BY JONATHAN SKUZA
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Two home runs were the difference as the Rochester Red Wings (22-43) fell 5-3 to the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (41-26) Friday evening.
”It’s been a tough stretch,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy said. “We’ve been playing some really good teams. We have to play perfect right now and we’re not. One little mishap or one bad located pitch and we don’t seem to recover.”
Jacksonville’s first long ball came in the fourth inning when Matt Mervis broke the scoreless tie with a lead off solo home run down the right field line. Harrison Spohn made it 2-0 later in the inning with an RBI base hit.
The second long ball came in the seventh inning off the bat of Troy Johnston. The left-handed hitter hit a two-run home run just over the right field foul pole to break a 2-2 tie and give the Jumbo Shrimp a lead they never gave back.
”It was kind of a dagger,” LeCroy said. “It was a deflating homer, but you have to be able to fight. You have to figure out ways to push across runs to tie it.”
VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.
Jacksonville added on an insurance run in the eighth after they took advantage of a throwing error after a double steal.
Rochester’s offense at times struggled during Friday’s contest. The Red Wings had the bases loaded with no outs in the second inning, but did not score any runs off the jam.
”I think we got a little bit antsy at times,” LeCroy said. “We’ve swung at some pitches out of the zone.”
The following three innings after the bases loaded jam, Rochester went down in order as they struggled to respond to the two runs Jacksonville pushed across in the fourth.
”You have to trust your ability to be able to hit with a strike,” LeCroy said. “They’re young and they’ll learn to be ale to hit with a strike. These are teaching moments for us.”
Rochester broke through in the sixth inning with a Nick Schnell two RBI base hit with two outs that scored Darren Baker and Drew Millas. The other Red Wing run came in the ninth when Andrew Pinckney led off the inning with a solo home run to left center field to start a short lived rally.
Rochester had a chance to win the ball game with runners at the corners with only one out, but fell short after grounding into a game ending double play.
”Schnell gave us a big two RBI hit to tie it up,” LeCroy said. “They fought in the ninth inning. We brought up the winning run, but we just have to be better with executing pitches.”
Rochester has now dropped 10 straight contests becoming the first Triple-A team to do so this season. The Red Wings look to stay positive as they look to end the winless streak heading into the final week of the first half.
”I have to stay positive and upbeat and not let them see that I’m down,” LeCroy said. “I want to win more than anybody in the world, but at the same time, we have a job to do to develop championship players. Does winning come with that, absolutely, but you’re going to have rough stretches that you’re going to have at the big league level. You have to be able to come to the ballpark every day no matter how well you or your team is doing.”
The Rochester Red Wings and Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp will continue their series on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. as Rochester will send right-hander Cade Cavalli (2-1, 3.81) to the mound while righty Freddy Tarnok (2-2, 4.79) will toe the slab for Jacksonville.
Let’s make it an even TEN! This half can’t end soon enough. It has to be hard coming to the park everyday. It has to be tough for Josh to announce these losses day after day and remain ‘up’, without getting cynical.
This organization hasn’t figured out the pieces yet. Just when you think you have the hitters, they stumble when it matters. And that isn’t helpful because the team has no pitching at all. The odd game they might look like pros, but for the most part it has been one very disappointing half season for the entire staff.
Nats are scuffling too so its hard to imagine things getting much better, but the league has opened the door for teams like Rochester, by dividing the season into halves. Its up to the Wings to walk thru that door and do a total re-set.