Unlike Altoona in the recap below, the Indians were helped by a rain delay in their contest as they scored six runs in the final two innings to overcome a late 2-1 deficit for the win. Indianapolis was bailed out by a fielding error with the bases loaded in the eighth inning on a ball hit by Matt Hague that might've ended the inning on a double play. Instead a run scored, making the game tied at 2-2. Jeff Clement then hit his 34th double of the year to drive the winning runs home, and Yamaico Navarro followed with a single to score Hague, and Clement scored on a wild pitch. The Indians added a run in the ninth to seal the win. Clement's double was the team's only extra-base hit, and Brandon Boggs singled twice. Jose Tabata extended his hit streak to eight with a single and was also hit by a pitch. His average is up to .321 and OPS to .750. Rick VandenHurk was effective in his seven innings and earned his 11th win of the season when the Indians' offense came alive in the eighth. VandenHurk gave up two runs, four hits and two walks while striking out seven. VandenHurk has an 11-3 record and his ERA stands at 3.34. McEffect favorite Daniel McCutchen struck out three in two shutout innings to end the contest.
AA Altoona | New Britain 13 Altoona 4 Opponent #
It appeared that Gerrit Cole would cruise through his second straight Double-A start after giving up no hits and two walks through three shutout innings to start this contest. But right before the bottom of the fourth, the rains came and caused a 22-minute delay. Cole then gave up a run in the fourth and one in the fifth, and he was lifted after pitching 4.2 innings, allowing three hits, two runs, two walks and striking out five. But once Cole exited with two outs in the fifth, the wheels came off for the Curve. Mike Colla had his worst outing in relief this season by allowing Cole's runner to score in the fifth, plus four more than inning and another in the seventh. Jeff Inman replaced Colla in the seventh and wasn't any better, as his ERA ballooned to 4.93 after giving up five runs, six hits and four walks in a mere 1.1 innings. Shortstop Drew Maggi was actually called upon to get the final out on the mound. Altoona's offense was powered by home runs from Quincy Latimore and Jarek Cunningham. Latimore's 2-run blast was his 13th of the season, and Cunningham's shot in the ninth was his fifth in a struggling first Double-A campaign for the 22-year-old. Brock Holt went 3-for-4 and he's now hitting .322.
A West Virginia | West Virginia 8 Lakewood 4
Robby Rowland continued his career resurgence with a sparkling start for the Power on Sunday. Rowland pitched six shutout innings before giving up back-to-back home runs to lead off the seventh, but his numbers for the day still were strong. Through those six innings, Rowland allowed two runs, five hits, didn't walk anyone and struck out four. His ERA for the year now stands at 3.36. The Kilcrease fake brothers (Nathan and Robbie) finished the win for West Virginia with three innings without giving up an earned run despite two crossing the plate. Robbie Kilcrease's ERA fell to 0.33 with the two unearned runs he allowed in the ninth. The 3-through-6 hitters in the lineup did the damage offensively for the Power, combining for seven hits in 13 at-bats. Willy Garcia went 2-for-4 and his 13th home run of the season, a 2-run blast. Dan Gamache continued his torrid pace and went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fifth triple of the year. Gamache has hit .368 with five doubles, a triple and a .953 OPS in his last ten games. Jose Osuna had two hits, including his 30th double, and Gregory Polanco singled and walked twice to maintain his .326 batting average. Backup catcher Francisco Diaz had two hits and a double as well.
A Bradenton | Bradenton 10 Palm Beach 7
The Bradenton offensive attack bailed out Casey Sadler who had a rare bad outing. The Maruaders had 13 hits and walked six times on their way to ten runs. Carlos Mesa was a home run away from the cycle and went 3-for-5. Alex Dickerson and Dan Grovatt each had two hits and a double, Dickerson's 27th and Grovatt's 19th. Dickerson's 2-for-4 day raised his average to .300 and he now has 83 RBIs on the year with 100 in sight. Benji Gonzalez and Gift Ngoepe each collected two hits, and Mel Rojas singled and drove in two runs. Bradenton needed all the runs it could get after Sadler lasted only 4.2 innings and gave up seven runs, six of them earned. Sadler gave up six hits, three walks and struck out three. His ERA rose to 3.81. Jhonathan Ramos, who has struggled of late for both Altoona and Bradenton after a strong first half, improved his record to 5-1 by pitching 2.2 shutout innings and fanning four batters. Zach Foster saved his fourth game with 1.2 innings of shutout ball as well.
A State College | Aberdeen 10 State College 9
The State College bullpen blew a 9-3 lead and a 9-6 advantage heading into the ninth for the disappointing loss. We found out in this game that Luis Heredia is in fact human in his last start as a 17-year-old (he turns 18 on August 10). Nonetheless, Heredia still hurled a successful start, allowing three runs in five innings. He gave up four hits and only walked one while striking out three. Heredia's ERA rose to a still minute 2.28, and in 43.1 innings this year he's walked just 10 batters and struck out 25. Logan Pevny followed Heredia with a scoreless inning, but Justin Ennis allowed three runs while only getting two outs, and although Lance Breedlove limited Ennis' damage, he gave up the first three runs in the top of the ninth that tied the game. Thomas Harland gave up the final run and was saddled with the loss in his two-thirds of an inning. It's a shame, because the Spikes' offense provided a rare dominant performance with nine runs and ten hits, although they were helped immensely by two crucial Aberdeen errors. Tyler Gaffney was hit by a pitch twice, doubled and scored three runs to bump his average to .333. Derek Trent, who is too old for the level but there isn't much room for him at West Virginia, went 3-for-5 and a double to continue his hot streak. Recent GCL callup Jesus Vasquez smashed his first home run for State College and went 2-for-5.