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Gonzales Homers, But Indians Fall in Series Opener in Louisville, 6-2 

Bats ride five extra-base hits to victory, including a pair of homers
May 7, 2024

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a series win at Victory Field last week against Buffalo, the Indianapolis Indians bats could not overcome an early deficit in a series opening loss to the Louisville Bats at Louisville Slugger Field on Tuesday night, 6-2 Indians starter Eric Lauer (L, 2-1) got two quick

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – After a series win at Victory Field last week against Buffalo, the Indianapolis Indians bats could not overcome an early deficit in a series opening loss to the Louisville Bats at Louisville Slugger Field on Tuesday night, 6-2

Indians starter Eric Lauer (L, 2-1) got two quick outs to open the bottom of the third inning, but on the heels of a single from Livan Soto and a walk issued to Rece Hinds, Bats designated hitter Edwin Ríos clubbed a three-run, 428-foot shot to straight-away center field to open scoring. The Bats (17-17) struck again late with back-to-back RBI doubles from Blake Dunn and Soto in the seventh, and Peyton Burdick capped the Louisville run production with a solo home run in the eighth.

The Indians (16-15) were silenced by Louisville starter Carson Spiers (W, 2-1), who worked six shutout innings to lower his ERA on the year to 2.86. Spiers, who had walked 12 hitters in 28.2 innings coming into the game, walked just one and struck out six Indians hitters. The only run production for Indianapolis came in the top of the eighth against reliever Brooks Kriske, when Gonzales shot his fourth home run of the year down the line in left field to bring Gilberto Celestino in with him. With a 2-for-4 day, Gonzales is now hitting .364 with a 1.043 OPS.

With the loss, the Indians drop to 3-10 on the road this season, compared to their sterling 13-5 record at Victory Field. Jake Lamb went 1-for-3 in the loss to extend his hitting streak to eight games, ending the night hitting an even .400 (32-for-80), which ranks first in Triple-A and third in all of full-season Minor League Baseball.

The Indians and Bats have a quick turnaround going into the second game of the series, with first pitch at Louisville Slugger Field set for 11:05 AM ET on Wednesday morning. Left-hander Cam Alldred (1-3, 8.14) gets the ball for the Indians on Wednesday, opposing right-hander Connor Phillips (2-2, 8.64). Phillips is the No. 4 prospect in the Reds’ system, per MLB Pipeline.