There’s No Place Like Road For Home-Weary Indians

All may not have been a loss Thursday for the Spokane Indians.

Bellingham battered the Indians early, handing Spokane another defeat at home, 9-2, before a Seafirst Stadium crowd of 4,541 in a Northwest League game.

The good news for Spokane (12-18) is it goes on the road beginning tonight for six games, the first four at North Division-leading Everett.

Just a week ago the Indians faced the same situation when the trekked to South Division leader Boise. Spokane had lost 15 of its previous 19 games going into the four-game series.

A sweep four nights later over the three-time NWL champion Hawks gave new life to the Indians’ season.

“We’ve got to stay out of Spokane and we’ll be all right,” quipped a frustrated Indians manager Bob Herold, whose team is 7-7 on the road, but a miserable 5-11 at home.

Herold’s biggest complaint Thursday was the Indians’ nemesis, inconsistent pitching, surfaced early.

Bellingham scored single runs in the opening two innings, then followed it up with four in the third for a comfortable 6-0 lead.

Doing most of the damage was third baseman Paul Galloway, who entered the game with a .260 average.

Galloway hit his second homer of the season in the second inning off Indians starter Enrique Calero (0-2), and the Giant backed it up with an even more impressive homer in the third, a three-run blast that chased Calero.

“If we can’t hold them from the get-go and give our offense a chance then we dig ourselves a big hole,” Herold said. “The whole thing is predicated on defense, and that starts in the middle (pitching).”

Galloway, who went 4 for 5 with five RBIs, singled to drive in Bellingham’s next-to-last run in the seventh to put the Giants ahead at 8-1.

Galloway came to bat in the ninth inning needing a triple for the cycle. But he struck out swinging on a 3-2 pitch.

“Someone told me the kid (Galloway) was 4 for his last 31 (coming into the game). We made his season tonight,” Herold said.

Bellingham pulled even at 15-15, three games ahead of Spokane. Everett (16-13) downed Yakima (11-18) 7-2 in other NWL action Thursday.

Everett may be in first place, but Herold expects the Indians to contend if their pitching, ranked last in the league, improves.

“I’m not going to say the division is winable, but it looks pretty even to me,” he said. “It’s going to come down to who wants it the worst.”

For the Indians it may come down to whether they can win at home.

Following the series at Everett, Spokane will stop for two games at Yakima before returning Thursday to begin a seven-game homestand.

Moves

Spokane outfielder Tony Miranda has been promoted to the Lansing (Mich.) Lugnuts of the Midwest League. He leaves today. Miranda, who underwent off-season elbow surgery, played his first game in the field Wednesday after pinch hitting in the eighth inning. He appeared in 20 games this season as a designated hitter. He led the NWL in runs scored and tied for second in doubles last season.

The Indians announced that pitchers Craig Sanders (Lincoln, Neb.) and Brandon Baird (Enid, Okla.) have returned to their homes for the rest of the season. Sanders (0-1, 10.32 ERA) is out with a foot injury while Baird (1-1, 4.76 ERA), who played at Wichita State last season, is recovering from a broken finger on his throwing hand.

To fill the vacancy the Kansas City Royals have signed right-handed pitcher Chad Rodriquez from Washburn (Kan.) College where he was 5-0 with 11 saves. Rodriguez will travel with Spokane to Everett. Rodriguez, of Topeka, Kan., was playing in the Jayhawk Summer League in Kansas.

, DataTimes