GAME STORIES MAY 16-31, 2007
Thursday 5/31/07
BRAVES DEFEAT WINGS 5-2 The Richmond Braves scored twice in both the sixth and seventh innings, breaking a 1-1 tie to defeat the Red Wings 5-2 Wednesday night at Frontier Field. Gil Velazquez drove in the first Rochester run, scoring Trent Oeltjen on a squeeze play in the third inning. The Wings were held to three hits by three Richmond pitchers. The contest saw a matchup of lefty Dave Gassner, coming off a complete game shutout win on Saturday, against Richmond right-hander Blaine Boyer. A reliever making his first start since May 2005, Boyer recorded two saves against the Wings during the series in Richmond earlier this month. In the Richmond third, Wes Timmons led off with a double into the left field corner, and was bunted over to third by Gregor Blanco. Timmons scored on a groundball to the right side by J.C. Holt, and the Braves led 1-0. In the bottom of the third, Oeltjen led off and was hit on the knee by a Boyer pitch. It was the ninth time Oeltjen has been hit by a pitch this season, tops in the International League. Although Oeltjen limped to first base, Boyer kept Oeltjen close and tried to pick him off first base twice. But Oeltjen stole second anyway, then moved to third on Doug Deeds' grounder to to the right side. On the first pitch to Velazquez, Oeltjen broke for home and Velazquez put down a perfect squeeze bunt up the first base line. Velazquez almost was safe at first after Boyer slipped while fielding the bunt; Velazquez was out by a step, and Oeltjen's run tied the game at 1-1. The Braves got to Gassner in the sixth inning, when Graham Koonce and Carlos Mendez hit RBI singles to put the R-Braves back up 3-1. In the seventh, Blanco's RBI sacrifice fly and a squeeze play bunt hit by J.C. Holt boosted the Braves' lead to 5-1. Gassner ended his night after 6 1/3 innings, having allowed nine hits and five runs (four earned). Julio DePaula, just down from Minnesota, struck out three in 1 2/3 innings. Brian Bass finished up with a scoreless inning. Rochester picked up a run in the ninth against Rich Scalamandre, on Garrett Jones' RBI double. NOTES: Catcher Jose Morales (back) and third baseman Matt Moses (neck) are out of the lineup. The Wings will get a player from Double-A New Britain Friday, expected to be catcher Korey Feiner... The Red Wings bullpen has done a great job the last five games; in 14 2/3 innings of work, the relievers have allowed just one run on five hits while walking six and striking out 11.
Wednesday 5/30/07 WINGS HOLD OFF BRAVES FOR WIN The Red Wings beat the Richmond Braves 3-2 Wednesday night at Frontier Field. Brian Duensing got his first Triple-A win with a solid performance on the mound for Rochester. The Red Wings jumped on top early in the first, when Alexi Casilla led off the game against Ryan Basner with a single and then stole second. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a groundout by Glenn Williams. Rookie lefty Duensing made his Triple-A debut for Rochester, after getting a promotion from Double-A New Britain. His first pitch was ball to Richmond's Gregor Blanco, then Duensing struck out Blanco looking. J.C. Holt singled, but then Duensing started an inning-ending double play with a great fielding play to take away a hit from Yunel Escobar. Richmond's Doug Clark's single hit Duensing on the back on its way up the middle in the second inning; trainer Tony Leo checked out Duensing, who stayed in the game. The R-Braves tied the score after Duensing walked the ninth hitter, Jon Schuerholz, to start the third inning. Escobar's RBI single plated Schuerholz to make it a 1-1 game. In the fourth, the Wings broke the tie. Garrett Jones led off with a single and stole second. After a pop out by Matthew LeCroy, Tommy Watkins walked and was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice hit by Trent Oeltjen. Doug Deeds then hit a double to score both runners and put the Wings up 3-1. The Braves got another run in the sixth with two singles and a sacrifice fly by Clark, but that is all they would get in the inning. Jose Mijares came in to pitch in the seventh throwing two perfect innings to keep the Wings in the lead. Richmond threatened in the bottom of the ninth against closer Bobby Korecky. With two outs Bill McCarthy hit a shot to centerfield that was arguably ruled a triple. Korecky then got a strikeout from pinch hitter Graham Koonce for the save. Duensing went six innings with three strikeouts and three walks while giving up seven hits and two earned runs to get the win. Korecky got the save in relief. NOTES: Former Orioles and Wings star Boog Powell signed autographs and threw out the first pitch Wednesday...RHP Julio DePaula was optioned down to Rochester. DePaula was 0-0 with a 31.50 ERA in three games for the Twins. To make room for Kevin Slowey on the 40-man roster, the Twins will transfer RHP Jesse Crain to the 60-day disabled list. Slowey will make his Major League debut on Friday when he starts against the Oakland A’s....RHP J.P. Martinez was optioned to Double-A New Britain Wednesday. Martinez was 0-0 with a 12.00 ERA in two games for the Red Wings. With these moves the Red Wings roster stands at 22 players (roster limit is 24)....With the subtractions of Slowey and Martinez and the addition of DePaula, the Red Wings have endured 24 transactions in the month of May... Slowey becomes the 10th Red Wings player to be promoted to the Minnesota Twins this season. Of the 10 players, seven (including Rabe and Perkins on the disabled list) are still on the Minnesota roster...The Red Wings broke a 20-inning scoreless streak at Frontier Field Tuesday night when they scored a run in the second inning. It was the longest scoreless streak at home since May 15-18, 1984 (also 20 innings)... Rochester scored three runs in the sixth and seventh innings Tuesday night; it was the most runs Rochester has scored in an inning at Frontier Field since they scored seven runs in the sixth inning of the May 9th game vs. Toledo.... Ottawa Lynx skipper John Russell has been selected to lead the IL All-Stars in the 2007 Triple-A All-Star Game. Joining Russell on the IL staff are Rochester Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn, Buffalo Bisons manager Torey Lovullo, and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre athletic trainer Darren London. The best of the International League and Pacific Coast League will face off in the 20th annual contest to be held at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico on July 11th.
