Sports

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

By Dave Konopki dkonopki@timesleader.com
Assistant Sports Editor

MOOSIC — Kei Igawa will have to wait a few more days before he gets another opportunity to enter the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre record book.

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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Justin Leone beats the tag of Syracuse catcher Jhonathan Solano at home plate and scores a run in the third inning. It ended up being the Yankees’ lone run of the night in a 6-1 loss.

Pete G. Wilcox/The Times Leader

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One win away from equaling the franchise record for most career pitching wins, Igawa suffered his first loss in his last six starts – a tough 6-1 loss to Syracuse on Tuesday night at PNC Field.

Igawa entered the game with 25 career wins, one shy of the franchise record held by former SWB Red Barons pitcher Evan Thomas. Igawa (6-2) scattered six hits and allowed four runs – just two of them earned – in six innings against the Chiefs. The left-hander, who was the victim of a costly error in the sixth inning, also struck out six and walked two.

Syracuse starting pitcher J.D. Martin continued his impressive season in picking up the win, striking out seven batters and allowing a run and three hits in five innings. Martin, who threw 84 pitches, raised his record to 8-2.

The Chiefs also moved a game closer to division-leading SWB in the International League North Division. Syracuse and Pawtucket are four games behind the Yankees, who have lost three games in a row. The Chiefs have won seven of their last nine games against the Yankees.

The Yankees took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the third, but it appeared as though they might be destined for more runs. With one out, Justin Leone ripped a double to left field and Kevin Cash walked to put runners on first and second.

Leadoff hitter Kevin Russo followed with a single to score Leone and move Cash to third. But with runners on the corners and Austin Jackson – the league’s third-leading hitter – at the plate, Martin picked off Russo at first. Jackson subsequently grounded out to end the inning.

The Chiefs strung together three consecutive hits against Igawa en route to taking a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth – the only bad inning for the Japanese-born pitcher.

Ryan Langerhans led off with a single and advanced to third on a double by Brad Eldred. Kory Casto followed with a single to score Langerhans and tie the game at 1-1. Eldred went to third on the single and scored when Mike Vento hit into a double play.

Igawa followed by pitching a scoreless fifth inning and retired the first two batters in the top of the sixth. Then things took a turn for the worse.

The first error of the season by Jackson led to a pair of unearned runs – and a 4-1 Syracuse lead – in the top of the sixth inning.

Playing in left field, Jackson misplayed a fly ball off the bat of Mike Vento and Seth Bynum followed with his 11th home run of the season to give Syracuse a 4-1 lead. The error was Jackson’s first of the season.

Other than the lone run in the third, the Yankees couldn’t get anything going against Martin and a trio of relievers. SWB finished with four hits, only one of them coming in the final four innings. Colin Curtis, playing in just his third Triple-A game after being called up from Double-A Trenton, had two of the four hits.

Romulo Sanchez replaced Igawa to begin the top of the seventh. The big right-hander allowed two runs – one earned – in two innings of work. Paul Bush, who signed with the Yankees last month out of the Independent Atlantic League, pitched a scoreless top of the ninth while striking out two of the four batters he faced.

LOOKING AHEAD

WHAT: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees vs. Syracuse Chiefs

WHEN: 7:05 p.m. today

WHERE: PNC Field, Moosic

PROBABLE STARTERS: Yankees RHP Sergio Mitre (2-0, 2.84) vs. Chiefs LHP Scott Olsen (0-0, 8.10)

ON DECK: The Yankees travel to Syracuse to play the first game of a brief two-game series at 7 p.m. Thursday at Alliance Bank Stadium.