As has been rumored for some time now, the Eastern League’s Connecticut Defenders franchise will relocate to Richmond, Va., for next season and play at The Diamond.

The Diamond was the longtime home of the Triple-A Richmond Braves (since 1966), who moved across state to Gwinett.

When the Braves left, the city agreed to make numerous improvements to the aging facility prior to the start of the 2010 season.

Make it 12 and counting.

Consecutive wins, that is, as the Aeros continued to roll through the playoffs with a 7-2 victory in the opening game of the Eastern League Championship Series Tuesday night at Connecticut’s Dodd Stadium.

The Aeros won eight consecutive games to close out the regular season then swept Reading in three games in the Southern Division Series. With the first two games of the finals in Connecticut, one might figure the Aeros’ streak might be on the line.

But with offensive contributions throughout Akron’s lineup and another solid outing on the mound by Josh Tomlin, the club continued its dominating run by taking an early 5-0 lead on the road.

“That what it takes when you get to this point in the season – a team effort,” Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said. “And we’ve been fortunate to get it consistently from both our offense and pitching staff.”

The Aeros collected five runs on nine hits against Connecticut’s big lefty Ben Snyder, the younger brother of former Indians No. 1 pick Brad Snyder (18th overall in 2003).

The Aeros got on the board in the second inning with a Jose Constanza sacrifice fly that scored Carlos Rivero. Then they piled on with a pair of runs in both the third and fourth innings as Rivero and John Drennen pushed the advantage to 3-0 with RBI singles.

In the fourth, a two-run home run by Beau Mills put an abrupt end to Snyder’s outing, chasing him from the mound after just 3 2/3 innings.

“Beau’s home run was huge there,” Sarbaugh said.”It was good to see him come back with a good at-bat after struggling his first few times at the plate.”

While the offense went about building the lead, Aeros starting pitcher Josh Tomlin continued his post season success. He notched his second post-season win by striking out seven through seven strong innings.

“Josh has such a good feel for pitching and attacking hitters,” Sarbaugh said. “He’ll make (mental) notes as he goes along of things he’s seen or notices that he can use next time around the lineup.”

It wasn’t until the fifth inning that the Defenders managed to break up Tomlin’s shutout bid, as Jackson Williams’ single down the right field line scored Brandon Crawford. But with runners in scoring position at second and third bases, Tomlin rebounded to strike out the league’s top hitter in Brock Bond to end the threat.

The Aeros added an insurance run in the seventh inning when Rivero scored on a play that saw the speedy Constanza reach first safely on a throwing error.

Connecticut got the run back briefly in the bottom of the frame when Eddy Martinez-Esteve cleared the home run fence with a solo shot to left field. But Akron’s Matt McBride pushed the deficit back to five runs with his own solo shot in the eighth inning.

AEROS 2, BAYSOX 1

Key Stats:

Akron starting pitcher Josh Tomlin reached the seventh inning for the first time this season. The right-hander took a shutout through six innings, only needing 78 pitches to do so, 15 of which did not find the strike zone.

Tomlin’s eight balls in the seventh inning was one less than he threw in the first four innings combined. He threw 98 pitches overall in the game, 75 were strikes. 

Tomlin retired 15 consecutive batters and faced the bare minimum of 18 batters. He struck out eight, walked none; allowed five hits and one earned run in 6 2/3 innings.

“I felt good with all my pitches today,’’ Tomlin said. “I felt like I could command both side of the plate and elevate when I needed to.’’

Aeros left fielder Nick Weglarz continues to hit well after struggling through the first month of the season. Tuesday He was 2-3 with two opposite field singles to left field, a walk and an RBI. He is now 13-29 with 14 RBI in the month of May, pushing his season average up to .212 for the year.

Key moments:

The Aeros were able to get back-to-back RBI singles by Matt McBride and Nick Weglarz with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Both players lined the ball to the left side, giving the Aeros the only runs they would need.

“You have to get those big hits on a guy like (Baysox starter Troy) Patton, the way he was throwing today,’’ Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said. “We just needed that chance and (starter) Josh (Tomlin) kept us in the game by throwing a shutout through six.’’

