Wings drop matinee with Syracuse, 5-1

BY DAN GLICKMAN

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – On a hot Wednesday afternoon in Rochester, the Red Wings’ bats were largely cold when it mattered most, as they fell 5-1 to the Syracuse Mets.

Rochester batters struck out 15 times and notched their only run on a sixth-inning double by Trey Lipscomb, going 1-for-8 on the day with runners in scoring position and stranding six men on base.

“We had just too many strikeouts, and we couldn’t make adjustments off their bullpen guys,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy. “The hole was a little bit too deep.”

VIEW MORE PHOTOS FROM JOE TERRITO.

On the mound, meanwhile, a rehabbing Washington National struggled, while a newcomer to AAA excelled.

Washington Nationals reliever Derek Law, working his way back from a forearm issue, made a rehab start as an “opener” for the Wings. The 34-year-old right-hander immediately ran into trouble. Mets centerfielder Luisangel Acuna, making his second start since getting demoted to AAA, led off with a double to right-center. He soon took off for third to steal the bag, and then scampered home when Rochester third baseman Yohandy Morales failed to catch the throw from catcher Brady Lindsly. The error made it a quick 1-0 for Syracuse.

Another rehabbing player, the Mets’ Mark Vientos, followed up with a single to left, and while Law got designated hitter Francisco Alvarez to fly out, shortstop Pablo Reyes followed him and launched 2-1 cutter left too high for a towering 426 foot home run to left. As the ball fell well over the left field bullpen, the Syracuse Mets took a 3-0 lead. Law ultimately finished the inning by forcing a double play, but not until he’d allowed three earned runs on four hits.

“He’s coming off an injury,” said LeCroy. “He missed a couple of pitches, obviously, he missed over the plate and they got him. He just missed, and they made him pay.”

A bright spot for the Red Wings came with in the form of the reliever who took over after Law left: Dustin Saenz. Freshly called up from AA Harrisburg after the expected first-man-out-of-the-pen, Adrian Sampson, was scratched due to soreness and fatigue, the righty out of Texas A&M threw three scoreless in his first AAA appearance. Aided by some good defense, including a double-play he helped turn in the third, Saenz allowed two hits and walked one in his shutout innings.

“I feel good,” said Saenz post-game. “I was just trying to give my team a chance to win at the end of the day, just trying to do my job. And the defense helped me out at the end of the day. So it was, all in all, a good day.”

“I was so proud of Saenz,” said LeCroy. “He came up from AA and gave us three scoreless. The man did an awesome job. We’ll see what happens if he stays here- I’d like to have him here, but I don’t make that decision.”

Saenz’s performance was all the more impressive because of the short notice he received.

“I made my way up here yesterday,” said the 26-year-old. “[Thankfully,] I was able to get enough rest in once I got here.”

The rest of the Red Wings bullpen took over after Saenz’s outing. While Joan Adon gave up two runs, Jack Sinclair and Parker Dunshee kept the game within a grand slam, but the Red Wings offense was never able to take advantage. A would-be rally in the seventh, for example, ended with a flukey double play, as a hard-hit ball from Nasim Nunez went straight to shortstop Pablo Reyes, who was able to double-off Jackson Cluff, who had been leading off from second and didn’t have time to dive back.

Rochester’s 15 strikeouts tied the team’s high for the season, and every member of the starting lineup was rung up at least once. On the positive side, Robert Hassell III continued his hitting streak since his demotion, singling and scoring the Wings’ lone run. Cluff stole two bases and finished the day with a hit and a walk.

The Red Wings will look to earn their first win of the second half and their first victory in this series on Thursday, when they don their Rochester Plates jerseys for a “Duel of the Dishes” with Syracuse, which will wear Syracuse Salt Potatoes uniforms. First pitch is 6:45 P.M., with right-hander Chase Solesky (3-5, 4.41) set to go for Rochester and righty Blade Tidwell (4-4, 4.76) is scheduled for Syracuse. Bruce the Bat Dog will be in attendance, fetching bats at Innovative Field for the first time since his MLB debut and his appearances on national television.