Second Inning Fireworks Fuel Red Wings Victory

The Rochester Red Wings (32-21, 77-49) bounced back with a 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Bisons (28-24, 63-64) on a hot Wednesday afternoon, evening the series at one game a piece. RF Leandro Pineda hit two solo home runs on the afternoon, with one coming in a second inning that saw the Red Wings hit three home runs on four pitches. A collective effort on the mound for seven Rochester arms resulted in RHP Jack Sinclair’s sixth victory of the season.

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The Buffalo offense got off to a quick start for the second game in a row, as a leadoff walk from CF Rudy Martin Jr. put a runner on base. Martin Jr. took off to steal second on a full-count pitch to SS Josh Kasevich, but an errant throw allowed the Buffalo center-fielder to make his way to third base. 1B Sean Keys knocked an RBI-single to score Martin Jr., giving the Bisons an early 1-0 lead.

The Red Wings offense answered with a three-home-run explosion in the second inning, with two coming on back-to-back pitches. 2B Cayden Wallace led the inning off with a 422-foot solo shot to tie the game at one. On the following pitch, LF Leandro Pineda ripped a solo home run of his own, a 405-footer over the right field wall. The blasts were the seventh home runs on the season with Rochester for both Wallace and Pineda, respectively. LF Sam Petersen hit a single on the very next pitch to give the Red Wings hits on three consecutive pitches. DH Liover Peguero smashed the first pitch of his at-bat just over the left-field wall to put Rochester up 4-1. The two-run homer was the fourth Rochester hit on four straight pitches, with three of the four resulting in home runs.

SS Trey Lipscomb was hit by a pitch in the third inning to extend his on-base streak to 27 games, before stealing second base on the first pitch of Cayden Wallace’s at-bat. Two pitches later, a hard-hit double from Wallace to the left-field corner scored Lipscomb to put Rochester up 5-1.

After two straight outs to open the top of the fifth, Rudy Martin Jr. singled on a line drive to center field. A wild pitch moved Martin Jr. to second, before he was knocked in via an RBI-single from Josh Kasevich to cut the Rochester lead to 5-2.

Sean Keys opened the top of the eighth inning with a leadoff single to center field. Without recording an out, two consecutive walks loaded the bases for Buffalo. DH Jay Harry hit a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Keys. The Red Wings escaped the inning with a big double play, preserving their 5-3 lead.

Leandro Pineda smashed his second home run of the afternoon in the bottom of the eighth, another solo shot that quickly made it a three run margin once again. Rochester held on in the top of the ninth to even the series with a 6-3 win.

Continuing his rehab assignment, LHP DJ Herz pitched 2.0 innings in the start for Rochester, striking out two batters and allowing a run on one hit with two walks. RHP Justin Lawrence opened the Red Wings’ bullpen, dealing two strikeouts without conceding a hit or walk in one full inning. Making his Triple-A debut, RHP Ben Grable pitched one scoreless inning with one hit and walk allowed each. Up next on the mound was RHP Yovanny Cruz, allowing one run on three hits, while striking out one batter in one full inning of his own. In his 50th appearance with the Red Wings this season, Jack Sinclair dealt three strikeouts and allowed one hit in 2.0 innings of work. RHP Eddy Yean made his Minor League-leading 51st appearance of the season, pitching 1.0 innings and allowing one run on one hit and two walks. Closing the ninth inning was RHP Gus Varland, collecting one strikeout and walking one through a hitless frame for his fifth save of the season.

The Rochester Red WIngs Player of the Game is RF Leandro Pineda. His two solo home runs were part of Rochester’s four-homer afternoon, one of which came in the midst of their three-homer second inning. It was the second two-home run game of Pineda’s career, with his last coming on May 2nd, 2023 with High-A Jersey Shore (PHI).

Game three of the series against the Bisons is Thursday at 6:45 p.m., where RHP Jack Cebert will make his highly anticipated Triple-A debut with the Rochester Plates. The Nationals’ No. 14 ranked prospect (MLB.com) will face off against RHP John Klein of the Bisons.

Find the box score attached HERE.

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