IL1 Rochester Red Wings

Wings Comeback Bid Fails in Extras

Published on August 30, 2008 under International League (IL1)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


Despite a six-run eighth inning in which Trevor Plouffe belted a grand slam, the Rochester Red Wings couldn't hold the comeback together as they lost to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees, 8-6, in 10 innings. With the win, the Yankees clinched the IL North Division.

Entering the game, Wings' starter Kevin Mulvey had retired the last 12 batters he had faced. That streak ended on the first batter as Justin Christian lined a double into center field. Melky Cabrera followed with a single that scored him from second.

Mulvey got into another jam in the third inning. After the Yankees loaded the bases, Juan Miranda hit a deep fly ball to left field to score Christian. When the throw came back in, Alejandro Machado mishandled it, allowing Cabrera to score as well, putting Scranton up, 3-0.

The fourth was more of the same as Nick Green took Mulvey's first pitch of the inning and put it in the left field bullpen. That gave the Yanks a 4-0 edge.

Meanwhile, Yankees' starter Ian Kennedy cruised. Through the first five innings, he retired 15 of 19 batters with eight of them being strikeouts. The four that reached during that span were all singles.

After six and two thirds innings, Mulvey was pulled for Julio DePaula after he walked Eric Duncan, who would've been the third out. DePaula quickly finished the deed as he got the first batter he faced to fly out. Mulvey finished allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He also struckout five Yankees.

"Mulvey started a little slow," Red Wings pitching coach Stu Cliburn said . "But, by the sixth he was settled and pitching well."

Finally, Kennedy was pulled two outs into the seventh inning, leaving two Wings on base. He finished allowing just six hits with no walks and a whopping 11 strikeouts, his highest total of the year.

In the eighth inning, the Yanks tacked on a few more off reliever Danny Graves who relieved DePaula at the top of the inning. After retiring the first two batters, Graves allowed two walks and then a Green double to bring them around, making the score, 6-0.

Rochester finally got to the Yankees relief in the eighth. They loaded the bases with no outs and Bobby Kielty delivered with a single into the right-centerfield gap. Then it was Plouffe's turn, with his father watching from the stands - and he hit the big one, a grand slam that brought the Wings within one, 6-5.

But that wasn't all.

Macri reached on an error and, after the Yankees recorded an out, Luke Hughes, who pinch-hit for Ryan Jorgensen, drilled a double to left to plate Macri. That run knotted the score at 6.

After both teams went screless in the ninth, the game moved into extra innings.

Bobby Korecky (6-5) , who pitched the ninth, got into some trouble to start the tenth. After letting the first two batters on base with a double and a walk, a bizarre play happened two batters later.

Matt Carson hit a sharp ground ball to Macri, who fielded it cleanly. Macri tried going for the double play at second but it hit third base umpire Dave Rackley in the head, letting Cabrera score. Miranda scored another run when Green singled. Those runs put Scranton up, 8-6.

Plouffe earned a lead-off walk in the bottom of the tenth inning but the next three batters were retired in a row by reliever Scott Strickland, who earned his 12th save of the season.

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International League Stories from August 30, 2008


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