Star of the game:

Tomlin was a model of efficiency, throwing strikes 76.5 percent of the time Tuesday. he faced the bare minimum through six innings (18 batters) and retired 15 straight at one point. Tomlin struck out eight, walked none, allowed one earned run and five hits.

“I thought he threw really well,’’ Sarbaugh said. “He kept them off balance, mixed his pitches in really well. They really couldn’t sit on one thing and that is what makes him the pitcher he is.’’

Up next:

The Aeros travel to Altoona for a five-game set beginning tomorrow. Akron right-hander Jeanmar Gomez (2-0, 0.75 ERA) and Altoona left hander Kyle Bloom (0-0, 4.15 ERA) will pitch game one.

AKRON AEROS 6, HARRISBURG SENATORS 0

KEY STATS: The Aeros won their seventh consecutive game against slumping Harrisburg, outscoring the Sens 36-17 over that span…The Aeros entered the game as the first Double-A team across the minors to reach the 20-win mark.

STORM’S STAR: Aeros starting pitcher Jeanmar Gomez improved to 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA in a strong seven-inning shutout. He threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of 26 batters with no runner reaching third base as he limited the Sens to three hits while striking out five…In his last 30 innings of work (spanning five starts between high Class-A Kinston and Akron), Gomez has limited opponents to just three earned runs on 15 hits.

“He looked very confident on the mound tonight,” Aeros manager Mike Sarbaugh said. “He felt good and it showed. He established his fastball early, and it really had good life.”

NOTES: The Aeros wore camouflage jerseys for the first time this season in honor of the first United States Army night. The players are expected to sport the new tops a couple more times this season…Despite zero percent of rain before the game and nary a green dot on the weather screen, rain showers begin as soon as the action got underway, adding to the cool and windy 58 degree-start.

UP NEXT: The Aeros conclude this three-game series with the Senators (Washington Nationals) today at 1:35 p.m. at Canal Park. Aeros left-hander Chuck Lofgren (1-0, 1.29 ERA) and Senators right-hander Zach Segovia (0-1, 4.50 ERA) are the scheduled pitchers.

RADIO: WARF (1350 am). For more Aeros game info: http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/aeros/.

There may not be a whole lot to cheer about with the Indians these days, but let’s check out what some of the team’s minor leaguers are up to with the season just about a month old.

Indians phenom Matt LaPorta

TRIPLE  A COLUMBUS

The Clippers are 9-12 and in last place in the International League West Division:

* The Indians called up left-handed pitcher Rich Rundles Wednesday to replace Tribe designated hitter Travis Hafner, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder soreness. Rundles went 0-1 with a 1.50 ERA in seven appearances with the Clippers.

* Outfielder Matt LaPorta was named the International Batter of the Week for April 20-26. LaPorta hit safely in all seven games with four multi-hit efforts, batting .520 with a league-leading 13 hits, 10 runs scored and a .613 on-base percentage. LaPorta is near the top of the League in most offensive categories, including batting average (tied for seventh, .368), home runs (tied for fourth, five), hits (tied for sixth, 25), slugging percentage (third, .706), triples (tied for fourth, two) and runs scored (tied for first, 20).

* First baseman/ designated hitter Michael Aubrey is batting a league-leading .438 (21-for-48) with four doubles, two home runs, 11 RBI and seven runs scored. 

DOUBLE A AKRON

The Aeros are off to a franchise-best 16-4 mark and are in first place in the Eastern League Southern Division:

* A handful of Aeros are among the league’s statistical leaders. Second baseman Josh Rodriguez is tied for the league lead with 14 walks and is fourth with a .460 on-base percentage…Center fielder Jose Constanza leads the league with nine stolen bases…Catcher Carlos Santana is tops in the league with six home runs and 19 RBI. …Right-handed closer Vinnie Pestano leads the league with nine saves.

