Syracuse falls short in 4-2 loss to Rochester on steamy Wednesday afternoon

Rochester, NY –The Syracuse Mets couldn’t beat the heat at Frontier Field on Wednesday afternoon, falling, 4-2, to the hometown Rochester Red Wings on a sultry summer afternoon. The first-pitch temperature was 91 degrees with the temps reaching as high as 95 degrees during the game.

For the second straight day, it was a pitcher’s duel early on in the contest. Each team scored once in the first five innings, as each starting pitcher kept the other team’s offense in check.

Joan Adon turned in a quality start for Rochester (38-30), tossing five innings of one-run ball with four hits, no walks, and three strikeouts. The 23-year-old was making just his second start of the season for Rochester, as he has made 13 starts in the Major Leagues with Washington this season.

Syracuse (26-41) scored a run in unearned fashion off Adon in the third. Cody Bohanek was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, moved to third on a Quinn Brodey single, and scored on a throwing error later in the inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Mets starter Nate Fisher surrendered just one run on three hits in four innings with three strikeouts. In fact, none of the three hits that Fisher gave up left the infield. Rochester’s only run off Fisher came in the fourth the Red Wings had a runner at third with two outs for Josh Palacios, who collected an RBI single to knot the game, 1-1.

After each starting pitcher left the game, the scoring started to open a bit. In the top of the sixth, Rochester briefly grabbed the lead back at 2-1 when Jake Noll smacked a solo home run over the left-field fence.

The advantage wouldn’t last as Syracuse tied it right back up with a run in the top of the seventh. Nick Meyer singled with one out and advanced up to second on a two-out single from Quinn Brodey. Warren Saunders followed with a single into center field to score Meyer and tie the game, 2-2. Saunders had two hits in just his second career Triple-A game.

From there, Rochester pulled away. The Red Wings scored single runs in the seventh and eighth innings to plate the two runs they needed for the victory. Consecutive doubles from Ildemaro Vargas and Matt Lipka brought home the tally in the seventh, while Joey Meneses doubled in the eighth and later scored on a two-out RBI single from Palacios for a 4-2 Rochester advantage. Both players have played brilliantly against Syracuse this season. Meneses has hit .313 against the Mets this season with eight extra-base hits and 14 runs scored. Palacios now sports a .400 batting average against Syracuse this year with ten RBIs.

To the Mets credit, they did not go down easy in the game. Syracuse put the first two batters on base down by two in the top of the ninth, as Luke Ritter walked, and Meyer singled to make it runners on first and second with nobody out. Rochester reliever Jordan Weems snuffed out the rally from there, getting the next three batters in order to clinch a 4-2 win for the Red Wings. The Mets left two runners on base in three separate innings during Wednesday’s game. Rochester’s bullpen combined to allow just three hits and one run in four innings of work with six strikeouts.

Syracuse continues its 12-game, two-week road trip on Thursday with a 7:05 p.m. first pitch against the Rochester Red Wings. Right-hander Connor Grey is slated to start for the Mets, opposed by right-hander Cory Abbott for the Red Wings.