Red Wings 6, Sky Chiefs 3

Written by: Justin Murphy on 11th July 2009

Red Wings 6, Sky Chiefs 3 | read this item

The Red Wings scored five runs in an error-filled fourth inning to beat the Syracuse Sky Chiefs 6-3 on Friday night in Syracuse. Danny Valencia and Jason Pridie each had two hits, and six different Wings crossed the plate.

The turning point of the game came during Dustin Martin’s at-bat in the fourth inning. The Red Wings, with an early 1-0 lead, had the bases loaded with none out. Martin chopped a single into right field, Justin Huber scored from third, and Valencia tried to do the same from second. Jorge Padilla’s throw was in plenty of time to get him, but it went past the catcher and up the third base line, allowing Valencia to slide in safely. David Winfree, who had started on first and advanced to third on the hit and throw, disregarded a stop sign from the third base coach and broke for home when the ball got past the catcher. Syracuse pitcher J.D. Martin was backing the play up, and likewise had ample time to get Winfree at the plate, but his throw also sailed past home plate, up the first base line. When the dust settled, Martin was safe at third and all three runs had scored. Brock Peterson followed with a double, and Pridie with a sacrifice fly. The five runs were all the Wings ended up needing.

Phil Humber got the start for Rochester, and had a sharp breaking ball to start the game. He seemed to get flustered, however, with runners on base. In the first inning, he got the first two men out, then allowed an infield single. He walked the next two batters before finally retiring one more. Then, in the second, Seth Bynum reached on an error to lead off, and Humber promptly walked the next man before getting out of the jam.

Because he faced five or more batters in each of the first four innings, Humber only lasted for five frames. He allowed one run on six hits with two strikeouts and four walks. It was not a particularly effective start. Before the Red Wings got a single run in the third, the odds were tilting considerably towards Syracuse. The Chiefs, though, couldn’t manage to cash in on any of their opportunities. They ended up leaving 11 men on base in two-out at-bats.

After Humber left, the Rochester bullpen did a fairly efficient job of getting through the next four innings. Jesse Crain was smacked around in his one frame, and allowed the home team’s second run. Sean Henn was more effective, but left a mess for Rob Delaney to clean up in the eighth. Delaney did just that, slipping out of a bases loaded situation.

A few notes on the offense: first, Peterson hit the ball very hard even when he made outs, particularly in the sixth inning. Steve Tolleson looked bad at the plate and on the field. In the first inning, he waited long enough for a slow ground ball that it ended up as an infield hit. The following inning, he was charged with an error, although it was a very tough play.

Alexi Casilla also committed an error by trying to take a hot ground ball on a difficult bounce. Otherwise, though, he was strong defensively, making an especially nice throw on a relay to home plate in the fourth inning. In fact, that was the game in a nutshell—Rochester assembled a successful relay to the plate, killing a rally, and the Chiefs didn’t.

At bat, however, Casilla was indecisive at best. His swings were hesitant and off-balance, and he was fooled several times by breaking balls. Even his triple in the third inning was on a poor swing. He shouldn’t expect a return to Minnesota anytime soon if he doesn’t begin stepping to the plate with a better plan and taking better swings at pitches he can hit.

For Syracuse, Seth Bynum was 3-3 with a single, double, and home run, and also drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Former big leaguers Corey Patterson (2-5, two steals) and Jorge Sosa (two innings pitched, no hits, two strikeouts) both had good games; Patterson contributed greatly to Humber’s discomfort. Drew Butera uncharacteristically allowed three stolen bases, though at least two of them weren’t quite his fault.

Overall, it was a beautiful night for baseball in Central New York, and good to see the Wings take a series. They’re home the next two days, with games against Lehigh Valley.

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Topics: Alexi Casilla, Brock Peterson, Corey Patterson, Danny Valencia, David Winfree, Drew Butera, Dustin Martin, J.D. Martin, Jason Pridie, Jesse Crain, Jorge Sosa, Justin Huber, Minnesota Twins, Philip Humber, Rob Delaney, Rochester Red Wings, Sean Henn, Seth Bynum, Steve Tolleson, Upstate Update