Today was a chance for Tribe fans to see a few future Indians as the only expected 2015 starter to play was Michael Bourn with just Ryan Raburn and Roberto Perez joining him in the lineup as probable 25 man roster players for Opening Day. Of other players searching for a job this Spring, Zach Walters played third, Francisco Lindor played short while Josh Tomlin started on the mound with T.J. House relieving him.
Fighting for one of the only open spots expected on the roster, the long man in the bullpen, Tomlin started things off poorly by giving up a lead-off home run to the light hitting Billy Hamilton. He gave up two runs on three hits in the first before settling down in the second, his final scheduled inning. While this outing won’t affect his status for the regular season, these early starts could affect who gets more Spring innings as the pre-season progresses and pitchers begin to separate from the pack.
After Tomlin, House, C.C. Lee, Nick Maronde, Jeff Manship and Will Roberts set down a line-up of Reds minor leaguers and reserves without score. Just as the Indians only played Bourn among regulars, Cincinnati used just Hamilton, Todd Frazier and Zach Cozart among starters and they were mostly gone from the game by the sixth inning.
Notable Players of the Day
The guy who everyone wanted to see did what everyone wanted to see him do. Francisco Lindor had singles (a ground ball up the middle and a weak liner to left) in each of his first two at bats and played excellent defense, snagging a liner above his head and making a few plays on grounders. If previous Springs are any indication, Lindor will likely play a ton of innings before being sent back to Columbus as this is the safest way for him to face Major League pitching without it counting against his time of service.
Other players of note, Carlos Moncrief went 4-4 with a double and two runs scored as the DH and James Ramsey made a nice diving catch in center during the sixth inning after replacing Bourn (video included below).
T.J. House didn’t allow a base runner during his two innings, a welcome respite considering the 12 runs allowed in the Indians first nine innings on the mound. In fact, Indians pitchers as a group allowed just one hit and two walks after the first inning while striking out five.
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