By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A pitch clock set on top of the outfield wall at Frontier Field represents the only measurement of time that controls the game of baseball.
An understanding of baseball time, though, served the Rochester Red Wings well Monday night as did the ability to hit the reset button after a forgettable display in the field.
Randy César continued his hot hitting, and the Wings erased an early deficit to beat Scranton/WB (Yankees), 8-6 in the first of four games between the International League North foes.
“Every time I step in the box, I’m trying to help my team,” said César who finished 3-for-5 on the night with a pair of doubles and four RBI. “As a teammate, I want to do everything I can to win the ballgame. That’s all I care about. If we win, we’re okay.”
The Wings third baseman plated the first of five runs in the fifth with the first of back-to-back two-baggers.
“I’m really working every day, starting to feel better,” the eight-year minor league veteran said. “I was more comfortable before the game in the cage during batting practice, and I think that’s starting to help me a lot.”
Trailing 6-0 heading into the frame, Ronald Torreyes reached on a hit by pitch to start the rally. John Andreoli followed with a single. One out later, César put the Wings on the board. Wilin Rosario doubled to make it a 6-3 game. Luke Raley reached on a second hit batsman of the inning, and Zander Wiel brought in a run with a single. Tomás Telis capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly.
The outburst came a half inning after the Wings struggled to convert on a handful of routine opportunities.
“It was an ugly inning,” second-year Wings manager Joel Skinner said. “We didn’t play very well, but it didn’t faze ‘em.”
“Ugly” works as a description.
The Wings committed three errors (only six batters came to the plate in the inning). That’s not counting a throw to first that was off the mark and could have resulted in an inning-ending double play without having a run scored. Of course, one can’t assume a double play. One can only refer to a ground ball that takes the shortstop to the second base bag for the first of two outs as being of double-play nature.
Rochester (6-11) tacked on single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth to win for the second time in three games and third in the last five.
“Being down six-nothing, we still had a half a game to play” Skinner said. “I’ve seen comebacks before like that.
“These guys realize that the clock in baseball is 27 outs. They’re just going to play the whole game.”
Torreyes crossed the plate in the sixth with tying run. How he arrived there, though, was on play that usually goes against the home nine.
With one out and Torreyes (a former New York Yankee who played with Scranton/WB last season) on first, Lamonte Wade sent a fly ball (really it was a pop up) to shallow center field. Billy Burns settled under the ball, or should we say what he thought was under it. Leftfielder Trey Amburgey closed in, but couldn’t make the play as the ball , lost in the night sky, fell to the grass.
Torreyes scampered into third base.
“Usually we’re on defense when something like that happens,” Skinner quipped.
There’s more to it than that. With the shallow nature of the fly ball (remember the pop-up note), Torreyes couldn’t go the usual halfway to second and retreat on the catch. A dropped ball could have resulted in a force out at second.
“The centerfielder was too far from the ball,” Torreyes said through an interpreter. “I went close to the base, so as soon as I saw the ball went up he and the guy didn’t have it, I charged to get to third.”
César followed with an RBI groundout.
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“The problem you run into sometimes it looks like the guy doesn’t see it,” Skinner explained. “There was just one out. He couldn’t just run with his head down thinking the guy didn’t see it. You’re trying to figure out who could catch it. We got ourselves in good position there.”
Worth noting that Amburgey (the Scranton/WB left fielder) cut in front of Burns (the Scranton/WB centerfielder) for the final out of the inning.
Ryan Eades came out of the bullpen, hurled three innings and picked up the win. The right-hander was on the mound for the shield-your-eyes event from Monday’s game otherwise known as the top of the fifth. Somehow he was assessed an earned run. He did hit the first batter. He also induced not one but two (as they say) tailor-made double play balls.
“He settled the game down even though we didn’t make plays,” Skinner noted. “I think they hit one ball hard off him. He came in and settled the game down and gave us a chance.”
Matt Magill, making an MLB rehab appearance, fanned four and retired all six batters he faced to pick up the save.
Eades and Magill combined to retire the last 13 batters faced – only two balls made it out of the infield.
César went 3-for-4 on Saturday with three doubles and two RBI.
“He’s driven in some big runs for us,” Skinner stated. “He uses the whole field and stays on the ball. He swung the bat well tonight.”
The series continues Tuesday night at Frontier Field. A 6:05 PM start is scheduled.
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