Wings Spilt Twin-Bills With Richmond

Howie Clark hit a bases-loaded single in the eighth inning to give the Red Wings a 4-3 win over the Richmond Braves in the first game of a doubleheader that was scheduled for seven innings on Tuesday night. In the nightcap, Richmonds Charlie Morton and Zach Schreiber held off the Wings in a 4-2 R-Braves win. Matt Macri knocked in two Rochester runs, and Darnell McDonald homered for the Wings. Morton, Richmonds rookie game two starter, brought an 0.87 ERA into the game after his first two Triple-A starts. Red Wings relievers Casey Daigle was making a spot start for Rochester. The combination of game twos late starting time (9:21 pm) and temperature (44°) almost insured a quickly played contest; but the game slowed down at Daigles expense in the second inning. Richmond strung together four singles and a sacrifice fly to go ahead 2-0. By the third inning, Daigle had thrown 48 pitches and gave way to Ricky Barrett. Morton worked around Rochester hits in the first and third, and a second inning walk. In the fourth, Brian Buscher and Clark hit back-to-back singles to put the tying runs on base, but Morton got a flyout from Randy Ruiz. Jose Morales stung a shot to short that Brent Lillibridge couldnt handle for an error; but Macri followed with a first pitch swing that resulted in a flyball to right to end the threat. Barrett pitched one inning, with Heath Totten bailing out Barrett and the Wings in the fourth. Totten came in with two runners on and struck out Lillibridge to end a Richmond threat. The Braves added a run off Totten in the fifth on Scott Thormans double. Rochester had shot in the sixth. Braves left fielder Brandon Jones made a great catch to take a home run away from Buscher to start the inning, and hits by Clark and Morales put two runners on with two outs. Macri lofted a double to the deepest part of the ballpark in left-center, bringing in Clark and Morales to make it a 4-2 contest. Morton exited in favor of Schreiber, who struck out Chris Basak to end the rally. Carmen Cali pitched one inning of relief, fanning one. With two outs in the seventh, McDonald homered to left and Buscher singled to right. But Schreiber got Clark to line out, ending the game. In the opener, the Wings started fast right out of the gates. After a scoreless inning by Red Wings starter Phil Humber, the Red Wings took very little time to get him the lead. Alexi Casilla started with a lead-off double after battling for multiple pitches with Braves starter Jon Rouwenhorst. Jason Pridie followed with a triple to score Casilla and put himself in position for Buscher to score him in the next at-bat with a looping double to right-center field. Buscher scored two batters later when Macri hit a single into left field, making the score 3-0 after the first inning. The Braves scored their first run of the game in the third inning when lead-off hitter Josh Anderson hit an inside-the-park home run to right field. It was the first time an opponent has hit an inside-the-parker since Ottawa Lynx outfielder Brad Wilkerson did it on Aug. 28, 2000 in Ottawa. The Braves second run came when Lillibridge scored after stealing second and advancing on a fielding error, making the score 3-2. The tying run came in for Richmond in the fourth when J.C. Holt came in on a fielders choice by Lillibridge. After Holt scored, Mariano Gomez relieved Humber and struck out Brandon Jones. Humber finished with 3 2/3 innings allowing three runs, two earned, on four hits and striking out four. Gomez and Braves reliever Phil Stockman battled until extra innings were needed. Gomez retired all 10 batters he faced and struck out three of them. Stockmans line was nearly identical to Gomez. The only difference was that he struck out one more batter. After Gomez left, Red Wings closer Bobby Korecky came into the game to start pitching the eighth. Richmond almost took the lead in the top of the eighth. DH Barbaro Canizares hit a lead-off double and was replaced on the basepaths by pinch-runner Reggie Taylor. The next batter, Joe Borchard, hit a single to left and Taylor was rounding third base. Enter Tommy Watkins. Watkins nailed Taylor at the plate to keep the 3-3 tie intact. Despite only having one out after that play, the Braves couldnt get another runner across. In the bottom of the eighth, the Wings loaded the bases after Pridie singled, Buscher walked, and Jones singled. Next at the plate was Clark. Clark worked reliever Matt DeSalvo (1-1) to a 3-1 count and laced a single over Holts head to scored Pridie for the Wings first run since the first inning. Korecky (2-0) earned the win, allowing two hits and walking one. NOTES: Garrett Jones left the first game with a bruised knee, after colliding with the outfield wall on Andersons homer. Jones did not play in the second game...Inductees into the International Leagues Hall of Fame will be presented with a special memento to honor their designation among the League’s immortals. The International League’s 125th Anniversary Committee has commissioned the creation of a statue -- "The Curtain Call" -- which will be presented to members of the IL Hall of Fame upon their formal induction. Red Wings inductees, including Joe Altobelli, Morrie Silver and Russ Derry, will be honored here on June 28. Click here to read the official press release in the International League section....Watkins and Darnell McDonald wore uniform number 42 Tuesday in celebration of the 2008 Jackie Robinson Day. On April 15, 1947 Jackie Robinson broke baseballs color line when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers.... More than 330 players and on-field staff members from the 30 Major League Clubs planned to wear number 42 Tuesday; the Minnesota Twins players and staff members who participated: Matt Guerrier, Livan Hernandez, Craig Monroe, Denard Span, Jerry White and Delmon Young...From TwinsBaseball.com: Twins RHP Kevin Slowey reported feeling no discomfort in his strained right biceps muscle on Tuesday, one day after testing it by throwing off a mound for the first time since sustaining the injury. Slowey has been on the DL since Friday...Twins SS Adam Everetts sore right shoulder has become enough of a concern that he will have it evaluated by team doctors when the club returns home on Wednesday.