The Rochester Red Wings downed the Buffalo Bisons, 3-1, on Wednesday night at Coke Cola Field.
Tommy Milone started on the mound for the Red Wings as he went 7 innings, giving up 8 hits, walking 2, and striking out 6 in gaining the win (4-0).
The Bisons grabbed a 1-0 lead with a run in the fourth.
Rochester forged ahead with a pair of runs in the fifth. Catcher John Ryan Murphy doubled home Buck Britton, who had singled, and Wilfredo Tovar lofted a sacrifice fly to plate Stephen Wickens with their second run.
The Red Wings tacked on a run in the 9th when Murphy drove in Britton once again after he had walked and took second on a groundout.
T.J. Chargois pitched the final 1.1 innings to earn his fourth save.
Rochester (35-25) increased its lead in the International League North Division to 2 games over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (33-27). The Wings also own the best record in the IL by a half game over the Columbus Clippers (34-25).
The Bisons dropped to 31-28 and trail the Wings by 3.5 games. All 6 teams in the North Division are .500+
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The Rochester Red Wings will be wearing special purple jerseys and stirrup socks when they take on the Toledo Mud Hens at Frontier Field Friday, June 10 at 7:05 p.m. These special jerseys will be auctioned off along with many other autographed items from the Red Wings and Minnesota Twins, with all the proceeds benefitting the Alzheimer’s Association, Rochester & Finger Lakes Region, and Alzheimer’s research.
This is the second straight season that Red Wings pitcher Logan Darnell has purchased the jerseys that will be auctioned. Darnell put his own touch on the jerseys this season, essentially designing uniforms himself with the help of a few teammates.
While these fundraising promotions are commonplace for the Red Wings, this particular one is not. Usually, a corporation or organization sponsors and pays for the special jerseys, but Darnell is making the event possible on his own. The 27-year-old left-handed pitcher sees the upsetting effects of the disease in his mother, who was diagnosed in 2012, and decided to use his platform as a professional athlete to help raise money for research and awareness of the disease.
Not only is this unique for the Red Wings, but also for the Alzheimer’s Association. “Nothing has ever come our way like this,” said Teresa Galbier, president of the Alzheimer’s Association, at a press conference to announce last year’s event.
In addition to the jersey auction, these items will also be available in the silent auction:
Signed baseballs: Joe Mauer, Trevor Plouffe, Ervin Santana, Eddie Guardado, Danny Santana, Brian Dozier, Byron Buxton, Bert Blyleven, Bobby Grich, Denny McClain, Ken Griffey, Sr., Dave Conception, David Justice, Ellis Burks, Lee Smith, Darryl Strawberry, 2016 Minnesota Twins team ball and a 2015 Minnesota Twins team ball.
Signed bats: Rod Carew, Trevor Plouffe and Byung-Ho Park.
Signed photos: LeSean McCoy, Lawrence Moten and a 1980 Men’s Olympic ice hockey team poster (Mike Ramsey, John Harrington and Ken Morrow).
A pennant from the 1965 American League Champion Minnesota Twins will also be up for auction.
Fans must be in attendance to bid on the items. Donations to the Alzheimer’s Association, Rochester & Finger Lakes Region can be made at alz.org/rochesterny.
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The Buffalo Bills are in their final week of OTA sessions. Here’s the latest from the field on Wednesday, as provided by Bills Insider Chris Brown:
The first full week in June marked the last week of OTA practices for the Bills. Here were the more notable items to come out of Wednesday’s open session.
McCoy sits out team work
Bills feature back LeSean McCoy participated in individual position drill work on Wednesday, but did not do any team work whether it was 11-on-11 or 7-on-7. Head coach Rex Ryan explained why.
“He just had a tight hamstring,” said Ryan. “We’re just trying to be smart with him. He did a little work, but we kept him out of the team drills.”
Ryan said he believes the tightness in the hamstring surfaced just this week. No word on whether it’s the same hamstring that ailed him for the first half of last season.
Rookie back gets ton of reps
With McCoy sidelined for team drills, rookie Jonathan Williamsgot almost all the work. That was because Karlos Williams, Mike Gillislee and James Wilder Jr. were all absent from Wednesday’s practice session. Williams appeared to execute all of his assignments effectively.
Helping Williams is the fact that his offensive system at Arkansas wasn’t far removed from Buffalo’s scheme.
“We ran a pro-style offense at Arkansas so a lot of it is real similar,” Williams told Buffalobills.com. “Just different names. Concepts are the same, so it should help shorten up that learning curve.”
Henderson back with the team
Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson returned to the team this week, but is still not on the field participating. He’s getting back into game shape following a surgical procedure to take care of the medical condition that kept him from playing in the team’s final five games last season.
“It’s great having him back here being around the last couple of days,” said head coach Rex Ryan. “He’s following the protocol. I think he was riding the bike today. It’s really good to have him back in our building.”
Currently weighing in at 306 pounds the goal is to get Henderson between 325 and 330 pounds by the time the season starts. He had his first workout Wednesday since returning to the team. Ryan however, says a timetable for his return to the practice field is premature at this point.
“It’s way, way too early right now to put a timetable on him,” he said.
All indications are that Henderson can move forward with his normal preparations for a regular season knowing full well that he has some ground to make up. He will have check-ups with his doctors to see how everything is doing as a result of the surgery.
Annen and Lewis flash
Keeping in mind that it’s still far from real football, very often the only players that get to shine in the OTA setting are receivers, tight ends and defensive backs. That proved to be the case on Wednesday.
TE Blake Annen looked elusive on pass routes and made a handful of plays during team work including a long touchdown on a busted coverage. Annen (6-4, 247) was signed to the practice squad late last year and was re-signed as a reserve future free agent in January. It’s clear that Annen feels a lot more comfortable in the offense.
