Indians waste late lead, fall to Columbus in 10 innings

A one-run start from Hunter Barco and a 4-3 lead entering the ninth still were not enough for Indianapolis. The Indians watched Columbus turn Victory Field into a late-inning trap Saturday night, dropping a 9-4 decision in 10 innings after the Clippers erupted for five runs in the top of the 10th. For a club trying to sort out who can protect a lead and who can handle leverage, the finish was as revealing as the first eight innings.

Barco did his part. The left-hander held Columbus to one run over 5.0 innings, a useful turn for a pitcher who entered the night 2-5 with a 4.14 ERA across 37.0 innings and has already worked between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh this season. Indianapolis backed him with early run support, starting when Jhostynxon Garcia doubled home Nick Yorke in the second and Enmanuel Valdez drove in Termarr Johnson in the third.

The Indians kept adding enough to stay ahead. Dominic Fletcher brought home Mike Jarvis in the sixth for a 3-1 cushion, and Garcia came through again with two outs later in the game to keep Indianapolis in front. By the time the ninth arrived, the Indians had done enough to think the night belonged to them.

Instead, the bullpen lost the game. Yunior Marte got the first out of the 10th, then watched six straight baserunners reach safely as Columbus batted around and put the game out of reach with five runs in the inning. The meltdown turned a tight matchup into a lopsided final against a Clippers club that entered at 37-30 and had already shown it could trade punches in this six-game series, which included Indianapolis’ 11-6 win on June 12.

The loss mattered beyond one night in the standings. Garcia, who entered the game with 23 hits and 13 RBIs in 95 at-bats, kept giving Indianapolis a middle-order presence, while Barco strengthened his case as a rotation piece worth tracking. Marte, by contrast, left a costly mark in a game that could have helped sort out the pecking order for Pittsburgh consideration. On the same day, Joey Bart’s rehab assignment was transferred to Indianapolis, Mike Clevinger was sent on a rehab assignment to the Florida Complex League Pirates, and Antwone Kelly was recalled by Pittsburgh, a reminder that every inning in Triple-A can tilt the next roster decision.