Indians’ Santos Cleans Up When It Counts Spokane’S Unlikely No. 4 Hitter Blasts Winning Hr Against Eugene

Cleanup hitter? Me?

Yep, Chad Santos might have the right stuff to bat No. 4 in the Spokane Indians batting order.

The second-year professional homered to left-center field leading off the fourth inning Wednesday, giving Spokane the deciding run in a 2-1 win over Eugene at Avista Stadium.

Santos also hit cleanup during Tuesday’s season-opening loss to the Emeralds. The role is still strange for the native Hawaiian, whose typical lineup spot last year at the Gulf Coast (Fla.) rookie league was fifth or sixth.

“I looked at the lineup card on Tuesday, saw I was cleanup and said, `Whoa!”’ Santos said. “It made me kind of nervous.”

Santos hit just four homers in 177 at-bats last season.

His game-winning blast, off Eugene starter Frangil Cordero, went to the opposite field on a 2-2 count. Santos said Cordero threw four consecutive curveballs before trying to sneak past an outside fastball.

Santos also scored Spokane’s first run. He walked to lead off the second, moved up on two groundouts, and scored on Marco Cunningham’s single to center.

That was Spokane’s meager-but-successful offensive output: two hits, two runs batted in.

“The pitchers threw a lot of strikes,” Santos said. “That’s what won the game, the pitching. They got all those ground-ball outs.”

Santos also had a hand in a game-saving play. Indians reliever Rafael Rinconnes threw wildly to Santos with pinch runner Peter Graham on first base in the ninth. Graham attempted to reach third base on Rinconnes’ error, but Santos retrieved the ball and relayed to shortstop Darren Fenster, who gunned out Graham for the second out.

“I heard the first-base coach say, `Go!,’ so I hustled for it and just threw it,” Santos said. “I didn’t see Darren there. He made the perfect play. If he hadn’t cut it off, I don’t think we would get that guy.”

Indians starter Joey Baker, making his pro debut, limited Eugene to four hits and one run, a second-inning homer by catcher Yoon-Min Kweon. Baker, first reliever Carlos Martinez and Rinconnes issued no walks.

Spokane turned two 1-6-3 double plays to thwart the Emeralds. The first preceded Kweon’s homer.

“I just tried to throw strikes; that’s what I’ve always done,” Baker said. “You do that and let the defense do its job.”

Baker’s last outing was against Louisiana-Lafayette in the College World Series. The right-hander from San Jose State was selected in the 16th round of this year’s amateur draft.

“I just got here Saturday, so everything’s a little new to me,” Baker said. “My pitch count was low, so that’s why I got to go six innings.”

Baker said he didn’t learn much about Eugene from watching Tuesday’s game because the Emeralds’ approach was different with a left-hander (Kyle Turner) on the mound.

Spokane didn’t chalk up its first win in 1999 until its fourth game. But the Indians of 2000 must be concerned about an offense with just seven hits in 56 at-bats.

Santos said the conversion from aluminum to wooden bats is partly to blame.

“All of the college guys are just starting with the wood,” Santos said. “We hit several balls hard tonight. Although they were outs, that’s a good sign.”

Cordero, Lawrence Alvarez and Scott Fries held Spokane hitless for the final five innings.

Spokane pitchers allowed just three hits in the last seven innings. Eugene sent just three batters to the plate in six of those seven innings.

The middle game of the five-game series begins at 7:05 tonight. Projected starters are Spokane left-hander Brad Stiles and Eugene righty Jose Cuerto. Stiles was selected in the 17th round of the 1999 draft. He pitched just five innings in the Gulf Coast (Fla.) rookie league last season.