Tuesday 5/29/07
WINGS COME FROM BEHIND TO WIN The Red Wings finally put on a strong offensive performance to defeat the Richmond Braves 7-5 Tuesday night at Frontier Field. Rochester trailed 5-1 before rallying with three runs in both the sixth and seventh innings. Tommy Watkins went 2-for-4 with four RBI to lead the Wings hitting attack. Doug Deeds also had two hits, including a solo home run that tied the game in the seventh. Nick Blackburn (0-1) earned a no-decision after throwing six innings, giving up four runs on six hits and striking out three. Brian Bass (2-1) pitched one scoreless inning in the seventh to get the win. Braves starter Trey Hodges also earned a no-decision after pitching six innings, giving up four runs on seven hits and striking out five. The Wings got off to another rough start after leadoff man Gregor Blanco started the game with a walk, followed by a nice bunt single down the third base line by J.C. Holt. A pickoff throw by starter Blackburn was mishandled by second baseman Alexi Casilla and allowed both runners to advance to second and third base. The damage followed when Graham Koonce hit a three-run home run that was barely fair inside the foul pole, giving the Braves an early 3-0 lead. The Wings, held scoreless over the last 20 innings at Frontier Field, got a run back against Richmond starter Trey Hodges in the second inning. Garrett Jones led off with a double to right-centerfield, moved to third on Matthew LeCroy's ground out, and scored on Tommy Watkins' ground out. With two outs in the fourth, Blackburn hit Bill McCarthy - and that mistake turned into two more runs for Richmond, who got consecutive RBI doubles to make it a 5-1 game. In the bottom of the inning after Jones and LeCroy both struck out looking on questionable calls, Stan Cliburn and LeCroy were tossed for arguing by home plate umpire Jason Klein. LeCroy's ejection prompted the Wings to use emergency catcher Glenn Williams behind the plate because of back spasms that have plagued starting catcher Jose Morales. Gil Velazquez filled Williams' spot at first base. The Wings responded in the sixth inning. Casilla led off the inning with a single, followed by a double down the right field line by Denard Span that sent Casilla to third. Williams hit a two-run single to right field to score both runners and cut the deficit to 5-3. Jones then hit a single and Velazquez hit a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners into scoring position. Watkins followed with a run-scoring single to make it 5-4. In the seventh inning the Wings continued their hot offense. Deeds hit a leadoff home run of relief pitcher Buddy Hernandez the opposite way to left field that was just out of reach of Doug Clark's glove. With two outs Williams reached first base on an error by pitcher Hernandez, who proceeded to hit Jones and then walk Velazquez to load the bases for Watkins. Watkins followed with the biggest hit of the game-- a tie-breaking two-run single on a 1-1 pitch to give the Wings a 7-5 advantage. Hernandez got the loss and a blown save after pitching two innings and giving up one run. Ricky Barrett did not allow a run and struck out Koonce in the eighth inning after Bass pitched a scoreless seventh. Bobby Korecky came into the ninth inning and got the first two batters to fly out before Wes Timmons doubled to give the Braves one last chance. The speedy Blanco followed with an RBI triple. Holt then grounded out to Watkins-- who created some suspense by barely getting the out in time after double-clutching his throw to first base. NOTES: RHP Kevin Slowey has been called to Minnesota, and will start Friday at Oakland. The Twins will send a pitcher to Rochester to make room for Slowey; LHP Brian Duensing has been called up from Double-A New Britain and will make his Triple-A debut Wednesday for the Wings against Richmond. Duensing had a 4-1 record with a 2.66 ERA in nine starts for the Rock Cats, with 38 strikeouts and seven walks in 50 2/3 innings; he was the Twins' 3rd round pick in June 2005, after playing college ball for Nebraska. Duensing pitched seven innings and struck out eight in a no-decision start on Friday for New Britain...Twins C Joe Mauer's return from the DL could take place this weekend, which will prompt another player move from Minnesota to Rochester...OF Josh Rabe (sore shoulder) was out of the lineup again Tuesday.
