STAFF REPORTS
Nik Turley struck out 15, and Mitch Garver’s home run helped the Rochester Red Wings to a 8-1 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Tuesday night at Frontier Field. The series continues with a 12:35 p.m. weekday matinee on Wednesday, another $1 Wednesday with $1 Zweigle’s hot dogs, peanuts, chips, and Cracker Jack.
Turley, just back up with the Wings spending the last week with Double-A Chattanooga, took the mound in a light rain and chilly temperatures. Turley struck out the first two batters he faced, then allowed a walk before striking out clean-up hitter Tyler Austin.
Scranton starter Chance Adams, one of the Yankees’ top pitching prospects, matched Turley with two strikeouts in the bottom of the first.
Turley struck out nine hitters through the first three innings of play, allowing just two singles and a walk.
In the top of the fourth, Austin led off with a double, then Turley record his 10th strikeout and got two groundouts to get out of the inning.
Adams held the Red Wings hitless through the first four innings. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Tommy Field broke up the no-hitter with a line drive single to left field.
When Turley fanned the first two batters he faced in the sixth inning, it raised his game total to 15 – a career high, and the most by a Red Wings pitcher in one game since Jose Berrios fanned 14 against Syracuse August 31 last season.
The Wings broke through against Adams in the bottom of the sixth. Zack Granite laced a one-out double, and J.B. Shuck followed with a walk. Mitch Garver drilled an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left field, the fourth homer of the season for Garver.
In a six scoreless inning effort, Turley allowed four hits and two walks to go with 15 strikeouts. He threw 105 pitches, 68 for strikes.
Drew Rucinski came on for Turley to start the seventh inning, and pitched two perfect relief innings.
In the bottom of the seventh, Granite added an RBI single to bring home Leonardo Reginatto and make the score 4-0. Two more runs scored on fielding errors for a 6-0 advantage.
John Ryan Murphy’s ground rule double and a run-scoring groundout from Bengie Gonzalez in the eighth inning finished the scoring for the Red Wings.
Michael Tonkin pitched the ninth for the Wings, allowing one run.
Turley put himself into an historical stratosphere with his performance Tuesday. His 15 strikeouts were three away from the team’s all-time strikeout record, set by Wings Hall of Famer Roric Harrison with 18 against Toledo on July 12, 1971. Pete Harnisch had a 17-strikeout performance on August 4, 1988 – also against Toledo – which was the last time a Red Wings pitcher came close to Harrison’s record.
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