Albers leads Wings to win in series opener
Andrew Albers pitched a complete game three-hitter to help the Red Wings top the Norfolk Tides 5-2 Friday night at Frontier Field, to move ahead of the Tides in the International League wild card race. The teams meet again Saturday at 7:05 p.m., with the Wings wearing Star Wars jerseys, the International League Hall of Fame induction of former Wing Don Richmond, the first Rochester appearance of Team Ghost Riders: The Cowboy Monkey Rodeo, and post-game fireworks.
Red Wings' All-Star left-hander Albers made his first home start since June 13, and walked former Wing Jason Pridie to open the game. But Albers struck out the next two batters, and got a fly out from cleanup hitter Eric Thames to strand Pridie at first base.
Norfolk starter Josh Stinson had been effective over his last five starts, racking up 19 strikeouts while allowing just 16 hits and posting a 2.56 ERA in those starts. The Wings picked up a first-inning hit, then two more hits in the second inning, but could not get on the scoreboard against Stinson.
Albers retired the side in order in the second and third innings, giving him a streak of nine straight batters retired after the walk to Pridie. Stinson set down six in a row after the two second inning hits, and had three strikeouts after three innings with the game still scoreless. Albers carried a no-hit bid into the fourth inning, but Zelous Wheeler laced a one-out single for the first Norfolk hit of the game.
Chris Parmelee led off the Rochester fourth with a sinking line drive to right-center field, and Pridie made a diving attempt at a catch. The play was ruled a catch by first base umpire Jeff Gosney, but Red Wings manager Gene Glynn disagreed and made a strong case for an appeal to the umpiring crew. After a quick conference, the umpires ruled it as no catch, and a single for Parmelee. Oswaldo Arcia followed with a line drive home run into the Red Wings bullpen, putting Rochester ahead 2-0. It was Arcia's ninth homer for the Wings, coming in his 33rd game with the ballclub.
Albers (11-4) went 1-2-3 through the Norfolk lineup again in the top of the fifth and sixth innings. The southpaw only needed 63 pitches to finish the first six innings, and was two over the minimum in that distance.
Eric Farris led off the home half of the sixth with a base hit. The ball snugged the first base line and went off the glove of Norfolk first baseman Buck Britton as he reached to his left. Farris was later caught stealing second with two outs to end the inning.
Wheeler, who had earned Norfolk's only hit of the game through six, began the seventh with another single. However, Albers didn't wait long to respond. He quickly jumped ahead of the next Tide batter, Thames, with an 0-2 count. After a ball and a trio of foul balls, Albers struck out Thames. The Rochester starter then induced a one-pitch pop up from Alex Liddi and a three-pitch flyout from Jonathan Schoop to bring the Red Wings into a stretch still leading 2-0.
Stinson (5-5) had matched Albers with consecutive 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and sixth. Deibinson Romero broke Stinson's stride with a lead-off single in the seventh. Romero moved up to third when Brian Dinkelman was walked, representing the first runner to move into scoring position for either team since Arcia reached second in the second inning. With one out, Ray Olmedo singled through the right side to load the bases. Eric Fryer blooped a single over the outstretched glove of Schoop at second base, scoring Romero from third to increase the Rochester lead to 3-0. Eduardo Escobar, who extended his hit streak to five games in the first inning, delivered the biggest blow of the seventh with a ground-rule double on a towering hit into right center field. Escobar drove in Dinkelman and Olmedo to extend the Wings' advantage to 5-0.
Norfolk reliever Chris Jones was called upon to get the Tides out of the jam. A Farris fielder's choice allowed the Tides to tag out Fryer in a run down between third and home, and Jones retired Parmelee on strikes to end the rally. Stinson worked 6 1/3 innings, surrendering five runs on 11 hits while striking out three.
Luis Exposito put the Tides on the board in the top of the eighth. He crushed a mistake over the middle of the plate from Albers for a solo home run over the wall in left field, Norfolk's third hit of the game, which cut the deficit to four. Albers then walked Chris Snyder, and he reached third on a pair of groundouts. Snyder scored on a balk with L.J. Hoes at the plate, making the score 5-2 Red Wings. Hoes struck out to end the inning.
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NOTES: Deibinson Romero had three hits Friday, giving him five hits in his lat two games... Future Wings Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton are in the Top 5 of the latest MLB.com Top 100 Prospects. Click here to see where they rank...Wings pitcher Andrew Albers is the guest this week on Rochester Press Box, airing Saturday night at 11:30 p.m. on 13 WHAM and Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on CW 16 ...You can vote for Spikes as the top mascot in all of MiLB in the Mascot Mania contest. Click here to get all the details. |
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NEXT HOME GAME:
Sat. July 27 - 7:05 p.m. vs. Norfolk (Orioles) GATES OPEN EARLY AT 5:30 P.M.
ESL Federal Credit Union Post-game Fireworks... International League Hall of Fame Induction honoring Don Richmond in a pre-game ceremony...Team Ghost Riders: The Cowboy Monkey Rodeo Appearance, presented by Invisible Fence Brand... Star Wars Night and Jersey Auction, presented by Hillside Family of Agencies.... Post-Game Launch-a-Ball, presented by Warm 101.3 and Fickle 93.3 FM, benefitting The Open Door Mission... 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; 2:55 pm- 3:15 pm prior to 3:35 pm games; 12:25 pm-12:45 pm prior to 1:05 pm games.
PROBABLE STARTERS:
7/27 vs. NOR 7:05 p.m. LHP Logan Darnell (1-2, 5.91) vs. RHP Kevin Gausman (0-1, 6.75) TWCS 26/WHTK 1280 AM
7/28 vs. NOR 6:05 p.m. RHP Nick Blackburn (0-1, 10.80) vs. LHP Zach Britton (3-3, 4.41) TWCS 26/WHTK 1280 AM
7/29 vs. NOR 7:05 p.m. RHP P.J. Walters (4-2, 3.80) vs. RHP Freddy Garcia (6-2, 3.00) WHTK 1280 AM
7/30 @ LHV 7:05 p.m. Liam Hendriks (3-7, 4.95) vs. TBA WHTK 1280
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Pics of the Day |
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