Monday 5/28/07
WINGS BLANKED BY BRAVES Three Richmond pitchers held the Red Wings to six hits, as the Braves blanked the Wings 3-0 Monday afternoon at Frontier Field. It was the second straight shutout loss for Rochester. Tommy Watkins had a single and double for the Wings. Atlanta pitcher Lance Cormier was making a rehab start (strained right triceps) for Richmond, after a pair of Double-A rehab starts and one Class A appearance. Cormier retired the first six Rochester batters he faced, with Watkins' double to start the third the first Wings baserunner on the day. Red Wings starter Jeremy Cummings walked the bases loaded in the second inning, but didn't allow a run. In the third inning, Richmond scored a run on Yunel Escobar's RBI double. Cummings picked off both Gregor Blanco (at first) and Escobar to minimize the damage in the inning. The Braves put up two more runs in the fourth, recording three straight singles off Cummings with one out. Cormier ran into trouble in the sixth, allowing a single to Doug Deeds, followed by a hit and run with Deeds and Denard Span that put runners at the corners with none out. But the Wings ran themselves out of the inning, with Deeds getting caught between home and first for the first out. Then, Alexi Casilla and Span were on base and Casilla appeared to forgot the number of outs, getting thrown out after Trent Oeltjen's strikeout. Jose Mijares made his Triple-A Debut, throwing three scoreless innings and allowing a hit and two walks while striking out three. J.P. Martinez pitched a scoreless ninth. NOTES: Spikes, Mittsy and Tommy Watkins marched in the City Of Rochester Memorial Day Parade Monday morning; the Wings mascots also participated in the Town of Greece Parade Monday afternoon before the game...The Red Wings now have a 3-7 record with one rainout on Memorial Day the last 11 years....The Red Wings pitching staff is currently leading the International League with the fewest number of walks allowed (112). The last time Rochester led the IL in fewest number of walks allowed was 1995 (398 total)... The Red Wings had an eight-game winning streak vs. Richmond at Frontier Field before Monday's loss.... Rochester had outscored Richmond 47-14 in those eight games, and held them scoreless for 29 straight innings until the third inning run Monday.. ..The Braves now lead the season series 4-1. A season ago, Rochester won the season series 6-2...Double-A New Britain scored four runs in the seventh to get back in the game Monday afternoon, then posted three runs in the 11th inning to top Harrisburg 10-7. DH David Winfree's two-run double was the winning hit for the Rock Cats. SS Trevor Plouffe had four of the Rock Cats' 17 hits.
Sunday 5/27/07
RED WINGS SHUT OUT BY BULLS The Red Wings lost a pitchers' duel to the Durham Bulls Sunday night at Frontier Field, going down 1-0. . Right-handers Matt Garza and Mitch Talbot pitched gems for their respective teams, highlighting a game that was filled with little offense and masterful pitching from both starters and bullpens. The Wings managed only two hits and never had a runner reach second base, giving Garza little offensive support and providing him with a deceptive loss. Talbot earned the win after pitching eight shutout innings and striking out five. In the first inning Garza had some control issues, throwing his first six pitches for balls. After walking Ben Zobrist, Elliot Johnson followed with a bloop single to center field. However, Justin Ruggiano grounded into a 6-4-3 double play and Wes Bankton grounded out, bailing Garza out of an inning where he threw more balls than strikes. Garza began to settle down, showing better command of his pitches and being less erratic. But in the third inning Ruggiano hit a towering home run the opposite way to right-center field to give the Bulls a 1-0 lead. Garza retired the next 11 out of 12 batters untile Dustan Mohr's one-out seventh inning single; that was followed by a Raul Casanova single, but Garza fanned Jeremy Owens then got a ground ball out to escape the jam. The Wings' offense managed just two singles over the first six innings; Alexi Casilla singled to center with two outs in the third, and Denard Span legged out a bunt in the sixth. But Casilla was thrown out trying to steal second, and Talbot picked off Span to get the two fastest Wings off the basepaths. Garza worked seven innings, allowing four hits and a run while walking four. He struck out seven and threw a total of 108 pitches, 64 for strikes. Ricky Barrett pitched well in relief, striking out four batters in two innings pitched without allowing a hit. The Wings had a glimmer of hope in the ninth inning after reliever Seth McClung hit pinch-hitter Tommy Watkins with two outs. But Matt Moses grounded out to short to end the game. NOTES: Spikes, Mittsy and Tommy Watkins will be part of the City Of Rochester Memorial Day Parade Monday at 10:30 am; The Wings mascots will be joined by Matt Tolbert in the Town of Greece Parade Monday at 2 pm...The Red Wings pitching staff pitched 20 consecutive innings without allowing a run, ending with Durham's run Sunday in the third inning. The Red Wings' top five scoreless streaks since 1967: May 30-June 3, 2005-37 consecutive innings...April 15-18, 2006-28 consecutive innings...April 9-11, 2006-27 consecutive innings...May 17-20, 1974-26 consecutive innings...August 6-8, 1967-26 consecutive innings .. Rochester's pitching staff posted two consecutive shutouts Friday and Saturday; since 1967 when Red Wings records begin, Rochester has logged three consecutive shutouts just three times (May 31-June 2, 2005, August 1& 2, 1976, and May 17 & 18, 1974)...Wings pitcher Kevin Slowey is the Twins Minor League Player of the Week for May 20-May 26...Slowey, 22, started two games and went 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA (15.0 ip, 3 er)...he struck out 13 and walked just two batters...on the season he has recorded 57 strikeouts while walking just five...Slowey was drafted by the Twins in the second round of the 2005 First-Year Player draft out of Winthrop University...Twins catcher Joe Mauer (DL, leg) might return to the lineup this week, which would prompt a pitcher to be sent down to the Wings. OF Rondell White (DL, leg) is working out in Florida but is not ready for a rehab assignment yet.
