Spokane Indians second-half batting slump continues, Vancouver wins series opener 10-3
The Spokane Indians started a new series Tuesday, but their second-half slump at the plate continued.
The Indians managed just two hits through the first eight innings and the Vancouver Canadians cruised to a 10-3 win in the opener of a six-game High-A Northwest League series at Avista Stadium.
Canadians starting pitcher Jackson Wentworth went five shutout innings. He allowed just one hit and two walks with nine strikeouts.
The Indians (21-22) have scored 65 runs in their past 22 games, an average of just 2.95 per game.
Indians starter Josh Grosz walked the first two batters of the game and with two down Nick Goodwin’s soft liner to left fell for an RBI single.
Vancouver (22-21) picked up another run in the second. Alexis Hernandez bounced one past shortstop Andy Perez for a one-out single, stole second, went to third on a throwing error by catcher Cole Messina and scored on a double by JR Freethy.
Grosz settled down for a couple of innings, but Sean Keys got to him in the fifth, launching a one-out homer just to the right of the scoreboard in right center, his 13th of the season.
Grosz got out of the rest of the inning, but was lifted in the sixth. In five innings he gave up three runs on five hits and five walks with five strikeouts. He threw 97 pitches, 56 for strikes.
Braxton Hyde took over in the sixth but Hernandez hit a one-out triple and scored on a single by Bryce Arnold. With two down, Eddie Micheletti Jr. doubled off the glove of Max Belyeu in right to plate Arnold and make it 5-0.
The Indians sent Albert Pacheco to the mound for the seventh, but it was more of the same. Nick Goodwin doubled, went to third on an errant pickoff throw by Pacheco and scored on a triple by Carter Cunningham.
Arnold clobbered Pacheco’s third pitch of the eighth well over the netting above the left field wall and into the fairgrounds parking lot for his second home run of the season.
The Indians broke up the shutout in the bottom half. Ethan Hodges walked, went to second on defensive indifference, took third on a groundout and scored on Blake Wright’s RBI single.
But the C’s weren’t done. Pacheco loaded the bases in the ninth on a double and a pair of walks, forcing manager Robinson Cancel to make a pitching change.
It didn’t help, as JR Freethy doubled to the wall in center off Alan Perdomo to clear the bases.
Transactions: The Indians announced before the game 2025 Colorado Rockies draft picks outfielder Max Belyeu and third baseman Ethan Hedges were added to the roster for their professional debuts.
Belyeu was the Rockies’ second-round pick out of the University of Texas and is ranked as the Rockies No. 7 prospect according to MLB.com. Hedges was the third-round pick out of USC and is the Rockies No. 20 prospect.
In a corresponding move, outfielder EJ Andrews, Jr. was released. Andrews, 24, hit .156/.284/.307 with five homers and 18 RBIs in 62 games for the Indians this season.