The Indians went 5-1 in the six-game series
By Brooks Riley
INDIANAPOLIS – Led by starter Eric Lauer’s 5.0 hitless innings, the Indianapolis Indians pitching staff tossed a one-hit shutout on against the St. Paul Saints at Victory Field on Sunday en route to a 5-0 series-closing victory. The Indians finished with a 5-1 record on the homestand.
Lauer (W, 2-0) punched out a season-high strikeouts in the win, leading the team as it went on to fan 14 total in the contest. Relievers Ben Heller, Connor Sadzeck, Kyle Nicolas and Brent Honeywell carried the torch for the final four innings, with St. Paul’s lone base knock coming on seventh-inning single by Alex Isola. It was Indianapolis’ first one-hitter since Aug. 13, 2023 vs. Nashville and the 13th one-hitter in the Victory Field era.
The Indians (11-10) offense jumped on the board in the third inning with a Nick Gonzales RBI single to score Sergio Alcantara, extending his on-base streak to 19 games and his hitting streak to 12.
Pirates rehabber Yasmani Grandal led the offense moving forward, going 2-for-4 with an RBI single in the fifth inning and two-run home run in the seventh, extending the lead to 4-0. The homer was Indianapolis’ first of the series.
In the eighth inning, Indy tacked on the final run of afternoon following a one-out triple by Matt Gorski. Gorski went 3-for-4 to lead the Indians offense in hits.
St. Paul (8-12) sent Randy Dobnak (L, 1-3) to the mound for his second start of the week. He was charged with two earned runs across 4.1 innings.
The Indians will be off on Monday as they travel to Werner Park for a six-game series with the Omaha Storm Chasers. First pitch of the series is scheduled for 7:05pm ET on Tuesday. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher.
Originally posted on milb.com/indianapolis