IL1 Syracuse Mets

Late error dooms Chiefs to 5-4 loss

July 8, 2011 - International League (IL1)
Syracuse Mets News Release


The Syracuse Chiefs (38-48), the Triple-A affiliate of the Washington Nationals, went hitless in eight of nine innings of a 5-4 loss to the Pawtucket Red Sox (48-41) Friday at Alliance Bank Stadium. The Chiefs took a 4-2 lead in the fifth behind their only six hits of the game, but Pawtucket rallied for the win as their pitchers retired the last 13 Syracuse batters to close the game.

The Red Sox took an early lead off Chiefs starter Craig Stammen. PawSox leadoff hitter Che-Hsuan Lin started the game with a single up the middle and advanced to second on a Daniel Nava groundout. Stammen struck out Ryan Lavarnway for the second out, but Lars Anderson grounded a single to centerfield that allowed Lin to score from second.

Stammen was perfect through the second and third but got into trouble in the fourth. Two PawSox singles started the frame, followed by a groundout that moved the runners to second and third. Stammen then walked Brent Dlugach to fill the bases with just one out.

But the Chiefs righty got out of the jam. Gregor Blanco gave Stammen some help in the next at-bat, catching a fly out and holding the runners with his throw home. Stammen then took over and dealt a three-pitch strikeout to Ronald Bermudez to end the inning unscathed.

The Syracuse righty continued to work into the fifth, but gave up a leadoff home run to Pawtucket shortstop Alex Valdez. Stammen quickly recovered to retire the next three batters and keep the score at 2-0.

At that point, the pitcher had gotten no help from his offense. Red Sox starter Kevin Millwood held the Chiefs hitless through the first four innings and gave up just two walks to Chris Marrero in that span.

But Syracuse would put an end to the offensive drought in the fifth. Tug Hulett started the inning with a single to open the floodgates. The Chiefs tacked on five more hits on four singles and a Seth Bynum homer to score four runs and storm in front 4-2.

The run ended with a Marrero strikeout, which started another hitless streak for Syracuse. Pawtucket reliever Hideki Okajima took over for the next two innings and threw two strikeouts to help put down six straight batters.

That allowed Pawtucket to inch closer in the seventh despite not recording a hit. Stammen walked Ryan Khoury to lead off the frame before righty Collin Balester stepped to the mound. He sat down Bermudez with a strikeout, but walked Valdez to put runners on first and second. Then, with Che-Hsuan Lin at the plate, Balester's pitch got away from catcher Jhonatan Solano to advance the runners on a past ball. Balester got Lin to ground out a few batters later, but Khoury scored on the play to cut the lead to 4-3.

The Chiefs then gave up that slim lead in the eighth. PawSox first baseman Lars Anderson started the inning with a double off lefty Lee Hyde. That was the only batter Hyde faced before righthander Jeff Mandel took over. A groundout moved Anderson to third before Mandel struck out Brent Dlugach.

But Khoury smacked a triple to rightfield that dropped just out of reach of the charging Jesus Valdez to score Anderson and knot the game at 4-4. Pawtucket then retook the lead one batter later. Bermudez hit a grounder to Hulett, but the third baseman short-hopped the throw past Marrero at first, allowing Khoury to come home for the 5-4 advantage.

Red Sox righty Michael Bowden relieved Okajima in the eighth, and the one-run lead was all he needed. He sat down the Chiefs in order over the last two innings to close out the PawSox win.

The Chiefs start a two-game set with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs at 7:00 Saturday at Alliance Bank Stadium. Syracuse righty Yunesky Maya will toe the rubber against IronPigs righty Vance Worley.

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