Sports

IL BASEBALL

By Van Rose vrose@timesleader.com
Sports Reporter

ALLENTOWN — It wouldn’t be surprising if Lehigh Valley pitchers suddenly begin seeing Shelley Duncan in their nightmares. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre slugger continued to feast on IronPigs pitching Sunday.

Duncan was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI doubles as part of a 17-hit attack in the Yankees’ 9-6 victory over Lehigh Valley at Coca Cola Park.

It marked Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s second straight come-from-behind victory over the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate, and Duncan was a key factor in both. Duncan had two home runs, a double and six RBI in Saturday’s win.

“I feel really good,” Duncan said. “It’s more a mental thing than a physical thing. It’s a matter of having a clear mind.”

Duncan credits manager and hitting coach Butch Wynegar for his red-hot hitting against the IronPigs this weekend.

“I’m very relaxed and focused,” said Duncan. “These last two games were very exciting. The whole team hit well—one through nine in the batting order.”

Juan Miranda also continued his hot-hitting Sunday. The Yankees first baseman was 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI.

Yankees’ starter Phil Hughes turned in a subpar effort, giving up five runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings of work. His rough outing could possibly delay what was thought to be an imminent return to the New York rotation.

“I left too many fastballs up in the strike zone and they jumped all over them,” said Hughes. “I got behind and wound up facing too many hitters’ counts.”

Obviously, Hughes was not pleased with the outing. However, he made it clear that he doesn’t see it as a major roadblock. “I feel like I’m ready to return to the big leagues.”

Even though Hughes struggled, Wynegar said it was a gutsy effort because the 22-year-old right-hander was under the weather before the game.

“He insisted on going out there. He battled hard, but he struggled with his velocity and fastball location.”

Sunday’s game marked the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre debut of outfielder Melky Cabrera, who was demoted to Triple-A by New York on Friday.

Cabrera was 1-1 with four walks and scored a pair of runs.

“I didn’t count on seeing Melky until Tuesday,” said Wynegar. “For Melky to show up today, that shows me something. I liked what I saw.”

There were three other bright spots for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (79-50).

Pitcher Zach Kroenke, who was called up earlier in the day from Double-A Trenton, allowed just one hit in three innings of relief and notched the win.

Catcher Chad Moeller was 4-for-5, including third double of the season.

Nick Green slammed his 10th home run—a two-run shot in the sixth inning that tied the score at 5-5, erasing a three-run deficit.

The Yankees forged a 6-5 lead when Miranda led off the seventh inning with a home run.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre widened the lead to 9-5 with three runs in the eighth. The key blow was Miranda’s two run single.

Lehigh Valley’s Brandon Watson hit a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the ninth to account for the final margin.

NOTES: Yankee manager Dave Miley is expected to rejoin the team on Tuesday, according to Wynegar. Miley left the team last Monday after his 17-year-old son, Cody, was fatally injured in an auto accident.

LOOKING AHEAD

NEXT GAME: 7 p.m. Tuesday vs. Rochester

PITCHERS: Yankees Alfredo Aceves (RHP, 1-2, 5.12) vs. the Red Wings (TBA).

RADIO: THE GAME: 1280-AM, 1340-AM, 1400-AM, 1590-AM. With Mike Vander Wood.

ON DECK: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s three-game set against Rochester continues through Thursday. The Yankees open a two-game series vs. Lehigh Valley on Friday at PNC Field.