By JONATHAN SKUZA
Behind 14 hits that led to 11 runs, Rochester picked up its second straight victory against the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs Thursday evening.
Nick Banks recorded four RBI for the Red Wings en route to an 11-2 victory. Ildemaro Vargas recorded four of the 14 hits for Rochester as well.
Taylor Gushue opened the offensive explosion for Rochester with his second home run of the year to put the Wings in front 1-0 in the second inning. Banks added two more runs to the Red Wings’ lead with a double that drove in Riley Adams and Jake Noll the following inning. In the fourth inning, Vargas hit an RBI double to score Cole Freeman. Joey Meneses followed him with an RBI single to make it 5-0 Wings.
The fifth inning is where Rochester really took control of the game scoring four runs. Banks hit a two-run home run to complete his four-RBI night. JoshPalacios hit his own two-run later in the inning to give Rochester a commanding 9-0 lead.
The Iron Pigs did get some runs back in the bottom half of the inning. Chris Sharpe hit a groundball for a forceout to give them their first run of the game. Dalton Guthrie the following at-bat hit an RBI single to score the second run of the inning for them.
Rochester added two more runs in the eighth inning. Vargas hit a solo home run with one out in the inning. Noll hit a sac fly to score Meneses to secure the 11-2 victory for Rochester.
Cory Abbott started the game for Rochester. He pitched four and a third innings giving up two runs on one hit and four walks. He struck out three Iron Pigs in his outing. The Rochester bullpen used five bullpen arms to close out the last five and two-thirds of the game. Matt Brill, Matt Cronin, Curtis Taylor, Luis Avilan, and Francisco Perez gave up a combined three hits for Rochester.
Rochester remains a game back in the IL East Division with their win against Lehigh Valley. They are tied with Lehigh Valley standings as both teams chase the Durham Bulls for first place.
Rochester will look to make it three in a row as they continue the series against Lehigh Valley on Friday at 7:05.
A modest 2 game win streak…and two solid wins over an opponent we rarely beat could be a good sign of maybe a bit of a resurgence? Fact is, the Wings are no longer an elite team in the I.L. But no one else is either as 6 mediocre teams are all bunched up around 1st place.
I guess thats decent considering that only 1st place counts for any post season play. The Nats are a terrible team this season so the fact that the Wings are even competitive is somewhat amazing.
If the Wings can somehow stay in the pack over the summer, it should be an interesting second half. Fan interest has picked up. 7 of the last 12 home games drew over 6,500.
As for ‘baseball’, I lament the passing of what we used to know as ‘starting pitchers’. They have become irrelevant. Its rare for any starter to even complete 5 innings…needed to record a ‘W’. (and that stat has also become obsolete) Why after over a century of playing this game, has this happened? Why do teams need 5 and 6 pitchers, every night, to complete a game? It used to be anathema for a starter to be removed while pitching a no-hitter. Now its commonplace. Its a part of the game that has made watching less enjoyable.
Now, its HR’s or strikeouts that rule the waves. Bunts, steals, hit-and-runs have disappeared. The ‘shift’ (which I hope really does go away next year) has tainted the game. Line drives to right field have become outs at 1st base. Thats just wrong. From an old timers perch, the evolution of the game has gone backwards. At least the Wings are stealing bases this season. that hasn’t happened in years. Bigger bases and the new pickoff rule has helped that cause.
finally Cavalli. Has there ever been a pitcher on this team that has been so incredibly inconsistent? He is either up in the clouds, or down in the trough. Brilliant one start, and little league in the next. Whats the deal with this guy?