By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
For Kennys Vargas, it was a night that could have been really productive.
Instead, it was a night of frustration, and compounded the frustration for the Rochester Red Wings as they lost 2-1 to the Durham Bulls at Frontier Field.
With a little luck, Vargas would have been 3-for-3 and his ninth-inning at-bat never would have taken place, because the Wings (28-28) already would have won.
Instead, his first-inning line shot to right field with runners on first and third was right at Jason Coats, who caught it for the final out.
Vargas singled in the fourth and then in the sixth his drive to deep center that, instead of falling for at least single, was run down by center fielder Nick Ciuffo for the second out, which turned into an inning-ending double play when Jake Cave was doubled off second.
Three balls, all hit hard, and just one single to show for it.
“I put a good swing on every ball I hit,” Vargas said. “I can’t control (if a hard-hit ball is caught), I can control that I hit the ball hard.”
That’s, of course, always the goal, but lately Vargas has been trying to do it with a more efficient swing. He doesn’t need to try to unleash a powerful swing, and he knows it.
“I’m a strong guy,” he said. “I’m trying to find myself at the plate.”
He knows he just needs to take a good swing and make square contact. If he hits it, he’ll launch it.
“I’ve been having a lot of good at-bats,” he said. “I’m trying to look at the ball a little longer and try to be quicker on my swing. I’m not trying to do too much.”
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The season has been trying for the veteran first baseman/designated hitter. He was lopped off the Minnesota Twins 40-man roster late in spring training, claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Reds and then claimed back by the Twins and sent to the Wings.
He struggled to find his rhythm at the plate and by May 11 was hitting just .176. On May 24 his average still was just .206.
But he’s pushed up to .225 by going 14-for-50 (.280) over his past 14 games. That includes five home runs and 13 RBI.
“The last two weeks he’s come a long way,” manager Joel Skinner said. “He’s done a lot of hard work with Chad (Allen, the hitting coach).”
Of course, no amount of work can make up for a bad call by the plate umpire. On Friday, the Wings attempted to rally in the bottom of the ninth. Chris Carter drew a one-out walk as reliever Ian Gibaut clearly pitched around the slugging clean-up hitter.
Vargas came up next, worked the count to 3-1 and was ready to trot to first when Bacon called a strike on a pitch that clearly was not in the strike zone. The next pitch caught the corner and caught Vargas looking, and there were two outs, instead of one out with runners on first and second.
Ah, life for a team that simply doesn’t hit and doesn’t win at home. The Wings are just 1-8 in their past nine home games and have been outscored 42-11. They haven’t scored more than two runs in any of those games.
Their only run on Friday came on a Willians Astudillo homer to left in the fifth off Yonny Chirinos.
Wings starting pitcher Adalberto Mejia (1-2) certainly did his job. He allowed five hits, walked one (the game’s first batter) and struck out eight.
“You talk about a starting pitcher giving your team a chance to win a ball game, he definitely fulfilled that,” Skinner said.
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