Saturday 5/26/07
GASSNER GEM PACES RED WINGS Left-hander Dave Gassner spun a complete game four-hitter, and the Red Wings shut out the Durham Bulls 3-0 Saturday night at Frontier Field. It was the second straight 3-0 shutout win for the Wings, who host the Bulls again Sunday night for a 7:05 pm contest with post-game fireworks. The Wings staked starter Gassner (1-3) to a 2-0 lead, getting to Durham starter Andy Sonnanstine in the third inning. Denard Span walked with one out, stole second, and scored when Durham second baseman Elliot Johnson threw away the ball on Alexi Casilla's infield hit. Gil Velazquez moved Casilla to third with a ground ball out to the right side, then Casilla scored on an opposite field single by Matt Moses. Gassner, struggling with an 0-3 record in his past three starts, was sharp and helped himself with a great fielding play in the fifth inning. After walking Brent Butler to open the inning, Gassner leaped up to snag a hard-hit shot by Joel Guzman and throw out Butler at second on a force play. Gassner walked only one batter and struck out four, throwing 107 pitches in the game. In the bottom of the seventh, Doug Deeds doubled to right field. Denard Span bunted Deeds to third, and Casilla singled to right field scoring Deeds with the final Rochester run. NOTES: The Wings honored Joe Altobelli on his 75th birthday Saturday night. The team wore replica tops from the 1971 Governors Cup and Jr. World Series championship Rochester club managed by Altobelli, while the staff wore replica t-shirts of the 1971 uniform tops with Alto's name and number 26. Members of Alto's family joined him on the field after the game, for a video scoreboard tribute and birthday cake with fans.
Friday 5/25/07
RED WINGS SHUT OUT BULLS With the help of Kevin Slowey's eight shutout innings, Garrett Jones' home run and two RBI, and impressive defensive plays, the Red Wings ended their home game losing streak on Friday night beating the Durham Bulls 3-0. The game offered a match up of two of the top right-handed pitching prospects in Minor League Baseball: Rochester's Slowey (6-2), and Durham's 6'9" Jeff Niemann (3-3)- who was Tampa Bay's top pick and fourth overall pick in the 2004 draft. After two innings, and two impressive defensive plays by shortstop Gil Velazquez and right fielder Doug Deeds, Slowey and the team kept the Bulls scoreless. In the third, Slowey struck out hot hitter Jorge Velandia, who had increased his streak to nine games during the first inning. The Wings broke the scoreless game in the bottom of the third. Jones hit an RBI up the middle, which drove home Deeds to give the Wings their first lead of the series. The Wings were back on the scoreboard in the fifth. After Neimann started the inning with two strikeouts, Jones hit a home run over the center field wall to increase the Wings lead to 2-0. In the sixth, Slowey continued to keep the Bulls scoreless. At the bottom of the inning, the Wings increased their lead again to 3-0. Deeds hit an RBI fielder's choice bringing home Morales, who hit a double and then advanced to third on a sacrifice play by Matt Moses. In the seventh, the Bulls were almost in scoring position as Chris Richard hit a pop-fly straight in the air. With some confusion between catcher Morales and pitcher Slowey, the ball landed directly in between the two. Morales dove, scooped up the ball and, from his knees, threw Richard out as he was trying to convert a single into a double. The Wings continued their hot streak into the bottom of the seventh as Jones hit the ball down the first base line just tipping it off Bankston's glove, making his hit a double and moving Velazquez to third. The Wings made another great play in the eighth inning. Trent Oeltjen caught a fly ball going far back to center field. As the ball was traveling directly toward the wall, Oeltjen jumped and caught the ball in mid-air and robbed Velandia of a hit. After pitching three innings in Thursday's game, Bobby Korecky entered the game in the ninth relieving Slowey. Korecky, with his 10th save, ended the game by striking out Dustan Mohr. Slowey, given the win, improved his record by pitching eight innings, allowing only seven hits and only two runners in scoring position. With 107 pitches, Slowey pitched 86 strikes, striking out seven and allowing no walks. Neimann took the loss pitching six innings and allowing all three earned runs.NOTES: LHP Jason Miller became the ninth Red Wings player to be promoted to the Minnesota Twins this season. Of the nine players promoted to the Twins, seven are still on the Minnesota roster...A total of 17 players on the Minnesota Twins' current roster (as of May 25) have worn a Red Wings uniform. Only eight current Twins (LHP Johan Santana, RHP Carlos Silva, RHP Ramon Ortiz, RHP Joe Nathan, catcher Mike Redmond, infielder Luis Castillo, infielder Jeff Cirillo, and outfielder Torii Hunter) have not played for the Wings at some point since the Minnesota-Rochester affiliation began in 2003.... The Wings will wear 1971 replica uniforms Saturday night, to honor the manager of that '71 Jr. World Series-winning Wings club - Joe Altobelli. Alto will celebrate his 75th birthday at the ballpark Saturday night...Wings coach Rich Miller is feeling better after an apparent appendicitis attack on Thursday, and should rejoin the team later this weekend...
