Wings’ rough start continues with 20-7 loss to Worcester

By Dan Glickman

The Rochester Red Wings’ early-season struggles continued on Thursday, as the Worcester Red Sox bludgeoned Wings’ pitching to the tune of 20-7 behind a 26-hit assault from Boston’s top farm club.

The loss is the Red Wings’ eighth straight loss overall and ninth straight loss at Innovative Field, where the Wings haven’t won since their home opener win on April 1.

Boston’s No. 3 prospect (according to MLB.com Pipeline), Marcelo Mayer, recorded seven RBI, four of them coming on a grand slam in the second to blow the game open 8-0 in favor of Worcester. MLB.com’s top position-player prospect, Roman Anthony, went 2-for-5 and scored twice before being removed late.

Right-hander Hyun-Il Choi had an unexpected start for the Red Wings, replacing the previously announced Andry Lara. Although not officially confirmed as of this writing, it is believed that Lara, the lone Rochester pitcher on the 40-man roster, is expected to receive the call-up to Washington ahead of a doubleheader in Colorado this weekend. Choi’s stay in the game would ultimately prove short, as a day after they scored 12 runs over two games, Worcester’s lineup picked up where they left off. Anthony led off with a single up the middle, and then WooSox third baseman Vaughn Grissom recorded the first of four doubles for him. Anthony then scored on an RBI groundout from Mayer, before Worcester second baseman Abraham Toro hit a hanging cutter 418 feet over the right-center field fence to extend the lead to 3-0.

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Rochester had an opportunity to strike back in the bottom half of the inning. Facing veteran journeyman Robert Stock, Drew Millas singled through the left side with one out and later stole second. Two two-out walks loaded the bases, but Stock was able to get out of it, getting first baseman Juan Yepez to ground into a 6-4 fielder’s choice.

That would be the last Red Wings offense for much of the game, but the Red Sox never stopped their assault, putting up five in the second, including Mayer’s grand slam to chase away Choi.

“Choi just couldn’t get the ball where he needed to get it to, and they made him pay,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy. “He was facing a really good AAA lineup, with some young talent- guys who can play, and you just can’t miss that much.”

The score ballooned from there: 10-0 in the fourth, 11-0 in the fifth, and 14-0 in the top of the seventh.

Only then, in the bottom of the seventh, did the Red Wings get on the board. Second baseman Paul Witt hit his first home run of the year, a 456-foot shot off a Wyatt Mills sinker that struck the Red Wings’ scoreboard in left field to make it 14-2.

In a strange twist, Witt then took the mound as a pitcher to handle the last two innings as a way for the Red Wings to save their bullpen. Witt reached as high as 86 on the radar gun, but largely just threw soft tosses in the 40-50 MPH range as he gave up Worcester’s final six runs of the game.

LeCroy had high praise for how Witt stepped up in the late innings of an otherwise out-of-hand game.

“He’s a team player,” he said. “He can go all over and play and has a good swing. He just hasn’t had many opportunities. I’m proud of him because these guys work their tail off every day even when they don’t get a lot of opportunities.”

“I had him play today, felt like he deserved another shot, and he got a couple of hits, including a big one.”

A ninth-inning three-run shot from Brady Lindsly gave him his first home run of the year, and a two-run homer for Franchy Cordero forced Worcester to use a position player to save their bullpen, but the late power surge was far from enough to get the Wings back into the game.

“We’re in a part of the season right now where just nothing goes our way,” said LeCroy. “We’re not executing on a few areas, but we’ll keep grinding.”

The series with Worcester continues on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. No official announcements have been made on probable pitchers.