LAWRENCEVILLE — Timely hits and four Indianapolis errors propelled the Gwinnett Braves to an 8-5 win over the Indians Wednesday night at Coolray Field.
The victory was the fourth straight for the G-Braves (36-35) matching their longest winning streak of the season. It also pushed Gwinnett above the .500 mark for the first time since the club was 3-2 following a win on April 13 vs. Norfolk.
A two-run lead for Gwinnett evaporated in the sixth inning when Indianapolis scored a pair of runs against right-handed reliever Aaron Kurcz (BS, 4; W, 4-3). However, the G-Braves responded with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
Adonis Garcia hit a double to left field off of Indians’ right-handed reliever Yhonathan Barrios that drove in Mallex Smith and Eric Young, Jr. for a 7-5 lead. Both runs were charged to righty A.J. Morris (L, 3-1), who got the first two outs of the inning before walking Smith and yielding a single to Young.
The G-Braves tacked on an insurance run in the seventh inning when Smith got the first RBI of his Triple-A career in his debut with Gwinnett. His sacrifice fly to left field off of Barrios scored Kleinknecht to make it 8-5.
Right-handed reliever David Carpenter (H, 7) gave up a leadoff single and struck out a batter to get through the eighth. Righty Ryan Kelly (S, 5) also gave up a single and had one strikeout as he closed out the game with a scoreless ninth.
Right-handed reliever Ryan Weber (H, 2) helped get the game to Carpenter and Kelly with a 1-2-3 seventh inning that included one strikeout. Kurcz finished with two runs allowed on three hits and one strikeout.
Gwinnett began its march to a winning record as soon as they got to the plate against Indianapolis right-handed starter Adrian Sampson. Three of the first four G-Braves’ batters of the game scored, and all nine members of the Gwinnett lineup came to bat in the opening frame.
Jose Peraza began the rally with a single and stole second base. Young walked and Garcia followed with a single to left field scoring Peraza. Young also scored from first base on the play and Garcia moved to third as the ball got by Indianapolis left fielder Jaff Decker.Christian Bethancourt then scored Garcia with a double to left field.
However, their three-run lead slipped to 3-2 the following inning when Gorkys Hernandez hit a two-run home run to center field off of right-handed starter Mike Foltynewicz.
Another defensive miscue by Indianapolis fueled Gwinnett’s next rally to jump back ahead by three runs. Foltynewicz came to bat with the bases loaded and hit a ground ball to shortstop. The ball bounced off of Pedro Florimon’s glove, allowing Cedric Hunter and Barrett Kleinknecht to score for a 5-2 G-Braves’ lead.
The five runs in three innings were one more run of support for Foltynewicz than he had received in his other five Gwinnett starts combined. He threw 97 pitches (57 strikes) in his 5.0 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on six hits, walking four and striking out five.
His third run was unearned, as Brent Morel scored from third on a 4-6-3 double play. Morel reached third when he hit a double to center field that Smith bobbled before he got the ball back in to the infield.
Sampson also lasted 5.0 innings. He gave up five runs (four earned) on six hits, walked three and struck out four. Barrios pitched 1.1 innings and gave up one run on three hits with two walks and a strikeout. Righty Deolis Guerra set the G-Braves down in order in the eighth.
Garcia led the Gwinnett offense, going 2-for-5 with a double, run scored and three RBIs. Peraza went 2-for-5 with a run scored, and Kleinknecht had a 2-for-3 night with two runs scored.
Hernandez matched Garcia with three RBIs for Indianapolis (42-31). He also scored two runs in a 2-for-4 effort.
The G-Braves will go for a sweep of their four-game series against Indianapolis at 6:35 p.m. Thursday at Coolray Field. Right-hander Cody Martin (1-2, 2.21 ERA) will start for the Gwinnett against right-hander Angel Sanchez (0-0, 7.20 ERA) of the Indians. Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM and WSBRadio.com beginning at 6 p.m.
It’s a “Triple Play Thursday” when fans can purchase a four-pack of tickets with four hot dogs and four soft drinks for $40. The offer is available only at the Coolray Field Ticket Office. To purchase tickets, call the Coolray Field Ticket Office at 678-277-0340 or visit GwinnettBraves.com/tickets.
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