Rookie Carlos Santana catches Fausto Carmona tonight for the second straight time.
The Pirates hosted the Indians on Friday night at PNC Park.Updated: 9:16 p.m.
PITTSBURGH, Ohio -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians 2010 regular season. The Indians play the Pirates tonight in the first of a three-game interleague series at PNC Park.
In-game notes:
Score: Indians 4, Pirates 3 after seven innings.
Big inning: After being victimized by the big inning in a three-game sweep by the Mets at Progressive Field, the Indians put together a four-run seventh inning tonight against the Pirates to take a 4-0 lead.
Jason Donald, Trevor Crowe and Shin-Soo Choo singled home runs. Carlos Santana doubled home the fourth and final run with Choo getting thrown out at the plate to end the inning.
Pirate comeback: Fausto Carmona, staked to his first lead of the game, wilted in the 7th. Ryan Church made it 4-3 with a three-run double with no one out. Neil Walker beat out an infield single, Andrew McCutchen walked and Garret Jones singled to load the bases.
Good relief work, however, by Rafael Perez and Frank Herrmann protected the 4-3 lead. Perez relieved Carmona and retired two straight hitters as Church advanced to third. Herrmann relieved and retired Ronny Cedeno on a fly ball to center to end the inning.
Save the day: Santana gave the Indians their first hit of the game against Paul Maholm with a leadoff single in the fourth. He advanced no farther than second.
Two for the Pirates: Jones started the second with a single to give the Pirates their first hit against Carmona.
Walker opened the fourth with a single for Pittsburgh, but Santana threw him out on an attempted steal of second. Andrew McCutcheon didn't swing on an attempted hit-and-run, which made Walker easy pickings.
The line: Carmona allowed three runs on five hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one. Maholm allowed four runs on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Pre-game notes:
Game 66: It looks like Mike Redmond is no longer Fausto Carmona's personal catcher. Rookie Carlos Santana caught him for the second straight game tonight at PNC Park.
"Santana is the catcher of the future here," said Redmond. "He's got to get out there and play. I certainly understand that."
Redmond caught Carmona throughout spring training and in his first 12 starts of the regular season. He played a big role in helping Carmona find himself after two years of struggle following his 19-win season in 2007.
"I understand my role on this team," said Redmond. "I'm prepared to play whenever they want me and to catch whoever they want me to catch."
Redmond said he'll be in the lineup Saturday when David Huff starts against the Pirates.
"I feel good that Carmona, while I was catching him, got off to a good start," said Redmond. "That's all that matters. Not only for us, as a team, but the organization needed him to go out there and become the pitcher that we know he can be.
"I certainly feel he's on the way. I feel good that I was able to help in doing that. We're all in this with the same goal -- to try and win ball games and get guys pitching the way they're capable of doing."
On the run: Early Friday afternoon, manager Manny Acta was running on the warning track.
Indians (25-40): CF Trevor Crowe (S), RF Shin-Soo Choo (L), C Carlos Santana (S), LF Austin Kearns (R), 3B Jhonny Peralta (R), 1B Shelley Duncan (R), SS Anderson Hernandez (S), 2B Jason Donald (R) and RHP Fausto Carmona (5-5, 3.23).
Pirates (23-43): LF Jose Tabata (R), 2B Neil Walker (S), CF Andrew McCutchen (R), 1B Garret Jones (L), RF Ryan Church (L), 3B Pedro Alvarez (L), C Ryan Doumit (S), SS Ronny Cedeno (R) and LHP Paul Maholm (4-4, 3.63).
Lineup notes: Crowe is back in the lineup after missing two starts because of a bruised right knee. He fouled a ball off his knee last weekend against the Nationals.
"I hit it pretty good, but I feel good now," said Crowe before tonight's game.
Umpires: H Gary Darling, 1B Bruce Dreckman, 2B Paul Emmel, 3B Bill Hohn.
Quote of the day: "My mother used to pitch to me and my father would shag balls. If I hit one up the middle close to my mother, I'd have some extra chores to do. My mother was instrumental in making me a pull hitter," Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews, during his induction speech to Cooperstown.
Next: LHP David Huff (2-8, 5.82) vs. RHP Jeff Kastens (1-2, 4.50) Saturday at 7:05 p.m.