Indians slip past Mud Hens

Toledo's history for walk-off victories this season totaled three entering Wednesday night's contest with Indianapolis at Fifth Third Field.

Jerad Head was in position to add to that total when he faced Indianapolis reliever Tim Wood in the ninth inning with two outs, two runners on base and the Mud Hens trailing by a run.

Head's opportunity came and went after he struck out looking for the final out of the game to ensure a 4-3 win for Indians before an announced crowd of 6,699.

"We battled to the end," Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin said. "They run some darn good arms out there the entire game. We just came up a little short."

The Mud Hens made it close after falling behind 4-0 early. Don Kelly tagged a two-run single with one out in the ninth to pull Toledo to within a run of tying the score.

However, the Mud Hens (58-81) couldn't complete the comeback against the International League West Division-leading Indians (85-54).

Head's final out was his third at-bat that ended with him striking out. Cale Iorg and Audy Ciriaco also went hitless and struck out three times apiece. Toledo left 12 runners on base.

Indianapolis sent six pitchers to the mound with reliever Jose Diaz (1-2) earning the decision after pitching 1⅓ innings, allowing one hit and striking out three. Left-handed starter Jeff Locke pitched 4⅔ scoreless innings, allowing three hits and three walks while fanning seven.

"We've played them tough all year, but they're a good club," Nevin said. "I think if they're able to keep that group intact throughout the next couple of weeks of the playoffs they're going to be very good."

The Indians ended a scoreless contest by putting four runs on the scoreboard in the fourth inning.

Yamaico Navarro and Jeff Larish, batting seventh and eighth in the lineup, provided the big blows at the plate for the Indians.

Navarro pushed the first run across when he tagged a run-scoring base hit off Mud Hens right-hander Brooks Brown with one out to give Indianapolis a 1-0 lead.

Larish followed Navarro and muscled a Brown offering over the outfield wall in left for a three-run home run to make it 4-0.

Brown (4-4) had limited the Indians' potent lineup to only two hits before they finally got to him for four hits in the decisive fourth.

Brown lasted five innings, allowing four runs on six hits, while walking four and striking out three. He escaped trouble early when he made it out of the first inning unscathed after loading the bases with one out. Brown was able to get the final two batters to hit into groundouts.

Toledo avoided suffering a second straight shutout to the Indians by scoring a run in the sixth inning. John Lindsey led off the inning with a double to right. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Lindsey scored easily from third on a slow-rolling groundout down the first base line hit by Ben Guez.

Toledo has dropped three straight games after having won five in a row.

Contact Donald Emmons at: demmons@theblade.com, 419-724-6302 or on Twitter @DemmonsBlade