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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

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Anderson, 3 relievers hang first shutout on Indians

The Spokane Indians' four-game winning streak came to a screeching halt on Tuesday night as Vancouver's Kyle Anderson and three relievers checked  the Indians on four singles during a 4-0 game at Avista Stadium. The game was the opener of a three-game series as Spokane is wrapping up an eight-game homestand. The Indians were coming off four consecutive wins over Boise, but Vancouver has been a bit tougher for Spokane to crack. The Canadians are 3-1 against Spokane this year. Anderson, who pitched for the Spokane RiverHawks four seasons ago, retired 11 consecutive batters from the third through the sixth innings. Read story

Spokane is 1-6 against its North Division rivals this season. The Indians were attempting to improve to 5-4 at home after beginning the season 0-4 at Avista.

Spokane starter Alex Gonzalez, drafted in the first round by the Texas Rangers earlier this month, dropped to 0-3, but he's limited to around 40-50 pitches and won't qualify for wins as a starter with that pitch count.

Vancouver scored a run off Gonzalez in the second inning with a leadoff walk and two infield singles that dribbled down the first-base line. Gonzalez bobbled  the first one and threw late to first base on the second. The collision at first between Vancouver batter David Harris and Spokane first baseman Cam Schiller knocked Harris from  the game.

"Gonzalez does a good job," Indians manager Tim Hulett said. "I’d like to see him go five innings one of these days because it looks like he’s just getting loose. He had a couple of quick innings and a couple of swinging bunts was the only thing he really gave up. With him throwing only two innings, he can only get losses. He’s never going to get a win, unfortunately."

Vancouver starter Kyle Anderson, who pitched six sharp innings, said he doesn't remember a lot about his early days in the Northwest, but the area holds a fond spot in his heart.

"Woodinville is where I learned to play baseball, where I started picking up the game a little bit," he said. "I've been a Mariners fan my whole life and still have some of my roots with the area."



Chris Derrick
Chris Derrick joined The Spokesman-Review in 1990. He currently is a copy editor for the Sports Desk.

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