Colten Schmidt returns to mound after three-year layoff, Spokane Indians lose fifth straight to Eugene 6-5

Colten Schmidt waited a long time for his opportunity to pitch on Sunday. He made the most of it despite some troubles in the field behind him.

While the outcome wasn’t what he – or the team – might have hoped for, it was an important step for a player trying to recover a career beset by injury.

Max Wright hit a three-run home run in the fourth inning and the Eugene Emeralds held off the Spokane Indians 6-5 in the finale of a six-game Northwest League series at Avista Stadium on Sunday.

With a fifth consecutive loss, the Indians (32-30) were eliminated in the first-half title race with three games to play. Eugene improved to 33-30 and moved ahead of the Indians into second place.

Schmidt made his first High-A start of the season after missing 2020 due to the COVID year and all of the ’21 and ’22 seasons rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. In 2019, he went 8-8 with a 3.47 ERA and 128 strikeouts over 135 innings between Low-A and High-A.

The 27-year-old lefty – a 23rd -round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2018 MLB draft out of Louisiana Lafayette – made two appearances for the Rockies Arizona Complex League team this season before being assigned to the Indians.

“It’s been since 2019 since I’ve been in affiliated ball again,” Schmidt said. “So, it was definitely exciting. I was definitely looking forward to it. I just wish I would’ve pitched a little better than what I did there.”

Schmidt went 32/3 innings and allowed five runs – only one earned as the Indians made a pair of errors leading to runs – on six hits and no walks with three strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches, 44 for strikes. His fastball, which hit 94 in the first inning, was in the upper 80s by the end of his appearance.

“I felt good,” Schmidt said. “I haven’t really built up the stamina to go four or five innings so I knew it was gonna be a challenge to go out there in the fourth and shut it down. My body got a little tired, that’s all, but it’ll come with more work.”

“He pitched pretty well. Located,” Indians pitching coach Ryan Kibler said. “He’s a pitcher. Changes speeds, locates, has a good plan and a good idea what he wants to do. Yeah, that should have turned out a little better for him.”

Eugene’s Grant McCray led off the game with a double into the right field corner, stole third without a throw and scored when Yanquiel Fernandez’ one-hop throw home on a fly ball got past catcher Bryant Quijada for an error.

Schmidt got through the second and third unscathed but hit the wall in the fourth.

Carter Howell led off with a single and moved up to second on a groundout. With two down, Aeverson Arteaga singled to make it 2-0. Ghordy Santos followed a routine grounder to short but Nic Kent’s throw drew AJ Lewis off the bag at first and all hands were safe.

That brought up catcher Max Wright, hitting .169, and his liner to right just cleared the short wall to the left of the 296-foot sign for a three-run home run. Schmidt was allowed to face one more batter and gave up a single to No. 9 hitter Edison Mora.

“I still have a jersey on my back. It feels good,” Schmidt said. “Just working hard every day, doing the right things and I just got to get that stamina back. The more I get out there, the better it will be.”

“He wants it. He feels good right now,” Kibler said. “He’s ready to get this done right now. Now he knows it’s time. And he has the work ethic and the pitchability and the knowledge to get it done.”

The Indians loaded the bases with one out in the fourth but managed just one run on a groundout.

It stayed that way until the seventh, when Eugene’s Brett Auerbach hit a long home run to left, his first of the year.

Spokane made a game of it in the eighth. Jordan Beck walked and stole second and Lewis hit an RBI double. The Indians loaded the bases with two outs then Sterlin Thompson ripped a double to left-center gap, his third hit of the day, to clear the bases and make it a one-run game. Beck hit a one-out double in the ninth, but pinch-runner Braiden Ward was stranded at third.

The Indians allowed 52 runs in the six-game series.

“We don’t get ahead of hitters,” Kibler said. “We don’t finish hitters. We don’t get quick contact outs. We don’t get ourselves in positions to punch guys out, and when we do we’re letting ‘em off the hook.

“We’ve got to have a gut check.

“We’ve got to get some life in our pants and attack the strike zone and let the chips fall where they may after we’ve attacked the zone,” Kibler said.Day off: Infielder Adael Amador, who was in the original lineup leading off at shortstop, was scratched 10 minutes before game time. During Saturday’s game, Amador met with trainers to examine his right hand/wrist after a checked swing. He stayed in the game and doubled but exited the game later.