By Nick Sciarratta and Chris Chilelli
Courtesy of RedWingsBaseball.com
Three home runs and a stellar relief outing from Omar Bencomo lifted the Red Wings to a 5-1 win over the Syracuse Chiefs Tuesday night at Frontier Field. The win helped the Wings stay 3.5 games behind Lehigh Valley for the International League wild card playoff spot.
Tuesday starter David Hurlbut posted a scoreless top of the first inning, helped out by his defense. With a runner at first base and one out, second baseman Tommy Field dove to snare a line drive by Neftali Soto for the second out. First baseman Mitch Garver followed with a nifty snag of a would-be extra base hit by Matt Skole for the third out.
Chiefs starter Reynaldo Lopez, just down from the Nationals after three big league starts, set down the Wings in order in the bottom of the first.
Hurlbut had to be removed from the game after he appeared to suffer an injury in the third inning. He was replaced by Bencomo. Bencomo came on and struck out the first two batters he faced and forced the third batter to lift a lazy fly out to Adam Brett Walker.
Hurlbut finished his injury-shortened evening throwing just two innings allowing one hit and one walk with one strikeout. He threw 35 pitches and 20 of them for strikes, he left with the score tied at 0-0.
The score remained tied after the top of the fourth thanks to a pair of nice plays from James Beresford. Meanwhile, Lopez finished four innings pitched having allowed just a walk and no hits.
Bencomo was solid in his short notice relief role; through three innings, Bencomo had allowed just a walk and a single, while racking up five strikeouts.
Lopez recorded his fourth strikeout to start the bottom of the fifth inning, then walked Field for the second time in the game. That’s when John Ryan Murphy broke up the no-hitter, and gave the Wings the lead – with a line drive home run on a 1-0 pitch, putting the Wings ahead 2-0. It was Murphy’s third homer of the season.
Bencomo was sharp in the top of the sixth, setting down the Chiefs in order on 11 pitches.
In the top of the seventh inning, Bencomo allowed a single then struck out Matt den Dekker on a called third strike. Chiefs manager Billy Gardner, Jr. argued the called strike, and was ejected by home plate umpire James Rackley. With a runner at third base and two out, Zach Collier laced a double to make the score 2-1. Neil Ramirez came out of the bullpen to take over for Bencomo, and he struck out Bostick keeping the Wings in front 2-1.
Bencomo finished his night twirling 4.2 sensational innings allowing three hits, one earned run and one walk while punching out seven Chiefs. He tossed 75 pitches in his outing and 49 were for strikes.
Daniel Palka extended the Red Wings lead to 3-1 thanks to a leadoff homer down the right field line in the bottom of the seventh. This was homer number 13 in Triple-A for Palka, and number 34 between Double-A and Triple-A. The hit also extended Palka’s hitting streak to six games.
Ramirez struck out the first two batters he faced in the eighth, part of a one-two-three inning.
Former Red Wing Sean Burnett took over for Lopez in the bottom of the eighth inning. Lopez allowed just three hits over his seven innings, with three earned runs, three walks and four strikeouts. He threw 113 pitches, 68 for strikes.
Walker hit his 27th homer of the year in the eighth, a two-run shot that made the score 5-1.
Edward Mujica worked the ninth for the Wings, and the Chiefs put runners at first and second with no outs. Mujica notched a strikeout, then got two outs but a walk loaded the bases. Rochester native Chris Bostick flew out to end the game.
Winning Pitcher: Bencomo (3-1)
Losing Pitcher: Lopez (2-2)
Save: none
NOTES: RHP Edward Mujica is the lone Red Wings representative on the International League All-Star Team. Mujica, who leads the league with 24 saves, pitched most of the season for Lehigh Valley before joining the Wings August 19…Adam Brett Walker entered the night tied for the league lead in homers with Jesus Aguilar of Columbus.
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