By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
The Rochester Red Wings do not frequently erase four-run deficits in fewer than two innings. They had recorded just 12 come-from-behind wins all season, after trailing by any margin, entering Saturday’s doubleheader.
The 13th rally had added significance, as Rochester swept a doubleheader for the first time since June 7, 2019 at Pawtucket. The Red Wings defeated Lehigh Valley 6-4, despite being out-hit 11-6, and improved to 39-52.
Relief pitcher Bryan Bonnell started the Red Wings’ planned “bullpen game” and scuffled in the second inning, retiring just two of the seven batters he faced in the frame. Bonnell lost the zone, walking leadoff batter Darick Hall and major league rehabber Freddy Galvis on four pitches apiece, and surrendered four consecutive one-out baserunners. Alberto Baldonado relieved Bonnell with the bases loaded and promptly allowed a Mickey Moniak double as Rochester fell into an early 4-0 hole.
The Red Wings required just 10 plate appearances to erase the deficit and gained the lead by the third inning. Jecksson Flores halved the disadvantage in the second with a two-out double off Julian Garcia that scored Derek Dietrich, who doubled himself, and Ali Castillo, who walked.
Garcia did not record any outs in the third. The 26-year-old righthander walked Nick Banks on a full count, allowed a Jake Noll RBI double and walked Daniel Palka to lose another full count, ending his night. Like Baldonado, Braden Zarbinsky allowed two inherited runners to score when Donovan Casey drove in Noll with a single and Ali Castillo singled in Palka.
There were four more innings to play, but the score after three held up.
“Having the struggle we had in Buffalo, I mean they’ve got a really good pitching staff but the guys weren’t confident,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy acknowledged. “We come up here, we got a big win in that first game and then the offense started to pick up. I was really happy that we got the big hits when it counts. Hopefully we continue to get a team effort from the bottom to the top and hopefully we continue on this good offensive run.”
The IronPigs batted just 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Galvis and Nick Maton recorded back-to-back singles in the fourth, but Baldonado got Moniak to pop up and struck out Matt Vierling. Hall and C.J. Chatham hit safely to lead off the fifth and sixth, respectively, but did not score. Sam Clay, who closed regularly in 2017 and 2019, earned his first save as a Red Wing after entering with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth. Hall flew out to Daniel Palka to end that rally, while Clay got Galvis to ground out with men on first and second and two outs in the ninth.
“That’s the spot that, I only really wanted to use him for one inning but Moreno got off to a little trouble there,” LeCroy said of Clay’s appearance. “It was the perfect spot… he really did a nice job. Really good effort on his part.”
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It was a long day at Frontier Field, to be sure. The day-night doubleheader started shortly after noon, while the start of the nightcap was delayed an hour and nine minutes due to rain. Rochester was happy to win both halves, outscoring Lehigh Valley 10-7.
“Our bullpen was able to put up zeroes,” LeCroy noted. “Really good team effort. Our defense continues to play really well, too. Hopefully we can continue this nice little run we’re on, have a good outing tomorrow and finish this thing up.”
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