By KEVIN OKLOBZIJA
When the mere anticipation of a ninth-inning strikeout by the Taco Bell K-man elicits the loudest sustained cheering from the crowd at Frontier Field, you know it’s been a bad day for the home team.
And when the entire homestand essentially became a colossal waste of time, a bad day gets even worse.
Which is why Rochester Red Wings manager Joel Skinner told everyone not wearing a uniform to leave the clubhouse immediately following Sunday’s 6-1 loss to the Durham Bulls so he could address his team.
“You don’t talk to your team to make yourself feel good,” Skinner said.
Venting may have at least helped him momentarily feel better, though. He had just watched his club score just five runs in six games. Five. Total. That’s over 54 innings. The opposition, meanwhile, piled up 31 and the Red Wings (28-30) lost every game — three to Indianapolis and three to Durham.
This isn’t anything new, however. The Wings lost the three in a row to end the previous home stand.
So that’s nine straight losses at home, the worst stretch in the history of Frontier Field. The last time a Wings team dropped nine consecutive home games: 1984, when Frank Verdi managed a team that finished with an overall record of 52-88.
This isn’t a recent phenomenon, though. This has been the Wings of 2018. They’re just 10-21 at Frontier, and have scored four runs or more just seven times in those 31 games.
A chat from the manager probably wasn’t a bad idea.
Skinner said he just went over “some logistics, some things we needed to go over.”
Said center fielder Zack Granite: “Sometimes you need to hear it. We were getting a little lackadaisical.”
You can assume a point of emphasis for Skinner was advice about throwing strikes. A brisk wind was blowing straight in from left field on Sunday, so it would have taken a cannon to launch a home run.
Even so, Wings starter Zack Littell (1-2) couldn’t find the strike zone with his curveball and didn’t hit spots with his fastball. Which is why he trailed 4-0 after four innings and left after five innings, having thrown just 48 of 86 pitches for strikes.
“The wind’s blowing in, you need to pour it into the strike zone,” Skinner said.
Translation: let ’em hit because there’s no way it’s leaving the yard.
Skinner may also have brought up the concept of making sure every at-bat is a quality at-bat.
The bottom of the first started really well. Zack Granite and Willians Astudillo singled and Lamonte Wade walked. After just three batters, the bases were loaded.
And the Wings ended up with nothing from it. Chris Carter struck out swinging and Kennys Vargas hit the first pitch into a 3-6-1 double play.
The only run for Rochester scored in the third inning on a Wade single, a Carter walk, a Vargas grounder and a Wynston Sawyer sacrifice fly.
If there’s one thing these Wings can do at the plate, it’s hit fly balls with runners on third base. They lead the International League in sacrifice flies (25). Not exactly the category that strikes fear in opposing pitchers.
“Hitting’s definitely contagious and not hitting is definitely contagious,” said Granite, who had two of Rochester’s five hits to bump his average to .196.
The good news: the Wings are on the road all week with four games in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre followed by four in Buffalo. They’re an IL-best 18-9 away from home.
“It’s the middle of June right now. There’s a lot of baseball left.”
Which may very well be why Skinner thought a little chat was necessary. Who would want to watch 2 1/2 more months of this at Frontier Field?
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