The Rochester Red Wings were swept in Thursday afternoon's doubleheader against the Syracuse Chiefs at Frontier Field, 5-4 and 3-2. Cole DeVries was very solid in his start in Game 1, allowing just two runs and striking out a season high, but an extra inning home run won the game for the Chiefs. In Game 2, Matt Carson went 2-for-3 with his first home run of the season. The Wings head to Buffalo Friday for a four-game series, with all games shown live on Time Warner Cable Sportsnet; The Wings return home to play the Empire State Yankees on Tuesday, May 1.

The Chiefs got on the board immediately in Game 1, with Corey Brown's lead-off home run off of Wings starter DeVries. But their lead didn't last long. Darin Mastroianni led off the Wings half of the inning with a walk. A stolen base put him on second with Aaron Bates up to bat. Bates hit a single to left fielder Bryce Harper, who made an error on the throw to home plate, allowing Mastroianni to score, tying the game at 1-1.

With the game still tied in the top of the fourth, Harper led the inning off with a single. A double by Jason Michaels put him on third, then he scored on Jarrett Hoffpauir's single to give the Chiefs a 2-1 lead.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Wings mounted a rally to tie the game. Ray Chang led the inning off with a single and quickly advanced to third on Joe Thurston's single. With Michael Hollimon at the plate, Chang was caught in a run down between third and home. While the Chiefs infield was preoccupied with tagging Chang out, Thurston advanced to third. Mastroianni then came up and continued his brilliance of late to hit a triple to right field, scoring Thurston to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

The tie did not last long, however, as two walks allowed by reliever Casey Fein came back to haunt the Wings. Jason Michaels hit his second home run of the season and the series - a three run shot to the left field bullpen to give the Chiefs the 5-2 lead.

The Wings weren't done yet though. With two outs and a runner on first, Joe Benson hit the first Triple-A homer of his career, bringing the score to 5-4. But it wasn't enough, as Chang flew out to left to end the shortened game.

DeVries had an excellent start. He pitched six innings, allowing just two runs to score on five hits and two walks. He struck out eight batters, a season high among all Red Wings pitchers. Fein, who came in to pitch the seventh and eighth, added three strikeouts. The 11 strikeouts between the two were the most by the Wings pitching staff in a game this season, despite the shortened game.

In Game 2 of the doubleheader, the Wings were the first to jump on the board with Carson's first home run of the season. He came up to bat with the bases empty and two outs in the bottom of the first and hit a line drive to left field that landed just inside of the foul pole.

The one-run lead lasted until the top of the fourth inning, when Wings starter Jeff Manship gave up his first hits of the game. With one out, he gave up a back-to-back single and walk, bringing Harper to the plate. Harper lined a single into right field, knocking in a run to tie the game.

Manship came out of the game in the top of the fifth, with Esmerling Vasquez coming in in relief. But Vasquez was very rocky. With the bases loaded and two outs, Mark Teahen hit a two-run RBI single to give the Chiefs the lead.

Drew Butera led off the bottom of the sixth inning with a double to begin a Wings rally. After advancing to third on Mastroianni's fly out, Butera was called safe on a play at the plate on a fielder's choice by Chiefs third baseman Carlos Rivero. A single and a walk loaded the bases with two outs, but the Wings were unable to capitalize, bringing the final score to 3-2 Chiefs.

MORE COVERAGE:
DemocratandChronicle.com Sports
"Extra Bases" - beat writer Jim Mandelaro's blog

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UP NEXT:
Tues. May 1 - 7:05 p.m. Empire State Yankees vs. Red Wings
Family Four-Pack Night, presented by M&T Bank/Messenger Post Media... Pre-Game Autograph Booth presented by Hillside Family of Agencies. Meet a different Red Wings player each game, signing free autographs... 6:25 pm-6:45 pm prior to 7:05 pm games; 5:25-5:45 p.m. prior to 6:05 games; 12:25 pm-12:45 pm prior to 1:05 pm games.

PROBABLE STARTERS:
Friday, April 27 at Buffalo 6:05 RHP Samiel Deduno (0-1, 3.94) vs. RHP Jeurys Familia (2-1, 5.30)
Saturday, April 28 at Buffalo 1:05 RHP P.J. Walters (2-1, 3.38) vs. RHP Chris Schwinden (2-2, 2.05)
Sunday, April 29 at Buffalo 1:05 LHP Scott Diamond (4-0, 1.97) vs. TBD
Monday, April 30 at Buffalo 6:05 RHP Daryl Thompson (1-2, 4.26) vs. LHP Garrett Olson (0-1, 2.82)

Future Wing Watch - Jairo Rodriguez went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and 3 RBI in the Beloit Snappers 9-3 win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods Wednesday night.

This Day in Red Wings History: 1973 - Rochester scored runs in the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings to come from behind and beat Richmond 3-2 at Silver Stadium. The game's offensive star was DH Larry Johnson who had two RBI.

This Day in IL Baseball History: 2005 – In his first game of a rehab assignment, Toledo shortstop Ramon Martinez singles six times in a 14-1 victory at Louisville. Historians have to go a long way back through the Toledo baseball record books to find the last time a player recorded six hits in a single game. Bob Gilks accomplished the feat in 1894 and again in 1895 for the Toledo White Stockings of the Western League. Martinez is the only player in Toledo’s International League history to bang out six hits in one game. Martinez would return to the Tigers after a three-game rehab stint in which he went 11-14 (.733).

Born on This Day: 1917 I.M. Pei... 1977 Kosuke Fukudome... 1980 Channing Tatum

It Happened This Day in Baseball: 1901 - After two days of rain at Columbia Park, 10,547 fans witness the Philadelphia Athletics of Connie Mack make the their American League debut, losing to the visiting Washington Senators, 5 - 1... 1959 - Sadaharu Oh hits the first home run of his Nippon Pro Baseball career. Oh will go on to hit 868 home runs during his stellar career in Japan, setting a record for the most documented home runs in professional baseball history... 1961 - At Tiger Stadium, Roger Maris hits his first home run of the season off Paul Foytack, and Mickey Mantle adds home runs from both sides of the plate for the eighth time in his career as New York defeat Detroit, 13 - 10... 1980 - Steve Carlton of the Philadelphia Phillies sets a modern day National League record by pitching his sixth career one-hitter. Carlton shuts out his former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, 7 - 0... 1995 - A number of Major League Baseball teams open their season, reduced to 144 games because of the strike. Coors Field, the National League's first new baseball-only park in 23 years, opens in dramatic fashion in Denver, Colorado, as Dante Bichette of the Rockies hits a three-run home run to defeat the visiting Mets in 14 innings, 11 - 9, tying the National League record for most innings played in a season opener... 1997 - Ryne Sandberg of the Chicago Cubs breaks the major league record for most home runs by a second baseman as Chicago beats Pittsburgh, 7 - 6. His 267th career home run surpasses the old mark set by Joe Morgan from 1965 to 1984. Sandberg hit the first five home runs of his career as a third baseman before moving over to second.

#1 Song on This Day: 1964 "Can't Buy Me Love" The Beatles... 1970 "ABC" The Jackson 5... 1982 "I Love Rock 'n Roll" Joan Jett & the Blackhearts... 1996 "Because You Loved Me" Celine Dion... 2001 "All For You" Janet... 2012 "Somebody That I Used to Know" Gotye ft. Kimbra