Yanks fall to Chiefs once again

The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees have been sitting in first place in the International League North Division since Aug. 4 of last season.

If the two teams that took the field last night at Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse continue their recent level of play, that streak could soon be history.

The surging Syracuse Chiefs jumped out to an early 5-0 lead before posting a 6-3 win against the Yankees on Thursday night. The second-place Chiefs won for the ninth time in 11 games this season against SWB and are now just two games out of first place. Syracuse had trailed the division-leading Yankees by 7� games on Sunday.

The win was the seventh in a row for Syracuse, while the Yankees tied a season-high with their fifth consecutive loss. SWB opened the season with an 11-game winning streak, but have lost five in a row three different times since that streak.

The Chiefs scored five runs off SWB starter George Kontos, who was making his first appearance since June 12. Kontos’ last three scheduled starts were postponed because of rain.

Just like on Wednesday night at PNC Field in Moosic, Syracuse took the lead in what started out as a seemingly innocent inning. Kontos retired the first two batters he faced before Ryan Langerhans hit a double and Brad Eldred followed with his 12th home run of the season to make it 2-0.

Langerhans and Eldred each had an RBI hit in the bottom of the third as the Chiefs increased their lead to 5-0. Kory Casto also drove in a run during the inning. Syracuse added an unearned run against reliever Mark Melancon in the eighth.

The Yankees were shut down by Syracuse starter Marco Estrada, who pitched five scoreless innings to pick up the win. SWB took advantage of a pitching change in the sixth to pull within 5-3 as Colin Curtis hit his first Triple-A home run – a three-run shot that also scored Juan Miranda and John Rodriguez.

Curtis, who was recently called up from Double-A Trenton, finished 2-for-4 to raise his batting average to .353 since joining the team five games ago. Leadoff hitter Kevin Russo also went 2-for-4 to raise his average to .348.

SWB reliever Zach Kroenke continued his impressive season, pitching three scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 1.14. Anthony Claggett also pitched a scoreless inning.

Pinstripe notes: LHP Casey Fossum exercised an option in his contract and left the Yankees organization to pursue possible opportunities as a free agent. Fossum joined the Yankees in May after playing in the N.Y. Mets organization. … Xavier Nady, playing in a rehab assignment from New York, was hitless in two at-bats with a strikeout. … Austin Jackson had a hit in four at-bats and now has three hits in his last 24 at-bats. … Shelley Duncan, who also has three hits in his last 24 at-bats, was given the night off.

LOOKING AHEAD

PROBABLE STARTERS: Yankees RHP Romulo Sanchez (2-0, 3.97) vs. Chiefs LHP Collin Balester (6-5, 4.00)

ON DECK: The Yankees travel to Rochester to play the first game of a brief two-game series at 7 p.m. Saturday at Frontier Field.