Nolan Jones homers again, Will Benson steals three bases and Eli Morgan’s hot string of starts continues

Cleveland Indians minor league recap for May 28, 2019

Columbus Clippers 3, Indianapolis Indians 8

Box Score · Clippers fall to 27-21

Adam Rosales did his part on Monday, hitting a pair of home runs, but that accounted for nearly all of the Clippers’ offense as Columbus was blown out. The recently promoted Daniel Johnson added a double while Brandon Barnes went 1-3 with an RBI single and a walk.

Starting pitcher Cody Anderson was decent, allowing three runs on six hits in 5.0 innings while striking out five and walking three. Chih-Wei Hu did not perform well in long relief, giving up five additional runs on eight hits while pitching the final four innings of the game.

Akron RubberDucks 5, Richmond Flying Squirrels 2

Box Score · RubberDucks improve to 24-25

Wilson Garcia led the way offensively for Akron on Monday, blasting a two-run home run and knocking in three overall after going 2-3 with a sacrifice fly.

Ka’ai Tom also had a multi-hit game, going 2-3 with a double and a hit by pitch, although he was caught stealing. Ernie Clement reached base safely twice with a single and a walk and a rehabbing Tyler Naquin went 1-3 with a double.

That was more than enough offense for Eli Morgan, who had a strong start, allowing two runs on five hits in 6.0 innings while striking out six and walking one.

The bullpen did its job, as David Speer and Kyle Nelson combined for 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, with Nelson collecting his first Double-A save in a perfect frame.

Lynchburg Hillcats 5, Fayetteville Woodpeckers 2

Box Score · Hillcats improve to 25-24

Juan Hillman’s streak of innings without an earned run ended at 24.1, but he was solid nonetheless, giving up two runs on four hits in 5.1 innings while striking out two and walking three.

The bullpen was sensational as Dakody Clemmer, Robert Broom and Anthony Gose combined for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief, with Gose locking down his third save.

Nolan Jones had a monster game, going 2-3 with a three-run home run, a walk and two runs scored. After failing to homer in his first month and a half of 2019, Jones has hit three home runs in the last week.

Oscar Gonzalez stayed hot, going 2-4 with a double to raise his average to .356. Catcher Mike Rivera was perfect at the plate, going 1-1 with a double, a walk and a hit by pitch.

Lake County Captains 4, Lansing Lugnuts 5

Box Score · Captains fall to 28-18

Will Benson had a monster game, going 3-4 with a walk, three stolen bases and a pair of runs batted in, but it wasn’t enough as Lake County gave up three late runs and couldn’t recover.

Tyler Freeman also had a three-hit game, going 3-5 with a double while Miguel Jerez went 2-4 with a home run and a double.

Starting pitcher Thomas Ponticelli pitched well in his return from the disabled list, allowing a pair of runs in 5.0 innings on four hits while striking out three and walking two.

Reliever Aaron Pinto was sharp with two scoreless frame, but Riley Echols was hammered for three runs in 0.2 innings to take the loss.