* Right-handed pitcher Hector Rondon has gotten off to a red-hot start at 4-0 with a 1.17 ERA. In 23 innings he struck out 22 and has lasted at least five innings in each of his starts this year.

* A surprise candidate for another solid start to the season is left-handed pitcher Chuck Lofgren, who is 1-0 with a 1.13 ERA in his first three starts. He has limited the opposition to a .111 average against and ranks fifth in the Eastern League in ERA.

Kinston infielder Lonnie Chisenhall

HIGH CLASS A KINSTON

The K-Tribe is 11-10 and tied for first place in the Carolina League Southern Division:

* For the second straight week, Kinston teammates swept the Carolina League weekly awards as third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and right-handed pitcher Eric Berger received the Players of the Week awards for April 20-26.

* Chisenhall had back-to-back five RBI games and homered in three consecutive contests. Although his 11-game hitting streak was snapped last Sunday, he posted three multiple-hit efforts and scored six runs during the seven-game span. In 20 games this season Chisenhall is batting .274 with four home runs and 20 RBI.

* Berger did not allow a run over two outings last week, helping the K-Tribe defeat Myrtle Beach and Lynchburg. He limited opponents to four hits and two walks while striking out 13 batters in 10 innings. Berger leads the Carolina League with 26 strikeouts and ranks second with a 1.42 ERA.

* First baseman/designated hitter Matt McBride is riding a 13-game hitting streak during which he’s batting .462 (24-for-52) with five doubles, five home runs, 19 RBI and 13 runs scored. Six of his last eight games have been multi-RBI efforts. On the season, McBride ranks first in the Carolina League with 10 doubles, 57 total bases, 25 RBI and a .722 slugging percentage. He also ranks second in on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.187. His .405 (32-for-79) batting average and five home runs are tied for second in the league.

LOW CLASS A LAKE COUNTY

The Captains are 8-12 and in sixth place in the South Atlantic League Southern Division:

* Outfielder Adam White is batting .300 (15-for-50) in 17 games with 10 stolen bases, which is tied for second in the South Atlantic League.

* First baseman/designated hitter Nate Recknagel is hitting .319 (15-for-47) in 12 games, recording at least one hit in 10 of those games.

* Right-handed pitcher Alexander Perez hasn’t won in his first four starts, but has limited opponents to five earned runs in 22 2/3 innings for a 1.99 ERA with 23 strikeouts (tied for sixth in the league).

KEY STATS: Aeros right-hander Jeanmar Gomez won his Double-A debut, holding the Senators to a run on two hits in five innings, walking one and striking out five. . . . With the sweep, the Aeros wrapped up a 7-1 homestand and increased their franchise-best start to 16-4. . . . The Senators (2-16) lost their 12th consecutive game and shortstop Jemel Spearman had a particularly tough day, going 0-for-5 with five strikeouts.¶

KEY MOMENT: First baseman Beau Mills and catcher Carlos Santana hit back-to-back home runs to erase a 1-0 deficit in a four-run fourth inning.B

STORM’S STARS: Gomez was solid in his debut to pick up the win and shortstop Carlos Rivero was 2-for-5 with five RBI, including a two-run double and a three-run home run.B

UP NEXT: The Aeros hit the road for a seven-game trip to Bowie (Baltimore Orioles) and Altoona (Pittsburgh Pirates), beginning with a 7:05 p.m. game tonight against the Baysox. Aeros left-hander Chuck Lofgren (1-0, 1.13 ERA) and Baysox lefty Bobby Livingston (1-1, 3.57 ERA) are the scheduled pitchers.

It was one of those games the Indians had no business winning, but they found a way with Boston shining the light.

The Red Sox committed three errors — some could argue four with that Jacoby Ellsbury sliding attempt in centerfield — including the final play of the game that allowed the Indians to snap the Red Sox’s 11-game winning streak.

The Indians won 9-8 and it wasn’t pretty. 

Both starting pitchers, Cleveland’s Anthony Reyes and Boston’s Brad Penny,  were gone before the third inning could even come to a conclusion.

The score was tied at 7-7 by that time and it only took nearly 200 pitches and  about two hours to get that far.

