Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - May 31 vs. St. Paul
May 31, 2024 - International League (IL)
Rochester Red Wings News Release
St. Paul Saints (24-29) vs. Rochester Red Wings (27-25)
Friday - 6:45 p.m. ET - Innovative Field - Rochester, NY
Radio: Fox Sports 1280/iHeartRadio TV: Bally Live, MiLB.TV
RHP Louie Varland (2-3, 4.41) vs. RHP Jackson Rutledge (2-3, 6.51)
THURSDAY THRILLER: After being held scoreless in Wednesday's contest, the Rochester Red Wings bounced back for a 6-3 win over St. Paul Thursday afternoon...RF ERICK MEJIA and 2B JACKSON CLUFF each connected on three hits to pace the offense, and LHP DJ HERZ set a Red Wing season high with 10 strikeouts on the mound...Rochester looks to make it back-to-back wins tonight, sending RHP JACKSON RUTLEDGE to the mound against Saints' RHP Louie Varland.
STREAKY BIRD: DH TRAVIS BLANKENHORN extended his hitting streak to eleven games with a line-drive single Thursday afternoon, finishing 1-for-3 with a run scored...this is the lefty's longest hitting streak of the season and longest since a 13-game hit streak on 6/2-25 in 2019 with Double-A Pensacola (MIN)...
Over the course of the streak, Blankenhorn is hitting .300 (12-for-40) with three home runs, four doubles and seven RBI.
ANGRY HERZ: LHP DJ HERZ punched out a season-high ten Saints across 5.1 innings yesterday, allowing one earned on two hits with one walk...ten strikeouts is the single game best by a Red Wing arm this season and is the first double-digit strikeout game since Wily Peralta punched out the same number on 5/10/2023 against Worcester...
This is the fifth time Herz has struck out at least 10 batters in his professional career, and first time since 8/16/2023 with Double-A Harrisburg.
DIAMOND IN THE CLUFF: 2B JACKSON CLUFF led the offense for the Red Wings Thursday afternoon, reaching every time he stepped up to the plate en route to a 3-for-3 performance with a walk, two RBI and a run scored...this marks his first three-hit game at the Triple-A level.
LEAF ERI(C)KSON: RF ERICK MEJIA turned in his first three-hit game since 5/24/2023 with High-A Wilmington yesterday, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs scored...the switch-hitter is reaching base at a .417 clip in the month of May, third-best on the team over that span (min. 20 AB).
IT'S MILLAS TIME: C DREW MILLAS swiped two bags in yesterday's contest, bringing the Red Wings' stolen base total to 65 this season...he is the only Red Wing catcher since at least 2004 to steal two bases in a game (also stole two on 8/5/2023 at SWB)...the switch-hitting catcher also went 1-for-4 with two RBI and a walk at the plate, and has hit safely in 16 of his 20 games played in the Month of May...
65 stolen bases as a team is good for fourth-most in the International League.
FAMOUS AMOS: RHP AMOS WILLINGHAM turned in his eighth-straight scoreless appearance Thursday afternoon, working out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh...the righty finished with 2.0 innings hitless innings with a walk...over the course of his streak, opposing batters have only managed two hits across 10.1 innings for a .065 (2-for-31) batting average.
THREE'S COMPANY: 2B JACKSON CLUFF and RF ERICK MEJIA each turned in three hits Thursday out of the eight and nine spots in the batting order...this is the first time the eighth and ninth hitter in the Red Wings lineup have connected on at least three hits in a game since Onix Vega (4 hits) and Wilmer Perez (3 hits) did so on 9/18/2022 against Lehigh Valley.
JUAN OF A KIND: 1B JUAN YEPEZ doubled in the bottom of the fifth this afternoon, and finished 2-for-3 with a pair of walks... he has now reached base safely in 11 of his last 12 games dating back to game two on 5/18 against Buffalo...
The Venezuelan product has 29 walks in the season, most among all Triple-A first basemen.
International League Stories from May 31, 2024
- RailRiders Downed Mud Hens, 1-0 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Durham Downs Jacksonville, 6-4 - Durham Bulls
- Home Run Sink Bats in 6-4 Loss - Louisville Bats
- Francisco Mejía Hits Home Runs as Sounds Even Series in Memphis - Nashville Sounds
- Knights Fall to WooSox 13-4 on Friday - Charlotte Knights
- Gorski Continues Hot Streak as Indians Drop Fourth Game of Homestand - Indianapolis Indians
- Omaha Wins Sixth Straight Series with 4-1 Victory over Indy - Omaha Storm Chasers
- Hot Bats Power Red Wings over Saints on Friday - Rochester Red Wings
- Syracuse Defeats Buffalo, 4-2, on Friday Evening at NBT Bank Stadium - Syracuse Mets
- Miscues Cost Jacksonville in 6-4 Loss to Durham - Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp
- Late Inning Offensive Explosion Powers WooSox to Third Straight - Worcester Red Sox
- Redbirds Close out May with Friday Night Loss to Sounds - Memphis Redbirds
- Home Runs Lift I-Cubs Over Louisville - Iowa Cubs
- Home Run Sink Bats in 6-4 Loss - Louisville Bats
- Weston Wilson Goes Yard as Clippers Slip by 'Pigs - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
- Mud Hens Secure 1-0 Win in Thrilling Showdown - Toledo Mud Hens
- May 31 Games Notes: Iowa Cubs at Louisville Bats - Iowa Cubs
- Bisons Payton Henry Alert, Responsive After Scary Incident - Buffalo Bisons
- Knights Announce Five Roster Moves Friday - Charlotte Knights
- Stripers See Six-Run Lead Slip Away in Norfolk - Gwinnett Stripers
- Saints Stuck in a Rut in Loss to Red Wings - St. Paul Saints
- Tides Complete Six-Run Comeback In Win - Norfolk Tides
- SWB Game Notes - May 31 - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
- Clippers and IronPigs Split Doubleheader - Columbus Clippers
- Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - May 31 vs. St. Paul - Rochester Red Wings
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