Spokane Indians offense cold in chilly weather, Eugene wins 3-1
It was cold and cloudy at Avista Stadium on Tuesday, but despite the less-than-ideal conditions the Spokane Indians were just happy to be back on the field after four straight days of rainouts in Vancouver.
The unscheduled time off and chilly conditions didn’t work in their favor, however.
Justin Wishkoski went 3 for 4 with two doubles, two RBIs and two stolen bases and the Eugene Emeralds beat the Spokane Indians 3-1 in the opener of a six-game Northwest League game at Avista Stadium on Tuesday.
The Indians (13-5) managed seven base hits but drew just two walks and went 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position. Eugene ran its league-leading record to 16-6.
Whether it was the 11 a.m. start or the cold weather, Indians starter Mason Green struggled with his command and suffered his worst – and shortest – outing of the season.
Green entered play without allowing an earned run during his first three starts, but he got through just three innings and allowed three runs on five hits, walking four and striking out three. He threw 71 pitches, 42 for strikes.
“It looked like he kind of got away from his fastball there a little bit and started trying to pitch with the secondary stuff,” Indians pitching coach Blaine Beatty said of Green. “That was the bulk of my conversations today was for him to challenge guys more with fastball, especially with (the Emeralds), who have more contact-type hitters. He just never got his fastball really going.”
Green, 25, is in his third trip through the Northwest League. He got off to a terrific start, allowing eight hits and five walks over his first 16 innings.
“It’s nothing to take away from what he’s done at this point,” Beatty said. “He’s worked in and out and he’s pitched with what he had in those games, and he’s been really good just changing speeds.”
Green got the first two batters of the game in routine fashion before running into trouble. Oneil Perez singled and Matt Higgins walked on a pitch clock violation. That brought up Wishkoski, who ripped an RBI double off the base of the left-field wall for the first earned run Green has allowed in this season.
Green’s struggles continued in the second inning. With two down and one on, Green allowed leadoff hitter Diego Velasquez’s double down the right-field and issued back-to-back walks to force in a run.
Wishkoski led off the third with a double, took third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly to make it 3-0.
“Hitters were starting to sit on (Green’s) soft stuff,” Beatty said. “(Eugene) is a very good contact-hitting team and when you’re around the zone with softer stuff, they’ll get to it sooner or later.”
Spokane got on the board in the fifth when Cole Carrigg hit a two-out double and scored on Dyan Jorge’s single. The Indians never found a rally through the later innings.
On the bright side, the bullpen put up six shutout innings of relief. Victor Juarez, who had a start rained out in Vancouver, allowed one hit and no walks over two innings and was followed by Caleb Franzen, who made his High-A debut. Tyler Ahearn, who has struggled out of the gate this season with an ERA over 8.00, looked sharp with two hitless innings to finish the game.
“We weren’t looking for length (from Juarez),” Beatty said. “The fact that we missed four games, and he missed the start last Sunday, just getting him some work in so that when he makes a start this coming Sunday that he’s not behind.
“(Ahearn has) been working on some different stuff. I’ve encouraged him to get on the mound a little more in between his outings, and on a daily basis just to feel this stuff and the mound and not be so constructive with his mental objective with everything that he does on there.”