NewsMcBride, Hunter power Peoria rally
Indians catcher homers en route to Mesa's walk-off win
By Danny Wild / MLB.com
10/27/09 7:07 PM ET
Indians catcher Matt McBride is feeling comfortable at the plate in Arizona, even if his helmet isn't.McBride and Freddie Freeman went deep before Cedric Hunter hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to lead the Peoria Saguaros past the Mesa Solar Sox, 6-5, on Tuesday afternoon.
McBride, who said the new-style Rawlings helmets worn by Arizona Fall League players fit a little too snug, launched a three-run game-tying homer in the fourth inning, his second long ball in four games. The Indians catcher is batting .345 through eight starts, with 11 RBIs in 29 at-bats for Peoria.
"So far, things going pretty well. I'm trying to have good at-bats and trying to not take any for granted," he said. "I'm staying focused on a pitch I can hit, on something I can handle."
The new mandatory helmet, which appears larger and heavier on first glance, is actually a bit too small for McBride's head. He's dealing with it like a pro, though.
"They're really different, a lot more padding in it, but they don't have one in my size," he laughed. "It could be made to be bigger, mine is a little bit tight. But I think it's definitely something to get used to, it's not bad."
Cleveland's second-round pick in the 2006 Draft, McBride opened eyes in the Carolina League earlier this year when he hit .405 in 31 games with Class A Advanced Kinston. The 24-year-old was promoted to Double-A Akron and while his average dropped to .247, he still pounded out 12 homers and 63 RBIs, finishing the year with a combined . 287 average, 18 home runs and 99 RBIs.
With the potential for average and power, the Indians are looking for some consistency from their backstop in Peoria this fall, especially with top prospect Carlos Santana also putting up huge numbers behind the plate.
"I'm just trying to swing at good pitches, work counts, get into good hitters' counts and not go out of my zone," he said. "I need to look for balls I can drive, try to hit the gaps a little more."
His three-run blast in the fourth off Mesa starter Tommy Mendoza (Angels) came on a hanging inside breaking ball.
"It was first and third, I was trying to put a good swing on the ball, make something happen," he said. "I was able to get the barrel on it and was lucky enough for it to go out.
"It was a curveball, I was looking for more off-speed," McBride added. "He was throwing a bunch of changeups, so I saw it, tried to stay back."
Hunter, a Padres outfielder, went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs after knocking home Reds second baseman Zack Cozart with a one-out fly ball to left in the ninth off Blake Parker (Cubs) for the win. He's batting .282 in the AFL, with four RBIs in his last four games.
Freeman, the Braves' second-round pick from 2007, was hitting .148 without any homers before slugging his one-out solo drive in the sixth. The first baseman, batting third in the Saguaros lineup, raised his average to .222.
"[The walk-off] was great, we've got a great team here, we had a great ninth inning, came back again and that's the fourth in a row for us," McBride said. "We're playing pretty good baseball. We've got a good group of players and it's been a lot of fun."
Parker (1-1) was charged with one run on a hit and two walks to suffer the loss for Mesa. Reds right-hander Logan Ondrusek struck out one in the ninth to earn the win for Peoria.
Chris Parmelee, who has 11 RBIs in his last five games, had two RBIs and fellow Twins prospect Rene Tosoni scored twice and plated a run for the Solar Sox.
Danny Wild is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
