BY DAN GLICKMAN
ROCHESTER, NY – On paper, Friday seemed to be a somewhat unexpected pitcher’s duel, as the Rochester Red Wings left-hander Andrew Alvarez He entered the game with an ERA of 4.89 and his opponent, the right-hander of the Syracuse Mets Blade Tidwellstarted the game with an ERA of 5.87.
And yet it was a duel in which each pitcher allowed only one earned run in the first six innings. It was not until the end of the seventh inning that the Red Wings (26-17 in the second half, 64-52 overall, two games behind the title in the second half) managed to break through against Tidwell and take the final lead, with Jack Dunn Isolation in Trey Lipscomb with one out to make it 2-1. Rochester’s offense pounced on the relievers who came in for Tidwell and scored seven runs in the Mets bullpen to clinch a 9-2 victory – the team’s fifth straight win. Their victory on Friday also clinched the Thruway Cup for the team over Syracuse (18-24 in the second half, 64-52 overall, 9.5 games back) and the Buffalo Bisons for the season.
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“(Alvarez) kept us in the game, (Tidwell) kept them in the game, and we were able to pull it off,” said the Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy. “It was fun. Everyone wants to go on offense, but sometimes it’s good to have a good pitching duel, and we came out on top.”
Alvarez, the Red Wings’ starter (3-3, 4.34 ERA), went seven full innings – his longest AAA appearance – allowing four hits and one earned run and striking out five without walking anyone. In fact, none of the Red Wings walked a batter in the game. The only run scored against Alvarez came on a sacrifice fly by the Mets’ rehab outfielder in the sixth inning. Starling Marteand equalized the game with a goal.
“He had a really good mix against a pretty good lineup,” LeCroy said.
“At the end of the day, I’m just trying to get the lead and get zeroes,” said Alvarez, who pitched well in August, posting a 1.50 ERA in 18 innings pitched. Entering the month, the left-hander had a 6.18 ERA since entering AAA in June.
It’s an improvement that Alvarez attributes to working with coaches and teammates.
“We’re working day by day with Chavy (pitching coach Rafael Chaves), the catchers and my other teammates. We’re getting my old slider back into a little better shape.”
Offensively, the decisive point came in the seventh inning thanks to an old-fashioned move from base to base. Second baseman Trey Lipscomb started with a single to the center and then stole second base. Then the right fielder Stone Garrettwho jumped on an inside sinker and hit a groundout to the third baseman – he was out himself, but Lipscomb got to third base. That stuck in LeCroy’s mind.
“Stone Garretthad what I thought were the best at-bats of the night and got (Lipscomb) to the side so we had a chance to score,” he said. “He hasn’t been consistent this year and to see him give up that at-bat like that for his team says a lot about him. I know the guys were very excited when that happened.”
The job then fell to the shortstop Jack Dunn to bring Lipscomb home for good. Against Tidwell, the Northwestern graduate managed seven pitches at bat before grabbing a sweeper at the edge of the strike zone and sending it to center for a safe single to bring Lipscomb home and make it 2-1.
“It was just a matter of getting the ball to the outfield and getting the runner in,” Dunn said. “With our pitching staff, we only need a one-point lead to win – and that was in my mind.”
Tidwell was replaced after 6.1 innings pitched, allowing four hits, three walks, two earned runs and five strikeouts.
The Red Wings had more than enough security in the following inning, as seven Wings reached base with two outs, brought home seven runs and made the game 9-1. Although the third baseman from Syracuse Brett Baty In the ninth inning, they shortened the lead with a huge 400-foot hit, but that was far too little and too late for Syracuse.
Garrett led the way on offense with two hits and two RBIs, both on a double in the eighth inning. Darren Baker had two hits, including a double, scored one run and scored twice, including a score in the fourth inning on a Drew Millas groundout that gave the Wings an initial 1-0 lead. Dunn finished the day 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI and a stolen base.
The Red Wings and Mets continue their series on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. Rochester sends right-handers onto the field Brad Lord (2-2, 3.27) against Syracuse right-hander Michael Vasill (6-7, 5.31).
