By CRAIG POTTER
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre holds on for a 4-3 victory versus Rochester.
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – In a game with several goofy plays, the Rochester Red Wings dropped a 4-3 decision to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Monday night before a paid crowd of 8,434 fans at Frontier Field.
The loss, combined with Lehigh Valley’s 4-3 victory over the Syracuse Chiefs, cut the Red Wings lead over the IronPigs to 2 games in the chase for the International League’s wild card spot. Both teams have 14 games remaining. LV won the season series, 13-9, so the IronPigs control the tie-breaker.
The Red Wings are in control of their own destiny, at this point.
“Exactly,” said infielder Tommy Field. “We don’t play them either so we need to keep winning against teams in our division.”
The Red Wings were coming off a successful road trip that saw them go from a game behind Lehigh Valley to a 3-game leading entering Monday’s contest.
“Ultimately, giving up four runs to (SWB) we have a chance to win,” said Red Wings manager Mike Quade.
The RailRiders scored a run in the first off Rochester starter David Hurlbut, but the visitors from Pennsylvania left the bases loaded.
The Wings knotted the count on ByungHo Park’s solo homer over the left field fence to lead off the second inning.
Rochester missed a chance to possibly get more runs when Field came too far down the line at third, on Leonardo Reginatto’s grounder to first, and got caught in a rundown with none out. Reginatto ended up at second but was left stranded there.
The RailRiders regained the lead for good with a run in the third as Hurlbut worked out of further damage with runners and second and third and only one out. A ground out to first baseman Park, a Culver walk loaded the bases, but a fielder’s choice then ended the threat.
Hurlbut also worked out of difficulty in the fourth, especially when Greg Bird, rehabbing with SWB from the New York Yankees, drove the ball to center field where it hit off the top of the wall and came back into the field of play. After a discussion among the umpires, the play remained as a double, with a runner on third as well. An intentional walk led to a double play ball as Hurlbut once again escaped unscathed.
“Hurlbut somehow got through five despite not having his great stuff,” said Quade. “They left on 12 base runners through five innings.
SWB tacked on 2 runs in the sixth off reliever Yohan Pino. With runners on first and second, Mason Williams loft a fly ball to short left-center. Daniel Palka made a long run and snared the sinking liner at ankle level for the third out. However, the umpires were a bit confused on home plate ump Jasen Viconti signaled that the runner from third scored, thinking the ball was not caught.
All the players, from both teams, started walking off the field as Williams did not run out the play and was heading back to the dugout. Not taking the chance that the ball was not caught, second baseman Field returned to first to take the throw for the potential out. The umps met once again and made the ‘out’ call on the catch by Palka.
The left fielder thought he hit a homer over the right field foul pole in third inning, but the ball was above the foul pole and ruled ‘foul ball.’
“From my angel, I didn’t think so,” Quade said. “I didn’t see the ball cross in front of the foul pole.”
The series resumes Tuesday night at 7:05.
*NOTES – On Monday the Red Wings added RHP Yohan Pino from Double A Chattanooga…1B Kennys Vargas and RHP Tim Melville were called up to Minnesota…Irondequoit native Cito Culver went 1-for-3 with 2 walks in the game for SWB.
Links
Rochester Red Wings – www.redwingsbaseball.com
Videos
Tommy Field Interview – https://youtu.be/_98ElKxH8Tc
Mike Quade interview – https://youtu.be/kAlEbTp3FXA