By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
The Rochester Red Wings lineup provided its bullpen a razor-thin margin for error for a second straight night on Saturday. The bullpen, taxed for six innings, could not save the day.
The Red Wings were one-hit by Syracuse after being two-hit on Friday, falling by the same 2-1 final score. Blake Swihart, the only Red Wing to hit safely in the first nine innings on Friday, secured the team’s lone hit again when he singled to lead off the second.
Rochester had its chances, drawing six walks and loading the bases in the third and fourth frames, but produced just one total run on a sacrifice fly. Manager Matt LeCroy particularly lamented the fourth inning, when a wild Zack Godley hit Derek Dietrich and walked Humberto Arteaga and Jecksson Flores back-to-back. Reliever Akeem Bostick entered and recorded the two outs he needed by inducing a Brandon Snyder popup and retiring Ali Castillo by groundout.
“We let them off the hook,” LeCroy remarked. “Bases loaded and one out, we just didn’t get the runs in, man. We faced a guy (Godley) that has big league experience. He was wild at times but it was a negative that we didn’t make adjustments. We kept swinging big and chasing.”
Bostick got 11 outs and walked just one batter, the winning pitcher of record. Daniel Palka was the last Red Wing to reach, the beneficiary of third baseman Orlando Calixte’s two-base throwing error in the eighth with just one out.
Swihart grounded out and Dietrich struck out, stranding Palka at second. Closer Bradley Roney faced little resistance retiring the side in order in the ninth, earning his fourth save.
Sterling Sharp, throwing on a pitch count in his first appearance since July 14, allowed a run on five hits in three innings. Sharp struck out four, walking one, and produced five groundouts.
LeCroy used five bullpen arms to grab the remaining 18 outs. The relievers combined to surrender just three hits, once again holding Syracuse at bay in hopes that the bats would awaken. But Nick Wells issued two walks and, after an arguable pitchout play kept Chance Sisco at third, Mark Payton drove Sisco in on a sacrifice fly.
Wells, whose warmup pitches were interrupted by a 10-minute delay while home plate umpire Jacob Metz departed due to injury, shook off the wait and compiled a 1-2-3 fifth before the sixth inning struggles.
The real problems remain with the offense; Rochester has scored four runs in its last three games.
“When you face a guy that’s having command issues,” LeCroy stated, “you wait him out. We didn’t wait against that guy.”
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