IronPigs 7, Red Wings 0: What we learned

Here is what we learned from Lehigh Valley’s 7-0 win over Rochester on Sunday afternoon in front of 8,645 fans and 148 dogs at Coca-Cola Park:

‘A good soreness’: Jerad Eickhoff woke up Sunday morning with ‘a good soreness’ after his season debut the night before in which he threw 48 of 78 pitches for strikes in five innings of a 12-3 IronPigs win in Game 1 Saturday night. The right-hander, who suffered through carpal tunnel and lat injuries in 2018, allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in five innings.

“It’s all the good muscles that are sore, fatigued,” he said. “I felt like I could have kept going. That’s the biggest thing for me, getting the innings up. It was good that I felt as strong as I did leaving [the game].” Eickhoff gave up a two-run homer to Rochester’s Brent Rooker on a fastball in a 27-pitch second inning. He allowed only two hits after that.

“It didn’t feel like a 20-plus pitch inning,” he said, “so, in a sense, that’s good. I was … able to slow things down, execute some pitches and get back to what I do: throw strikes and keep them off balance.”

All four of Eickhoff ’s strikeouts came on his curveball.

“[The curve] was iffy early on,” he said. “Finding that release point to get it in zone was different. Later, [the Red Wings] were more aggressive and they were chasing that pitch down and got some bad swings on them.

“My fastball command was good early. I kind of lost it in the second and regained it toward the end. Against Rooker, I threw two good fastballs down and away. To me, that was a sign that it is coming back, where it needs to be.”

Eickhoff, who said he experienced no discomfort in right wrist and hand, makes his next start Thursday in Rochester.

Balance: Andrew Romine and Deivi Grullon homered Sunday, giving the IronPigs six in the first four games - by six players. Romine’s homer was his first in Triple-A since 2013. Grullon’s home run was his first career Triple-A homer, a 416-footer.

Roster move: LHP Tyler

Gilbert (groin) was put on the injured list and RHP Tyler Viza was called up from extended spring. Gilbert suffered the injury on a pitch to Rochester’s Randy Cesar in the seventh inning of Game 1 Saturday.

Versatility: Jan Hernandez

played center field Sunday for the second time this year. The converted third baseman never played there before 37 games last year at Double-A Reading.

Mitch Walding played first base Sunday for the first time this year. He played there four times a year ago, seven times in 2017-18 in the Mexican winter league and eight times in the 2016 Arizona Fall League.

Rehab assignment: OF

Roman Quinn (oblique) was 0-for-3 with a sacrifice and two strikeouts in Class-A Clearwater’s game Sunday at Dunedin. His three-game output: 4-for-9, 3 runs, double, homer, two walks, sacrifice, RBI, stolen base and three strikeouts. Up next: RHP Drew Anderson faces Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Drew Hutchison in the first of a three-game series at Coca-Cola Park. First pitch at 7:05 p.m.

Looking ahead: Lehigh Valley’s first road trip (starting Thursday) is to Rochester. When the IronPigs return to Coca-Cola Park on April 18, they face … the Red Wings. The teams play 11 times in the first 18 games.