Long ball hurts Spokane Indians in 7-2 loss to league-leading Vancouver

If the Spokane Indians are to mount a second-half comeback to qualify for the Northwest League championship series at the end of the season, it has to start by beating the team that sits atop the league.

In the first game back after the MLB All-Star break at Avista Stadium on Friday, the Indians entered play in fourth place, trailing the first-place Vancouver Canadians by five games.

Things did not go well for the home team.

Spokane’s starting pitcher didn’t make it out of the first inning, Vancouver’s Riley Tirotta and Damiano Palmegiani hit two-run home runs and the Canadians beat the Indians 7-2 in the first game of a three-game series.

The Indians fell to 9-12. Vancouver won its ninth in a row to move to 15-6.

Indians manager Scott Little didn’t mince words after the game.

“We’ve got to pitch better, we’ve got to hit better,” he said. “I mean, we didn’t do anything.”

Indians starter Evan Shawver came out rusty, walking leadoff batter Steward Berroa on four pitches. Berroa stole second, went to third when the throw by catcher Drew Romo went into center field and scored on an infield single by Leo Jimenez.

Miguel Hiraldo singled with two down, then Shawver waived to the dugout in discomfort. After a brief consultation with Little, he walked off the field gingerly to be replaced by Anderson Pilar, who recorded the final out of the inning.

Little did not have a report on Shawver’s injury status after the game.

Spokane took the lead in the second. Warming Bernabel walked, went to second on a single by Hunter Goodman and came around on Trevor Boone’s opposite-field single. Canadians starter Trenton Wallace uncorked a wild pitch, and Goodman scampered home to make it 2-1.

“They gave us one run, and we did get a two-out hit, but we just didn’t do anything tonight at the plate,” Little said.

“(Boone’s) hit was the only good thing that happened for us offensively all night.”

Pilar cruised until the fourth, when he allowed a leadoff single and a two-run home run to Tirotta. Garrett Spain followed with a double and later scored on a groundout. Pilar gave up another hit and a walk and was lifted in favor of Blake Goldsberry, who got out of the jam with no further damage.

It stayed that way until the seventh, when Palmegiani hit a two-run homer off Adam McKillican, in his second inning of work, to make it 6-2.

Indians reliever Luke Taggart made his first appearance since being activated from the injured list in the eighth. The first batters reached, but a groundout forced a runner at home. On the return throw, Taggart turned his back on the runner at third, and Berroa raced home with a stolen base for a 7-2 lead.