Green steers Spokane Indians to series-finale win over Vancouver
Before every game, Spokane Indians starting pitcher Nick Green’s sits in the stands in right field at Avista Stadium — row five, seat six, to be exact — and looks on at the field.
Green, who fanned seven batters and gave up one run on three hits to lead the Spokane Indians to a 7-2 win over Vancouver on Wednesday, isolates himself from the rest of his teammates, pops in his head phones and decompresses. It’s a ritual Green carries out even when he’s not pitching.
“There’s nothing like a baseball field,” said Green, who is third in the Northwest League with seven strikeouts.
Green grew up in Fountain, Colorado, right across the road from Fort Carson Army Base in Colorado, Springs Colorado. His father was in the Army for 25 years and one of Green’s best assets on the mound is his resiliency, something he learned growing up in a military household.
While his seven strikeouts on Wednesday were impressive, Green’s shining moment against Vancouver was escaping a bases-loaded jam in the third inning. A fielding error from Blaine Prescott and two walks from Green left the bases full. But Green induced a 5-2-3 double play and struck out Christian Williams to flee the inning unscathed.
It’s a type of resiliency Indians manager Tim Hulett has seen from Green all season.
“He’s done a good in that sense. He’s kept his composure in tough situations,” Hulett said.
Green is back in Spokane after a rough 2015 campaign. He posted a 7.11 earned-run average in 10 appearances with the Indians last season.
In his third season in the minor leagues, Green has focused on sharpening his mentality and staying aggressive on the mound. It’s something Green and pitching coach Joey Seaver, who accompanied Green in his pregame ritual, chatted about before Wednesday’s start.
“We had a little heart-to-heart and talked about what I needed to do to proceed and keep moving forward,” Green said.
Green was drafted by the New York Yankees in the 35th round of the 2013 Major League Baseball draft, but elected to play a year at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, Iowa to improve his draft stock. The decision paid off, as Green was taken by the Rangers in the seventh round in the 2014 draft.
“I knew I wasn’t mature enough to start a career professionally,” Green said. “I knew I wasn’t ready, but I knew I was good enough.”
Spokane grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second, taking advantage of poor defensive play from Vancouver. Elio Castillo’s single to left field dropped after Rodrigo Orozco lost it in the sun, scoring Preston Scott. A fielding error from Canadians shortstop Yeltsin Gudino allowed Xavier Turner to score.
The Indians added to their lead in the seventh, as Xavier Tuner was hit by a pitch and Elio Castillo walked with the bases loaded, and Brallan Perez scored from third on a wild pitch to extend Spokane’s lead to 6-2.
Turner, who is leading the Northwest League with a .353 batting average, left the game after being plunked by Vancouver pitcher Nick Hartman in the elbow. He did not return.
Blaine Prescott slugged a home run to left-center field in the fifth to push Spokane’s lead to two.
Chad Smith’s RBI single to center field put the Indians up 7-2 in the eighth inning.
The Canadians jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first after Jacob Anderson whacked an RBI double to right-center field.
JB Woodman drilled an RBI double off the wall in right-center field to cut Spokane’s lead to one in the seventh inning.
Scott was 2 for 2 with two walks and Castillo was 2 for 3 with two RBIs to pace the Indians offense.
Woodman had two doubles and was 2 for 3 for Vancouver.
Canadians starter Mike Ellenbest pitched three innings and gave up two runs and was credited with the loss. Tyler Ferguson pitched the game’s final three innings, stuck out six and picked up the save, his second of the season.