By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
Many of the 3,197 observers at Frontier Field rose to their feet, anticipating some more Luis García heroics in a young season full of them.
The Rochester Red Wings once again found their way into a game and brought García to the plate with a chance to tie or take the lead. But this was not García’s night. He struck out on four pitches, leaving men on first and second to cap Rochester’s second consecutive loss to Lehigh Valley.
The Red Wings did not hit safely in four innings against IronPigs starter Cristopher Sánchez, left 10 men on base and batted just 1-of-9 with runners in scoring position. They fell 3-1, with little time to ruminate about the defeat; they’re slated to play again at 11:05 Thursday morning.
“The double play ball kind of killed any of our rallies,” LeCroy remarked. García hit into a double play with the bases loaded in the seventh, as Lucius Fox’s leadoff triple went for naught, and Andrew Young grounded into a double play to end the eighth, leaving two more men on base.
Fox tallied three of the team’s five hits and stole a base, but the top four batters in the order converted just two hits in 16 at bats (.125).
“[Garcia] missed a fastball that he normally hits and then he got the slider for the strikeout,” LeCroy noted of the final at bat. “Tough two losses. We’ve just gotta get back to work and come ready to compete tomorrow.”
Logan Verrett has now lost three of his four decisions this season, but the right-hander allowed each of his three runs on a Darick Hall home run. Verrett surrendered just six hits and, despite issuing four walks, threw deep enough into the contest to make up for the bullpen being taxed on Tuesday.
Verrett threw 102 pitches. His previous high this season was 79.
“After we had to cover some innings because Cavalli didn’t go past the first, we needed [Verrett] to go at least five,” LeCroy explained. “He was able to go five-plus, and he kept us in the ballgame. He sprayed it; he had four walks, which is unusual for him. But he made pitches. He just made a mistake on that one guy, and he hit a three run shot, but he gave us a chance to win. He kept us in the ballgame; we just didn’t get anything going offensively.”
Sánchez, one of the Phillies’ fringe major league pitchers, struck out three of his final four batters and finished with a season-high four Ks. The southpaw threw 39 of his 55 pitches for strikes, walking just one batsman.
Francisco Morales earned the victory with two scoreless innings in relief, while Mark Appel registered a save despite an undistinguished ninth.
“He can sling it, man,” LeCroy assessed of Sánchez, who has allowed just seven hits and a run in 15.2 innings against the Red Wings. “He throws up to 96 miles an hour and to righties he does that backdoor slider. He kind of throws the ball a little differently than some lefties, but we just never really got anything going off him.
“At bats just weren’t good enough tonight. But you have to tip your cap to him; he had really good stuff for four innings.”
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