Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (74-73) at Columbus Clippers (83-64)

September 27, 2022 – International League (IL) – Indianapolis Indians News Release

LOCATION: Huntington Park

FIRST PITCH: 6:15 PM ET

GAME #148 / Road #73: Indianapolis Indians (74-73) at Columbus Clippers (83-64)

PROBABLES: RHP Quinn Priester (1-0, 0.00) vs. LHP Logan Allen (3-4, 7.08)

RADIO: FoxSportsIndy.com / Fox Sports 1260 / iHeart app

TV: MiLB TV

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The Columbus Clippers jumped ahead early and never let up as the Indianapolis Indians dropped the first game of the three-game set at Huntington Park on Monday night, 17-1. Eleven of Columbus’ 17 runs came via six home runs. The Clippers plated two runs in the first, three in the third, six in the fourth and six in the eighth Five runs were charged to Indians starter Osvaldo Bido (L, 3-8), who was ejected with one out in the top of the second inning. As Columbus’ bats continued to roll, starter Hunter Gaddis (W, 4-3) held the Indians (74-73) without a hit until a single by Blake Sabol and subsequent double by Brendt Citta in the fourth inning plated Indy’s lone run. Both Sabol and Citta led Indy’s offense with a pair of hits apiece.

SABOL’S SINGLES: Blake Sabol joined Brendt Citta with a team-leading two hits last night, going 2-for-3 with a walk and run scored. The performance improves his average to .307 (23-for-75) through 23 games with the Indians since being promoted from Double-A Altoona at the end of August. In that time, he has launched five home runs to lead the team for the month of September.

OLIVA ROLLING: Jared Oliva joined two other Indians batters with a pair of hits in Saturday night’s loss, marking his third consecutive multi-hit game and 13th in a 32-game stretch since going 2-for-3 in the nightcap of an Aug. 3 doubleheader against Louisville. In that time frame, Oliva has been rolling with a .385 average (42-for-109). The outfielder entered Game 2 of that doubleheader with a .207 (42-for-203) average on the season and has since raised his season mark to .269 (84-for-312), collecting as many hits in his last 32 games as he did in his first 65. In addition to being named Indy’s September Player of the Month on Friday for his insane hot stretch, Oliva was also named the team’s 2022 Gold Glove award recipient as he is currently working an 89-game errorless streak, the second-longest in the International League this season.

TONIGHT: The Indians continue their final series of the season tonight at 6:15 PM ET and will look to break a three-game losing skid in the second of three games at Columbus’ Huntington Park. In five games in Columbus from July 12-16, with the finale being postponed due to inclement weather and then canceled as part of a doubleheader originally scheduled for tomorrow, the Indians went 1-4 with four consecutive losses to end the series. At Victory Field, however, the Indians went 7-5 against the Clippers. Taking the mound tonight in his first Triple-A road start is RHP Quinn Priester (1-0, 0.00), who spun 5.0 scoreless innings in his debut last week. Countering for Columbus is LHP Logan Allen (3-4, 7.08), who took a loss in his lone start against Indy on July 12 (3er, 4.2ip).

Q IS NEW: Quinn Priester, who is rated as the No. 47 prospect in Minor League Baseball and No. 3 in the Pirates organization, dazzled in his Triple-A debut with 5.0 two-hit, scoreless innings last Wednesday against St. Paul. He fired in 47 of his 71 pitches for strikes and collected six strikeouts with just two walks. In 15 starts with Altoona, his season shortened by an oblique injury to begin the campaign, the 22-year-old went 4-4 with a 2.87 ERA (24er/75.1ip), 75 strikeouts and 1.19 WHIP. In his first full professional season in 2021, Priester led Greensboro and High-A East qualifiers with a 3.04 ERA (33er/97.2ip), 1.24 WHIP and .225 average against in 20 starts to be named the High-A East Pitcher of the Year. He also ranked among league leaders in games started (T-2nd), innings pitched (3rd), wins (T-8th, 7) and strikeouts (10th, 98). The Glendale Heights, Ill. native was selected by Pittsburgh as the 18th overall pick of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of Cary-Grove (Ill.) High School.

SLIGHT SCHEDULE SWITCH: The Indians and Clippers were originally scheduled to play a doubleheader tonight to make up a weather-related postponement at Huntington Park on Sunday, July 17. That doubleheader has now been changed to one 9.0-inning contest with a 6:15 PM ET first pitch. The Indians’ season is now set to end at 149 games.

AT THE VIC: The Indians finished off their home slate of games on Saturday night with a 41-34 record after going 4-8 through the final 12-game homestand. This season marks their 18th campaign with a winning record at home since becoming a Pirates affiliate in 2005 and 21st season in Victory Field history.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Ji-Hwan Bae was an everyday difference maker for the Indians to be named the 2022 Team MVP on Saturday. Rotating between second base (57 games/53 starts), third base (1 game/0 starts), shortstop (24 games/20 starts), left field (8 starts) and center field (20 games/19 starts) over 108 total games, he consistently performed at a high offensive level and leads all Indians qualifiers with a .289 average, .362 on-base percentage, .430 slugging percentage, .792 OPS, 121 hits, 81 runs scored and 30 stolen bases.

PITCHER OF THE YEAR: Cody Bolton excelled in a hybrid role with the Indians in his first Triple-A campaign coming off a season-ending knee injury in 2021 to earn Indy’s 2022 Pitcher of the Year award. The right-hander, who entered the season as Pittsburgh’s No. 30 prospect by Baseball America, went 4-2 with a 3.01 ERA (25er/74.2p) and 81 strikeouts over 29 games (14 starts). After strictly working as a starting pitcher through the first three seasons of his career, Bolton shined out of the bullpen, going 4-0 with a 2.45 ERA (9er/33.0ip) and 39 strikeouts.

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