ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Early struggles put the Rochester Red Wings in a hole in both games of a doubleheader on Thursday to the Worcester Red Sox as the squad dropped both ends of the twin-bill: 4-3 in game one and then 7-3 in game two.
In both seven-inning games of the rain-caused doubleheader, the Red Sox scored in the top of the first and held the lead for the rest of the game, despite efforts by the Red Wings offense. The two losses send the Red Wings to 14-16, the farthest back of .500 the team has been this season.
In game one, the Red Sox jumped on “opener” Zach Penrod, as the first four batters reached safely, including a bases-loaded walk to Kristian Campbell to open scoring at 1-0 before Worcester added another run on a sacrifice fly by Allan Castro make it 2-0. The Idaho-born lefty ultimately finished the game after 0.2 innings.
The decision to start Penrod and not Luis Perales – who is usually a starter – was not one that had been up to Matt LeCroy, the Red Wings’ manager.
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“It’s one of those situations,” he said post-game. “You see what they have been doing in the big leagues. A lot of our guys are going up and coming out of the bullpen, so I think if [Perales] gets an opportunity, they may use him in that situation, like we used him today.”
Although Penrod and reliever Julian Fernandez were able to escape the first without any further runs allowed, the Red Wings would never overcome the deficit.
It wasn’t for lack of trying. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Dylan Crews jumped on the first 84.8 MPH slider thrown low but firmly in the zone by Worcester lefty Alec Gamboa. Sent rocketing to left at 110.4 MPH, the ball came to land just barely in the visitor bullpen in left – had it gone just a few feet to the left, it would have likely ended up in the infamous “Bermuda Triangle” where between the bullpen and the more standard left-field wall under the scoreboard. The home run, Crews’ third of the season, cut Worcester’s lead to 2-1.
The Red Wings continued the two-out rally, with Yohandy Morales singling on an infield hit that ricocheted off Gamboa and then a walk by Andres Chaparro. But with Abimelec Ortiz at the plate, both runners took off. Morales was thrown out at third for the final out of the inning, ending the Red Wings threat.
“They all had the green light,” says LeCroy. “We all want to learn from it and it’ll be part of our coaching tomorrow.”
Perales took over on the mound for the Wings in the second inning as the “main” pitcher of the day and threw a solid six innings – the remainder of the seven inning game – while allowing three hits and two earned runs, including a Matt Thaiss solo shot to lead off the second. The Venezuelan righty struck out four during the extended relief appearance.
Rochester on a few occasions threatened to tie up or even take the lead. The tying run came to the plate in the fifth after a Zack Short RBI double, and a Chaparro home run to lead off the seventh got the game to within one, 4-3. Each time, however, the Red Wings failed to score, sending them down in defeat.
Game two was less close in its final score, but still saw the Red Wings offense threaten to take the lead. Like game one, the Red Sox scored in the top of the first, as Vinny Capra hit a home run off Riley Cornelio, the Red Wings starter who was making his first appearance since a brief stint in the majors with the Nationals on April 24. It was the beginning of an uncharacteristically rough day for Cornelio, who ended up giving up five earned runs on four hits and five walks in three innings of work. When he left the game, it was 4-0.
“He’s pitched so well all year, [but] coming back down from the big leagues, he was off his routine, and just wasn’t on today,” said LeCroy. “He’ll make the adjustments, he’s got the stuff, he’s athletic, he’s a competitor. He just had one of those days where he couldn’t find the zone.”
Like in the first game, the Red Wings had opportunities to come back, but ended up falling short. Christian Franklin got the team on the board in the bottom of the third by singling in Levi Jordan to make it 4-1, but an opportunity to take the lead with the bases loaded eluded the Wings when Abimelec Ortiz struck out after twice hitting balls to right field that would have been a go-ahead grand slam if they’d remained fair.
The Red Sox expanded their lead in later innings, and while the Wings put two on the board in the sixth and got two on in the seventh, it wasn’t enough as they fell, 7-3.
The series continues on Friday at 6:05 p.m., when Rochester expects to send out righty Andry Lara (1-2, 3.52) against Worcester righty Isaac Coffey (0-1, 1.86). LeCroy says that despite the doubleheader on Thursday, the bullpen is in a good place thanks to Perales’ long outing, with several pitchers including Orlando Ribalta and Jackson Rutledge operating with good days of rest.
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