BY DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings notched four runs against International League wins co-leader Evan McKendry on Thursday, taking game three of their series with the Durham Bulls, 4-3.
McKendry entered the game tied for first in wins (7), second in WHIP (1.16), and opponent batting average (.225), third in ERA (3.89), and fourth in strikeouts (87). The Red Wings handed him his third loss of the year on a six-hit, four-run, two-walk day. Only three Red Wings batters struck out against the righty.
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“We did a nice job [against him], especially in the first inning,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy. “He’s got a similar mix to [Casey] Lawrence, who pitched for Buffalo. They have some similarities, and the guys were able to wait him out.”
On the mound, the Red Wings would bend but not break, as right-hander Jose Urena allowed one earned run in five innings of work to take the win, his first since Aug. 30, 2022, when he was with the Colorado Rockies. The bullpen allowed two more runs, but Gabriel Moreno and Luis Cessa combined for a perfect final three innings for the win.
Offensively, the Wings jumped ahead early in front of a morning crowd of 7,648, including several groups of summer campers. The first run came courtesy of good baserunning by Red Wings center fielder Derek Hill mixed with a costly Durham mistake. Hill reached base to lead off the bottom of the first with a single to right and took off for second. McKendry saw him and threw to second, but the throw was bad and went into center. Hill moved to third on the error, allowing him to score on a sacrifice fly by left fielder Jake Alu to make it 1-0.
“An eleven o’clock game, I feel like the team that comes out hot to start usually gets the win,” said Alu post-game.”
“We had a good approach against him, kept it simple. We saw the ball up over the plate and took advantage of it in the first inning and kind of gave him a tough time throughout.”
Rochester wasn’t done yet in the first, as they put together a two-out rally to add two more. Designated hitter Travis Blankenhorn walked and then reached second on a balk, only to be driven home on a double to left center by right fielder Blake Rutherford to make it 2-0. Catcher Drew Millas followed with an RBI single to score Rutherford and make it 3-0.
The Red Wings added another run in the fourth, as third baseman Jeter Downs hit a ground-rule double to start the inning. He moved to third on a groundout by shortstop Richie Martin, then scored on a sacrifice fly by Hill to extend the lead to 4-0.
Hill’s 2-for-3 day continued his hot-hitting since he returned to Rochester from Washington during the All-Star break. Since his first game back on July 14, the 27-year-old is 12-for-21 (.571) with eight RBI, two doubles, three triples, and three stolen bases.
“He was probably the hottest hitter in all of Triple-A at one point,” said LeCroy. “He went to the big leagues, he struggled a bit, but he and [hitting coach Brian Daubach] have figured some things out, and we’re right back where he started.”
The Bulls got on the board in the fifth on a leadoff home run to right by center fielder Kameron Misner. They’d add another run in the sixth with another leadoff shot, this time by third baseman Austin Shenton to make it 4-3.
In the seventh, Durham looked to tie it up against Red Wings reliever Tommy Romero. Misner led off with a walk and then moved to third on a single by Vidal Brujan.
In came Gabriel Moreno, who has mainly been used as the closer in the past few weeks. With the heart of Durham’s prospect-filled order coming up and runners at the corners in the seventh, though, LeCroy called upon him early.
“We sold out,” he said. “We thought that was the ballgame. We brought him in basically as a save.”
“We thought this was the biggest part of the game, which it ended up being.”
Moreno swiftly proved himself, striking out reigning IL MVP Jonathan Aranda and Rays No. 3 prospect Curtis Mead in succession to get the first two outs. Misner scored on a double-steal during Osleivis Basabe’s at-bat, but Moreno then got the designated to line out to end the inning. The Red Wings maintained the 4-3 lead, which they’d keep through the end of the game for the win.
The Red Wings (9-9 in second half, 43-48 overall, three games behind Worcester) continue the series with Durham (9-9, 49-44, three games back) on Friday, with right-hander Joan Adon (2-5, 4.81) expected to start against the Bulls’ righty Anthony Molina (0-0, 3.00). First pitch is scheduled for 6:45 p.m.
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