By DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings needed a spark.
They’d lost five straight, including an ugly 14-1 loss on Tuesday. They hadn’t led since the early part of the seventh inning last Friday.
On Wednesday, they found that spark in the fourth and the seventh innings to defeat the St. Paul Saints, 7-2.
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It was the first time that Rochester had defeated the AAA Minnesota Twins affiliate since it was elevated from the independent leagues to take Rochester’s affiliation with the Twins during MLB’s reorganization of the minors at the start of the decade- the Red Wings had lost all seven games against St. Paul.
Regardless of history, it was also a win against an impressive club, as St. Paul’s 14-7 record coming into the game was one of the best in the league.
“There were a lot of good things in this game,” said Red Wings manager Matthew LeCroy. “I’m really pleased with any win, but especially against a good club like [St. Paul.]”
Left fielder Chad Pinder led the way for the Wings, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, including a solo shot off Jose De Leon in the fourth to tie the game 1-1.
“That at-bat I just wanted to see something up, get some spin on it,” said Pinder post-game. “I was able to get a good swing on it, and it was nice to see it get out.
Pinder’s home run, his first of the year, was the first of three runs for Rochester in the fourth. Taking advantage of errors by the St. Paul defense, the Red Wings pulled ahead with two outs on an infield hit by second baseman Darren Baker to score Kevin Plawecki. St. Paul shortstop Michael Helman had a throwing error while trying to get Baker, allowing a second run to score on the play to make it 3-1.
Pitcher Jake Irvin moved to 2-2 on the year with 5.1 innings on the mound, allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out six. His biggest mistake came in the top of the third, when he allowed a solo shot to Saints catcher Jair Camargo. His second earned run came after he left the game in the sixth, when former Red Wing Andrew Stevenson hit an RBI single to narrow the Red Wings lead to 3-2.
St. Paul’s biggest threat to tie or pull ahead after came in the top of the seventh. Second baseman Edouard Julien, one of the top players in the Twins system, led off the inning with a double off Andres Machado. Machado struck out the next two, but Julien advanced to third on a stolen base. After a walk of Kyle Garlick, though, Machado escaped by getting designated hitter Mark Contreras out on a pop fly in foul territory to the catcher.
“He pitched extremely well,” LeCroy said of Machado. “He made a mistake and they made him paid, but he got big strikeouts and he made the pitch at the end.
“He’s a big league pitcher who just happens to be in AAA, waiting his turn,” said LeCroy.
Rochester put the game away in the bottom of the seventh, scoring four two-out runs, including back-to-back doubles from right fielder Franklin Barreto and Pinder. An RBI single by center fielder Derek Hill made it 7-2, which held to the end of the game.
The Red Wings continue their series with St. Paul on Thursday with an 11:05 a.m. game. Right-handed MLB veteran Wily Peralta is scheduled to start for Rochester against St. Paul right-hander Louie Varland.
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