“Now kind of going through everything from day one and getting all the installs and going through it in team has helped a lot so everyone is on the same page,” he said. “You get all of those small details.”
Annen’s athleticism is readily apparent on the field as he’s very fluid in his movement running routes. He also has good speed as linebackers have had trouble matching up with him.
“I’ve always been able to run. I ran track in high school, the 400, 200 and 100,” Annen said. “I just did it to stay in shape going into college. I went to state regionals for the 100 and ran a 10.9, somewhere around there. That was the best time and I was happy with it.”
Considering teammate Kolby Listenbee is a world class sprinter and ran a 10.03 in the 100, Annen’s time is pretty darn good, and he could push incumbents like Chris Graggand Nick O’Leary for a role on the roster.
Also flashing on Wednesday was former seventh-round pick (2015) Dezmin Lewis. The second-year receiver has put together a solid set of OTA practices. He has added good lean muscle mass to his frame and is making plays on a daily basis.
He accounted for a pair of touchdown catches during red zone work Wednesday.
Gilmore expected for mandatory minicamp
Bills CB Stephon Gilmore has skipped the voluntary OTA practices this spring with his teammates, choosing instead to work on his own. With mandatory minicamp coming up next week however, all signs point to him being on hand for those practice sessions.
“Yeah I would expect him to be here,” said Ryan. “I’ve had some conversations with him and things, but I would expect him here.”
Fellow cornerback Ronald Darby confirmed Ryan’s expectation.
“Yes, I talk to him weekly,” said Darby of Gilmore. “He should be back for minicamp.”
Ryan confirms QB pecking order
It’s of no surprise to anyone that Tyrod Taylor is the unquestioned starting quarterback for the Bills. EJ Manuel has long been presumed as the backup knowing how much fourth-round pick Cardale Jones has to learn about the pro game. Buffalo’s head coach confirmed the quarterback depth chart Wednesday.
“Unlike last year we’re set with a pecking order,” Ryan said. “Tyrod is the number one guy, EJ is two and Cardale is three. We know that going in.”
Ryan also reaffirmed his belief in Manuel as their backup QB.
“Yeah. I think absolutely,” said Ryan of being confident in Manuel as his number two quarterback. “As I mentioned he’ll be our backup quarterback and the young man we drafted from Ohio State I think he has a chance too. So we’ll see how he does. That’s how we brought it in.”
Jones gets taste of WNY winds
The conditions were blustery on the practice field Wednesday at One Bills Drive and rookie QB Cardale Jones got a wake-up call to the conditions during team drills. With the offensive unit going into the wind, Jones had a few passes that didn’t cut through the wind as well as he hoped despite his supreme arm strength.
“It came out of nowhere. I threw a deep ball and it came down like 10 yards short because the wind just hit it out of nowhere,” said Jones. “But I understand where we are and I understand the conditions. I’ll just have to drive off my back leg a little harder on certain passes to get it there.”
Jones, a Cleveland native, knows all too well about how the wind can blow off of Lake Erie, and has the arm strength to work through it. On the whole Ryan felt his quarterbacks handled the conditions well when it came to delivering passes.
“I thought it was a great opportunity for us to practice in the kind of conditions that you get during the season with quite a bit of wind and all that,” he said. “I was impressed with all three quarterbacks due to the fact that our guys can spin it well enough to cut right through the wind. I thought that was impressive. I’ve been with some teams where our quarterback couldn’t throw the ball outside of the number, so this was a good deal for me.”
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The Rochester Americans announced today that the team is now offering “Dads & Grads” Gift Packages in honor of Father’s Day and graduation season.
The Dads & Grads Pack includes two ticket vouchers good for any 2016-17 regular season Amerks home game (based upon availability), a New Era Amerks adjustable hat and an Amerks Coffee Mug, all for just $39.99.
Dads & Grads Packs can be ordered online at www.amerks.com/dadsandgrads, by calling 1-855-GO-AMERKS, or through the Amerks Front Office or Team Store presented by ADPRO Sports located at The Blue Cross Arena. The Gift Packs can be picked up at the Amerks Front Office (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays) or the Amerks Team Store (open 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Thursday).
Dads & Grads Packs will be available for purchase through Friday, June 24.
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The Rochester Knighthawks are partnering with the US Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter to support the annual Herb Fitch Senior All-Star games. The boys’ and girls’ all-star games will be held on Friday, June 17, at Victor High School’s Corbit Field.
“US Lacrosse Greater Rochester is very pleased to have the Rochester Knighthawks’ continued support in hosting the ninth annual Herb Fitch Senior All-Star games,” said US Lacrosse Greater Rochester Chapter President Alan M. McLiverty. “From helping the chapter with advertising and program generation, to providing manpower for the event, we truly value our long-time partnership with the Knighthawks staff.”
The games will feature some of the top male and female high school athletes in the area, with many committed to play Division I lacrosse. The girls will face off at 5 p.m., while the boys’ contest will get underway at 7 p.m.
Youth lacrosse players (12 and under) will receive free admission to the event. High school and college students are just $2 and adults are just $5. Fans can get autographs from their favorite high school players, and enjoy dinner and ice cream from local food trucks.
The Knighthawks staff will be in attendance, so make sure to stop by the team’s booth to purchase season tickets for 2017. Fans can also enter to win prizes and check out some of the latest Under Armour® lacrosse gear.
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High school boys lacrosse State semifinals scores from Cicero-North Syracuse High School on Wednesday.
Class A
Victor 15, Corning (4) 4
Class B
Jamesville-Dewitt (3) 13, Webster Thomas 9
Class C
Penn Yan 11, Cazenovia (3) 10 (OT)