Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - April 23 at St. Paul
April 23, 2024 - International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release
Rochester Red Wings (9-9) vs. St. Paul Saints (8-12)
Tuesday - 7:37 p.m. ET - CHS Field - St. Paul, MN
Radio: Fox Sports 1280/iHeartRadio TV: Bally Live, MiLB.TV
RHP Jackson Rutledge (1-0, 3.00) vs. RHP David Festa (0-0, 1.46)
TREACHEROUS TWIN CITIES: Rochester came up short in a home run-happy 8-7 loss against Toledo, splitting the homestand three games apiece...RF TRAVIS BLANKENHORN continued his success at the plate on Sunday, crushing his fifth and sixth home runs of the season, each over 400 feet...CF ALEX CALL hit one of the Wings' five solo shots in the fourth inning, coming off a game where he hit the first grand slam of the season for Rochester...the Red Wings head back out on the road for a six-game set with St. Paul tonight, the Triple-A affiliate of their former parent club (MIN)...RHP JACKSON RUTLEDGE will make his fourth start of the season for Rochester, and the Saints will counter with RHP David Festa.
TROPHY HUNTING: The office of Major League Baseball named Red Wings OF TRAVIS BLANKENHORN International League Player of the Week yesterday, for his performance in the series against Toledo...the lefty slugger hit .476 (10-for-21) with five home runs, a triple, two doubles, and eight RBI across all six games of the series...
Blankenhorn was able to launch five homers against a Toledo pitching staff that had allowed the fewest home runs in the IL (tied with ROC) coming into the series.
He becomes the first Red Wing to win the award since Luis Garcia took home the honors for the week of 4/12-17 in 2022, and is just the second Red Wing to win the award since becoming a Nationals affiliate in 2021.
SOLO DOLO: The Red Wings' offense combined to launch a season-high five home runs Sunday afternoon, all solo shots...this was Rochester's first game with five solo home runs since at least 2005 and first game with five home runs at Innovative Field since 4/13/2019 vs. Lehigh Valley...
Four of the five homers came off Mud Hens starting pitcher RHP Austin Bergner, the first time Rochester has homered four times against the same pitcher since 6/6/2021 at Worcester, off LHP Kyle Hart.
PIGS IN A BLANKENHORN: RF TRAVIS BLANKENHORN homered twice for the first time since game one of a doubleheader on 7/6/2022 (with SYR) in Sunday's contest, going 2-for-3 with the two solo shots and a walk...the homers were his team-leading fifth and sixth of the season, the first of which was a 435-foot blast that 2B JAKE ALU later tied for the farthest home run a Red Wing has hit this season...Blankenhorn has collected 10 extra-base hits over his last nine games since game one of a doubleheader on 4/13 at Buffalo, most in the International League over that span...
Blankenhorn is the first Red Wing to homer in three-straight games since Matt Adams also homered four times in three games from 4/5-8 in 2023.
He is now one of 11 players in the IL with at least six home runs this season.
RAISE A HULLABALU: 2B JAKE ALU connected on his first home run of the season on Sunday afternoon, a solo shot that kicked off a 1-for-4 day at the plate...after doubling in the contest Saturday, he has now notched an extra-base hit in back-to-back games after collecting one through his first 13 games...
Alu is the sixth Red Wing to homer this season.
Of his 39 career home runs (MiLB & MLB), 30 have come against right-handed pitching.
CALL STREET JOURNAL: CF ALEX CALL smashed a 361-foot, line drive home run into the left field terrace next to the visitor's bullpen, part of a 1-for-3 day at the plate that included a walk...this came a day after the Ball State alum launched the Red Wings' first grand slam of the season, the first time he has homered in back-to-back games since doing so on September 8 & 9 in 2022...
This is the first time in Call's professional career that he's hit five home runs by the end of April...four of his five homers have given the team the lead.
JUAN SOLO (HOMER): 1B JUAN YEPEZ moved into third place on the team in home runs in Sunday's loss after connecting on his fourth of the season, part of a 2-for-5 day at the plate...this was his sixth multi-hit game of the season, tied with DH JAMES WOOD for second-most on the team behind RF TRAVIS BLANKENHORN (7)...
In April, Yepez ranks third on the team in multiple offensive categories, including RBI (11), hits (15), and walks (10).
International League Stories from April 23, 2024
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- Sosa Powers Knights to 5-4 Win Tuesday - Charlotte Knights
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- Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - April 23 at St. Paul - Rochester Red Wings
- Red Wings Travis Blankenhorn Named IL Player of the Week - Rochester Red Wings
- SWB Game Notes - April 23 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
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