The Indians had an uncharacteristically off night both with pitching and hitting but managed to split a doubleheader with Columbus anyway. The Clippers out-hit Indianapolis 15-7 on the day but Yamaico Navarro, in his first game action after getting suspended for a DUI last week, hit a walkoff single in the second game to earn the split. Starling Marte's first day after the AAA All Star Game didn't go to well, as he went 1-for-6 with a walk and four strikeouts. He didn't get a hit in the second game, which ended his 15-game hit streak. Brandon Boggs collected one hit in each game, and recorded the Indians' only extra-base hit with a double in Game 1. Tony Sanchez, Eric Fryer and Jose Tabata were the only other Indians with hits. Jeff Locke had a rocky first start after the break, giving up four runs (two earned) in five innings of work. He allowed eight hits, walked two and struck out three. He gave up only one hit over seven innings his last time out. Despite the rough outing, Locke's ERA is still a solid 2.95. Kris Johnson made a spot start in Game 2 and was effective, giving up three hits and no runs while walking nobody and striking out three. Bryan Morris did allow a run in two innings of relief, but Tim Wood earned the victory with two innings of shutout ball following Morris.
AA Altoona | Altoona 3 Akron 2 (12 innings)
Robbie Grossman continued his renaissance with another effective performance in a come-from-behind win over Akron. Although Grossman didn't score or drive in any runs, he still went 2-for-3 with a double and two walks, raising his OPS to .777 on the season. His on-base percentage is over .500 in his last 10 games and he's been a much different hitter since he was suspended for a week in early June. The Pirates need Grossman's bat to continue to mature to add another top offensive prospect to the system after his fantastic 2011 campaign. Drew Maggi also had two hits, and Oscar Tejeda drove in two runs for the Curve. Adalberto Santos went 1-for-5 in his first game in AA since April after sustaining a knee injury. He was hitting .396 before getting hurt. Not to be forgotten, Altoona's pitching staff blanked Akron after the second inning with an outstanding outing. This was led by starter Tim Alderson, who gave up only two hits and one earned run in five innings. He did give up an unearned run as well and walked two batters but struck out eight. Alderson's ERA fell to 3.58 after the solid game. Mike Colla,Jeff Inman, Logan Kensing and Kris Harvey followed Alderson with a combined seven shutout innings, with Kensing earning the win and Harvey the save.
A West Virginia | West Virginia Rome postponed
West Virginia and Rome's contest was cancelled due to rain.
A Bradenton | Bradenton 10 Brevard County 3
Bradenton bludgeoned Milwaukee prospect Taylor Jungmann on the way to a 10-run, 18-hit barrage that led to a victory by a touchdown. Every Marauder starter had at least one hit, and the top three players in the order slammed three hits apiece, led by shortstop Gift Ngoepe who blasted his eighth home run of the season. The 22-year-old product of South Africa has been on fire lately, recording a 1026 OPS over his last 10 games to raise it over .700 on the year. Ngoepe is an interesting prospect who plays solid defense and has some pop for a small middle infielder, but he does strikeout way too much (82 in 304 at bats). Dan Grovatt and Mel Rojas each delivered three hits alongside Ngoepe. Justin Howard went 2-for-4 with a triple, and Kawika Emsley-Pai and Andy Vasquez added two hits as well. The offense provided starter Tyler Waldron with all the support he needed, who upped his record to 6-6. Waldron gave up two runs and five hits in six innings of work while walking two and striking out three. It was his second straight effective started after getting pounded the entire month of June.
A State College | State College 5 Staten Island 3
The Spikes capped off a perfect night for the Pirates' minor league affiliates, scoring five runs combined in the sixth and seventh innings to come from behind (a common theme for the night) and upset Staten Island. Yhonathan Barrios and recent draft signing Tyler Gaffney powered the offensive attack. Barrios saw his average climb back to .200 with a 3-for-3 day and scored two runs, while Gaffney knocked his first two professional hits and was also hit by a pitch and stole a base. Jacob Stallings stroked his sixth double and Barrett Barnes walked twice to raise his on-base percentage to .373 in his first 20 professional games. Thomas Harlan and Jordan Cooper pitched a combined five shutout innings in relief of Jake Burnette, and Harlan earned the victory and Cooper the save as a result. Burnette wasn't very efficient, walking two and giving up four hits while striking out none. He gave up all three Staten Island runs.