It’s not how you start

Michael Kirkman stepped onto the mound Thursday night in the first inning of what became the Spokane Indians’ 9-3 win over the Vancouver Canadians with a 10.24 earned-run average that ranked last on the team.

For most of the first inning of the Northwest League game at Avista Stadium, Kirkman looked every bit as terrible as his stats might imply.

The lefty from Lake City, Fla., threw 11 consecutive balls and walked two batters before he finally found the strike zone.

Even then, Kirkman continued to struggle, and he walked another batter and gave up two runs before he managed to retire the side.

The Indians managed to pull one back in the bottom of the first thanks to a double from designated hitter Ian Gac, who went on to have a big night.

Then Kirkman settled down in the second inning. By the time he left the game after four innings, with the score tied at 2, he’d struck out seven batters and improved his ERA to 7.90.

“He just couldn’t find his release point in the first,” said catcher Jonathan Greene. “But then at the end of the first, he threw a slider, found his release, and after that he was just dominant.”

Kirkman said that while nerves had not been a factor in his first-inning struggles, his problems came about because he was trying too hard.

“I came out at the end of the first and changed my mind-set,” Kirkman said. “I think I’m finally getting in the groove. After the first inning, it was a great night.

Indians manager Tim Hulett commended his starting pitcher on his willingness to battle back.

“He had some trouble in the first, but to me, that’s a victory for him to come back and do what he did in the second, third and fourth innings,” Hulett said.

The Indians also benefited from a rerun of the Greene-and-Gac show from the night before. Batting fourth and fifth in the batting order, respectively, Greene and Gac accounted for a combined four hits and four RBIs. Gac hit his fifth home run, a solo shot to tie the game at 2 in the third, and Greene had an RBI double during a three-run fifth to put Spokane ahead for good.

“It works out pretty well, I think. I like hitting behind Greene,” said Gac, who ended the night with two doubles and a homer. “He’s a similar hitter, so I get a preview of what the other team is probably gonna do to me, too.

“We have some power. We’re big guys and we’re probably gonna get some stuff out of the zone.”

The Indians had 14 hits and finished the game in style, going through almost the entire batting order in the bottom of a four-run eighth. Johan Yan’s two-run homer, his first of the season, highlighted Spokane’s outburst.

But Hulett waved away any suggestion that the game represented a breakthrough.

“It’s good night for sure, but I don’t know about breakthrough,” Hulett said. “This game’s pretty fickle, you know. If everybody’s hitting one week, that might mean everybody’s not hitting the next.

“When we put together four or five or a week of solid games, then I’ll say it’s a breakthrough.”

The East Division-leading Indians (9-8) will wrap up the series against the Canadians (10-7) tonight at Avista.