The Rochester Red Wings withstood another late rally by the Toledo Mud Hens and held on for a 9-7 victory on Sunday afternoon before 7,920 fans at Frontier Field.
The Red Wings got on the scoreboard first with a run in the second. Eddie Rosario led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by Wilfredo Tovar. Tommy Field scored Rosario with a single.
Rochester put together a 3-run rally in the 5th. Adam Brett Walker started the uprising with a double to left. Carlos Paulino then singled to put runners on first and third. James Beresford singled home Walker with a hit to right. After a sacrifice bunt by Logan Schafer, walks to Jorge Polanco and Kennys Vargas forced in Paulino. Beresford crossed the plate on a slow roller down the first base line by Rosario.
Starting pitcher Logan Darnell worked out of a jam in the 5th when the Mud Hens had runners on second and third with none out. Darnell got Casey McGehee to hit a grounder to first baseman Beresford, who threw home to catcher Paulino for the tag out. Tyler Collins then hit a grounder to Beresford who threw to shortstop Tovar for the force at second, then took the return throw to complete the double play and end the inning.
The Wings tallied 3 runs in the 7th and added 2 runs in the th, which proved to be critical. Rosario doubled home 2 runs in the 7th as with Tovar’s sacrifice fly scoring Rosario.
In the 8th, a walk to Walker, a RBI double by Beresford proved to be the game-winning run, then Schafer singled home Beresford for a 9-2 lead entering the 9th.
David Martinez relieved Darnell to start the 9th. He was tagged for 5 hits and 5 runs. Third baseman Tommy Field had to fight the strong wind as a popup started out of bounds, then was blown into play where Field made a diving catch for the first out of the inning.
Nick Greenwood made his Red Wings debut and recorded the final out, on a comebacker to the mound, with the tying runs on base.
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From buffalobills.com, free agent signee Jim Dray is adjusting to his third NFL club in Buffalo. But his prior working relationship with offensive coordinator Greg Roman is making for a short learning curve in the Bills offense.
Although Jim Dray has been in the league for seven years, he is not a household name. Buffalo fans should keep their eyes peeled for what he’ll bring to the table this season.
Dray has played tight end for more than one team in the NFL. He is a free agent signee this offseason. Dray is seen as the primary blocking TE for the Bills, a role left vacant after the release of Matthew Mulligan last season.
“I enjoy blocking. Maybe it was ingrained in me (during college), but I’d much rather have a really good block than anything else,” said Dray.
Dray believes that Buffalo will become a place for him to call home. He’s using those blocking skills in addition to his years of experience to help secure a spot on the roster this season. Dray’s presence on the roster figures to enhance the running and passing game for the Bills offense.
Dray played at Stanford from 2005-2009 where he started 39 career games, bringing in 41 receptions for 455 yards and three touchdowns. After suffering a knee injury six games into his 2007 season, he had to undergo major knee surgery after suffering damage to his ACL, PCL, LCL, hamstring, lateral band, posterior capsule and poptillas.
“When they started listing the things that I had tore and needed replaced in my knee, it was a little jolting,” Dray said.
Although Dray’s injury could have easily ended his football career, he was able to make a remarkable turnaround during his senior year.
“The doctors and rehab specialists at Stanford are state of the art and second to none in the world,” he said. “They had a good plan. I followed what they said, and it worked out pretty good.”
During Dray’s senior season at Stanford in 2009, his TE coach was Buffalo’s current offensive coordinator Greg Roman. So the two are already familiar with one another.
“Coach Roman had a pretty similar blocking system when I was (at Stanford),” Dray said. “It’s kind of like riding a bike. Once you see it one time, you pick it back up and remember what you did.”
Due to their previous working relationship, Dray has a good feel for Roman’s blocking schemes. Dray has a positive outlook on Buffalo’s offense after what he observed on the field last season.
“It’s a mentality. A lot of coaches talk about the run game, but he doesn’t just talk about it,” Dray said. “We actually are, at least we were last year, one of the best run teams in the league if not the best. He actually puts those words into action.”
Bills head coach Rex Ryan sees the relationship between Roman and Dray as an offensive asset.
“(Dray) is a good blocker,” Ryan said. “I know he has experience with Greg in this system from college, so I think that’s a good thing.”
Dray was a seventh round pick in the 2010 NFL draft for the Arizona Cardinals. During his final season with the Cardinals, he started 15 games and caught 26 passes.
In 2014, the Cleveland Browns signed Dray as an unrestricted free agent, where he served mainly as a blocking TE. He has 56 career receptions in 87 games, and three touchdowns.
Dray signed with the Bills back in March, making Buffalo the third NFL club of his career.
After growing up on the East Coast in New Jersey, Dray seems excited about his recent move, despite the notoriously harsh Buffalo weather.
“(Buffalo) is great. My parents actually lived here when they were much younger,” Dray said. “Being in Cleveland, I’m used to being on the lake. I love it here.”
After coming off of a two-year career with the Browns, Dray is currently working on proving himself to a new team and new fans all over again.
“It’s easy to prove yourself. Just do your job, execute,” Dray said. “The coaches will trust you and put you in there, and you make the most of your opportunities.”
As a veteran NFL player, Dray has a plethora of experience under his belt that is expected to help the Bills this upcoming season.
“I’ve had about five coordinators, so I’ve been through a lot of systems,” Dray said. “I’ve played in a lot of different divisions with a lot of different players, so hopefully I can continue to execute and help the team.”