Sheldon Ocker called the game Major League III, but with Borat and Al Bundy as the starting pitchers. 

The Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo writes that Penny needs to step his game up, or he may be the odd man out in Boston’s stacked pitching staff. 

But as the relievers settled in, the two teams actually played some baseball. Indians third basemen Mark DeRosa supplied the offense with a solo home run in the seventh inning off of Taikashi Saito and the game-winning run in the ninth.

By the ninth one could imagine fictional Cleveland Indians manager Lou Brown, of Major League fame, barking at Indians closer Kerry Wood. 

“Throw him the Heater Kerry!”

After Wood gave up a single to Jason Bay and Jason Varitek put runners on the corners with a hit and run single to right field with one out. Wood seemingly got angry and started firing 96 mile an hour fastballs right past the next two hitters, pinch hitter Nick Green and Ellsbury, who lined out to second.

In the bottom of the ninth and the scored tied at eight, DeRosa bloop singled to start the inning, and was moved over to second by a Ben Francisco bunt. After a Grady Sizemore strike out, Asdrubal Cabrera sent a ground ball to Boston first baseman Kevin Youkilis that would seemingly end the game. 

Yet Boston pitcher Javier Lopez could not handle the soft toss from Youkilis, allowing DeRosa to score without a throw. 

Just take a look at this win probability chartfrom FanGraphs, what a crazy, crazy game: 

THE REST…

– Dave Dellucci is a week away from returning from the diabled list. Anthony Castrovince writes that it could be an opportunity for the Indians to return to 12 pitchers. He doesn’t see Trevor Crowe going anywhere.

– Top prospect Matt LaPorta is seemingly nipping at the heels of Ben Francisco, but don’t expect a call up. It’s still Francisco’s  job.  

– Pitcher Adam Miller had his finger surgery yesterday. It could end his career, or revive it. How is that for insightful?

WHATS HAPPEN’ IN AKRON

The Aeros sent the Senators to their 10th straight loss. Starter Hector Rondon struck out nine and Vinnie Pestano picked up his eighth save. 

Stephanie Storm profiled speedster Jose Constanza. 

COLUMBUS CLIPPINGS

Jeremy Sowers brought his “A” game against Toledo yesterday. The southpaw held the Mudhens to one run on five hits through seven innings. Per the Columbus Dispatch.

“That’s as good as I’ve seen Jeremy throw the ball since I’ve known him,” Lovullo said. “He was aggressive with his fastball, his secondary stuff was getting outs and some swings and misses.”

Leave it to Aaron Laffey to stop the Tribe’s bleeding again.

The left-hander allowed two runs and five hits through 6 1/3 innings to improve his record to 2-0. Through six innings though it was a three-hit shutout. 

In the seventh inning Laffey loaded the bases and was replaced by Jensen Lewis, who gave up a two-run single to pinch hitter Denard Span, making the score 4-2 Indians.

Indians manager Eric Wedge then summoned rookie Tony Sipp to face former MVP Justin Morneau and Jason Kubel with the bases loaded. He struck out both to end the inning. 

The Twins were used to seeing Rafael Perez and had never seen  Sipp before, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“You tip your hat to the kid because he made good pitches, and also, he had the little advantage that we hadn’t seen him,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Offensively the Indians did just enough to get the win. Sheldon Ocker speculated whether the Indians heard Wedge’s message through the media Saturday.

First baseman Ryan Garko said that he didn’t see it, but no message needed to be sent regardless.

”I didn’t see anything today, because it was a day game,” said Garko, when asked whether he had read the newspapers or heard about Wedge’s unsubtle message. ”He really doesn’t have to say that. Nobody cares as much as Mark [DeRosa], Grady [Sizemore], me or any of us. We know we should be scoring more runs in these games.

Garko plated two runs in the third inning by hitting a single with the bases loaded.

WHATS HAPPENIN’ IN AKRON

The Aeros had a sort of a good luck charm this weekend in the form of “Grandma Z.” The 78-year-old Eastlake resident bakes all kinds of goodies for the Indians minor league players.

