Carter Bins homers, drives in three to lead Everett AquaSox over Spokane Indians

It’s been a tough start to the season for Spokane Indians left-hander Helcris Olivarez, the No. 7-ranked prospect in the Colorado Rockies system. The 20-year-old suffered losses in each of his first three starts, allowing nine earned runs and a combined 24 hits and walks in 13 innings pitched.

On Friday against Everett, Olivarez showed off the arm the Rockies like, but also the work he still has to do.

Olivarez allowed just two unearned runs and three hits, but he walked five to go with six strikeouts and a high pitch count limited him to just four innings. The bats couldn’t bail him out, and Olivarez picked up his fourth loss to start the season.

Carter Bins hit a two-run double in a four-run fifth inning against two relievers, then clubbed a solo homer in the ninth and the AquaSox beat the Indians 8-6 in the fourth of a six-game High-A West series at Avista Stadium.

The loss ends a three-game win streak for the Indians (5-11).

“I thought (Olivarez) was better than just a four-inning outing,” Indians pitching coach Ryan Kibler said. “I’ve seen him better and he didn’t have his best stuff, but his fastball was electric early. Untouchable.”

Olivarez got into hot water immediately in the first. Zach DeLoach singled and Julio Rodriguez walked on four pitches. After two strikeouts, Olivarez lost Kaden Polcovich with an outside fastball on a full count to load the bases.

The Indians starter battled back to get Bins looking to leave them loaded.

“The action on his changeup was exactly what he’s looking for but he would just miss off the plate, exposing him to (batters) being able to sit on his fastball, and then the curveball command – bouncing the curveball. So we just didn’t have secondary pitches to go along with the electric fastball.”

Olivarez walked two straight batters with one down in the second inning. An error loaded the bases, then a run scored on a slowly hit groundout. Austin Shenton singled home another run with a hard-hit ball to the gap, but the runner was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

Olivarez needed 54 pitches to get through two the first two innings.

After an easy third, Olivarez walked the tightrope again in the fourth. He gave up a single, walk and hit a batter, but he struck out Rodriguez to end the threat.

“I think it was a better outing than (Olivarez’) line score will show,” Kibler said. 

“We’re early in the season here, and still kind of building him up a little bit, getting used to going deeper into games, but not a bad outing for sure. But he’s got more to give there.”

The AquaSox (11-5) rallied for four runs against the pen in the fifth, with the big blow coming on Bins’ two-run double.

Spokane cut into the deficit in the sixth. With two down Brenton Doyle singled, then Michael Toglia smacked his league-leading sixth homer of the season over the caboose in straight right field. It could have been more, but Hunter Stovall was caught looking with runners at second and third to end the inning.

“Fastball, center cut,” Toglia said of what he saw on the home run. 

It’s his second homer in his last 12 games. 

“Homers come and go,” he said. “They say homers are thrown, not hit, so you can’t be out there trying to hit home runs.”

The Indians made it a two-run game in the eighth as AJ Lewis scampered home on a groundout by Niko Decolati. Three consecutive one-out singles loaded the bases for the Indians in the eighth and Lewis’ sacrifice fly made it 6-5.

But Bins and Jack Larsen went back-to-back in the ninth off first-pitch fastballs against Riley Pint to provide Everett with a three-run cushion again.

Kibler sees this as another growth opportunity for Pint.

“That’s something me and Riley have touched on. He’s got to be able to throw a secondary pitch for a strike, even early in the count, so they can’t eliminate pitches and sit on 97 at the bottom of the strike zone like they did tonight.”

A walk, wild pitch and error allowed Spokane to pick up a run in the bottom half. But with a runner on, Toglia struck out swinging and Willie MacIver popped out to end it. 

Scratched: The Seattle Mariners prospect tour was supposed to continue Friday, with right-hander George Kirby scheduled to start for the Everett AquaSox.

Kirby was scratched mid-afternoon due to a “team decision,” but his replacement did a fine impression.

Right-hander Stephen Kolek drew the assignment and pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts, allowing one hit and no walks. Kolek has yet to allow an earned run in four appearances for Everett.