Thursday 5/24/07
WINGS WORK OVERTIME, BUT LOSE IN 14 Wes Bankston's one-out sacrifice fly in the 14th inning brought home the winning run, helping the Durham Bulls to an 10-6 win over the Red Wings Thursday afternoon at Frontier Field. Josh Rabe had two hits and three RBI for the Wings. Rochester trailed 3-0 before rallying to tie the score in the seventh, then tied it again on Rabe's double in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. The two teams continue their Memorial Day Weekend series with 7:05 pm games Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with fireworks following each night's game. Durham scored four runs in the14th inning with one out, roughing up Brian Bass after Bass pitched a perfect 13th inning. The Wings got off to a sluggish start after committing two errors in the first inning. With two outs Justin Ruggiano hit a double and then scored on a single by Wes Bankston that went through the legs of left fielder Tommy Watkins. Chris Richard followed with an infield single that allowed Bankston to score after Matt Moses' throwing error from third base, making it 2-0. In the second inning the Bulls continued their hitting attack. Dustin Mohr led off the inning with a single to center field. Two batters later Josh Johnson hit an RBI single to give the Bulls a 3-0 advantage. Bulls reliever Jeff Ridgeway came in for Howell in the sixth inning and allowed the Wings to capitalize on his inefficient pitching. After Watkins' leadoff single, Gil Velazquez followed with a double to right field that was misjudged by Ruggiano. Denard Span's RBI ground out cut the Wings deficit to 3-1, and Alexi Casilla's bunt single down the third base line was followed by an RBI fielder's choice by Rabe to trim the Bulls' lead to 3-2. After another pitching change by the Bulls, the Wings found more offense in the seventh inning. Scott Dohman replaced Ridgeway and gave up a single to Glenn Williams, who then stole second base with only one out. Moses' RBI double down the right field line tied the game at 3-3. After a walk by Watkins and a Velazquez fly out, Span grounded out on a double-steal move that ended the inning. The Bulls regained their offense in the eighth inning. After Ricky Barrett-- who had not given up a run in over nine innings pitched since coming off the disabled list-- gave up a single to Richard with two outs, Joel Guzman hit a two-run home run that bounced off the left field scoreboard to help the Bulls regain their lead at 5-3. Mohr followed with a double and Elliot Johnson walked, but Barrett struck out Johnson to end the inning. The Wings pulled to within one off Seth McClung in the eighth, on an RBI single from Garrett Jones. The Wings had two runners on when third baseman Guzman made a great fielding play, throwing out Moses on a close play at first that was argued by coach Rich Miller. After getting the first two batters to fly out in the ninth inning, Wings reliever Jason Miller gave up a solo home run to Ruggiano to extend the deficit to 6-4. But the Wings provided plenty of drama in the bottom half after Velazquez sparked the offense with a double to right with only one out. Span followed with a strikeout and Casilla walked to give the Wings runners on first and second base with two outs. Rabe hit a line-drive double over Mohr's head in center field to tie the game 6-6. Wings closer Bobby Korecky relieved Miller and finished the 10th, then struck out the side in the 11th. Korecky worked a total of three hitless innings, striking out five. The Wings had a great chance in the 11th, putting two runners on with one out against Steve Andrade but failing to cash in on the potential game-winning situation. NOTES: Jose Morales, who replaced catcher Matthew LeCroy in the ninth inning, had three hits in three at-bats to raise his average to .341...Rochester had won six in a row and seven of their last eight games vs. the Bulls at Frontier Field before Thursday. The Red Wings' four-game sweep of the Bulls at Frontier Field last season was the first time either team swept the other in a series since Durham joined the International League in 1998...Span is the only Red Wing who has played in every game this season. Since 1988 only two players have played 135 or more games in a season (Danny Clyburn, 137 games in 1997 and Garrett Jones, 140 games in 2006).... Double-A New Britain pounded out 16 hits in a 12-2 win over Bowie Thursday afternoon. Brian Buscher had four hits, including his third homer of the season. Rock Cats Starter Jesse Floyd allowed four hits and fanned five in seven innings...... Thursday's attendance of 10,164 was the largest of the season so far.