Under her watchful eye, Chuck Lofgren threw six innings of no hit baseball Saturday.

Frank Hermann took a no hitter into the fourth inning Sunday before Altoona Curve centerfielder Jose Tabata broke it up with a seeing-eye single in the fourth. Jason Delaney followed Tabata with a two-run home to left center field.

Aeros center fielder Jose Constanza continues to be a force out of the lead off spot. The speedster was 3-6 Sunday with three singles and two stolen bases. He also reached base on an error.

The Aeros blew an eighth inning 6-2 lead, losing 7-6 in 10 innings.

COLUMBUS CLIPPINGS

Clippers starting pitcher Tomo Ohka limited the Indians to two hits over six innings, but the Clippers still lost 5-4. They blew a 4-0 eighth inning lead.

THE REST

– Masa Kobayashi is used to being a rockstar in Japan. He is just trying to be a rock in the Indians bullpen and offers plenty of versatility to do so. 

– Johnny Peralta is trying to bust out of an 0-17 slump. 

Key stats:  The Curve committed five errors, with three of them coming in the first inning. It allowed the Aeros to jump out to a quick 4-0 lead. The Aeros committed three costly errors as well, including one in the eighth inning that allowed two runs to score. 

Key moment: Aeros starter Frank Hermann just seemed to run out of gas in the eighth inning as the Aeros led 6-2. 

After back-to-back singles by Hector Gimenez and James Boone, Hermann walked pinch-hitter Jim Negrych to load the bases. It was the last batter he would face.

Reliever Paolo Espino got the next batter, Anderson Machado, to hit a dribbler back to him, but could not handle it, allowing a run to score. Pedro Lopez followed with what appeared to be a double play ball to shortstop.

After getting Machado at second, Aeros second basemen Josh Rodriguez attempted to stop his throwing motion instead of throwing to first base. The ball made its way to right field in the process, plating Boone and Negrych, making the score 6-5. 

Lopez then scored on a Jose Tabata liner to left field to tie the score at six. Lopez would win the game with a solo home run to left center field in the top of the 10th inning.

Asa team, the Aeros allowed five earned runs.  

HOW THEY SCORED: 

– bottom one:

The Aeros wasted little time in getting a lead in the bottom of the first thanks to three errors by Altoona. Back-to-back, one-out singles by shortstop Carlos Rivero and first basemen Beau Mills, and a walk to designated hitter Carlos Santana loaded the bases.

The next batter, second baseman Josh Rodriguez, fired a 1-1offering down the third baseline. Altoona third baseman Angel Gonzalez made a nice diving stop, but was unable to make a good throw to first base, short hopping Jamie Romak and eventually getting past him.

Rivero and Mills both scored on the play.

After Jerad Head hit an adventurous chopper to first to score Santana, Left fielder Mickey Hall shot a ball back through the box for an RBI double. By the end of the first, the Aeros led 4-0.  

– top four

Altoona center fielder Jose Tabata ended Hermann’s no-hit bid with two outs in the fourth inning when he sent a seeing-eye single between third and short. The next batter, Jason Delaney, plated him with a two-run home run to left-center field, making the score 4-2.

– bottom seven

With Mills on first base, Santana scorched a line shot over the head of the centerfielder Tabata for a double, moving Mills to third.

Two batters later, Head sent a soft liner over the third basemen to score them both, making the score 6-2.  

– Top eight

Hermann appeared to run out of gas as the eighth inning began. After back-to-back singles by Gimenez and Boone, Hermann walked Negrych to load the bases, the last batter he would face.

Reliever Paolo Espino got Machado to hit a dribbler back to him, but could not pick up the ball, allowing a run to score. Lopez followed with what appeared to be a double play ball to shortstop.

After getting Machado at second, Aeros second basemen Josh Rodriguez attempted to stop his throwing motion instead of throwing to first base. The ball made its way to right field in the process, plating Boone and Negrych, making the score 6-5.

Lopez then scored on a Tabata liner to left field to tie the score at six.

