By PAUL GOTHAM
RCOHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings face a weekend series of de facto single-elimination games. Win four straight and the Wings set up an opportunity for Jose Berrios to give an encore performance. If it’s anything like Wednesday night’s outing, it will make for a can’t-miss event.
Berrios struck out 14 over eight innings, and the Red Wings tallied three in their final at bat for a dramatic 4-3 victory over the Syracuse Chiefs in International League action at Frontier Field, Wednesday night.
After surrendering two runs on three hits in the first inning, Berrios allowed just two baserunners over his next seven innings of work.
“Had pretty good command,” said the 22-year old right-hander noting his fastball, curveball and change-up. “That helped me a lot.”
Berrios retired the last nine he faced, setting down seven of those on strikes.
“I thought he had an excellent soft game,” said Red Wings manager, Mike Quade. “His change up and his breaking ball were very good. He worked off that.”
His two mistakes came on home runs to Matt Skole (first inning) and Brian Goodwin (sixth).
“He got hurt with two fastballs,” Quade noted. “He did a better job as the game went on in locating the fastball and staying out of the middle of the plate. Then he did a lot of damage with his breaking ball. They had four left handers in the lineup. He’ll throw his change-up to anybody. It’s especially effective for him.”
He fanned the side in order in the eighth – his last inning of work.
“When I struck out the last guy in the inning, I didn’t want to get taken out of the game,” the Bayamon, Puerto Rico native stated. “I wanted to throw the ninth, but Quade said ‘no.’ You have to do what your team needs you. I was really, really excited the team picked me up.”
“If that’s for all the marbles, and I don’t know what I know, I probably give him the ninth,” Quade said noting second-place Lehigh Valley’s victory earlier in the night. “But to have the bullpen set for this series coming up and have him ready if we need him in game five to pitch a big game. There’s no reason to log 115 pitches or whatever it might take to get through the ninth.”
The last time Berrios took the mound he gave up six runs (five earned) over five innings as a member of the Minnesota Twins. He allowed five walks and struck out three. Wednesday he walked just one batter and collected the most strike outs by a Red Wings pitcher since Richie Lewis notched as many punch outs in 1998.
“It’s a different game up there,” Quade said of Berrios’s most recent stint in the bigs. “Command is so important up there. You get swings here that you’re not going to get there. It’s the varsity one through nine. You’ve really got to be on your game like he was last three innings to be successful up there.”
The young righty has 37 minor league victories since the start of 2014. The most of any pitcher over that time.
“I feel really confident, really strong about how things go,” Berrios said. “Up there you have to be more consistent. You have to miss less. That’s what happened. I missed my target. I threw strikes, but not at the target. They make me pay when I miss.”
The Wings accounted for seven hits on the night – five of those raps came in their final at bat.
James Beresford reached on a single to start the ninth. Kennys Vargas knocked his third hit of the night. Adam Brett Walker doubled home both to knot the game at three.
After Daniel Palka walked, Mitch Garver loaded the bases with a hit, and John Ryan Murphy delivered the game winner – a single to left field.
“It’s a great win,” Quade said. “After getting two hits for eight innings, to put that kind of inning together with still nobody out, was good.”
Alan Busenitz worked the ninth for the win.
With five games remaining, the Wings trail Lehigh Valley by 3.5 for the wild card spot. The two teams close the season with five head-to-head games. Rochester hosts the first two in the series on Thursday and Friday nights.
“It kinda worked out for the Lehigh series,” Quade said. “We’re loaded for bear at least to start that series tomorrow with Lehigh. That’s a good thing.”
Rochester improved to 79-60 on the season. The Wings are looking to avoid the distinction of becoming the seventh IL team in 80 years to win 75 or more games and miss the post-season.
Former Wing Pete Harnisch struck out 17 batters during a game in 1988.
Leave a Reply