Red-hot IronPigs go into break with third straight win

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — A few days ago, the All-Star break probably couldn't come fast enough for the IronPigs.

The way they've swung the bats the last four days, they may want to keep playing.

Lehigh Valley reached double figures in hits for the fourth straight game, banging out 14 for the second straight game to back Tyson Brummett's first Triple-A victory in a 5-2 victory over Syracuse that sends the IronPigs into the break with a three-game winning streak.

The IronPigs (53-37) maintained 31/2 -game lead over Pawtucket in the International League's Northern Division and extended their advantage over third-place Scranton to 41/2 games.

After hitting .184 in the first six games of July, culminating last Wednesday when they were no-hit in Rochester, the IronPigs have hit .351 (50-for-151) and scored 26 runs over their last four games. Rich Thompson and Delwyn Young each had three hits for the second straight game, while Erik Kratz and Tagg Bozied added two each.

Thompson, who is 9-for-19 over the last four games to boost his average to .280, also scored twice.

Meanwhile, Young's two doubles gave him his fourth straight multi-hit game. The veteran is 17-for-40 (.425) over the last 10 games with seven doubles, a homer and seven RBIs, raising his average to its highest point (.247) since going 1-for-3 on opening night.

Brummett (1-2) allowed a run over five innings before four relievers threw an inning each to close out the game. The 26-year-old allowed a solo homer to Matt Antonelli with one out in the bottom of the first, and later got one of his eight groundouts to leave the bases loaded in the inning. But he then allowed just two more baserunners, on a one-out walk in the second and a leadoff single in the fourth.

The Chiefs scored their other run off Justin De Fratus in the ninth.

Syracuse (38-50) also committed three errors leading to two IronPigs runs, and also threw a wild pitch that allowed a third run to score.

Two of the errors, and the wild pitch, handed the IronPigs a pair of first-inning runs. Thompson singled to open the game, and after Josh Barfield struck out, the speedy outfielder scored from first when pitcher Chad Gaudin threw a pickoff attempt down the right-field line and first baseman Chris Marrero threw wildly past third after recovering the errant pickoff attempt.

Young followed with his first double, and after moving to third on a groundout, scored when Gaudin skipped a pitch past catcher Jhonathan Solano.

The IronPigs added two more runs in the fourth. Brandon Moss opened the inning with a single, and Kratz, one of three IronPigs heading to Salt Lake City for Tuesday's Triple-A All-Star Game, was hit by a pitch. Bozied followed with his second triple of the year, giving the IronPigs a 4-1 lead.

Young's ninth-inning single knocked in Thompson, who had reached on a three-base error, with the final IronPigs run.

The IronPigs return from the break with a three-game, two-night series with Syracuse at Coca-Cola Park, beginning with a doubleheader on Thursday night.

http://www.mcall.com/sports/baseball/ironpigs/mc-ironpigs-road-0710-20110710,0,2159095.story