BY JONATHAN SKUZA
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — For the second day and third game in a row the Rochester Red Wings (2-4) committed two errors in a contest as they fell 9-2 to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs (5-2) Friday evening.
”We didn’t make some plays that we needed to make,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy said. “Offensively, we continue to not have good enough at-bats. We made some bad reads that ran us out of some innings.
Rochester’s first error came in the first inning of the ballgame after a throwing error with two outs cause the IronPigs to score a run. Lehigh Valley pushed across three in the first inning with Payton Henry driving in Otto Kemp on a groundout, Oscar Mercado collecting an RBI base hit, and Josh Breaux capitalizing on throwing error to score Mercado.
The second error came in the sixth where Lehigh Valley expanded their lead to six runs. Another throwing error early in the inning led to a runner on second and third. The IronPigs used three hits, a walk, and the error to push across four runs and made Rochester pay for their mistakes.
”Just continue to put them out there, let them play and work,” LeCroy said. “We’re never going to shy away from what we do to get ready for a game. Our work was really good before the game today, and we just couldn’t carry it into the game.”
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On the other side of the ball, Rochester committed two base running errors that led to rally killers and put a damper on any momentum the Red Wings were starting to build.
”For me, I want them to be aggressive,” said LeCroy. “There’s things that we talked about, things that happened during the game, that we addressed and hopefully that’ll help.”
After the first big inning for Lehigh Valley, Rochester did come close to tying the ballgame in the fourth inning. Trey Lipscomb collected a two RBI base hit that scored Juan Yepez and Drew Millas.
Kemp blasted a two out solo home run to put the IronPigs back in front by multiple runs before the big inning in the sixth. Mercado would add on another run with a lead off home run in the eighth.
Rochester’s offense finished the contest with nine hits but only had two runs to show for it. The Red Wings have been held to four runs in the last three contests.
”It’s getting a group that didn’t play much together in spring training, to get together,” LeCroy said. “We were a little bit late on fastballs and timing. We’re a little off. We’re not hitting a lot of stuff on the barrel. We’re not driving the baseball.”
After a rough first inning, Red Wings starter Andrew Alvarez settled into his outing as he set down 12 straight IronPigs. The southpaw pitched five innings while being tagged for three runs and fanning six.
”They ambushed him early,” LeCroy said. “He’s our guy. He’s a guy that’s right now the leader of our staff. We need him to be able to go and go deep into games. I want to be able to get him to go six or seven in his next start.”
Rochester will look to bounce back on Saturday at 1:05 P.M. against the IronPigs as they will send right hander Andry Lara (0-0, 4.50) to the mound and Lehigh Valley will have righty Mick Abel (0-1,7.20) toe the slab.
”Lara is a young kid that’s here and hope he can do what he did last time and keep us in the ball game,” LeCroy said.
After the home opener, the team has played horrid baseball…hitting fielding base running pitching…everything. 3 very non-entertaining games.
Oh well
Odd that you chose not to mention the players responsible for the blunders by name. Namely, Brady House on the basepaths and Nazim Nasem at shortstop, along with the daily blunders by whomever is riding the 1st base carosel. It’s a long season, but the past 3 games have been ugly. Crews isn’t a major league player just yet. The Gnats have pushed him through way too fast. Perhaps he will be sent down before they destroy his confidence. That would help us.