By CRAIG POTTER
Rochester drops a 1-0 pitcher’s duel to go 0-4 vs. the IronPigs this season.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings held the Lehigh Valley IronPigs to one run on Monday night before 3,801 fans at Frontier Field, but the Wings were unable to score against the team with the best record (24-13) thus far in the International League as they saw their 3-game winning streak come to an end with the 1-0 defeat.
The IronPigs swept the Wings, 3-0, last week in Allentown, PA.
“That’s a good team and they’ve got a lot of weapons,” said Red Wings manager Mike Quade. “We’re going to have to up our game, offensively for sure, to stay with them.”
Rochester hurler Kyle Gibson tied his career-high with 10 strikeouts, but a pitch he got up in the strike zone to J.P. Crawford in the fourth inning ended up over the fence in right field for the lone run of the game.
“It was a pitch I left up there with a 1-1 count and they’re pretty aggressive,” Gibson said. “It’s unfortunate that one swing of the bat.”
“Solo home runs are okay,” said Quade. “We’ve got to score, we know that. We’ve been in a team-wide funk for a while now…Things can turn in a hurry so we’ll keep working so we can turn things around offensively tomorrow.”
Gibson got himself in trouble in the fifth on two hits and a walk to load the bases with one out, but he was able to bear down and retired the next two batters on strikeouts to end the threat.
“That’s kind of been my trouble this year with the Twins, getting in those situations and not being able to get out,” Gibson said. “Getting a couple of strikeouts and locate pitches was good to have…It was a good feeling to be out there and execute the pitches that I needed to in this situation.”
Gibson pitched 6.1 innings as he scattered five hits while walking three batters, in addition to the 10Ks.
Relief pitcher Kevin Chapman, who made his Red Wings debut after being acquired, with cash, from Atlanta for Minnesota’s Danny Santana, hurled 1.2 innings of no-hit ball with 3 strikeouts.
The Wings best opportunity to score came in the seventh inning when Tommy Field led off with a double down the left field line. He advanced to third on a wild pitch but was left stranded as Lehigh Valley hurler Aaron Nola, who is down on a rehab assignment from the Philadelphia Phillies, retired power hitters Matt Hague and Daniel Palka on strikeouts, sandwiched around a pop out by ByungHo Park.
“It’s always magnified when you get an opportunity like that when you’re not producing,” Quade said. “When you’re scoring four, five, six runs a game and things are clicking, those things kind of happen and you do even think twice. But now it’s magnified.”
Zack Granite recorded the other hit for Rochester, a single in the third, but he was picked off first by Nola for the final out of the frame.
*NOTES – In roster moves, add: INF Engelb Vielma, who transferred from Double-A Chattanooga and made his Triple-A debut; RHP Michael Tonkin, who was outrighted to Rochester by the Minnesota Twins; RHP Nick Tepesch, who was optioned to Rochester; change – LHP Adalberto Mejia, who was placed on the temporary inactive list (dated 5/13); remove: INF Ben Paulsen, who was released; and OF Ryan Strausborger, who was reinstated from the disabled list and transferred to Double-A Chattanooga…RHP Jose Berrios was recalled on Saturday by Minnesota in time to make his MLB season debut against Cleveland…The teams resume the 4-game series with a 7:05 pm start Tuesday.
Links
Rochester Red Wings – redwingsbaseball.com
Videos
Kyle Gibson interview – https://youtu.be/zt6tE71_7vM
Mike Quade interview – https://youtu.be/RnIpG1wewNA