BY DAN GLICKMAN
The Rochester Red Wings had a successful opening to their two-week home stand, winning a series against a good Syracuse Mets team, 4-2, utilizing some of their best pitching of the summer. Now, they’ host the Toledo Mud Hens for six games starting Tuesday.
Rochester has had two major roster changes since the end of the Syracuse series: infielder Jose Tena has been demoted to replace the called-up Andres Chaparro, while right-handed reliever Julian Fernandez has joined the team after being claimed on waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers. Reliever Parker Dunshee, meanwhile, has been moved to the Injured List.
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Facing the Wings is Toledo, the AAA affiliate of the Detroit Tigers. The Hens are 27-18 in the second half, with a 66-54 overall mark. Despite their record, they are one of the league’s worst-hitting teams, with a .238 batting average (18th of 20) and a .394 slugging percentage (17th). They are stronger on the hill, however, sitting third in strikeouts (1109), fourth in ERA (4.28) and fifth in WHIP (1.36). It’s largely been a team effort, with few players in top-fives in individual record books for the season.
Among notable players, the Mud Hens have three players from MLB.com Pipeline’s Top 30 prospects list for the Detroit organization on the roster: infielders Hao-Yu Lee (No. 7) and Max Anderson (No. 10) and right-handed pitcher Dylan Smith (No. 21). In addition, Red Wings fan may remember pitcher Randy Dobnak, who went 5-2 with 2.15 ERA in nine games for the 2019 squad- Dobnak became a minor media sensation when he was called up to the Minnesota Twins when it was discovered he’d been an Uber and Lyft driver during his minor league career in order to make some extra money. Fellow pitcher Tanner Rainey spent parts of two seasons with the Red Wings early in the Nationals affiliation. Other notable players on the Mud Hens include 2023 All-Star pitcher Alex Cobb (currently on a rehab assignment), outfielder Akil Baddoo (over 1,000 MLB at-bats), and former Mets’ catcher Tomas Nido.
While he never played for the Red Wings, many Rochester fans probably remember- and wish they could forget- Mike Hessman, the Toledo hitting coach. The all-time leader in home runs both in the International League and Minor League Baseball in general, Hessman was a key player on the Toledo team that defeated the Red Wings in the 2006 Governors’ Cup. The Hens are managed by Gabe Alvarez, who had a brief career primarily as a third baseman with the Tigers and Padres from 1998 through 2000.
As always, the Red Wings have a variety of promotions scheduled for the week, with the most notable likely being Wednesday’s “White Hots Night” as well as “Grateful Dead Night” on Friday and Saturday’s trio of Bruce the Bat Dog, Batman Night, and fireworks.
After the series, the Wings head south for another two-week road trip, with six-game sets in Jacksonville and Memphis before they return for their final six-game series of the season against Buffalo starting Sept. 9.
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