– top of the tenth:

Pedro Lopez turned on an Espino offering, putting it over the “Bull Frog” Suntan lotion ad in left center field.

Star of the game: Aeros starting pitcher Frank Hermann was impressive as he limited the Curve to four hits through seven innings. he struck out five and walked one. He just didn’t have enough left to get past the eighth. 

Centerfielder Jose Constanza continues to be a game changer from the lead off spot. The speedster was 3-6 with three singles and two stolen bases.

Up next: Monday is an off day before the Aeros open a three-game series against Harrisburg Tuesday.

What positives could be taken from Saturday night’s 7-1 loss to the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field?

Starting pitching?

Carl Pavano allowed five runs and 11 hits in five innings. He walked one. But as Sheldon Ocker points out, the Twins two, fourth-inning runs were made possible by four consecutive groundballs.

relief pitching?

Rafael Perez is being brought back into the fold. He relieved Pavano in the sixth with the bases loaded and no one out. The first batter hit a sacrifice fly, followed by a strikeout and a ground out.

Joe Smith picked up two strikeouts and allowed no runs in his two innings of work.

Then there is Masa Kobayashi who served up back-to-back home runs to Jason Kubel and Joe Crede in the ninth.

How about hitting?

Manager Eric Wedge raised his voice for the first time this season to the media, according to Ocker:

”I think where we are, off to a poor start, we have to address everything,” Wedge said. ”I don’t want to dig too big a hole for ourselves.”

For the first time this season, Wedge’s voice rose in anger in talking to the media.

”What bothers me more than anything is that we’re not making good outs,” he said. ”With the exception of a couple of guys, we’ve had a very poor approach at the plate. There’s no excuse — a lack of discipline, lack of confidence — they better figure it out pretty quick. I’m not going to sit around and watch this. They’re not kids anymore.” 

Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez and Shin-Soo Choo each had doubles. Martinez finished 3-4 on the night. Hafner and Choo were both 2-4.

The rest of the team: 2-23.

It didn’t help them that Minnesota starter Kevin Slowey was on top of his game, but then again, how much of that was Indians induced? Check out these numbers from the Minneapolis Star Tribune on Slowey’s game:

• He faced 32 batters, and only three times did he reach a three-ball count.

• It was the 21st time in 42 career starts that he didn’t walk a batter.

• He threw 22 first-pitch strikes.

• He entered hitter’s counts (2-0, 2-1, 3-1 or 3-0) against just three batters.

• He threw 114 pitches, 84 for strikes

Per MLB.com:

“I can’t remember seeing him a whole lot better than that,” catcher Mike Redmond said of Slowey. “You could just see it in his face that he was locked in. It’s fun to catch guys like that.”

Despite the early season slump and 6-12 record, Sheldon Ocker isn’t ready to wave the white flag yet.

In Saturday’s game alone though, The Indians appeared to be waving it pretty early. According to this Win Probability graph the game was over long before the ninth.

Via Fangraphs:

WHATS HAPPENIN’ IN AKRON

The Aeros beat Altoona 4-3 Saturday behind starter Chuck Lofgren’s no-hitter in six innings of work. He was removed before the seventh inning due to a high pitch count.

Carlos Santana and Jerad Head each hit solo home runs.

COLUMBUS CLIPPINGS

Outfielder Matt LaPorta was a a double away from the cycle Saturday. He hit his fifth home run of the season.

The game got interesting though when Clippers second basemen Luis Valbuena hit a first inning, two-run home run.

Valbuena and Indianapolis second baseman Chris Barnwell exchanged words when he rounded the bases. Both benches cleared, but no punches were thrown.

Per the Dispatch:

Indianapolis manager Frank Kremblas said that his team took exception to Valbuena’s reaction to the home run.

“The way he acted when he hit it, we didn’t appreciate that,” Kremblas said. “He stood in the box like Barry Bonds, and flips his bat and does his little dance thing. We let him know that we didn’t appreciate that. Then he said something back from the dugout.”

The Clippers won 6-3.