BY MIKE ROSE
ROCHESTER, NY — The Rochester Red Wings had one of those days where everything was working on Sunday. They pulled together a dominant team performance to take the series finale against the Syracuse Mets 6-1.
It all started with Jackson Rutledge on the mound. Rutledge has been dealt the toughest hand of perhaps any pitcher in the league this season dealing with rainouts and shortened starts throughout the first month of the season. However, this week Rutledge was able to make two starts on his regular rotation against Syracuse and he put it all together on Sunday.
“That might be the best I’ve ever seen Rutledge pitch,” Red Wings manager Matt LeCroy said. “He was commanding the zone, he really pitched well with the fastball which opened up some secondary pitches for him but he set the tone for us.”
Rutledge went six shutout innings allowing three hits and one walk with six strikeouts. Rutledge’s dominance was evident as Syracuse failed to hit a ball into the outfield until his final inning of work. With a normal schedule in front of Rutledge for the first time all season the last couple of starts he’s been able to tweak things with pitching coach Rafael Chaves and saw the results Sunday.
“Incredibly frustrating that first few weeks, and frustrating for everybody because we got a lot of games rained out but it’s just the work me and Chavy have been able to do,” Rutledge said. “I added the curveball last week. I’ve been kind of messing around with changing up grips and adjusting that and just getting more comfortable in my mechanics. Today was just kind of everything came together. I had all six pitches working and just mixed pitches really well and felt in control.”
Offensively the Red Wings were led again by Travis Blakenhorn. He drilled a towering solo home run to open the scoring in the second. It was Blakenhorn’s ninth home run of the season, tied for the fourth most in the International League. The Red Wings tacked on two more in the third. Darren Baker led off with a base hit and swiped his 12th base of the season before an RBI single from rehabbing Nationals outfielder Victor Robles. Drew Millas would plate Robles on an RBI single of his own.
In the fourth, the Red Wings blew the game open. Rochester loaded the bases with Baker reaching on a fielder’s choice and Robles and James Wood each drawing a walk. Blakenhorn would step to the plate and blast one off the top of the right field wall, narrowly missing a grand slam but plating two more runs. Millas followed with an RBI double to extend the lead to 6-0.
Blakenhorn, who leads the Red Wings in home runs and RBI, has seemingly flipped a switch in his 10th professional season. LeCroy believes he has bought into the refined approach at the plate.
“I just think he’s bought into looking for something in one area,” LeCroy said. “When he swings and misses now he’s chasing the ball up which is the ball he likes to hit. Now he’s laying off that ball that’s down where in the past he swung and missed at the top and chased at the bottom. So he’s eliminated the bottom part of that area and he’s stuck into that ball up. I really like where he’s at but he deserves a chance to go play in the big leagues so hopefully he continues it and gets out of here.”
The scoring halted after the fourth for Rochester as the Mets bullpen retired the final 13 Red Wings hitters in the game. Syracuse finally got on the board in the ninth on a solo home run from Mark Vientos but that was all the damage the Mets would do.
Rochester (15-14) moves back above .500 with Sunday’s win securing the series split. They’ll enjoy a day off before hitting the road to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to begin a six-game set with the first place team in the IL on Tuesday. Spenser Watkins (1-0, 4.94) is slated to get the start for Rochester while Will Warren is the projected starter for the RailRiders. The first pitch from PNC Field is scheduled for 6:05 pm
