IL Worcester Red Sox

Paxton Ks Five in Rehab Start, WooSox Fall to RailRiders

Published on April 25, 2023 under International League (IL)
Worcester Red Sox News Release


WORCESTER, M.A. - A late Worcester Red Sox (8-13) rally fell short in the ninth on Tuesday night, an 8-6 series-opening loss to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (9-13) at Polar Park.

James Paxton made his fourth rehab appearance with the WooSox, tossing 82 pitches (42 strikes) and posting the following line: 4.1 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 4 BB, 5 K. All five strikeouts came on four-seam fastballs for the left-hander, as Paxton reached 96 miles-per-hour and recorded seven whiffs on the pitch.

Rodolfo Duran cracked a three-run homer on a knuckle curve to put the RailRiders ahead in the second. In the top of the fifth, Paxton got Estevan Florial to fly out, followed by an error and a walk. At 82 pitches, Paxton departed-Andres Chaparro homered off reliever Taylor Broadway, charging a pair of runs to the Worcester starter's ledger.

Two batters later, Jake Bauers hit his International League-leading ninth long ball of the year, a two-run shot to make it 8-0 Scranton.

But the WooSox' offense answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth, starting with back-to-back one out singles by Niko Goodrum and Greg Allen. Ryan Fitzgerald was next, and he ripped a 106 mile-per-hour double that scored the two men ahead of him.

Fitzgerald has hits in six of his last seven and is one of three Worcester hitters above the .300 mark (Jorge Alfaro, David Hamilton).

After the double, Nick Sogard reached on an infield single, putting runners on the corners. Hamilton followed by beating out a would-be double play, scoring Fitzgerald to cut the deficit to 8-3.

In the bottom of the eighth, Alfaro blasted a 372-foot homer down the left field line off Deivi Garcia. The long ball marks his first of the season after hitting seven for the San Diego Padres in 2022.

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International League Stories from April 25, 2023


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