INDIANAPOLIS - José Osuna opened the home half of the sixth inning with an opposite-field home run and later prevented the tying run from scoring with a diving stop at third base as the Indians rallied and held off the Mud Hens 4-3 Wednesday afternoon. Jason Martin also hit a
INDIANAPOLIS - José Osuna opened the home half of the sixth inning with an opposite-field home run and later prevented the tying run from scoring with a diving stop at third base as the Indians rallied and held off the Mud Hens 4-3 Wednesday afternoon. Jason Martin also hit a two-run homer in the win.
The Indians (71-64) overcame 1-0 and 3-1 deficits thanks to the long ball. Osuna's tiebreaking blast came on the first pitch from Warwick Saupold in the sixth, his ninth dinger of the season and fourth in August.
Toledo (69-65) had the lead two batters into the contest behind a Daz Cameron single and Christin Stewart double, but Wyatt Mathisen leveled the score with a sacrifice fly in the second, scoring Osuna who had walked to begin the frame.
Tyler Eppler stranded two baserunners in the third and fourth to keep the score at 1-1, but the Mud Hens' No. 1-2 punch got to the right-hander once more in the fifth. Cameron tripled on Eppler's first pitch of that inning and was along for the ride on Stewart's 22nd homer of the season that made it 3-1.
Martin's fourth Triple-A long ball came in the bottom half. Eric Wood scorched a single through the right side of the infield before Martin's one-out shot carried onto the right-field berm.
Tanner Anderson (W, 3-2) tossed 3.0 shutout innings in relief of Eppler, who gave up three runs in 5.0 innings of work. Anderson stranded the potential tying runs in scoring position in both the seventh and eighth, the latter inning highlighted by Osuna's web gem at the hot corner to leave Pete Kozma at second base.
Buddy Boshers (S, 1) pitched around a two-out triple by Jason Krizan in the ninth for the save.
Osuna, Kevin Kramer and Wood had two hits apiece. Kramer leads the club with 45 multi-hit games and has two-hit performances in six of his last seven affairs.
The Indians and Mud Hens wrap up their three-game set on Thursday night at 7:05 p.m. EDT. Right-hander Alex McRae (3-10, 4.78) will face Toledo righty Jacob Turner (3-4, 3.54).
