ROCHESTER, NY - Five Gwinnett Stripers pitchers combined to allow eight runs on seven hits and 10 walks in an 8-3 loss to the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday afternoon at Frontier Field.
ROCHESTER, NY - Five Gwinnett Stripers pitchers combined to allow eight runs on seven hits and 10 walks in an 8-3 loss to the Rochester Red Wings on Wednesday afternoon at Frontier Field.
Gwinnett battled back from an early 2-1 deficit to tie the game at 2-2 on Dustin Peterson's second home run in as many games, a third-inning solo shot to right field off left-hander Mason Melotakis. Peterson's home runs in consecutive games doubled his total (1) from all of 2017, in which he played 87 games.
The 2-2 score stood only until the bottom of the fourth, when the Red Wings scored three runs off Luke Jackson to take a 5-2 lead. Jackson (L, 0-1) allowed a double to James Ramsey and a single to Gregorio Petit in front of a go-ahead sacrifice fly by Nick Buss. After a walk to Jermaine Curtis, Jake Cave lifted a second sacrifice fly to make it 4-2. A run-scoring error on second baseman Christian Colón raised Rochester's lead to 5-2.
Peterson doubled home Chris Stewart to cut the deficit to 5-3 in the fifth, his final hit in a 3-for-5 effort. He finished a triple shy of the cycle for a second straight game, tallying two RBIs on the day.
The Stripers still trailed 5-3 entering the eighth, when Jason Hursh and Rex Brothers combined to issue six walks. A wild pitch scored Buss from third, and bases-loaded walks to Leonardo Reginatto and Bobby Wilson capped the scoring at 8-3.
Left-hander Philip Pfeifer threw 1.0 inning in a spot start, yielding two runs on two hits and one walk. Lefty Jon Kennedy, promoted to Gwinnett earlier in the day from Short-A Danville, made his Triple-A debut and tossed 2.2 scoreless, two-hit innings to keep the game close.
Carlos Franco also singled home a run for the Stripers, recording his team-leading 15th RBI in a 1-for-5 effort. Colon and Stewart each added a pair of hits.
Kennys Vargas went 3-for-4 with an RBI for Rochester (7-9). Melotakis (W, 2-1) allowed a run on two hits over 3.0 innings, and right-hander Matt Magill (S, 3) pitched 3.0 scoreless, three-hit innings for the Red Wings.
The Stripers (7-11) have an off-day on Thursday before returning to action Friday night at Coolray Field. Game one of a three-game series vs. the Durham Bulls starts at 7:05 p.m. Atlanta Braves left-hander Luiz Gohara (0-0, 2.25 ERA) is set to make his second rehab start for Gwinnett, while Durham will counter with left-hander Anthony Banda (2-2, 4.74 ERA). Tony Schiavone has the play-by-play call on 97.7 FM The Other Side of the River beginning at 6:35 p.m.
