By: Mike Rose
ROCHESTER, N.Y.– It was an old-fashioned pitcher's duel on Father's Day at Innovative Field as the Rochester Red Wings shut out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 3-0. The victory secured a 4-2 series win for Rochester. Pitching ruled the day for both sides as neither team was able to muster an extra-base hit amongst the 12 in the game. Red Wings Manager Matthew LeCroy was happy with the efforts of his pitching staff, particularly starter Anthony Banda.
"Really happy for Banda. He made some nice adjustments and today I thought he was better. He commanded the ball a lot better with better location. He mixed his secondary a lot better too. I'm also happy for (Joe) La Sorsa. He's a very emotional pitcher and for him to come back and redeem himself was good for him and for us," LeCroy said.
La Sorsa and Banda combined to give up seven runs in Tuesday's series opener against the RailRiders. In his second go around today however, Banda pitched 3.2 innings allowing just one hit with three walks and three strikeouts in the win tonight. It was Banda's fourth start of the season as the Red Wings have begun to stretch him out as a starter.
"Just getting quick outs and trusting my stuff. It's definitely a different thought process from being a reliever. It's just getting back on the grind and understanding there are going to be a few bumps before success and I think that's part of the bigger picture. Everyone wants to flip the script and do well right away but everybody has a process," Banda said.
Ultimately it was a three-run second inning that propelled the Red Wings' offense. Richie Martin delivered the big hit in the game in the second. Jake Noll singled between walks from Travis Blankenhorn and Drew Millas to load the bases with two outs for the Red Wings SS. He delivered, lining a two-run single into center field to put Rochester on top and ultimately provide all the run support needed in the game. the next batter, Derek Hill, tacked on an RBI single to push the lead out to 3-0.
From there the bullpen slammed the door shut for Rochester. Tommy Romero, Amos Willingham, La Sorsa, and Gerson Moreno combined for 5.1 shutout innings allowing just four hits and walking three to seal the deal. After a shaky defensive performance sunk the Red Wings yesterday, with six unearned runs crossing the plate, Rochester played a clean game behind the pitching staff today.
"I thought we played solid defense. The cliche is defense and pitching wins games and I thought collectively we played well today," Martin said.
The Red Wings (32-35) will have an off day tomorrow before beginning a six-game series with the Omaha Storm Chasers (34-32) who enter the series on an 11-game winning streak. First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 6:45 pm.
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