By CHUCKIE MAGGIO
The Rochester Red Wings entered Memorial Day in first place for the first time since 2015. They exited with just a half-game advantage in the International League East.
The Buffalo Bisons racked up seven runs in the first three innings and fended off a Red Wings comeback attempt to prevail 7-5 in front of 8,978 fans at Frontier Field on Monday. Cory Abbott took his second loss in as many outings as his earned run average jumped to 8.56.
Abbott struggled to find the zone, walking three batters and throwing a wild pitch, and yielded a Cullen Large home run off the right field scoreboard in the second inning. He lasted just 2.1 innings, tagged for six runs on five hits.
Abbott, claimed off waivers on May 4, had issued just four walks in 11.1 innings before Monday. Two of the three batsmen he walked, including Nathan Lukes to lead off the game, scored.
“Just failed to execute his pitches. He walked the first batter ballgame, if I’m not mistaken,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy assessed. “Just didn’t seem to have enough command with the fastball. He kind of sprayed it, and there weren’t many takers on the secondary, too. He’s getting into that routine and getting stretched out, but this is two outings for him that he’s kind of struggled to put people away and stop the bleeding, so to speak.
“He’s fighting, he’s working everyday and I think he’ll be fine.”
Rochester responded to the five-run third, in which Carson Teel allowed both runners he inherited and the first batter he faced to score, with a run in the bottom of the inning and four in the fourth. Jake Noll hit his 14th double of the year to drive in Luis García in the third, while Donovan Casey, Andrew Stevenson and García each earned RBI to cut their deficit to a pair of runs. Stevenson collected two doubles, his second multi-double game of the season.
The rally was little surprise, as Rochester is batting an International League-best .299 (187 for 625) when trailing this season.
“Top to bottom, we’ve got a really good lineup,” Stevenson commented. “I think we’re gonna put pressure on you, and you see the games we’ve been playing these past few weeks: we’ve been down a few games and we ended up pulling out the win, so I think it’s just a testament to the guys. Everyone believes in this lineup and we’re gonna put up some runs this year.”
Casey, however, was the only Red Wing to hit safely for the rest of the contest. Buffalo’s bullpen struck out six, with Eric Yardley scoring a win in relief of Nick Allgeyer and Adrian Herandez recording his fifth save of the season. Derek Holland threw two scoreless innings in between.
The Red Wings had other chances against Allgeyer, who has allowed 19 hits and 14 runs in six innings against Rochester this season. A bases-loaded second in which Josh Palacios hit a one-out single, Allgeyer hit Andrew Young with a pitch and Tres Barrera walked did not lead to any runs. Casey struck out and Ehire Adrianza, starting the second leg of his rehab assignment after a spring training quadriceps injury, popped out to end the inning.
“We didn’t score. I think that would’ve kinda stopped their momentum,” LeCroy recalled. “… We just couldn’t make the adjustments against the relievers for them, as well. They’ve got a good team and we’re evenly-matched in a lot of places. They got it done today and we didn’t.”
The Red Wings take their day off typically reserved for Monday on Tuesday this week. They return to Frontier Field on Wednesday for the second game of the week-long series. Sterling Sharp will pitch for Rochester.
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