Monday 5/21/07
TIDES BLANK WINGS (DemocratandChronicle.com/RedWingsBaseball.com) - The Rochester Red Wings held the Norfolk Tides to three hits but managed just four themselves in a 2-0 loss Tuesday afternoon in Norfolk. Red Wings starter Matt Garza pitched seven strong innings, allowing just two unearned runs in the first. Trent Oeltjen had two hits for Rochester while Josh Rabe and Matthew LeCroy added one each. The Wings had a runner at third in the fourth and fifth innings, their best shot at scoring in the game. Ricky Barrett pitched a scoreless relief inning for Rochester. The Red Wings finished their Virginia road trip 4-6 and slipped into third place with the loss, a half-game behind Scranton/Wilkes-Barre heading into a league off day on Wednesday. The Wings open an eight-game homestand with an 11:05 am weekday matinee Thursday. NOTES: LHP Carmen Cali was promoted to the Minnesota Twins today. Cali was 2-0 with one save and a 2.70 ERA in 12 games for the Red Wings. Cali takes the roster spot of LHP Glen Perkins, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a mild muscle strain in the back of his left shoulder. Perkins suffered the injury in the eighth inning of last night’s game in Texas. Cali will join Minnesota in time for Tuesday's game in Texas...The Wings will receive a pitcher from Double-A New Britain before Thursday's game, most likely left-handed reliever Jose Mijares...Infielder Matt Tolbert leads the International League with a .356 batting average while RHP Kevin Slowey leads the IL with a 1.76 ERA. If Tolbert and Slowey should finish the season leading both categories it would be the first time since 1976 that Rochester has had a batting champion and ERA champion in the same year. In 1976 RHP Dennis Martinez led the IL with a 2.50 ERA while infielder Rich Dauer won the batting title with a .336 batting average...Baseball America's Prospect Hot Sheet for this week includes RHP Oswaldo Sosa at number six, and Slowey at number 14 in the rankings of the 20 hottest prospects in Minor League Baseball.
Monday 5/21/07
EARLY LEAD, BULLPEN KEYS IN WINGS' WIN (norfolktides.com/ RedWingsBaseball.com) - Rochester plated four first inning runs, then held off a Tides rally to pick up a 5-4 win on Monday night. The Red Wings jumped out to a big first inning lead off of Norfolk starter Rob Bell (1-2), scoring four runs with two outs. Garrett Jones put the Red Wings up 2-0 with a two-run home run, and Jose Morales and Trent Oeltjen each added RBI singles as Rochester batted around in the inning. The Tides began to chip away at the lead in the second inning, as Mike Cervenak led off the inning with an infield single and scored on a single by Virginia Beach native Jason Dubois. Norfolk continued their rally in the 4th inning, plating three runs to tie the score at 4-4 off of Red Wings’ starter Brian Bass. Cervenak led off the inning with a walk, and advanced to second on a single by Terry Tiffee. One out later, Cesar Crespo drew a walk to load the bases, and Luis Montanez followed with a ground ball that eluded Rochester shortstop Tommy Watkins and bounded into center field, pulling the Tides within 4-3. Alberto Castillo followed with a line drive single into center field, chasing Bass and tying the score at 4-4. Rochester plated the decisive run of the contest in the 6th inning, courtesy of an error by Tides’ centerfielder Tike Redman. With one out and nobody on, Morales lifted a fly ball to medium-deep center field, but Redman had the ball glance off his glove for a two-base error. Matt Moses followed with a single into center field, plating Morales and giving the Red Wings the lead. The Tides were held scoreless after the 4th inning, courtesy of strong relief pitching by Carmen Cali and Bobby Korecky. Cali (2-0) picked up the win, facing the minimum number of batters over 3.2 innings of relief, while Korecky escaped a bases loaded jam in the 8th inning before retiring the Tides in order in the 9th to pick up his 9th save of the season. Bell suffered through the first inning, but turned in another strong outing for the Tides despite taking the loss. Starting with the third out of the first inning, the 30-year-old right-hander retired 11 straight batters through the 5th inning, and finished his outing with three earned runs allowed in 7.0 innings of work. Bell allowed eight hits and one walk while striking out six. The Tides and Red Wings conclude their season series on Tuesday afternoon, with southpaw Kurt Birkins (1-1, 2.70) taking the hill for Norfolk against Rochester right-hander Matt Garza (2-3, 4.07). NOTES: Matt Tolbert (strained oblique muscle) will be out for a few days..Outfielder Josh Rabe joined the Red Wings on a 20-day Major League Rehab assignment and went 1-for-5 as the DH. Rabe has been on the Twins' disabled list since May 11 with right shoulder inflammation....With Sunday’s doubleheader split the Red Wings now have a 0-1-4 record (4-6 record) in their five doubleheaders this season. Rochester has an impressive 14-4-20 record in doubleheaders since the Red Wings changed affiliations to the Minnesota Twins in 2003......Left-handed relief pitcher Ricky Barrett, who started the season on the disabled list, is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in six appearances. In 9.1 innings of work, Barrett has allowed just three hits while walking one and striking out eight. Opponents are batting just .097 against him and right-handed batters are hitting just .048 (1-for-21) against him....In game one of Sunday's doubleheader RHP Kevin Slowey pitched his third complete game of the season. Slowey becomes the first Red Wings pitcher to have at least three complete games in a season since RHP Josh Towers (five complete games in 2000). The last Red Wings pitcher to lead the International League in complete games was LHP Rick Krivda (six) in 1997.
