Indianapolis loses to Columbus, 5-4

Indianapolis lost 5-4 to Columbus Friday in a nice game for Andrew Lambo, who's in his second game back at Indy after a thumb injury that's kept him out most of the summer.

The Clippers scored three runs off Adam Wilk in the first two innings before Lambo put Indianapolis on the board with an RBI double in the fourth. Robert Andino then doubled in the fifth, and beat a way-off-the-mark throw to the plate on a hit by Chase d'Arnaud. The Pirates then tied the game in the seventh on an impressive opposite-field solo homer by Tony Sanchez.

After the first two innings, Wilk looked good, throwing tons of strikes and not allowing any runs after the second. Vin Mazzaro relieved him in the seventh and gave up a double to the speedy Jose Ramirez and a homer to Jesus Aguilar, and the Clippers took a 5-3 lead. Mazzaro then pitched his way into trouble again, loading the bases with one out, but he got a popup and a grounder to get out of it.

In the ninth, Brent Morel led off with a single, stole second, and went to third on Lambo's single to right field. Morel then came home when Tony Sanchez grounded into a double play. Chris McGuiness then grounded out to end the game.

-P- Lambo has looked excellent so far, making lots of hard contact. He had two hits today, his first game back in the field after DHing yesterday.

-P- Man, remember when Jose Tabata was fast? Today he grounded into two double plays, both of which seemed to happen in slow motion -- an average runner would have easily been safe at first each time. Or at least that's how it seemed. I wasn't timing Tabata, and Matt Bandi has suggested that Tabata looks slower than he actually is. Still, Tabata didn't seem slow in 2010, and now he does. That's an issue for a batter who hits so many ground balls.