Brent Rooker homers for a fourth straight day in Game 2 for Rochester.
By Rochester Red Wings
TOLEDO, OHIO — The Rochester Red Wings split a doubleheader with the Toledo Mud Hens Friday night at Fifth Third Field here. The games could not have been any different. The Mud Hens took the opener 1-0, while the Wings battled back for a 9-8 win in a slugfest in the nightcap.
It was a tough-luck loss in the opener for the Wings. With the game scoreless in the sixth inning, Willi Castro lifted a routine fly ball to right field. But, Wings outfielder Jaylin Davis lost the ball in the sun and Castro scampered all the way to third for a triple. Victor Reyes followed with a bloop single behind the drawn in infield to plate the lone run of the game.
Rochester (34-37) – playing as the home team in the nightcap – then quickly fell behind 4-0 in the top of the first inning in Game Two. But, the Wings answered with two runs in the bottom of the inning and three more in the third to take a 5-4 lead.
After a Mud Hens rally staked them to a 7-5 lead in the fifth, Rochester responded with a four-run fifth inning highlighted by a Brent Rooker two- run homer. The home run was Rooker’s tied for team-leading 11th of the season and his fourth of the road trip.
Ryan Eades would lock down the win pitching two scoreless innings to earn the save.
Davis had a pair of go-ahead RBI singles – his first two RBI as a Red Wing since his promotion earlier in the week.
Both of Rochester’s starters Friday were making their Red Wings debuts.
Drew Hutchison took the ball in the opener after signing with the Twins earlier in the week and tossed five scoreless innings allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out six. Meanwhile Andro Cutura, just promoted from Double-A Pensacola, surrendered a four-spot in his first Triple-A inning but wouldn’t allow any more damage over four innings.
The Wings went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in Game One, before going 5-for-10 in the nightcap.
Game three of the four game series is Saturday night from Toledo. Lefty Devin Smeltzer makes the start for the Wings still looking for his first win with Rochester despite a 2.55 ERA in six starts.
*NOTES — The Minnesota Twins have announced the following roster moves: ADD: RHP Drew Hutchison signed a minor league contract and assigned to Rochester, and RHP Andro Cutura was transferred from Double-A Pensacola; CHANGE: RHP Fernando Romero placed on the Injured List with a lower back strain, retroactive to June 20; and DELETE: RHP Kohl Stewart was recalled by Minnesota (on June 20).