Rochester keeps pace with division co-leaders.
By Nick Grasso / Rochester Red Wings
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — The Rochester Red Wings cruised to a 5-2 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers in the first matchup between the teams since 1990, when Silver Stadium stood down the street from where Frontier Field now stands.
With the victory, Rochester (45-40) kept pace with IL East Division co-leaders Durham and Jacksonville (46-39) as Lehigh Valley dropped into a tie with the Wings and Worcester, one game behind.
RHP Cade Cavalli delivered a strong performance, giving up just two hits and one unearned run through 3 2/3 innings of work. After logging seven strikeouts in seven innings in his last outing at Lehigh Valley on July 6, Cavalli registered six strikeouts in under four innings in Tuesday’s win.
The Wings jumped to an early 4-0 lead thanks to a four run second inning. In his first game with the Red Wings after being assigned to Rochester from Harrisburg, 3B Jake Alu got the scoring started with an RBI single that plated RF Nick Banks. CF Andrew Stevenson then crushed his seventh home run of the year to Rochester’s bullpen, scoring Alu and DH Donovan Casey. His last homer came on June 23 against Syracuse, but Stevenson still ranks fourth in the International League in hits with 90 on the year.
RHP Curtis Taylor saw the mound for 1 2/3 innings and gave up just one hit before being relieved by LHP Francisco Perez.
The Storm Chasers scored on a Dairon Blanco groundout that brought home Ivan Castillo in the fourth. They brought the score to 4-2 when Castillo hit a sac fly off Perez to bring in Drew Waters in the sixth.
Rochester pushed the lead to 5-2 when Omaha’s Sam Freeman walked Nick Banks with the bases loaded, as SS Ildemaro Vargas made his way home and gave the Wings a three-run lead in the seventh.
LHP Alberto Baldonado logged three strikeouts in the eighth before RHP Tyler Clippard closed it out in the ninth. Clippard allowed two batters to reach base, but subsequently struck out three straight batters to seal the win.
The victory marks just the fifth time all season that Rochester has logged a win in a series opener, with the last coming on May 24 at Syracuse.
The Wings will look to go up 2-0 against Omaha on Wednesday evening at 7:05 p.m. at Frontier Field.