Mud Hens fight back from 9-0 deficit to Rochester but lose

7/24/2008

ROCHESTER, N.Y. - That sound you heard from New York around 10 p.m. last night was Rochester Red Wings manager Stan Cliburn exhaling.

The Red Wings built a 9-0 lead through seven innings but had to hold off a late surge by the Toledo Mud Hens before prevailing 9-6 at Frontier Field.

Toledo scored six runs in the eighth and had the tying run at the plate in the ninth with one out, but Bobby Korecky struck out Kody Kirkland and Max St-Pierre to end it.

"That's a dangerous, dangerous club over there," Cliburn said. "No lead is safe."

Jason Pridie, who hit two homers for Rochester, agreed with Cliburn.

"They could hit 12 homers in a row," he said. "We're happy to get the win."

For much of the game, the Mud Hens were being thumped for the second night in a row. They lost 13-0 on Tuesday, managing just two hits while committing five errors.

Rochester's Alejandro Machado opened the bottom half of the third with a fly to center that was misjudged by Brent Clevlen for a double.

Ryan Jorgensen followed with a grounder to third. Mike Hessman fielded it with his bare hand and threw on the run, with the ball striking Jorgensen in the back.

Machado came home on the error.

"We misplayed that ball, then made that error, but after that [Rochester] just hit the ball," Mud Hens manager Larry Parrish said.

Pridie hit a two-run homer to lead Rochester's six-run fourth inning, and when Jorgensen and Pridie opened the seventh with homers off starter Anastacio Martinez, it was 9-0.

Martinez (2-3) allowed the nine runs on 11 hits in 61/3 innings.

The right-hander's earned-run average rose to 5.13.

Toledo's 21-inning scoreless streak ended with a six-run explosion in the eighth inning. Former Cincinnati Reds closer Danny Graves loaded the bases on two hit batsmen and a walk, and Michael Holliman's infield single brought in Toledo's first run since the fourth inning of Monday's 6-4 win over the Red Wings.

Graves mercifully was removed after walking Kirkland to force in another run. Graves threw 17 pitches - just four for strikes.

Tim Lahey induced St-Pierre to line into a double play, but Freddy Guzman ripped a three-run double to right-center and Timo Perez made it 9-6 with another double.

That brought up the dangerous Clevlen, who struck out against Korecky to end the big inning.

In the ninth, Hessman singled with one out and Hollimon followed with a double, but

Korecky fanned Kirkland and

St-Pierre for his 14th save.

"It was nice to see some runs," Parrish said. "Graves struggled, and that got us started."

The Mud Hens committed two more errors and have 10 in the first three games of this series, which concludes with an 11:05 game this morning.

Toledo's Chris Lambert (10-5, 3.10 ERA) takes on Kevin Mulvey (3-8, 3.97) in a matchup of right-handers.

The Mud Hens return to Fifth Third Field tomorrow night to take on the Pawtucket Red Sox, who own the best record in Triple-A at 63-41.