MOOSIC, Pa. – Adalberto Mejia allowed one run over 7.0 innings and Byron Buxton hit a three-run home run to bust the game open in the fourth inning as the Rochester Red Wings beat the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 7-1 Friday night at PNC Field.
Mejia (2-2) scattered seven hits without a walk while striking out five in his first game since making his major league debut in relief for the Twins on August 20 in Kansas City. The only run allowed by the left-hander acquired for Eduardo Nunez prior to the trade deadline was a solo homer run in the sixth frame.
The Red Wings (75-59) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI infield single by Wilfredo Tovar against Richard Bleier (2-3). The RailRiders (83-50) had a hit in each of the first three innings, two for doubles, but trailed 1-0 heading to the fourth.
That’s when the Wings exploded for five runs. Adam Brett Walker and Mitch Garver started the inning with back-to-back singles, a wild pitch moved them up a base and Daniel Palka’s groundout scored Walker to give Rochester a 2-0 lead. Tovar made it 3-0 when his high chopper went over the head of the first baseman to score Garver. Leonardo Reginatto singled just off the glove of the shortstop into center before Buxton unloaded on a no-doubt three-run homer into the bullpens in left-center to make it 6-0.
The homer for Buxton was his third in as many games and his 10th with Rochester in just 44 games.
Donovan Solano hit a solo home run in the sixth to make it 6-1. That was the only damage against Mejia, who allowed seven hits to three players; Solano (2), Cesar Puello (3) and Eddy Rodriguez (2).
Reginatto added an RBI double to score Tovar from first base in the eighth to cap the scoring at 7-1.
Neil Ramirez fired 2.0 scoreless innings and surrendered just one hit while striking out four.
Five Red Wings had multi-hit efforts with Tovar leading the way with a 3-for-4 night. He also scored twice and drove in a pair. Walker extended his hitting streak to a Wings season-high 12 games with a 2-for-5 night.
Buffalo held on to beat Lehigh Valley 4-3 Friday, meaning the Wings sit 3.5 games behind the IronPigs in the wild card chase with 10 games to go. Rochester plays the final five games of the season against Lehigh Valley.
