Errors, Silvestre’s Homers Eliminate Indians
How the West was Won has been well documented.
The Spokane Indians know where to look when deciphering How the North was Lost.
Spokane was eliminated from Northwest League North Division contention Saturday night, as Everett left fielder Juan Silvestre hit two towering home runs in the AquaSox’s 6-3 win at Seafirst Stadium.
Spokane (42-30) trails Boise (47-25) by five games with four left in the season. Boise, which will host the first two games of the league championship against either Portland or Southern Oregon, won eight of 12 from Spokane.
That, in fact, is how Spokane lost the North. Boise defeated the Indians five out of six during a July 29-Aug. 3 stretch. Spokane trailed by eight games after that, and, despite pulling within three on Aug. 26, ran out of gas.
The Indians’ problems Saturday were sloppy fielding and the inability to deliver hits with men on base.
Spokane committed six errors to go with the five it made during Friday’s 11-5 loss to Everett (29-43). Shortstop Merrell Ligons made three errors and has five in the series.
Everett led 3-0 after 1-1/2 innings, after Spokane starter Justin Pedersen (5-3) was touched for two unearned runs in the first.
The Indians loaded the bases with one out in the second and third innings against Everett’s Joel Pineiro (4-2), but Ligons and Doug Blosser hit into 4-6-3 double plays.
Silvestre, in his 10th game with Everett since coming down from Triple-A Tacoma, greeted Pedersen with a two-run blast to left-center in the fourth. Silvestre’s second NWL homer came in the sixth, a shot near dead-center off Donald Quigley.
“I’m just a contact hitter with some power,” Silvestre said through interpreter Lesli Brea. “They go out by themselves.”
Silvestre, of Puerto Rico, was playing rookie ball in Arizona when the parent club Seattle Mariners asked him to fill in at Tacoma because of an outfielder’s injury. He hit .250 in 15 games, with no homers.
“It feels good (to be in the Northwest),” Silvestre said. “I’m happy to be out of the heat.”
Pedersen never escaped the heat. The NWL leader in earned-run average at mid-August, Pedersen allowed 12 earned runs in 6-1/3 innings during his final three starts.
Spokane’s Dave Willis walked and scored in the fourth, then singled home Blosser and scored on Goefrey Tomlinson’s grounder in the eighth.
Tomlinson extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a third-inning infield single.
The announced crowd of 4,746 gave Spokane 178,120 for the year. If the Indians draw 2,784 tonight, when they complete their home schedule, they’ll set a Spokane record for attendance per game.
Spokane’s Dan Reichert (2-4, 3.27 ERA), Kansas City’s top selection in the June amateur draft, makes his final start at 6:05. Tony DeJesus (2-5, 5.62) is Everett’s scheduled starter.
Notes
The teams wore turn-of-the-century-style jerseys from the 1902 Spokane Smoke Eaters and ‘05 Everett Smoke Stackers… . The Indians will present a fireworks show after tonight’s game… . Saturday’s edition incorrectly reported that Tomlinson would be limited to pinch-hitting for the rest of the season because of injured hamstrings. However, Tomlinson’s injury healed enough to allow him to start in center field.
, DataTimes