Wilin Rosario and Alejandro De Aza each homer and combine for 5 RBI.
By Nick Sciarratta and Chad Raychel / Rochester Red Wings
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Wilin Rosario and Alejandro De Aza each homered and combined for five RBI to pace the Red Wings to a 6-1 win over the first place Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Wednesday night at Frontier Field. A packed house of 12,248 fans turned out for “The Office” Night with actor Leslie David Baker – “Stanley” from the hit TV series.
Rochester got off to a quick start against Scranton/WB starter Deivi Garcia. Nick Gordon led the bottom of the first off with a double to left field, followed by a walk to Drew Maggi, extending his on-base streak to 33 games. Two batters later, Rosario tagged a double into the right field corner bringing in both Gordon and Maggi. After a strikeout, De Aza extended the lead even more by crushing his second home run with the Wings this season, making the score 4-0.
Red Wings’ starter Adam Bray was able to settle into the game quickly and threw two scoreless innings while recording one strikeout.
Rosario continued to have a great night at the plate in the bottom of the third and extended his hit streak to eight games with a lined shot over the fence in left-center. His 15th home run of the season gave Rochester a 5-0 lead.
The RailRiders were able to push a run across against Bray in the top of the fourth. Thairo Estrada led off the inning by reaching third on an error by De Aza in right. He scored in the next at bat on a wild pitch cutting Rochester’s lead to 5-1.
Rochester’s hot bats brought another run home in the bottom of the fourth. Caleb Hamilton crushed a hard single through the left side, followed by a single from Gordon. After Maggi grounded into a fielder’s choice, allowing Hamilton to advance to third, Jake Cave hit a single of his own, plating Hamilton and extending the Wings’ lead to 6-1.
Bray finished his outing throwing 4.0 innings, while allowing two hits, one unearned run, one walk, and striking out three. He threw 56 pitches, 34 for strikes. Ryan Eades came on in relief in the top of the fifth and threw a scoreless inning with one strikeout.
Garcia’s night ended after he pitched 5.0 innings, allowing eight hits, six earned runs, two walks, with four strikeouts. 53 of his 87 pitches were for strikes.
Preston Guilmet came on to pitch in the top of the sixth and recorded two hitless innings with two strikeouts. Zack Littell entered the game in the top of the eighth and pitched the last two innings to close out the game. The Red Wings bullpen threw a combined 5.0 innings with four strikeouts.
*NOTES — The Minnesota Twins have announced the following roster moves: CHANGE: RHP Ryan Eades was reinstated from the Injured List, and RHP DJ Baxendale was placed on the Injured List with a right groin strain; DELETE: RHP Cody Allen was released…Red Wings OF Jaylin Davis was traded to San Francisco on Wednesday by Minnesota in exchange for reliever Sam Dyson.