Wilfredo Tovar paces Rochester’s 19-hit attack by going 4-for-4.
The Rochester Red Wings opened a 3-game series against the Buffalo Bisons on Monday night at Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo with a 10-4 victory.
The Red Wings broke on top with 3 runs in the first inning on RBI hits by Reynaldo Rodriguez and Mitch Garver sandwiched around a sacrifice fly from Daniel Palka.
In the third inning, Adam Brett Walker doubled the lead with his 24th homer, a 3-run blast that scored Wilfredo Tovar, who singled, and Rodriguez, who doubled.
Palka continued with a hot night as he doubled and scored on John Ryan Murphy’s single in the fifth, then blasted his 9th homer of the season, a solo shot in the 7th to give the Wings a 9-1 advantage.
Adalberto Mejia started on the mound for Rochester and went 6.1 innings, giving up 8 hits and 3 runs as the Bisons scored twice in the bottom of the 7th.
D.J. Baxendale came on in relief for Rochester.
The Wings rapped out 19 hits as Tovar led the way going 4-for-4. Each starter had at least one hit in the outburst.
Rochester (68-55) picked up a game on Lehigh Valley (72-50) and now trailed the IronPigs by 4.5 games for the International League Wild Card berth.
*NOTES — In roster moves on Monday, INF Byungho Park was placed on disabled list with right wrist tendinitis (retro to 8/14), and INF Heiker Meneses was transferred from Double-A Chattanooga.