The Tribe had an off day tonight as they get ready to start a four game road series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees on Thursday night. The International League leading 68-44 Indians will have big right hander Daniel Cabrera toe the bump with a 4-5 record and 4.37 ERA. Cabrera is coming off a bad outing July 27th against Pawtucket in which he allowed five runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks in five innings of work. The pride of Iowa Jeff Clement finished his torrid month of July with a .303/.337/.545 slash while mashing 14 extra base hits (5 home runs and 9 doubles).
AA Altoona | Altoona 3 Trenton 4 (11 innings)
Another tough loss for the Curve tonight. This is coming after a phenominal start by top prospect Gerrit Cole. White-hot and reigning Eastern League Pitcher of the Week Phil Irwin took the rubber the the Curve and continued his recent inhuman pitching performances. He had previously thrown three consecutive complete games with his most recent performance being a two-hit, seven inning shutout. In those three starts, he went a total of 22 innings while only allowing three runs and struck out 19. Tonight, he continued his hot streak as he threw five innings and only allowed no earned runs on four hits and struck out six. Jeff Inman had a rough on hill, giving up a big game tying two-run blow in the 8th. Rock solid Vic Black threw two outstanding frames of relief, not allowing a hit and STRIKING OUT EVERY BATTER HE FACED. Black now has a 1.17 ERA in 46 inning with a 63:21 K/BB ratio. Nathan Baker was tagged with the loss, coming in the game in the 11th and surrendering the game-ending sac fly. Stefan Welch went 2-for-4 at the plate and Brock Holt had a rough night striking out three times. Reigning Eastern League Player of the Week Adalberto Santos added another hit tonight and a walk. He is now 8 for his past 18 at bats (.444).
A West Virginia | West Virginia 7 Hagerstown 12
Despite a great collective performance by the offense with 12 hits, a bad outing by Power starter Mike Jefferson and a lackluster bullpen erased it. He started off behind the eight ball quickly, allowing a two-run shot to Hagerstown's three-hole batter. By the end of his night's work, Jefferson went five frames and gave up eight hits and five earned runs. Joan Montero continued his season woes as he gave up two earned runs in two innings of relief. Rinku Singh followed suit like his other pitching brethren, giving up four earned runs on six hits in two innings. Alen Hanson came out of his recent funk at the plate with a 3-for-4 night mashing his 12th "trip, trip, triple". Ashley Ponce and Dan Gamache both added two hits apiece and Gregory Polanco continued to rip the cover of the ball. Polanco now has a team leading 76 RBI, .326 average, .389 on-base percentage after his 2-for-5 night at the plate. After just recently being tabbed as Baseball America's to breakout player in the minor leagues this season, Polanco's 2012 "power surge" has caught the eyes of many around baseball.
A Bradenton | Bradenton 5 Lakeland 6
Doug Salinas ruined the Marauders 4-run rally in the seventh inning and insurance run in the top of the ninth by allowing four runs in the bottom of the ninth to blow the lead and lose to Lakeland. In a third of an inning, Salinas allowed five hits, the four runs and two walks. His ERA is 10.00 on the season since the club picked him up as a minor league free agent in June. Eliecer Navarro and Josh Poytress had mostly neutralized the Lakeland offense until the ninth. Navarro started and went six innings, allowing seven hits, two runs and didn't walk anyone while striking out five. Poytress followed with two shutout frames and he fanned two hitters. But the offense's five runs in the last three innings wasn't enough. Benji Gonzalez, Carlos Paulino and Dan Grovatt all had two hits for Bradenton. Both of Grovatt's hits were doubles (18 on the year), while Paulino and Gonzalez added a double apiece. Andy Vasquez also doubled, while Alex Dickerson went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts. Mel Rojas stole his 12th base of the year in 18 tries.
A State College | State College 2 Hudson Valley 4
WARNING: Clay Holmes finally allowed a run! It was the first run, earned or unearned, that the 2011 9th-round pick had allowed since July 2. But it was only one, increasing his total to a whopping four in 38.1 innings to start his professional career, making his ERA a still-sparking 0.94. Holmes wasn't particularly efficient against Hudson Valley however, as he walked five hitters in 4.2 innings while striking out four and giving up only two hits. In those 38.1 innings this year, Holmes has only allowed 18 hits, but has walked 18 to go along with his 27 strikeouts. And for the last fact: Holmes has still given up no runs in five of his eight starts, no earned runs in six of those starts, and allowed three hits or less in seven. But the Spikes' bats provided little support for Holmes, mustering only four hits in the 4-2 loss. Samuel Gonzalez did hit his second home run of the season in the bottom of the ninth. Gonzalez was a New York-Penn League All-Star last year but has struggled this year, hitting only .222 with little power after being hurt for most of the early summer. Jimmy Rider and Jesus Vasquez made their State College debuts after being promoted from the GCL, and Vasquez singled while Rider walked and scored. D.J. Crumlich and Chris Diaz added singles for State College's lowly offensive output. Reliever Kyle Haynes gave up the go-ahead three runs in the top of the eighth, even though only one of those was earned thanks to a throwing error by Vasquez.