Indians’ offense slumbers
Although it featured more line drives than Thursday night’s swing-and-miss fiesta, the result remained the same for the Spokane Indians – few hits and a close home loss to Boise.
This time, the Hawks won 1-0 in front of an Avista Stadium sellout crowd of 7,321, and knocked the Indians (30-34) into second place in the Northwest League’s East Division, a game behind Tri-City with 12 to play. Tri-City defeated Yakima 6-4.
Losing the rubber game of the three-game series was not the fault of Indians starter Doug Mathis, who allowed one unearned run in five innings to drop his record to 3-7, unlucky considering his stellar 2.62 earned run average.
Boise (28-36) scored its lone run in the top of the third without hitting a ball out of the infield.
Jake Muyco led off for the Hawks with a grounder to third, which Lizahio Baez, playing only his 11th game at the position, fielded and threw over the head of Indians first baseman Freddie Thon, putting Muyco at second.
Jonathan Mota followed with a sacrifice bunt, and leadoff hitter Davy Gregg provided the game’s only RBI when he grounded a pitch between the mound and first. Mathis fielded it going away from the plate, and had no chance on Muyco at home.
“It’s pretty frustrating, but it’s kind of been like that all year,” Mathis said. “You’ve got to give (Boise’s pitchers) credit. They did their job, getting ahead of guys and getting key outs. We had some opportunities, but they kind of seemed to buckle down.”
Boise starter Mitch Atkins (3-6) limited the Indians to three hits in six innings. Roger Evenson came on to finish the game, throwing three hitless innings. That gave Spokane six hits in the last 21 innings.
“They’re hitting bullets everywhere, but you can’t guide the ball,” Indians manager Greg Riddoch said. “We hit eight balls on the button, and they run and catch them. We just played the ‘at ‘em’ game – everything we hit, we hit right at ‘em.”
Spokane had two opportunities in the late innings. In the seventh, Steve Murphy led off by reaching on an error, then, after a fly out, stole second and hustled to third on Muyco’s throwing error from behind the plate.
Evenson came back, striking out John Mayberry Jr. and Taylor Teagarden on breaking balls to end the inning.
In the ninth, Baez led off with a walk and pinch runner Joey Hooft worked his way to third on a couple of wild pitches.
With two outs and Hooft on third, Thon worked the count full, but was denied the heroics when Evenson struck him out swinging on a breaking ball.
“I wouldn’t throw him anything good, either,” Riddoch said of Thon, whom Evenson attacked with off-speed stuff, the majority of which was out of the strike zone.
For the Indians, it was good to see the old Mathis back after consecutive starts in which he was lit up for nine runs in 8 2/3 innings.
His outing, combined with four one-hit innings from the bullpen combination of Cain Byrd and Jon Wilson, dropped the Indians’ August ERA to 2.85.
“As a staff, we’re probably throwing the ball as well as anybody in the league right now,” Mathis said.
Notes
The sellout was the sixth in 32 home games. … Tonight’s probable starters: Spokane left-hander Broc Coffman (1-2, 3.58) vs. Yakima righty Kyle Wright (1-3, 4.21).