Class AAA Columbus went 57-85 last season. On the verge of matching the win total, the first-place Clippers have a healthy lead in the International League's West Division.
Josh Tomlin, here with the Akron Aeros last season, has helped the Clippers excel with his 8-3 record and 2.58 ERA.FARM REPORT
AAA Columbus Clippers
Tonight: Clippers (56-36) at Norfolk (42-51), 8:00. Clippers LHP David Huff (3-0, 4.15) vs. Tides LHP Troy Patton (6-9, 4.67).
Notes: Going into Friday night's game, IF Cord Phelps was batting .370 (34-for-92) with 11 doubles, two triples and three home runs since being promoted to Columbus. He was 15-for-36 (.417) in his last 10 games, with five doubles, one triple and two homers. ... IF Luis Valbuena was batting .344 (21-for-61) with five doubles, one triple and three homers since being sent to the Clippers by the Indians. ... Catcher Wyatt Toregas had slugged a home run in each of his two games with the Clippers, and was 3-for-9 with five RBI. ... IF Jared Goedert (.326) was on an 11-game hitting streak, going 16-for-46 (.348) with three doubles, five home runs and 10 RBI. ... The Clippers went into Friday night's game needing one win to match last season's win total, when they went 57-85. First-place Columbus led second-place Indianapolis by 8 1/2 games in the International League West Division.
AA Akron Aeros
Aeros 8, SeaWolves 1: RHP Paolo Espino (9-3, 3.76) hurled six scoreless innings and combined with three pitchers on a five-hitter, and CF Tim Fedroff (.267) doubled, tripled and drove in two runs as host Akron defeated Erie (Pa.).
Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera (.333), on a rehab assignment with the Aeros, went 0-for-2 with two walks, a strikeout and one run scored. Espino struck out five and gave up three hits. Akron RHPs Connor Graham (no hits), Omar Aguilar (no hits) and Steven Wright (two hits, one run) each pitched an inning of relief.
Notes: Going into Friday night's game, OF Matt McBride (.276) was 23-for-63 (.365) with 10 homers, five doubles and 19 RBI in his last 16 games. His homer during the Aeros' 6-1 win over Erie on Thursday night was his second homer this season at home, compared to 12 on the road. ... RHP Zach Putnam had struck out 11 and allowed no runs on one hit and a walk in his last five innings, spanning four appearances. ... RHP Alex White, picked by the Indians in the first round of the 2009 draft, is 4-4 with a 1.53 ERA at Akron after going 2-3 with a 2.10 ERA at Advanced A Kinston. In his first professional season, White is a combined 6-7 with a 2.10 ERA in 18 starts, pitching 103 innings with 76 strikeouts and 35 walks. Opponents are batting .196 against him. ... OF Tim Fedroff (.264) had his 12-game hitting streak snapped on Thursday night.
Advanced A Kinston Indians
Tonight: Indians (44-45) at Potomac (41-48), 7:03. Indians LHP T.J. McFarland (9-2, 1.99) vs. Nationals RHP Marcos Frias (3-4, 6.29).
Notes: Going into Friday night's game, OF Lucas Montero (.264) was batting .303 (23-for-76) with two doubles, three triples, one homer and five stolen bases since the all-star break. He ranked third in the Carolina League with 23 stolen bases (in 27 attempts). ... OF Bo Greenwell was batting .455 (15-for-33) in his last 10 games, boosting his average with Kinston to .377 (23-for-61) in 17 games. ... RHP Austin Adams made his first relief appearance of the season during the Indians' 6-1 loss to Potomac on Thursday, allowing one earned run and fanning three in four innings. Adams had made three starts with Kinston, going 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings. He began the season going 2-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 13 games (eight starts) at Lake County, striking out 61 in 53 1/3 innings.
A Lake County Captains
River Bandits 5, Captains 1: RHP Clayton Cook (4-6, 3.83) gave up four runs in five innings as Lake County lost at Quad Cities (Iowa). LF Tim Palincsar (.261) went 2-for-4 for the Captains. SS Casey Frawley drove in Lake County’s lone run.
Notes: Going into Friday night's game, RHP Nickolas Sarianides was 1-0 with an 0.93 ERA in his last 19 1/3 innings, spanning seven relief appearances. He had struck out 14, walked three and allowed eight hits. Overall, Sarianides was 6-2 with a 4.14 ERA, pitching 54 1/3 innings in 23 games, all in relief. ... IF Chris Kersten (.294) was batting .343 (12-for-35) with four doubles, one triple and one homer in his last 10 games. ... OF Delvi Cid (.242) was batting .327 (17-for-52) in his last 12 games, with two doubles, one homer and eight stolen bases. ... Catcher Roberto Perez was batting .231, but had drawn 52 walks, seventh in the Midwest League.
A Mahoning Valley Scrappers
Cyclones 2, Scrappers 1: LHP Mike Rayl (0-3, 3.25) allowed two runs in five innings as Mahoning Valley lost to host Brooklyn (N.Y.).
Notes: Going into Friday night's game, 18-year-old 3B Giovanny Urshela (.273) was on a six-game hitting streak, going 11-for-24 (.458). His 16 RBI led the team. ... OF Brian Heere (.233) was 12-for-32 (.375) with 11 walks, two doubles and a homer in his last 10 games. ... RHP Alex Kaminsky is 3-1 with a 2.37 ERA in six starts, striking out 24 while allowing 11 walks and 24 hits in 30 1/3 innings.
Independent Lake Erie Crushers
Crushers 12, ThunderBolts 1: Drew Saylor homered in the second inning, and host Lake Erie put together a seven-run fourth to cruise past Windy City.
Notes: Going into Friday night's game, 3B Andrew Davis was second in the Frontier League with a .344 batting average, and RHP Josh Roberts (5-0) was fifth with a 2.25 ERA and tied for fifth in wins. ... Since the season's first six games, Davis was batting .366 with 10 doubles, one triple, five homers and 32 RBI in 42 games.