Sunday 5/20/07
SUNDAY SPLIT FOR WINGS, TIDES (MiLB.com/RedWingsBaseball.com) - Kevin Slowey tossed a complete game and Matthew LeCroy belted a three-run homer to lead Rochester past Norfolk 6-3 in Sunday's doubleheader opener. The Tides topped the Wings 3-1 in the second game. Slowey (5-2) allowed three runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out six en route to an International League-best third complete game. In winning his second straight, the 23-year-old right-hander's ERA rose to 1.76. On the season he has fanned 50, while walking just five in 56 1/3 frames. LeCroy, who had two hits, capped a five-run fifth inning with his second home run. Glenn Williams went 2-for-2 with an RBI and Garrett Jones chipped in a base hit and an RBI for the Red Wings (21-17), who snapped a four-game skid. Eider Torres went 2-for-3 with his third home run, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Tike Redman went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and Mike Cervenak added an RBI single for the Tides (17-26), who saw their three-game winning streak stopped. Norfolk starter Jim Johnson (1-4) was charged with six runs -- two earned -- on five hits over 4 2/3 innings en route to his third straight loss. He fanned two and walked two. Rochester served as the home team in the game, which was postponed due to rain at Frontier Field on April 12. In the second game, the Tides chipped away with single runs in three different innings to win. Spot starter Jason Miller (1-1) allowed six hits and two runs in four innings, with Bobby Korecky pitching two relief innings. Matt Moses hit a RBI single to score Denard Span with Rochester's only run. Andy Mitchell (4-2) allowed three hits and Cory Doyne picked up his 11th save. NOTES: Matt Tolbert (strained oblique muscle) will be out for a few days.....Trent Oletjen (bruised knee) sat out the first game but played in game two.
Saturday 5/19/07
WINGS, TIDES SPLIT Glenn Williams ripped a game-winning double in the bottom of the 14th inning to give Rochester a 3-2 victory over visiting Norfolk, 3-2, in the completion of a suspended game. Cesar Crespo homered and drove in a season-high three runs as Norfolk beat visiting Rochester 10-4 in the regularly scheduled game. The two teams play two seven-inning games Sunday afternoon. Doug Deeds started the decisive frame with an infield hit, but was erased when Garrett Jones bounced into a forceout. Matt LeCroy smacked a base hit up the middle before Williams sent a drive to center field for his first RBI since April 23. Tommy Watkins slugged his first homer, a solo shot in the first, and Jones lifted a sacrifice fly in the sixth for the Red Wings (20-16), who snapped a three-game losing streak. Williams had three of Rochester's eight hits. Ricky Barrett (1-0) gave up a hit and struck out two over three scoreless innings for the win. Red Wings starter Dave Gassner surrendered a run on three hits while fanning one and walking two over five innings on April 11 before the contest was suspended by rain after 11 frames. Francis Beltran (0-1) gave up one run on four hits while striking out two in 3 1/3 innings. Tides starter Jon Leicester yielded one run on four hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five frames. Mike Cervenak went 3-for-5 with a homer for Norfolk (16-25), which got a solo shot from Jon Knott.
In the regularly scheduled contest, Crespo's two-run shot gave the Tides a 5-1 lead in the fourth inning. The 27-year old left fielder capped Norfolk's scoring with an RBI single in the seventh. Terry Tiffee launched a solo homer and added an RBI single in the fifth for Norfolk (17-25). Jason Dubois chipped in a two-run double in the fourth and Mike Cervenak went 3-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Tides starter Garrett Olson (2-4) tossed seven strong innings, giving up two runs -- one earned -- on eight hits while fanning three without a walk. Over his last five starts, spanning 35 innings, the 23-year-old lefty has allowed nine earned runs, striking out 27 and walking two. Red Wings starter Gassner (0-3) surrendered five runs on five hits while walking one in four innings. Reliever J.P. Martinez allowed four runs on five hits while striking out two and walking two in two frames; it was the first Triple-A game for Martinez, just promoted from Double-A New Britain. Gil Velazquez went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Garrett Jones lifted a sacrifice fly for Rochester (20-17). NOTES: With Saturday's promotion, RHP Scott Baker became the seventh member of the Red Wings' Opening Day roster promoted to the Minnesota Twins. Rochester didn’t have their seventh member of their 2006 Opening Day roster promoted to the Twins until July 17. Of the seven players promoted to the Twins, five are still in Minnesota..The Twins' Class A Fort Myers Miracle pounded out a season-high 14 hits on Saturday night, cruising to an 8-3 win over the Tampa Yankees. For the second straight night, the Miracle faced a Tampa Yankee on the mound with big-league experience; left-hander Kei Igawa got the start on Saturday tossing four innings, allowing two unearned runs on three hits.
