BY DAN GLICKMAN
A five-run fourth inning wasn’t enough as the Rochester Red Wings fell to the Syracuse Mets, 8-5, on Saturday, sending the team back into a three-way first-place tie in the International League.
The Red Wings (13-7 in the second half, 51-42 overall) faced rehabbing New York Mets starter Kodai Senga to start the game and initially struggled against the Japanese right-hander, going hitless in the first two innings even as Syracuse jumped to a 4-0 lead thanks to one in the first and three in the second.
Rochester threatened in the top of the third, as Stone Garrett and Jackson Cluff hit back-to-back doubles to put two men in scoring position. Center fielder Dylan Crews walked on an eight pitch at-bat to load the bases, but Senga escaped without damage by forcing a flyout and then a double play. Syracuse continued its offensive assault in the bottom half, bringing in three, including two on an Austin Allen home run.
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The Red Wings got on the board in the fourth, as Travis Blankenhorn doubled to lead off the inning before moving to third on a Joey Meneses single. Third baseman Brady House came up to face Senga and jumped on a 2-2 forkball, rocketing it over the left field fence for the No. 3 Washington prospect’s first home run as a Red Wing. The Red Wings added two more runs against Senga to make it 7-5 before the 31-year-old was pulled with men on first and second and no outs. Rochester couldn’t capitalize, though, as reliever Eric Orze ended the inning with a double play and a groundout.
Although the Red Wings put men in scoring position in the sixth and seventh, they’d never score again in the game, while the Mets added an insurance run in the fourth.
House paced the Rochester offense on the night with his three-run home run, while Blankenhorn and Stone Garrett had two hits apiece. Dylan Crews went 1-for-3 with two walks and an RBI. On the mound, Joe La Sorsa replaced starter Jackson Rutledge and went 2.2 shutout innings while allowing three hits. Orlando Ribalta finished the game with two hitless innings, striking out three.
The loss sends the Red Wings into a first-place tie with not only the Thruway Series rival Mets, but also the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, who beat the Worcester Red Sox on Saturday in walkoff fashion on Saturday, 4-3.
They’ll have a chance to regain or at least maintain a first-place spot in their series finale with Syracuse on Sunday at 1:05 P.M. Righty Thaddeus Ward (4-3, 6.39) takes the mound against Dom Hamel (3-5, 6.66).
Its a broken record and its impossible to cover over or hide, but this is one of the worst pitching staffs I have seen for the Red Wings. The fact that they have a winning record speaks to the fact that they have had de
cent offense. But recently the Wings overall offensive stats have taken a tumble too.
But at the end of the day, its the terrible overall pitching performances by just about all them on any given day that will ultimately sink the Wings..unless something changes drastically. Hate to see this opportunity go for naught as the rest of the league is keeping things close, but allowing all these runs on a nightly basis is frustrating.
Wings staff of course won’t be critical but we the fans can be, because we buy the tickets and watch the games. And what we are seeing are ugly performances night after night from the pitchers.
Sure hope that changes because losing is no fun, ever. Syracuse has taken our starters apart this weekend. We definitely need a good performance Sunday.