Indians Keep Home Streak Alive Pedersen Shuts Down Yakima As Spokane Improves To 17-5

The Spokane Indians have made one change in their five-man starting rotation this year.

Justin Pedersen provided solid evidence Wednesday for the wisdom of that change.

Pedersen (1-1) scattered three singles over six shutout innings as Spokane improved its home record at Seafirst Stadium to 9-0 by beating the Yakima Bears 10-3 on a wind-blown night.

Spokane (17-5), in winning for the 12th time in 14 games, maintained its one-game lead over Boise in the Northwest League’s North Division.

Pedersen, making his third start, struck out five and walked none. He left with a 3-0 lead.

Pedersen had allowed three earned runs during 7-1/3 innings in previous starts. For the year, he has 29 strikeouts in 19-1/3 innings.

The Wisconsin native is just glad for a chance to start because former starter Todd Meady (1-0, 1.42 earned-run average) was anything but ineffective.

“Obviously I was happy when I heard that I would be starting, but starting or relief I have the same goal - not holding anything back,” the right-hander said.

Pedersen finished his University of Minnesota career with 240 strikeouts, No.2 in school history. Yet his senior season, with an ERA higher than 6.00, was statistically his worse.

“I’ve been asked so many times why that was,” Pedersen said. “My main problem, I guess, was not getting ahead of hitters.”

Despite the numbers, the Kansas City Royals selected Pedersen in the 15th round of last month’s amateur draft.

He had two relief appearances with Spokane, including a June 23 loss to Portland, before drawing his first starting assignment June 28.

“This was definitely my best start,” said Pedersen, who lasted 4-1/3 innings in his last start. “I didn’t throw too many pitches early, so they let me stay out there.”

Yakima starter Lance Backowski (0-5), the league leader in losses, ran into trouble in the second with three consecutive two-out walks. Juan LeBron and Rico Montas, who had singled, scored on Merrell Ligons’ and Goefrey Tomlinson’s RBI walks.

Backowski, a converted infielder who throws a knuckleball, left after the fifth when Tomlinson doubled and scored on Dermal Brown’s two-out single.

The game zipped along until the seventh, when the 25-mph wind played havoc with balls hit to the outfield. The Bears (6-16) scored once in the eighth to trim Spokane’s lead to 4-2, and had the bases loaded with no outs when Aaron Carter, the fourth Indians pitcher, entered. Carter allowed Cash Riley’s RBI walk, but escaped with a popup and two strikeouts.

Spokane ended the threat with a six-run eighth, sending 11 to the plate and notching four walks and four hits. Brown’s wind-assisted, two-run double gave him a league-high 31 RBIs.

Montas finished 4 for 4, with four singles, improving his average to .351.

The middle game of the three-game series is at 7:05 tonight, with Spokane’s Eric Yanz (0-2, 9.49 ERA) starting against Brent Husted (0-2, 3.48).

Notes

The way the series will work out, Spokane should avoid Yakima’s most effective starter, Adrian Burnside (3-0, 2.14), and Kym Ashworth (3.63 ERA in four starts)… . Dermal Brown leads the NWL in hitting (.400), slugging percentage (.718), base hits (36), home runs (seven), runs batted in (31) and runs scored (28). Doug Blosser entered the night fifth in hitting, third in on-base percentage and fourth in slugging… . Yakima’s Rich Saitta and Nick Leach are both among the NWL’s top four in four offensive categories.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON DECK Spokane and Yakima will resume their series at 7:O5 tonight at Seafirst Stadium.