Gaby Martinez drives in five, Spokane Indians drop third straight to Vancouver 12-5

Dave Nichols, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.
·2 min read

Jun. 29—VANCOUVER, B.C. — Gaby Martinez went 3 for 5 with a home run and five RBIs and the Vancouver Canadians beat the Spokane Indians for the third game in a row, 12-5, in a High-A Northwest League game at Nat Bailey Stadium on Thursday.

Braiden Ward went 4 for 4 with three runs and four stolen bases for the Indians. Ward has 19 steals on the season, tied for fourth in the league despite having more than 100 fewer plate appearances than the others.

The Indians (3-3) took an early lead in the first against Canadians starter Adam Macko. Ward led off with a single, stole second and third and scored on a groundout.

The lead didn't last long. The Canadians (3-3) loaded the bases in the bottom half with no outs against Spokane starter Blake Adams. Alex DeJesus flied out to the left-center field gap to plate a run and Adams' third walk of the inning loaded the bases again.

That brought up Martinez, who laced a line drive into the right-center gap for a bases-clearing double and 4-1 lead.

The Indians loaded the bases with two down in the second, but Benny Montogomery struck out to leave them stranded.

They rallied in the fourth for two runs — all with two outs. AJ Lewis singled and Ward reached on a bunt. Montgomery lined an RBI single to right to put runners at the corners, then Ward stole home after a pickoff throw to first.

Adams pitched a scoreless second and third innings, but Vancouver's Dasan Brown crushed a three-run homer to left in the fourth to make it 7-3.

Adams went four innings. He allowed seven runs, six earned, on five hits and three walks with just two strikeouts. He threw 81 pitches, 51 for strikes.

Lefty Mason Green took over for Spokane in the fifth and he couldn't find the strike zone. He hit two batters and walked two to force in a run, then Alan Roden reached on an infield single to short to knock in another run and make it 9-3.

Martinez added a two-run homer, his sixth of the season, against Brayan Castillo in the eighth.

The series continues Friday at 1:05 p.m.