BY DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Rochester Red Wings and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders had the second game of their six-game series delayed for awhile on Wednesday. When the 6:05 p.m. first pitch time rolled around, the tarp was on the field as rain moved through the area. And the rain kept coming and coming.
Eventually, though, the rain stopped long enough to begin at 9 p.m., a shortened 7-inning contest because of the long delay.
The result? A 4-1 loss that dropped the Red Wings to 38-27 on the second half (83-55 overall), percentage points behind Scranton (37-26 in second half, 74-63 overall) in the second half playoff race.
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The loss saw the Red Wings fall behind early and then find themselves stifled by Scranton’s Brandon Beck, a candidate for the league’s best pitcher. The 27-year-old righty entered the game with a 9-2 record and a 2.86 ERA, and then proceeded to improve on it by holding the Red Wings to three hits and a walk over 5.1 innings, striking out six in the process. Only once – when Seaver King doubled to lead off the first – did the Red Wings get a runner safely into scoring position against the Californian. Other opportunities came up short, including a single by Max Romero Jr. in the bottom of the fifth that was snuffed out when Leandro Pineda was thrown out trying to go to third instead of safely staying at second.
“You’ve got to tip your cap, Beck’s had our number all year long,” said Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy.
Although Rochester had more luck once Beck left the game in the sixth – getting two men on with two outs in the sixth and scoring one on a Sam Petersen double in the seventh during a rally that got the tying run to the plate – it wasn’t enough.
Scranton had earlier gained the lead against Rochester starter Jack Cebert, withMax Schuemann homering with one out of the top of the first inning after catching a sinker in the zone and blasting it over the center field fence to make it 1-0. Scranton increased the lead to 2-0 in the second when center fielder Duke Ellis ran out an infield single before stealing second, allowing him to score on a two-out single by Jarred Kelenic.
After Cebert left the game after three innings, the Red Wings bullpen did well, with rehab appearances by Josiah Gray and Richard Lovelady both going perfectly before Erick Mejia made his first appearance off the injured list and allowed one hit in a scoreless sixth. However, the bullpen’s scoreless night ended in the top of the seventh, when a two-run home run from Ellis in the top of the seventh added insurance for the Yankees’ affiliate, 4-0, and put into what LeCroy called a “bigger hole” that the Wings couldn’t dig out of.
The two teams resume their series on Thursday at 6:05 p.m., with Rochester expected to send out young righty Isaac Lyon (1-0, 2.08) against Scranton’s right-hander Elmer Rodriguez, who was recently sent down from the Yankees.
“Hopefully we’ll get good pitching and take advantage of some opportunities to score more [tomorrow],” says LeCroy.
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