Indians say parent club Pittsburgh Pirates’ success is contagious
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
INDIANAPOLIS – Dean Treanor isn’t quite ready. His night isn’t over.
-Wait just a second,” he says to the reporter at his door, gently showing a palm as if he were a third-base coach giving a stop sign.
Hands on his hips, eyes glued to the small TV on the back wall of his office, Treanor watches as Gaby Sanchez lines to right field for the final out of what is a rare home loss for the Pittsburgh Pirates, 4-2 to the Colorado Rockies. Treanor dips his head. Not 20 minutes earlier, his Indianapolis Indians, Triple-A affiliate of the big-league Pirates, had wrapped up yet another win in yet another season full of them.
But here was Treanor, with a track off Jay Z’s -Magna Carta Holy Grail” playing in the adjoining satisfied players’ clubhouse, disappointed that former Indian Pedro Alvarez was left stranded on third base some 350 miles away.
The Indians are in the midst of their third winning campaign in three years under Treanor. The tenants of beautiful Victory Field are 69-54 entering Sunday, first in the International League West, and have the fourth-best record in all of Triple-A baseball. Yet they are living this season, not just through their own achievements, but those of parent-club Pittsburgh, which entered August in first place for the first time since 1992.
-What the Pirates are doing this year is something for everyone in the organization to be proud of,” Treanor said. -That success up there comes down. If you see our game end early, and that game is going on, they’re all in there watching it. These guys feel that they are a part of it because guys have gone up there.”
On this night, Treanor, wearing a black undershirt with a gold ‘P’ in the middle, caught the end of a game in which six of Pittsburgh’s eight position players spent time here and the starting pitcher, Gerrit Cole, was an ace in 12 starts for the Indians this spring.
Quietly, Indianapolis – which went 279-295 in the four seasons prior to Treanor’s promotion – is building a nourishing environment where prospects polish off the final stages of their development and win at a high rate. In 2012, the Indians racked up 89 victories, most in all of minor league baseball. Starling Marte and Jeff Locke, two of the stars from Indianapolis’ first division-winner since 2000, are now key contributors in Pittsburgh.
-It’s not about me here,” Treanor said. -The players that we’ve had I’ve been fortunate with them. What I bring is [a mentality that] – it’s not about the score, it’s not about the standings – it’s about the game tonight, and that’s how for the most part we approach it is going after the game that night.”
Perhaps using that in-the-moment lens, the Indians have persevered this season through what amounts to more than the usual Triple-A shuffling. On 23 occasions, the Pirates have recalled a player from Treanor’s roster. Of course, that number is a badge of honor to the veteran skipper.
-We’ve had a lot of movement this year,” Treanor said, -but guys in Pittsburgh have fit in well and performed there. That’s really our purpose here is to make sure that, when that phone rings, whoever goes is ready.”
And no matter who’s left in the dugout, Indianapolis has kept plugging with the same formula that clinched a playoff berth last fall. The Indians may be hitting just .254 as a team, but their staff ERA of 3.41 is the best in Triple-A.
-We really live and die here by the pitching,” Treanor said. -We haven’t scored a lot of runs this year. We can get on a little bit of a streak offensively, but it’s going to come down to pitching and defense for us, and the pitching has been there for us really all year.”
Speaking after a 3-2 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier this month, Treanor had just demonstrated how the Indians treat hurlers with confidence. Setup man Ryan Reid came in having struggled in consecutive outings. But with closer Victor Black up for a stint in the majors, Reid was presented an opportunity for a two-inning save and delivered. Winner David Bromberg, meanwhile, nearly pitched through the sixth inning, which is the point he previously encountered trouble.
That expectation of resiliency has become part of the club’s personality. When Indianapolis lost seven straight in July, they bounced back by taking three of four against the RailRiders. Four straight defeats last week have been followed by three wins in four tries entering tonight’s game at Toledo. After the Indians fell in the first round of the playoffs in 2012, they’re still working toward their first playoff series victory since 2000.
-You have to stay on it,” Treanor said. -I think it’s about fighting. When we went through a little bit of a spell, this team has fought back.”
Leading that charge is 28-year-old infielder Matt Hague, who – though there’s no official captain – is referred to as ‘Captain’ by his teammates. Hitting .288 with a team-best 63 RBIs, Hague is the voice who helps handle issues before they ever reach the manager’s desk.
-You need those guys in the clubhouse,” said Treanor, now in his 26th year as a minor league instructor.
You also need defense, which joins pitching and leadership as a major component of the Indians’ 2013 formula.
-We have big plays here every night,” Treanor said. -Especially when you’re not scoring a lot of runs, that’s really the reverse RBI of preventing a run from coming in. This is a big stadium. We’ve got a lot of room. You need all three outfielders to be able to run stuff down. For the most part we’ve done that this year. On the infield, we’ve made some big plays and at the right time.”
Off the diamond, the Indians are still steadied by longtime mainstays in president Max Schumacher and vice president and general manager Cal Burleson. Schumacher is in his 57th year with the team, Burleson his 39th.
-They’re both friends,” Treanor said. -There’s been no more support than what you get here in Indianapolis. Cal, we talk almost every day. Max came down when we were on that seven-game losing streak. That means a lot to me personally for the support they give. This season, when this gets down to the end, I’m pulling more for it to happen for them than for us.”
Attendance has been as strong as usual. The Indians rank third in the IL, averaging 8,815 fans. In part, the city has been drawn to what Treanor describes as a -very exciting” group of players. The Indians lead the IL with 136 stolen bases. Undeniably, another attraction is still the ballpark itself, which gets rave reviews.
Former major league umpire Ed Rapuano, now an umpire evaluator with the league office, was overheard discussing Victory Field recently while he was on the phone in the stadium’s press box.
-This place is real nice,” Rapuano said to his boss, MLB executive vice president Joe Torre. -Thanks for sending me here.”
With the Indians winning, this summer’s been their most successful at the gate in 13 years.
-It’s a great atmosphere,” Treanor said. -The fans have really been great since I’ve been here. You can’t really ask for more. This is probably a football city and really a basketball city, too, with what the Pacers did last year, but we just want to be recognized as part of that sports foundation in this city.”
