INDIANAPOLIS - Five Mud Hens pitchers combined on a three-hitter as the Indians dropped their series opener on Monday night, 4-0. Adam Frazier singled and stole a base in the loss.
INDIANAPOLIS - Five Mud Hens pitchers combined on a three-hitter as the Indians dropped their series opener on Monday night, 4-0. Adam Frazier singled and stole a base in the loss.
Toledo (39-23) moved to a league-best 16 games over .500 thanks to early offense against Indianapolis (32-29) starter Alex McRae. Ronny Rodríguez tripled into the left-field corner on the first pitch of the game and came home on a two-out infield single by Jim Adduci.
Three singles in the third led to another run for the visitors. Jarrod Saltalamacchia and Rodriguez started the frame with knocks to left, and a Dawel Lugo run-scoring single up the middle made it 2-0.
The score remained that way until the sixth. Singles by Dawel Lugo and Jim Adduci set up an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Mikie Mahtook to third. Later in the inning, Johnny Hellweg balked home Mahtook, pushing Toledo's advantage to four.
Indy's best scoring chance came in the third against Jacob Turner, who issued back-to-back one-out walks to Pablo Reyes and Kevin Newman. The Hens right-hander then retired Frazier on a lineout to right before striking out Jung Ho Kang. The Indians also wasted a first-and-third, two-out opportunity in the seventh.
Phillippe Aumont (W, 2-1) picked up the win with two perfect innings in relief for Toledo. He fanned three. McRae (L, 2-6) was charged with four earned runs on eight hits with five strikeouts over 5.1 innings in the defeat.
The Indians and Mud Hens continue their four-game set Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m. ET. Right-hander J.T. Brubaker (3-2, 3.09) gets the nod for Indy, opposite Mud Hens righty Kyle Dowdy (2-2, 4.38).
