IL1 Rochester Red Wings

Wings Stop Record Hitting Streak, But Lose to Clippers

June 18, 2007 - International League (IL1)
Rochester Red Wings News Release


Three Red Wings pitchers combined to end Brandon Watson's league-record hitting streak, but three Columbus pitchers held the Wings to just two hits as the Clippers beat Rochester 6-0 Monday night at Frontier Field.

Rochester starter Jeremy Cummings drew the assignment of stopping Clippers outfielder Watson's 43-game hitting streak. To open the game, Cummings caught Watson looking on a 3-2 pitch that Watson thought was ball four. In the third inning, Watson drilled a 3-1 pitch to center but Denard Span tracked it down at the warning track

In the fourth, cruising along with four strikeouts, Cummings ran into trouble. After a single and walk to open the frame, D'Angelo Jimenez hit his seventh homer of the year, a drive to right field that bounced off the billboard wall above the Wings' bullpen. Cummings settled down after the homer, striking out Watson for the second time to get the third out of the inning.

Columbus pushed the lead to 4-0 in the fifth, with Kory Casto picking up an RBI single. That prompted Cummings' exit, and Carmen Cali's entry into the game. Cali got an inning-ending double play grounder from Jimenez to end the threat.

In the meantime, the Wings managed just a single and two walks in four innings against Clippers starter Jim Magrane. With two outs in the fourth, Span pounded a shot at first baseman Larry Broadway, who appeared to take the ball off his face after one hop. The hustling Span made it all the way to second base on what was scored a double, and Broadway was helped off the field with Brent Abernathy replacing Broadway in the field. Casilla flied out to center to thwart the Wings' scoring chance.

Watson came to the plate with one out in the eighth with one last chance to extend his record hitting streak. However, Wings reliever Ricky Barrett struck him out and Watson's record-breaking streak came to an end. Barrett also struck out Bernie Castro swinging to set the Clippers down 1-2-3 to end the eighth.

NOTES: Red Wings coach Rich Miller and Patti Ford were married Monday morning at the Crescent Beach Hotel...The Red Wings observed a moment of silence before the game in memory of Messenger Post Newspapers Sports Editor Tom Murphy, who passed away Sunday . Murphy was a 1971 graduate of Greece Olympia High School, and a 1975 graduate of SUNY Geneseo with a bachelor of arts degree in speech communications. He began working at Messenger Post (then Wolfe Publications) in September, 1975, and was a two-time winner of the Rochester Press Radio Club's Sportswriter of the Year award.... ..Tommy Watkins celebrated his birthday Monday, wth his mom and stepdad in town from Florida...Matt Tolbert had an 0-for-4 night, dropping his league-leading average to .367.

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