Rochester Red Wings Game Notes - Wednesday, July 25 vs. Syracuse (Nationals)
Published on July 25, 2012 under International League (IL1)
Rochester Red Wings News Release
WEDNESDAY, JULY 25, 2012 w FRONTIER FIELD
GAME #105 - HOME GAME #52 - 7:05 P.M.
SYRACUSE CHIEFS (48-55) at ROCHESTER RED WINGS (51-53)
LHP ZACH DUKE (11-4, 3.89) vs. RHP ESMERLING VASQUEZ (3-5, 3.70)
WERTHWHILE CAUSE: The Rochester Red Wings tonight play the 2nd game of their 4-game series against International League North Division rival Syracuse (Chiefs) after losing last night's series opener 6-1. Following this brief 4-game homestand it's back on the road for a pair of 4-game series at Columbus (Indians) and Toledo (Tigers). The Red Wings then return home on August 6 for a 6-game stay at Frontier Field.
a Each of the 3 remaining games of this series vs. Syracuse will be broadcast live on Time Warner Cable Sports (TWCS).
a These 4 contests against the Chiefs are the Red Wings' only home games in a 20-game stretch from July 16-August 5.
ROSTER NEWS: Righthander Eric Hurley, who was signed by the Twins as a minor-league free agent on Sunday, was added to the roster yesterday and he will start tomorrow's game vs. Syracuse. Hurley went 7-8 with a 5.81 ERA in 18 starts this season with Triple-A Salt Lake (Angels) before being released. The former first-round pick of the Rangers in 2004 will become the 16th different starting pitcher used by the Red Wings.
ALMOST THERE: With 40 games remaining, the Red Wings are already just 2 wins shy of matching last year's win total of 53 and 3 short of eclipsing it. The 2011 club was 24 games under .500 at 40-64 at this point last season. The 2010 team was 26 games below .500 at 39-65 at this juncture and went on to finish only 49-95.
TIME TO TURN IT AROUND: The Red Wings have lost 3 in a row and 4 of their last 5. The 3-game losing streak is the club's longest since a 3-game skid June 28-30. Rochester hasn't lost 4 in a row since a 4-game streak May 25-28.
a The Red Wings have dropped 4 of their last 5 after winning 7 of their first 8 games of July. Despite the recent struggles, Rochester still has the 2nd-best record in the IL during the month. The Top 5 teams during the month:
Rank Team Record
1. Columbus 14-7
2. 14-8
3. Indianapolis (Pirates) 14-9
T4. Charlotte (White Sox) 12-9
Norfolk (Orioles) 12-9
a The Red Wings tonight look to avoid losing back-to-back games at Frontier Field for the first time since June 18-19 vs. Durham (Rays).
WE'LL TAKE IT: Despite losing 2 in a row and 4 of their last 5, the Red Wings are still 31-23 since sitting a season-worst 10 games below .500 at 20-30 on May 28. Going back further, Rochester is 37-30 beginning May 15. The Wings are also 42-37 beginning May 3, playing better than .500 baseball for more than half the season.
WHAT COULD BE...: The Red Wings need just one win in their final 7 games of July to guarantee their 2nd straight winning calendar month. Rochester went 15-14 in June for their first winning month since going 17-15 in August 2009. The Wings haven't posted back-to-back winning months since June and July 2007, when they went 16-15 and 18-13, respectively.
STRUGGLES EXPLAINED: The Red Wings have scored 3 runs or less in 3 consecutive games after scoring 4 or more in 10 straight contests. In fact, since scoring a season-high 14 runs Thursday at Norfolk, the Red Wings have scored just 13 runs in 5 games. Rochester is hitting just .191 (9-for-47) in that 5-game span, including a 1-for-14 mark (.071) in the last 2 games.
NOT-SO GREAT EIGHT: The Red Wings have lost 8 in a row against Syracuse, their longest current losing streak against any opponent in the IL. It also marks their longest losing streak against an IL opponent since a 10-gamer vs. Columbus June 22, 2010 - August 15, 2011 (first game of doubleheader).
a This is the Red Wings' first losing streak of 8 or more games against Syracuse since prior to 1990 (more research needed).
YIKES!: The Red Wings have been held to one or no runs 23 times, including both of the last 2 games. Rochester was held to one or no runs in a season-high 3 games in a row June 10-12 at Indianapolis.
a The Red Wings rank last in the IL with 377 runs scored, 42 behind the next closest teams Lehigh Valley (Phillies) and Louisville (Reds), which have 419.
a Brian Dinkelman last night hit a first-inning leadoff home run, the Red Wings' first such homer since Dustin Martin turned the trick July 1, 2011 at Pawtucket (Red Sox) off Felix Doubront.
CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH: The Red Wings have gone a season-high 5 straight games without committing an error for the 3rd time, joining their efforts from May 26-31 and July 4-8 (first game of doubleheader). The last Rochester miscue was a Matt Carson throwing error in the 4th inning Thursday at Norfolk. The Wings, therefore, have gone 44 consecutive innings without an error.
a Rochester last went at least 6 consecutive games without an error May 23-30, 2011, when they went 7 in a row without a miscue.
CUP RUNNETH OVER: The Red Wings and Chiefs are in the midst of a hotly-contested battle for the Thruway Series Cup presented by Hillside Family of Agencies, the 3-team race for the best record in western New York among Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse. Here are the current standings, which reflect only games against one another:
Rank Team Record Winning %
1. Buffalo 12-7 .632
2. Syracuse 11-9 .550
3. Rochester 6-13 .316
THIS DATE IN BASEBALL HISTORY: In 2004, Twins Special Assistant Paul Molitor is inducted to the Baseball Hall of Fame...in 1964, the Twins tie an American League record by using 9 pitchers in a 6-5 loss in 13 innings at the White Sox.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
0 Opponent Time Probable A0 TV/Radio
Thursday, July 26 vs. Syracuse 11:05 a.m. RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (0-2, 3.79) vs. RHP Eric Hurley (NR) TWCS/WYSL 1040 AM, 92.1 FM
Friday, July 27 vs. Syracuse 7:05 p.m. RHP Yunesky Maya (7-8, 3.93) vs. RHP Jeff Manship (6-1, A0 TWCS/WHTK 1280 AM
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