Indians Can Sweep Easy Spokane Earns First Sweep At Home Behind Pitching Of Mullen, Brewer

Ryan Brewer received explicit directions when he entered Wednesday’s Northwest League game with a 2-1 lead.

In short, Spokane Indians pitching coach Buster Keeton told Brewer not to mess up what Scott Mullen had started.

Brewer obeyed, but not without pushing the game to the limits - a game that marked Spokane’s first chance for a series sweep at Seafirst Stadium.

Spokane (22-27) recorded its elusive three-game sweep, beating Everett 3-2 when Brewer struck out Brian Lindner in the ninth inning with runners on first and second base.

Brewer pitched the final three innings to save the game for Mullen (3-3). Luckily for Brewer, Spokane scored in the seventh on Scott Harp’s single to give him a 3-1 cushion.

“We’re a little drained right now,” Brewer said of Spokane’s evaporating pitching staff, which lost another starter Wednesday when Allen Sanders was promoted.

Brewer, who earned his second save, found trouble in the eighth and ninth.

League home run and runs-batted-in leader Rob Zachmann faced Brewer with one out and two on in the eighth. Brewer struck out Zachmann on a 2-2 count.

“I threw a great changeup to him,” Brewer said. “We all see the stats, and that guy can swing the bat a little bit.”

Brewer’s ninth looked uneventful after two quick outs. He then had Jason Regan in a 0-2 hole, but the third baseman reached out and golfed a homer to left.

“That’s the best slider I threw all day,” Brewer said, “but I found out he’s a low ball hitter.”

The next two batters reached base before Brewer whiffed Lindner on a 1-2 breaking pitch nearly in the dirt.

These are great times for Brewer, who wasn’t drafted in June after completing his season at Texas Tech in Lubbock. The Lubbock Crickets of the independent Texas-Louisiana League gave Brewer a chance, and he rewarded them with a 5-3 record and league-leading 2.08 earnedrun average.

The Kansas City Royals purchased Brewer’s contract July 12 and flew him to Boise. He pitched for Spokane that night, earning the win in relief, and had three more solid appearances in July before hitting the wall. In his last three outings, he allowed five earned runs in 4-2/3 innings.

“I’ve been trying to do a lot of running to get my arm back in shape,” Brewer said. “I’m not used to throwing every couple of days. Maybe I got tired.”

Mullen allowed no earned runs and struck out seven in six innings. Everett’s run off him, in the second, came when Brian Nelson’s infield single scored Zachmann, who had reached on a disputed play - third baseman Eric Sees’ high throw to first that appeared to beat the runner.

Spokane received help during its two-run third, which Brett Taft and Jeremy Giambi started with back-toback singles. Taft stayed at third until second baseman Ramon Valera’s unnecessary relay home bounced away and grazed cutoff man Jeff Farnsworth, the starting pitcher. Taft scored, Giambi was awarded third and Kit Pellow followed with a sacrifice fly for RBI No. 50 of the year.

Everett (23-26) barely retained second place in the North Division ahead of the Indians.

Spokane begins a seven-game road swing tonight, beginning with three games at Yakima. Spokane’s Enrique Calero (1-2, 2.85) is scheduled to start tonight.

Notes

Indians right-hander Allen Sanders (5-2, 4.53) was promoted to Class A Lansing (Mich.) of the Midwest League. Sanders was tied for the league lead in wins… . Tribe shortstop Taft apparently pulled a hamstring in the third inning. He was replaced by Kris Didion, who walked and scored the insurance run in the seventh… . Everett starter Farnsworth left in the fourth with a blistered finger initally caused by Valera’s poor relay.

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