Jones' dramatic walk-off HR ends Bats' losing streak
With his team facing its final out of the contest, not to mention a six-game losing streak and the worst 18-game start in franchise history, Jones stepped to the plate and made his first swing of the game the most memorable of the young season for Louisville, crushing a three-run walk-off homer in sending the jubilant Bats to a dramatic 3-2 victory.
Jones couldn't have picked a more opportune time to collect his second home run of the season and first since going deep against Columbus on April 6, the second game of the year. The Bats (6-12) had lost five straight coming into the contest and were staring down a 5-13 record that would have given them their worst 18-game start in franchise history.
The Bats had picked up a mere four hits heading into the ninth inning. They only had two against Indy starter Rudy Owens, who was brilliant, and those were a bloop single by Danny Dorn and a bunt single by Bill Rhinehart. Owens pitched seven shutout innings, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out five.
Jones spoiled Owens' masterful outing. Tim Wood (0-3) entered in the ninth inning for Indy looking for his second save of the season. Things didn't start well for him as Denis Phipps singled to leftfield just ahead of the outstretched glove of a diving Gorkys Hernandez. Wood managed to sandwich a pair of outs around a Neftali Soto single. Bats manager David Bell called upon Jones to pinch hit for Felix Perez, and Bell was rewarded in a big way for that decision.
Jones punished the first pitch he saw from Wood, launching it over the right centerfield wall and toward the Overlook Grill. With a stiff wind blowing in from left, no player had come close to homering before the left-handed hitting Jones sent his rocket soaring out of the ballpark. Jones' teammates mobbed him at home plate, perhaps with a mixture of excitement and relief.
Not to be overshadowed was the Bats' fantastic pitching. Starter Sean Gallagher led the way by allowing two runs on three hits in 5 1/3 innings. Scott Carroll, J.J. Hoover and Josh Judy combined for 3 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and didn't allow a single hit. Judy (1-0) notched the win and put the finishing touch on the three-hitter.
Before Jones' walk-off blast, the Bats had scored only one run in their previous 24 innings. On Sunday, Owens set down nine straight Louisville batters at one point and faced trouble in only one inning. It happened in the sixth, when Rhinehart pushed a bunt to the right side for a leadoff single and Kristopher Negron reached on an error. Louisville lost momentum when catcher Jose Morales fielded Chris Valaika's sacrifice bunt attempt and got the out at third, and then Owens struck out Phipps and Dorn to end the threat.
After registering five doubles in Saturday's win over Louisville, Indianapolis (7-9) utilized the triple to build an early lead off Gallagher. Morales followed Brandon Boggs' two-out walk in the second by slapping a line drive down the left field line that skipped past a diving Dorn and into the corner for an RBI triple. Starling Marte then fired a three-bagger into the right field corner leading off the third and scored on an Anderson Hernandez grounder to the right side. Indy wouldn't score again.
Louisville will conclude its 11-game homestand by hosting Indianapolis at 6:35 p.m. on Monday night. Justin Wilson (1-2, 3.57 ERA) is expected to start on the mound for the Indians, while Chad Reineke (0-0, 6.32) is set to pitch for the Bats.