The Durham Bulls pull out a 3-1 victory to extend Rochester’s home winless streak to 8 games.
By CRAIG POTTER
Despite giving the Durham Bulls 17 baserunners, the visitors from North Carolina were able to score just 3 runs, but it was enough for a 3-1 victory over the Rochester Red Wings before the largest crowd at Frontier Field this season: 10,793.
“I felt like it might be one of those games where it slips on them where you have a lot of baserunners and don’t score,” said Red Wings manager Joel Skinner. “Sometimes that’s a bad feeling in the dugout. But we weren’t able to score, and when you don’t score it’s frustrating.
“We did a good job of damage control, but it’s tough to win when you score one run.”
The loss was the Red Wings 6th straight overall, and 8th consecutive at home.
The Bulls broke on top in the first inning as Kean Wong ripped the first pitch was Rochester starter DJ Baxendale for a double. He advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on Brandon Snyder’s RBI single.
The Wings tied the game in the second as Cameron Rupp laced a 2-out single and took second on a wild pitch. He came home when Willians Astudillo singled. His hit ended an 0-for-29 streak with runners in scoring position for Rochester.
Durham broke the tie in the 6th with a run off Trevor May.
Centerfielder Zack Granite made several outstanding catches, the best being in the sixth inning in the twilight with the bases loaded and one run in. Brandon Lowe drove the ball to deep right-center. Rookie right fielder Lamonte Wade, who was making his IL debut after being called up earlier in the day, lost sight of it.
Granite, however, picked it up off the bat and raced full speed as he ran it down on the warning track just before the wall for the final out.
“It’s very difficult to see in the twilight for about 15 minutes in the summer time,” Skinner said. “That was a heck of a play. Wade didn’t have any idea where it was. He’s (Granite) probably the only one who could catch that ball. He got a good break on it and I imagine his line to the ball was fairly correct.”
The Bulls tacked on an insurance marker in the 8th off John Curtiss.
The Red Wings are the International League-best (18-9) away from home this season. Rochester has a league-low 10 wins at Frontier Field for the league’s worst home winning percentage (.300, 10-20).
“I kind of chalk that up to baseball,” Skinner said. “If you check the record, they say things kind of even out, and right now our record both home and away is opposites. We need to turn that around here at home.”
*NOTES — In roster moves, OF Jake Cave recalled by the Minnesota Twins; and OF LaMonte Wade was transferred from Double-A Chattanooga to the Red Wings…Rochester is 0-for-its-last 29 with runners in scoring position, including 0-for-26 vs. Indianapolis, and 6-for-the-last-48 with RISP in the last 8 games…The Red Wings are the International League-best (18-9) away from home this season. Rochester has a league-low 10 wins at Frontier Field for the league’s worst home winning percentage (.300, 10-20). The Wings has lost 8 straight home games since dropping 8 in a row from June 22-July 10, 2010. Rochester has scored 2 or fewer runs in 10 straight home games, 3 or fewer in 14 of the last 15 home contests, and scored 4 or more runs at home in just 7 of 30 games this season…The series, and homestand, conclude with a game Sunday afternoon at 1:05 pm.