Clippers win Governors' Cup
Here’s a look at the top performances of the past week by Indians prospects in the Minor Leagues:
Thursday, Sept. 12: Clippers win International League
The Triple-A Columbus Clippers have won the Governors’ Cup. After posting a league-best 81-59 record in the regular season, the Clippers cruised through the playoffs with a 6-1 mark, including a 3-0 sweep in the International League Finals.
Durham’s pitching -- led by two perfect frames from a rehabbing Blake Snell -- held the Clippers scoreless through five innings, but Columbus eventually broke through for three runs in the sixth and then broke the game open with three more runs in the seventh.
Bradley Zimmer got things started with a three-run homer in the sixth and Daniel Johnson (Indians’ No. 16) and Ka’ai Tom joined the party with homers of their own in the seventh.
Columbus has now advanced to the Triple-A Championship, which is set for Tuesday in Memphis. The Clippers will take on the winner of the Pacific Coast League, where Sacramento is currently up 2-0 in a best-of-five series against Round Rock. Thursday's prospect stats»
Wednesday, Sept. 11: Allen sharp in playoff win
No. 3 prospect Logan Allen gave the Triple-A Columbus Clippers six innings of one-run ball on Wednesday as they defeated Durham, 7-4, to take a commanding 2-0 lead in their International League championship series. Allen, who also ranks as Major League Baseball’s No. 94 prospect, allowed just four hits and a pair of walks over his six frames while striking out six. The 22-year-old lefty came up big at the right time following a difficult season, where he posted a 5.88 ERA over 80 innings at the Triple-A level between the Padres and Indians organizations. He also made eight appearances in the Major Leagues with San Diego before being dealt at the Deadline, then added one more in Cleveland, posting a cumulative 6.18 ERA over 27 2/3 innings.
The Clippers used a bunt single followed by back-to-back walks to load the bases with two outs in the first inning ahead of catcher Ryan Lavarnway, who delivered a grand slam to right-center field to stake his team to an early lead. The 32-year-old catcher went deep in his next at-bat, too, hitting a two-run shot in the fifth inning, and finished the day 2-for-4 with six RBIs.
The series now heads back to Durham on Thursday for its remainder, but the Clippers are just one win away from clinching the title.
Tuesday, Sept. 10: Clippers use long ball to win Game 1
The Triple-A Columbus Clippers hit three early home runs as they slugged their way to an 8-3 win over Durham in Game 1 of the best-of-five Governors’ Cup finals.
Bobby Bradley, the Indians’ No. 7 prospect, belted a massive three-run homer off the scoreboard in right-center field to put Columbus on the board in the first inning, and back-to-back homers from Ka’ai Tom (three-run) and Andrew Velazquez in the fourth widened the Clippers’ lead.
Tom and Velazquez were catalysts from the top two spots in the lineup, respectively, as they finished a combined 3-for-8 with four RBIs and three runs scored. Bradley, after hitting a career-high 33 homers during the regular season, has now gone deep twice in the postseason after Tuesday’s tape-measure blast. He finished 1-for-3. Tuesday's prospect stats»
Saturday, Sept. 7: Clippers advance to Governors' Cup finals
The Triple-A Columbus Clippers clinched a spot in the International League championship with a 5-4 win over Gwinnett on Saturday to wrap up their series, three games to one. Columbus was down one run late, but Connor Marabell ripped a two-run double in the eighth inning to put them ahead. No. 7 prospect Bobby Bradley went 1-for-4 and got the Clippers started with an RBI single in the fifth inning. Columbus is now set to face the Rays' Triple-A affiliate, the Durham Bulls, in the Governors' Cup finals, beginning on September 10 at home. Saturday's prospect stats»
Friday, Sept. 6: Bradley goes yard for Triple-A Columbus
Indians No. 7 prospect Bobby Bradley did what he does best Friday, slugging a home run for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, in a losing effort in the International League semifinals. Bradley hit a two-run shot in the seventh inning that would prove to be the final runs the Clippers would score, as the Gwinnett Stripers staved off elimination and narrowed Columbus’ series advantage to 2-1. Bradley is one of the most prolific home run hitters in the Minor Leagues, earning home run titles in four of his past six seasons, and he even made his MLB debut earlier this year and picked up his first big league dinger in the process. Friday's prospect stats»