Red Wings lose close one, 2-1

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings lost a pitching duel to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Saturday, 2-1, as an eighth-inning triple by Lehigh center fielder Scott Kingery thwarted an hard-nosed defensive attempt by the Wings’ Jack Dunn to set up the winning run.

“You only give up two runs, you think you’ve won the game,” said Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy. “We didn’t impact the ball enough, it’s not because of lack of work, but we got to make some adjustments.”

Jake Irvin, the Nationals’ 20th-ranked prospect according to MLB.com, made his first AAA start and allowed four hits, two walks, and striking out four in four-and-one-third innings. His lone major mistake came in the fourth inning, when Kingery hit a solo home run to left-center field to lead off the inning and give Lehigh Valley the 1-0 lead. Although Lehigh would threaten again, Irvin was able to continue on into the fifth inning and reach his allotted pitch count for the day.

Irvin, who has at times seen his career stalled by injuries and the the 2020 COVID-19 cancellation of the minor league season, said he felt good after the game and was happy with his debut.

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“It was a decent first outing,” he said. “I felt good early, but as it went on late my stuff wasn’t as sharp. That comes with getting up here into different weather, but it was a good first outing and I’m excited to build on that moving forward.”

IronPigs starter T.J. Zeuch, who no-hit the Red Wings during a game in 2019, at first appeared to be one his way to another, throwing a perfect first three innings. Shortstop Jeter Downs led off the fourth with a double to get the Wings into the hit column, and then moved to third on a groundout before scoring on a wild pitch during Stone Garrett‘s at-bat to tie it, 1-1.

Downs’s hit would be one of only three that the Red Wings would have on the game, as the Lehigh Valley pitching staff kept them from seriously threatening for much of the rest of the game. The Red Wings staff, however, would prove nearly as dominant, allowing only eight hits and pitching out of some sticky situations.

The game remained tied going into the eighth, when Kingery hit with an out against Matt Cronin. He hit a hard drive to center, and Dunn gave chase, leaping at the wall and appearing to make the catch before hitting the wall hard and dropping the ball after the impact. Kingery was able to move to third on the play, and the game was briefly delayed as LeCroy and the team trainer checked on Dunn. Although the Georgia native stayed in for the rest of the inning, he was pinch-hit for his next at-bat.

“He took a big blow there,” said LeCroy. “I saw him moving around out there, and I knew he wouldn’t be able to hit.”

LeCroy says that the team is going to have to wait and see as far as Dunn’s playing status, especially given potential bad weather in the days ahead.

Kingery was brought home an at-bat later on a single by Kody Clemens to make the game 2-1, and that score held the rest of the way.

The Red Wings complete their opening series on Sunday against Lehigh Valley before heading to Syracuse next week. Right-hander Paolo Espino, a veteran of 91 MLB games, is scheduled to take the mound for the Red Wings against Lehigh’s Noah Skirrow. First-pitch is scheduled for 1:05 P.M.