Matt Morris Report: Andrew Lambo, Indianapolis offense go nuts in rout

Andrew Lambo and Robert Andino each had two home runs as Indianapolis' offense went nuts in a 15-5 rout of Columbus today. Lambo, Andino and Dean Anna all had four hits apiece, and Anna and Chris McGuiness also homered. The Clippers stuck with starting pitcher Toru Murata for a very long time even though he didn't have much, and Indianapolis made them pay.

Lambo went 4-for-4 with a walk. He told me yesterday that his thumb injury wouldn't have any lingering effects on his power, and if tonight's game is any indication, he was right. One of his homers was the longest I've ever seen in Columbus, a shot to right that went over both the high wall and two stories of terraced walkways above it, only staying in the stadium because of some netting on the roof. (McGuiness' homer as the next batter went to exactly the same spot, but still.) Lambo then hit an opposite-field shot in the third.

Dean Anna, too, had a really nice game. It would be nice to see him break out offensively -- he's posted very good on-base percentages throughout the minors and he can play second, short and third, so he might be an interesting offense-first candidate for the Pirates' utility infielder job next year if Clint Barmes doesn't stick around.

I'll write more about Nick Kingham's start later. John Holdzkom pitched an inning in the eighth; he's a huge dude (teams fudge a lot of player heights, but his listed 6'7" is totally legit) and he throws 97 MPH seemingly without much effort, so it's easy to see why the Pirates thought he was worth a flyer as an acquisition out of independent ball. He struck out two and walked two. Wirfin Obispo pitched the ninth. He has a big fastball that he doesn't appear to command very well and he doesn't seem to mind pitching inside, which may be how he ended up starting a mini-feud with Columbus when he buzzed a Clippers hitter last week. Here are tonight's other minor league games.

-P- Altoona won 4-3 against Bowie. Drew Maggi went 4-for-4, and Keon Broxton his his ninth homer of the year. The Curve offense managed four runs despite striking out 11 times and not walking once.

-P- Bradenton beat Clearwater, 4-2. Chad Kuhl allowed one run over six innings, striking out three and walking one. Justin Maffei provided much of the offense, going 3-for-3 with a homer and a double. Jordan Steranka went 2-for-4 with a double.

-P- West Virginia was conquered, 7-2, by Rome. Dovydas Neverauskas allowed five runs over 4.1 innings, striking out three and walking three. Austin Meadows and Erich Weiss had two singles apiece. JaCoby Jones had a rare hitless game, going 0-for-4.

-P- Jamestown lost to Staten Island, 7-1. Alex McRae allowed five runs, four earned, over five innings. Elvis Escobar went 2-for-4.

-P- Bristol lost 5-4 to Johnson City. Junior Lopez allowed all five runs in three innings of work. Pablo Reyes and Eduardo Figueroa each went 2-for-4 with a double.

-P- The GCL Pirates lost 5-1 to the Tigers. Gerardo Navarro started and allowed three runs over three innings. Luis Benitez went 1-for-3 with a triple. Cole Tucker went 1-for-4 and struck out twice.