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Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

August 20, 2014 - International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


CALL IT A COMEBACK: The good times kept on rolling for the RailRiders at PNC Field on Tuesday night. IL All-Star Jose Pirela fell a double shy of the cycle and drove in four runs as the RailRiders posted a three-run ninth to log a 6-5 series-opening win over the first-place Syracuse Chiefs.

UNDER MY PIRELA: Pirela connected on a two-strike, two-out bases-loaded triple for the walk-off winner. He has hit safely in eight straight games, connecting at a .382 (13-for-34) rate in that time. He leads the IL in hits (151), runs scored (82) and triples (10) while ranking among the best in batting average (8th, .306) and total bases (2nd, 217).

IT'S A WALK OFF: The RailRiders' seventh walk-off win of the season came against the squad that suffered the setback in the first such triumph. Russ Canzler singled Zoilo Almonte home in an extra eighth inning for a 2-1 SWB win in game two of an April 12 doubleheader.

FIVE ALIVE: The RailRiders have won five straight games and a win tonight would tie their longest win streak of the season. A six-game surge from May 4-9 against Norfolk, Indianapolis and Durham set the current bar. The franchise has not won seven straight since an eight-game roll from April 29-May 5, 2013. Six of those eight games came in doubleheaders as the RailRiders swept successive rain-filled road series at Charlotte and Gwinnett.

ALL GOOD THINGS: Pirela's clutch knock came against the red-hot Rafael Martin (1-1) who entered the game on a tremendous run. Between Double-A and Triple-A he had not allowed an earned run in 29 games and 46.1 innings. His last earned run allowed came in his first outing with Double-A Harrisburg this season when he gave up seven runs (six earned) and recorded just two outs at Akron on May 12. A two-out bases-loaded hit doomed him that day as well when Ronny Rodriguez smashed a grand slam.

YO JOE: Corban Joseph served as the DH and doubled. Since July 3 he has hit .369 (24-for-65) with eight extra-base hits. He now has a .266 batting average, his best contact clip since he was at .270 after a home game against Gwinnett on May 11, 2013. He has proven clutch this season - connecting at .333 (10-for-30) with men in scoring position and two outs.

WHO ARE THE CHEFS?: The RailRiders have gone 10-5 against the Chiefs this season. The SWB franchise has not lost the season series to Syracuse since the 2009 team went just 6-10 in the meetings. In fact, since that season only one SWB team has failed to win double-digit games against the Chiefs. The 2011 SWB Yankees went 9-5 versus the Syracuse club. The final two meetings that season were cancelled when rain wiped out an Aug. 15 doubleheader.

MILLER TIME: Reliever Jim Miller (6-3) picked up his team-best sixth win. The franchise has not had a single-digit wins leader since Matt DeSalvo paced the 2007 team at 9-5. The low-water mark for an SWB wins leader sits at seven and it has happened five times in three separate seasons. In 1989 both Mike Maddux and Wally Ritchie won seven games to lead the team. In 1997 Darrin Winston paced the squad with seven wins. Mike Bacsik and Clay Condrey shared the lead in 2005 with seven wins apiece. Dan Giese is the last true reliever to lead SWB in wins when he triumphed 12 times in 2004. All of his 54 appearances that year came in relief.

OFF THE RAILS: Pirela started in center field for the second time in as many days and for the second time in his career...Four of the top seven hitters on the Yankees' farm currently reside on the SWB roster (Rob Refsnyder, 1st, .326; Pirela, 3rd, .306; Taylor Dugas, 5th, .302; Kyle Roller, 7th, .298)...Adonis Garcia (.322) would also rank with that bunch, recent days dropped him below the 2.7 plate appearances/team game minimum to qualify...He has been on the DL since Aug. 5...He was also on the DL from June 10-July 3.

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