Rochester is unable to take advantage of the scoring opportunties it had.
By CRAIG POTTER
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Though the Rochester Red Wings outhit the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, 9-3. Friday night before 7,821 fans at Frontier Field, the visitors and North Division leaders from Allentown, PA., pulled out a 2-1 victory in 10 innings.
The game began on the rough side for Red Wings starter Stephen Gonsalves as he walked the first 2 batters he faced on 8 pitches. With two outs, a third walk loaded the bases but Gonsalves got Danny Ortiz to pop out to first baseman Kennys Vargas to escape unscathed.
A walk, sandwiched around 2 singles, loaded the bases once again in the second for the IronPigs. Mitch Walding delivered a RBI hit to center, but Byron Buxton’s throw to home plate was in time for catcher Cameron Rupp to tag out Adron Chambers and hold the visitors to just the one run.
“The big play of the game was Buxton’s throw,” said Wings manager Joel Skinner. “It got us back in the dugout.”
The Red Wings finally managed the tying run in the fourth when Chris Carter doubled and scored on Gregorio Petit’s single.
Gonsalves hurled 5 innings, giving up just 3 hits, walking 5 and striking out 5 batters. Rochester relievers Tyler Duffey, and Jake Reed retired 21 consecutive hitters until the 10th when a one-out wild pitch advanced baserunner Danny Espinosa, who started the frame on second base, to third. Rupp had trouble finding the ball, which was off to his right.
“As a catcher, from his standpoint, he wants to make every play,” said Skinner. “An 80-something mph slider in the dirt to his right, that’s why there’s a stat for wild pitches. If the play was easy, there wouldn’t be a stat for it.”
Chambers lofted a sacrifice fly to center to plate the go-ahead run.
In the home half, Skinner, who replaced Minnesota Twins rehab players Buxton and Jorge Polanco with Zack Granite and Leonardo Reginatto in the top of the inning, selected Granite to be the runner on second as Buxton’s leadoff spot made the last out in the ninth.
“I chose to run Granite because of his speed,” Skinner said.
The manager added, when asked, that rehab players are not expected to play beyond 9 innings. “It’s not a rule but just policy that most major league teams follow,” Skinner said.
Nick Gordon put down a sacrifice bunt that catcher Nick Rickles fielded in front of the plate and threw on to first baseman Joey Meneses. Granite, who saw an opportunity as Rickles was away from the plate, decided to try and score.
“I saw the catcher and pitcher kind of out of position and I just kept going,” said Granite. “Honestly, that’s the type of player I am. I’m going to do it again.”
Meneses saw what was happening and made a perfect throw to Rickles on the run back to the plate. He was able to apply the tag to complete the double play.
“I have to be smarter,” Granite said. “One out, on third base…I was out so it was wrong.”
However, Skinner did not criticize Granite for being aggressive. “It didn’t work out but you like to see your players play with no fear and take ownership of a situation.
“It was a very nice play on both sides.”
Reginatto then followed with a single to left, but Vargas flew out to right to end the game.
*NOTES — In a roster move Friday, Catcher Willians Astudillo had his contract selected by the Minnesota Twins. He will make his major league debut in his first game. Astudillo was named to the IL All-Star earlier this week, the lone Red Wing to earn the honor this season…Entering Friday’s game, Rochester is 26-for-the-last-172 (.151 average) with runners in scoring position and 32-for-191 (.168 average) with RISP in the last 27 games…Rochester has hit 46 homers this season, second-fewest in the IL ahead of Syracuse (38). The Red Wings hit 10 of those homers (21.7%) in one 5-game road trip at Durham and Norfolk from May 29-June 2.