitch from Mobley to score Goedert and put the Clippers up 3-2 to give them the lead they would not relinquish. After a Jerad Head single, Phillips knocked in Valbuena with a sacrifice fly to right to make the score 4-2. The Clippers would add two more in the bottom of the fifth off Pat Doyle, who was just called up from Single-A Dayton and making his Triple-A debut, and go on to win, 6-2.

Justin Germano (0-1, 7.27) went four innings for the Clippers in taking the no decision, allowing two earned runs on five hits and allowed two home runs. He also struck out one and did not walk a batter.

The Clippers are set to play Rochester at home on Tuesday, and Jeanmar Gomez is slated to take the hill.

Note: Both Akron and Lake County were off on Monday.

Follow Tony and the Indians Prospect Insider on Twitter @TonyIPI. Also, his latest book the 2011 Cleveland Indians Top 100 Prospects & More is available for purchase for $20.95 to customers in the US (shipping and handling extra).

Posted in: