BY JONATHAN SKUZA
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Travis Blankenhorn connected on his 100th career home run Thursday evening as the Rochester Red Wings fell 17-6 to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.
“I didn’t even know that it happened,” Blankenhorn said chuckling about the milestone.
“He does a lot of things well,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy said. “He’s a leader. Hopefully he continues to stay hot because if it doesn’t happen this year someone is going to give him a shot to play at the next level.”
They always say you want your milestones to memorable.
Balnkenhorn’s home run was definitely memorable.
Down 10-4 in the fifth inning with one out, the first basemen stepped up to the plate and took the first pitch for a ball. The next pitch he saw, the left handed hitter poked the ball high out to left field. Lehigh Valley’s Simon Muzziotti went to make a play on Blankenhorn’s hit at the wall when the ball popped in and out of Muzziotti’s glove and over the wall for the milestone long ball.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
“Honestly, I didn’t see it happened and didn’t know it happened until I got back in the dugout and one of my teammates told me,” Blankenhorn said.
The Pottsville, Pennsylvania native has been swinging a pretty hot bat for Rochester as of late. Blankenhorn went 3-for-5 with a home run and five RBI the previous night and leads the team in home runs with 19 and RBI with 67 in the 94 games he has appeared in this season.
The 26-year-old is making a strong case to get the call up to Washington when the rosters expand in September.
“Trying to control what I can control,” Blankenhorn said. “Go out there everyday and do the best I can and help the team win.”
Aside from Blankenhorn’s special home run, Rochester’s offense produced most of its runs in the first inning. Carter Kieboom hit a two-run round tripper to get Rochester on the board after falling behind 3-0. Blankenhorn came around to score after Erick Mejia got walked. Jack Dunn scored on a Paul Witt sacrifice fly to give Rochester the lead in the opening frame.
Jacob Nottingham scored Dunn in the eighth inning with a base hit after Dunn tallied a base hit as well and stole second.
Lehigh Valley’s offense was all over Rochester’s pitching Thursday’s evening. The IronPigs scored a run in very inning. Kody Clemens had a night to remember for Lehigh Valley as he went 4-for-6 with three home runs and five RBI. Darick Hall also had five RBI and two long balls for the IronPigs.
“We didn’t throw the ball well enough to stay in it,” LeCroy said. “ It’s one of those days. Hopefully we can flush it and bounce back tomorrow.”
The Rochester pitching has struggled in the last two games against Lehigh Valley. The Wings’ pitchers have surrendered 31 runs on 40 hits the last two games.
“You can’t miss and we missed way too much,” LeCroy said. “They made us pay. This is a good test for some of these young kids, but at the same time, you got to start making adjustments or it’ll keep getting worst and worst.”
Rochester will look for some pitching stability as they have two true starting pitchers going for them in the next two games.
The Rochester Red Wings (18-18/52-57) will look to back in the win column and tie up the series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (22-13, 58-50) on Friday at 6:45 p.m. The pitching matchup will be a right handed battle as Wily Peralta (3-6, 5.94) will be on the bump for Rochester while Nick Nelson (4-2, 4.39) will get the start for Lehigh Valley.
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