Red Wings blanked by Saints

BY JONATHAN SKUZA

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Sometimes it’s just not your night.

It was not the Rochester Red Wings’ night on Wednesday as they were blanked 5-0 by the St. Paul Saints.

”We just couldn’t make the adjustments that we needed to,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy said.

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St. Paul jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after Yunior Severino took a 1-0 pitch and sent it 377 feet into his team’s bullpen for a three-run home run. The Saints then added on to their lead in the sixth inning when Alex Isola hit the first pitch of the inning 388 feet deep into the St. Paul bullpen. Severino added the fifth run the following inning on a base hit that scored Austin Martin who drew a one out walk.

”They got that big blow in the first inning, to me that kind of shifted the momentum very quickly,” LeCroy said.

The Rochester offense struggled all night long against the St. Paul pitching staff. Through six innings, Rochester had collected two hits and went down in order three times. The Red Wings would collect three hits in the final three innings. Rochester had not gotten past second base until the seventh.

”They don’t walk people usually, they make you swing it,” LeCroy said. “We kind of went outside of the zone at times and took balls we should’ve hit, but it’s part of baseball.”

Any chance of offense the Red Wings would mustard up would be snuffed out. In the seventh, Rochester had two runners in scoring position with one out and then the next two batters struck out to end the inning.

Rochester’s night was summed up in one sequence when, Juan Yepez was called for a batter’s interference in the fourth inning that resulted in a strike-em out, throw-’em out sequence as Drew Millas who led off the inning with a hit was trying to swipe second when Yepez made contact with the ST. Paul catcher resulting in a wild throw.

”Things like that where you’re giving away outs that tends to happen when its not your night,” LeCroy said.

Millas led the Red Wings offense with a 2-for-4 effort as he was hitting from the two hole with some injuries to the Rochester lineup.

”He’s starting to mature as a hitter and starting to put some things together that he did in Double-A, and last year he kind of did it in spurts,” LeCroy said. “He’s starting to have more consistent at-bats and we pushed him up into the two hole because he can handle the bat good.”

Spenser Watkins got the start for Rochester and struggled in the first and last inning of his start, but he was able to pitch four solid innings in his six inning start. Watkins only gave up two hits and collected two 1,2,3 innings between the second and fifth inning.

”He just made a mistake,” LeCroy said. “At the beginning, he gave up the three run home run then he went four scoreless and then made a mistake in the sixth, but anytime you goes six innings and give up four runs, you give yourself a chance to win, but offensively it just didn’t happen.”

The Rochester bullpen kept St. Paul in check after Watkins’ start as they only gave up one run on three hits and two balls while fanning one Saint in three innings of work.

Rochester will look to make the adjustments they need and have amnesia as they will look to tie the series with a quick turn around.

“I think tomorrow is gonna be a new day, but I think offensively, we’ll make adjustments,” LeCroy said.

The Rochester Red Wings (26-25) will continue their series with the Saint Paul Saints (24-28) on Thursday at 11:05 a.m. as southpaw DJ Herz (2-2, 4.11) will take the mound for Rochester, while Saint Paul’s starter has yet to be announced as they will doing a bullpen day.