Seventh Lucky For Indians, Helps Hold Off Rockies, 8-5

Jason Ford’s psyche may need to be put on the 15-day disabled list.

Against the Indians Monday night at Seafirst Stadium, the Richland native gave up three home runs in the seventh inning and Spokane hung on - yes, hung on - for an 8-5 win over the Portland Rockies.

In the top of the ninth, Portland scored four runs to cut the deficit to the final margin. The Rockies loaded the bases, but Spokane reliever Modesto Villarreal struck out Rogelio Arias to end the game.

Spokane got a solid performance from starting pitcher Enrique Calero, who went six innings, scattered five hits and allowed just one run.

The Indians’ Donald Quigley entered in the seventh and threw two innings of one-hit ball before the roof fell in on him in the ninth.

In facing eight batters in the ninth, Quigley gave up four hits, walked a batter and hit another to allow Portland back in the game.

He was removed after he hit Aaron Myers. Villarreal immediately walked Blake Anderson to load the bases before Arias stepped to the plate.

Finally, with a full count on Arias, Villarreal set him down swinging to end the game.

Needless to say, Spokane’s big seventh inning was a must. Brett Taft, Jeremy Giambi and Kit record to 3-2 and Portland’s John Nicholson, the Colorado Rockies’ second-round draft pick, fell to 0-1 in his pro debut.

But Spokane’s big seventh was a must.

Brett Taft, Jeremy Giambi and Kit Pellow all homered in the inning. Taft’s and Pellow’s blasts were solo shots. Giambi’s was a two-run belt with Kenderick Moore on first.

But Pellow’s bomb, and indeed it was, was quite a homer to behold. He hit the ball so high it got lost in the left-field lights and couldn’t be seen until it re-entered the Earth’s atmosphere well beyond the fence.

The trajectory of Pellow’s home run could have been traced a lot better had those left-field lights stayed out after they were inadvertently shut off with Spokane at the plate in the bottom of the fourth. Nevertheless, it was still impressive.

Equally as impressive was Taft. Hitting eighth in the lineup, he was 3 for 3, scored twice and drove in a run. His homer was the first of his pro career.

“Taft and (Scott) Harp came up big to get us going tonight,” Herold said.

Hitting in front of Taft, Harp went 2 for 4, drove in a run and scored one.

Portland got on the board first in the top of the third when Bernard Hutchison singled to center to drive in Rod Bair. The Rockies missed an opportunity to get more runs because Myers grounded into a 4-6-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the inning.

The Rockies stranded nine base runners.

Spokane took the lead in its half of the third when Brandon Berger got hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and then Pellow singled to left to drive in Taft, who was at third, for what proved the winning run.

On Pellow’s hit, Kris Didion tried to score from second, but was thrown out at the plate.

The Indians added two more runs in the fourth when Scott Harp drove in Carlos Beltran. Two batters later, Didion lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score Juan Robles and give Spokane a 4-1 lead.

The Indians (27-33) and Rockies (25-35) renew acquaintances tonight in Portland to start another four-game series. The teams came away with a split in Spokane.

Portland will fly back home whereas Spokane will do it by bus.

“That’s OK,” Herold said. “It’ll give us something to think about on the way down there.”

Like how to put away the Rockies.

, DataTimes