Maya, Johnson Lead Chiefs to 3-2 Win

Yunesky Maya has been the workhorse for the Syracuse Chiefs all year. With his team staring a fifth consecutive loss in the face after a walk-off loss on their own field just thirty minutes prior, he came through one more time.

Maya (7-7, 3.94) fired eight strong innings, surrendering just two runs on five hits while striking out five as the Chiefs (53-63) edged the Scranton-Wilkes Barre RailRiders 3-2 on Tuesday night.

The 31-year-old veteran was in control throughout, using a tight breaking ball early in counts and pounding his fastball to keep the Scranton lineup off balance.

“His past couple of starts he’s done well,” third baseman Zachary Walters said. “He’s mixed his pitches, commanded the zone well. He’s been big for us.”

Melky Mesa hit his 10th home run for the RailRiders (56-61), a two-run shot to deep left-center that gave Scranton the lead in the third. But that mistake was just about the only Maya would make on the day — he retired 15 of the next 18 batters he faced, wiggling out of a two-on, two-out jam in the sixth before settling down and finishing strong.

As dominating as he was, Maya still needed some help. David Huff (4-6, 3.52) got the start for the RailRiders and held down the Chiefs lineup in the early going. Neither offense seemed capable of consistent production, and it would come down to which pitcher blinked first.

“That guy’s a competitor,” second baseman Josh Johnson said. “He’s really good — good stuff, hard fastball, good offspeed, breaking ball, changeup. He’s had my number in the past.”

But Huff finally started to crack with two outs in the fourth, when the bottom of the Syracuse order sparked a rally that would put them ahead for good.

Right fielder Corey Brown and Walters both delivered base hits, and catcher Jhonatan Solano soon followed with a bloop single to right field that evened the game at two. Johnson, batting ninth with just six runs batted in coming into the game, laced a double to left, plating Walters and giving the Chiefs the lead.

The Syracuse lead could have been even larger, but a quick relay throw cut down the slow-footed Solano at home as he was trying to score from first.

“We were in Rochester a while ago and the same scenario came up,” Johnson recalled with a laugh. “I was on first base and he was hitting, and he hit a double down the line and I got in there. We were joking about it in the dugout, he was kind of upset that he didn’t make it for me to give me that extra RBI.”

From there, that was all Maya would need. He cruised until the ninth, pitching to contact and mixing speeds and locations. Closer Erik Davis would take it from there, pitching a clean frame to notch his 12th save of the season. The 26-year-old righty has been a bright spot for Syracuse all year, averaging over a strikeout per inning with an ERA just under three.

“I’ve started, I’ve done middle relief, I’ve done closing,” Davis said. “There’s nothing like going out there and knowing that if I do my job the game’s over.”

It was a satisfying end to a day that began with a somewhat surreal sight at NBT Bank Stadium. Prior to first pitch, the two teams had to complete a July 12th contest at Scranton that had been suspended after 11 innings. The RailRiders had to remain the home team when the game resumed, and Alberto Gonzalez won the game with a walk-off single in 13th to a silent Syracuse crowd. 

“It’s kind of a funny game,” first baseman Tyler Moore said. “It usually never happens, but at the end of the day they got some runners in scoring position and scored a run. I’ve seen some other crazy things, but that was tough. They got the last AB there and that’s part of being the home team.”