Courtesy of RedWingsBaseball.com
LOUISVILLE, KY – Every player with at least two at-bats registered a hit and Kyle Gibson allowed one earned run over 6.0 innings in a rehab start as the Rochester Red Wings beat the Louisville Bats 8-6 Sunday at Louisville Slugger Field.
The Red Wings (32-25) offense finished with 16 hits – seven for extra bases – as six Wings had at least two hits. Seven different players scored a run with Eddie Rosario the lone Red Wing to score twice.
Gibson (1-0) was making his third rehab start since landing on the disabled list on April 26 but first with Rochester. He had made two rehab appearances with Single-A Ft. Myers and was scheduled to pitch for the Twins on Thursday vs. Tampa Bay but was scratched due to lower back stiffness. He was cruising along with a 2-0 lead thanks to an Adam Brett Walker two-run homer off Chad Rogers (2-3) in the second until the fourth inning. After a quick out in the frame, a throwing error by Wilfredo Tovar derailed things. The Bats (29-27) then used three straight singles to tie the game at two. A walk loaded the bases but Gibson was abled to induce a ground ball double play to end the threat.
Rochester answered with three runs the next half inning in the fifth, all with two outs. Jorge Polanco hit a solo home run, Kennys Vargas and Rosario each singled and Tommy Field drove in both a double as the Wings regained the lead at 5-2.
That was all the support Gibson would need but the Red Wings gave him more support in the sixth, scoring two runs on a Tovar RBI triple and a Logan Schafer RBI single.
Gibson finished by allowing two runs, one earned, on seven hits and three walks with two strikeouts. He departed with Rochester leading 7-2.
Louisville would not go quietly, scoring a run in the seventh off Dan Runzler and another run off Alex Wimmers in the eighth. After Walker drove in Rosario with a sac fly in the ninth, the Bats scored two more in the bottom half off of Sean Burnett to cap the scoring at 8-6.
The Red Wings finished the road trip 4-3 and took two of three from the Bats. Sunday’s win along with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s loss to Columbus and Buffalo’s rainout in Syracuse means Rochester is in sole possession of first place in the International League North for the first time since July 23, 2015.
NOTE: Red Wings manager Mike Quade and designated hitter Buck Britton were ejected in the top of the second inning (directly before Walker’s two-run homer) by home plate umpire Derek Mollica. Britton believed his foul tip hit the dirt, which Mollica disagreed with. After a discussion with both Britton and Quade, Britton returned to the dugout before being tossed by Mollica. Quade came down from his third base coach’s box and was also thrown out.
Next Up: Rochester opens a stretch of eight of the next 10 games at home on Monday as the Red Wings host Buffalo (Blue Jays) at 7:05 p.m. Jose Berrios starts for the Wings.
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