Friday 5/18/07
WINGS DROP THIRD STRAIGHT The Richmond Braves beat the Red Wings 4-0 Friday night, the third straight loss for the Wings. Jose Morales had three of the seven Rochester hits. Nick Blackburn started for the Red Wings, in place of scheduled starter Scott Baker. Blackburn allowed two runs in the fourth, on an RBI single and RBI groundout. Graham Koonce hit a two-run homer off Blackburn in the sixth, pushing the R-Braves lead to 4-0. The Wings offense couldn't get anything started against Trey Hodges (2-2), who limited Rochester to four singles over his six innings pitched. Blackburn (0-1) tossed 7 1/3 innings, allowing the four runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out two in his first start for the Wings since a promotion this week from Double-A New Britain. Carmen Cali retired both batters he fasced in relief. NOTES: Class A Ft. Myers 1B Erik Lis homered off Roger Clemens Friday night, but the Tampa Yankees beat the Miracle 2-1. Clemens allowed three hits in four innings, including the first inning homer to Lis. Miracle starter Yohan Pino struck out five in five innings and Kyle Aselton added three scoreless relief innings, as the Miracle out-hit the Yankees 5-4. ..The Twins were expected to promote Baker Friday night, and send 1B/Of Garrett Jones to Rochester. Baker will start Saturday for the Twins against Milwaukee... Matt Tolbert, who entered the game leading the league in hitting, had an 0-for-3 game that dropped his average to .356.....The Wings left 16 men on base..... Rochester was shut out for the third time this season; Richmond's pitching staff now leads the league with seven shutouts.
Thursday 5/17/07
BRAVES TAKE TWO FROM WINGS; MORE TWINBILLS LOOMING (DemocratandChronicle.com/RedWingsBaseball.com) - The Rochester Red Wings dropped a doubleheader at The Diamond in Richmond, Va., on Thursday night, losing 2-1 and 4-3 to the Braves. In Game 1, Jonathan Schuerholz lined a two-out single off Bobby Korecky in the bottom of the seventh (and final) inning to score Doug Clark with the winning run. Rochester had tied the game on Trent Oeltjen's two-out single in the top of the seventh. In the nightcap, the Braves scored two runs off Matt Garza in the fifth inning to break a 2-2 tie, then held on for the sweep. The Wings play a pair of doubleheaders this weekend in Norfolk. The Wings are 5-11 since a torrid 14-4 start. Richmond (26-11) has the best record in Triple-A. Wings Game 1 starter Jeremy Cummings sailed through two innings before leaving with an apparent hamstring injury. The right-hander allowed only one hit and struck out three before giving way to Brian Bass. Clark singled to open the Braves' fifth, then scored on a double by Carlos Mendez. It remained 1-0 through six, behind red-hot Buddy Carlyle. In the seventh inning — the final regularly scheduled inning — Rochester's Glenn Williams beat out an infield bunt with one out and was replaced by pinch-runner Gil Velazquez. But when Carlyle retired Jose Morales on a fly to center, it appeared the Wings would be shut out. Instead, Tommy Watkins drew a walk and Oeltjen lined a game-tying single to left. It broke a scoreless string of 30 innings by Carlyle, who had not allowed a run since April 20. Braves closer Manny Acosta relieved Carlyle and ended the inning by retiring Matt Tolbert. In the bottom of the seventh, T.J. Bohn drilled a fly to straightaway center but Denard Span made an over-the-shoulder catch on the warning track. Clark followed with a double down the right-field line and Mendez was walked intentionally. Former Red Wing Corky Miller then lined a shot to Oeltjen in right, but Schuerholz laced a Korecky pitch to the right-center gap to win it. In the nightcap, the Braves scored twice off Garza in the first. Graham Koonce singled in a run, and another scored on Clark's groundout. Doug Deeds tied it for Rochester with a two-run homer to right in the fourth inning. The Braves took control in the fifth. Wes Timmons led off with a double after Watkins tried to make a shoestring catch of his sinking liner. He moved to third on Schuerholz's sacrifice bunt, then scored one out later on T.J. Bohn's single to center. When Yunel Escobar tripled to right, the Braves were ahead 4-2. The Wings cut the lead to one on a sacrifice fly by Matthew LeCroy in the seventh, but they stranded the tying run at third when Blaine Boyer struck out Williams to end the game. Matt Moses had singled, then moved two bases on a pair of wild pitches by Boyer. NOTES: New Wings reliever J. P. Martinez went to high school with NY Giants quarterback Eli Manning....The Red Wings' road record dropped to 10-6 record..Thursday's doubleheader at Richmond was the third of 11 doubleheaders the Red Wings have scheduled so far this season - the most Rochester has had in a season since 1996, when the club played 20 doubleheaders.
Coming soon.
