Four-run eighth inning sends Red Wings down in defeat, 6-2

BY DAN GLICKMAN

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Saturday’s game between the Rochester Red Wings and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders was delayed for about a half-hour due to rain. The rain would return sporadically throughout the game, including the eighth inning. Sadly for the Red Wings, that was also the inning where the RailRiders’ runs fell, as a four-run frame for the visitors sent the Wings down in defeat, 6-2.

The decisive inning began well enough for the Red Wings (38-60, 11-15 in the second half) , with Eduardo Salazar getting catcher Rafael Flores to ground out. Although Scranton (58-39, 20-5 in the second half) third baseman Jeimer Candelario drew a walk, Salazar seemed to recover by striking out Bryan De La Cruz. The next four RailRiders then reached base: Jose Rojas doubled in Candelario to put Scranton ahead 3-2, then Nicky Lopez sent a ground ball into right to score Rojas and make it 4-2. Lopez then stole second and then moved to third on a throwing error by Wings catcher Francisco Mejia. An Andrew Velazquez double that fell just out of the reach of left fielder Andrew Pinckney and then an infield single by Jesus Rodriguez due to poor defense by the Wings ultimately brought the score up to 6-2.

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“[Salazar] was doing okay, but he left some pitches up and got hammered for doubles,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy post-game.

Earlier, the Red Wings had struck first thanks to designated hitter Andres Chaparro, who led off the bottom of the second by jumping on a 2-2 sinker left too high by veteran righty Carlos Carrasco and launching it to left-center. When the ball hit the ground 455 feet away, the Red Wings held a 1-0 lead.

“That was a bomb,” said LeCroy. “He needed that, he’s kind of been stuffed a little bit lately, staying on the ball. But he got that one and really smoked it.”

Rochester starter Shinnosuke Ogasawara had escaped runners-in-scoring-position situation in the first two innings, but his luck ran out in the third. Center fielder Everson Pereira drew a leadoff walk, and then first baseman T.J. Rumfield doubled to left to bring Pereira home to tie the game at one. Rumfield himself later scored on a two-out single by De La Cruz, putting Scranton ahead, 2-1. Although Ogasawara would ultimately go five innings and strike out five, those two runs would ultimately leave him with a no-decision on the day.

“I thought he threw the ball well,” said LeCroy. “He gave us a shot.”

Rochester evened it up at two in the bottom of the fifth when shortstop Jackson Cluff doubled with an out out before Mejia singled him home, but then scoring ceased for both sides, with the Rochester bullpen and Carrasco each holding off the opposing offenses until the eighth. Carrasco, a veteran of parts of 16 MLB seasons, fooled the Red Wings for much of the game, going seven innings while allowing five hits and striking out six. Even without the eighth inning, the Red Wings would have ended up only remaining tied with the two runs they were able to scrape across against the 38-year-old Venezuelan.

“Offensively, we just didn’t get it going against the veteran guy,” said LeCroy. “He nibbled, he changed speeds, he moved the ball around when we made adjustments. I tip my cap, that’s why he’s made over 80 million dollars over his career.”

The Red Wings conclude their series with Scranton on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Rochester expects to send out right-hander Chase Solesky (5-5, 4.63) against RailRiders righty Sean Boyle (7-7, 4.69). The game is the last before the Wings head out on a two-week road trip to Charlotte and Norfolk.

A win would ensure a series split for the Red Wings against Scranton, which LeCroy says would speak well to how the team is progressing.

“This is a good team [we’re playing],” he says. “It’s a great test, probably the best team we play all the second half. If we split with them, it’ll prove to us we can go win some series against some other clubs.”