The Norfolk Tides sweep the 5-game series with a 9-5 triumph after an experimental start.
By CRAIG POTTER
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — An experimental pitching start, and a train whistle. What can they possibly have in common at a Rochester Red Wings game?
The Red Wings took a page from the Tampa Bay Rays playbook and started a relief pitcher – Trevor May – against the Norfolk Tides for the first inning, then brought in starting pitcher Zack Littell in the second frame. We will get to the reasoning behind it in a moment.
Now, what about the train whistle? The Red Wings might want to get the name of the engineer who drove the West-bound freight train past Frontier Field at about 2:10 pm and send him a thank you note.
Nick Gordon had been hit by a pitch, to lead off the fourth inning. He was sizing up a steal attempt against Tide hurler Jimmy Yacabonis. Just as he decided to break for second, the engineer gave 3 blasts of the whistle. The Norfolk fielders could not hear one another. Gordon raced into second standing up as the Tides’ catcher never even attempted a throw.
“Actually, it just happened to be convenient,” Gordon said. “I was just trying to time my move and take off…the train whistle went off when I started. It was cool a moment.”
Gordon moved to third on a groundout, and scored the first run of the game when LaMonte Wade ripped a single.
However, the Tides foiled the experiment with 3 runs in the seventh off Littell en route to a 9-5 victory.
“It changes your routine a little bit,” said Littell of “starting in the second inning. “Obviously, you’re 30 minutes before the game and you’re on pace. With this you kinda have to wait and see how the first inning goes. If he (the starter) gets in trouble, you gotta to get in there.
“You still long toss and play catch before the game. You go in the bullpen and you just gotta stay warm.”
The reason behind starting a relief pitcher is that many teams now are having their 3 best hitters bat in the top 3 spots in the batting order. By having a reliever hurl the first inning, the “starting” pitcher then will face the first 3 batters in his third inning of work, assuming the side is retired in order, rather than having to face them to begin the game.
May has been accumstomed to pitching just one inning, as that was what he has done the last 3 of his 8 outings for Rochester this season. May missed all of the 2017 season following Tommy John surgery.
“It turns the lineup over a little bit,” said Red Wings manager Joel Skinner. “There are some numbers that go along with treating the first inning as if it’s a ‘high-leverage’ inning from the standpoint that the score is tied and they have their best hitters coming up. The way the lineups are starting to be composed with having your Mike Trouts of the world or your best hitter hitting second in the lineup.
“We attack him with a guy that matches up well. Here we’re doing it more on the logistics of it. Going through the process of being that relief pitcher coming in even though you have the most pitches that day starter wise.”
Tampa Bay was the first team to employ the strategy, which some success. It also has been said that in order for something to work at the major league, it needs to be used at the Triple-A level first so that players can get used to it.
“I think the logic surrounding it is sound,” May said of the strategy. “There is something called the third time through the order penalty. Facing the best hitters in their lineup three times can be avoided this way.
“Starting a game is just different experience whether it’s as a starter or reliever. There’s an adrenaline factor. The fact that there’s eight innings left at the end of the game. It’s not do or die time which is what I thrive on as a reliever. That’s something to work through.”
It is not a tactic that is used daily, but Red Wings fans may see Skinner utilize it from time to time during the remainder of the season.
“We’re not going to do it every day,” Skinner said. “Today was the first time we did it. If the numbers are trending that way at times maybe this is something that we want to at least be in front of the curve.”
*NOTES — The Red Wings concluded the homestand with a 1-7 record. After an off day Monday, the Wings hit the road for 3 games in Indianapolis and 3 games in Louisville before returning to Frontier Field on July 30 vs. Scraton/Wilkes-Barre. Rochester is tied with Durham for most road wins in the International League at 28…LaMonte Wade was ejected by home plate umpire Adam Beck in the bottom of the sixth inning following a strikeout…The Red Wings drew 30,296 fans at Frontier Field this weekend, highlighted by the RPO concert on Friday and First Responders Day on Sunday. The Red Wings last had at least 30,000 fans attend 3 consecutive games on July 21-23, 2017. That was also RPO and First Responders Day weekend.