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IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Game Notes

April 8, 2022 - International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (2-0) vs Syracuse Mets (0-2)

Games 3 & 4 | Road Games 3 & 4 | NBT Bank Stadium | Syracuse, NY | Friday, April 8, 2022 | First Pitch 4:05 PM

GAME ONE

RHP Deivi García (No Record) vs RHP Cole Gordon (No Record)

GAME TWO

RHP Ryan Weber (No Record) vs RHP Jose Rodriguez (No Record)

LAST TIME OUT

SYRACUSE, NY (April 6, 2022) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders mounted a five-run comeback in the final two innings of Wednesday night's game against the Syracuse Mets. Rob Brantley started the rally with a solo home run, Ryan LaMarre capped it with a two-run double to lead the RailRiders to a 5-3 win.

The Mets and RailRiders were locked in dueling no-hitters to begin the contest. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starter Hayden Wesneski twirled four no-hit innings before allowing a leadoff single in the fifth. Syracuse starter Mike Montgomery matched Wesneski's four no-hit innings, exiting after recording the final out of the top of the fourth. The RailRiders wouldn't pick up their first hit until the sixth.

The RailRiders found offense in the top of the eighth, trailing 3-0. On the first pitch of the inning, Rob Brantley launched a fly ball tight to the right field foul pole that snuck over the wall for his first RailRiders homer of 2022. Three batters later, Estevan Florial launched his second home run in as many days to bring SWB within one, trailing 3-2.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took advantage in the top of the ninth, drawing five walks, three of which scored. Brantly sent a fly ball to center to drive in the tying run in Oswaldo Cabrera. LaMarre did the honors with a two-run double to right-center field, splitting the outfielders to give the RailRiders their first lead 5-3, eventually winning by that score.

NEWS & NOTES

FIRST THINGS FIRST - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders return the field to face the Syracuse Mets for a double-header after Wednesday night's game was rained out. This will be the first time this season that the RailRiders play two in one day. In 2021, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre went 8-10 in double-headers. The Mets and RailRiders played in three head-to-head double-headers last season, splitting each set, finishing 3-3 against each other. They last played a double-header on September 25, 2021 at PNC Field.

GIMME THE BALL - For game one, Deivi Garcia makes his return to the RailRiders. The right-hander made 23 appearances (22 starts) for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2021, leading the team with 96 strikeouts. He enters 2022 as the number four prospect in the Yankees system, as ranked by both MLB Pipeline and Baseball America. Ryan Weber is set to make his Yankees organization debut in game two. The right-hander has been a member of five MLB organizations after being drafted by the Atlanta Braves in 2009. This will be his 270th career Minor League game, where he holds a career 2.66 ERA and 1.200 WHIP.

GO-RO - Cole Gordon will make his first career Triple-A start today for the Syracuse Mets. The 26 year-old has spent the last two seasons with the Mets organization after being drafted in the 32nd round in 2019. Gordon has made 39 professional appearances, 13 of which are starts. He holds a career 3.41 ERA. Jose Rodriguez will take the ball in game two. The right-hander was originally a member of the Angels organization. He was signed by the Braves in 2021, making 23 appearances (21 starts) with Mississippi and Gwinnett. Tonight will be his Mets organization debut.

WELCOME HOME - Tim Locastro is set to make his RailRiders debut tonight, batting sixth and playing right field. Locastro is a Syracuse native who attended Auburn High School, located 29.5 miles southwest of NBT Bank Stadium. Locastro has played in summer collegiate ball and a 2010 high school championship game on this field. He won a title with the Maroons, defeating Liverpool High School here on June 2, 2010. He has been a member of the Blue Jays, Dodgers, Diamondbacks and now Yankees organizations across his 10 years in professional baseball.

BIRD IS THE WORD - Former RailRider Greg Bird (2015, 2017, 2018) has signed a Minor League contract with the New York Yankees and was added to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre roster on Wednesday. Bird spent eight seasons in the Yankees organization from 2012 to 2019. The infielder has played 186 career games across four seasons with the Yankees, while tallying a .211 average with 32 home runs. Bird spent one season in 2021 in the Colorado Rockies organization (where he is a native of). He batted .267 across 112 games with the Albuquerque Isotopes in the Pacific Coast League. He did not appear in the Majors in 2021.

COMO LA FLOR - Estevan Florial returns for his second season with the RailRiders after spending the majority of 2021 in Triple-A (78 games). He promptly started his season strong, going 1 for 3 with a walk and a three-run home run on Tuesday to lock up the Opening Day victory. He then launched his second homer in as many days on Wednesday, a solo shot. Florial enters the 2022 season ranked #10 in the Yankees organization by Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.

QUICK HITS - Max McDowell picked up three hits on Opening night. It was the 12th time in his career that he completed the feat... Greg Weissert tied a career high with five strikeouts on Tuesday. It was the fourth time he had done it...Oswald Peraza homered on Tuesday. Entering Friday, he has played in ten career games with SWB and has nine hits... The RailRiders will make two trips to NBT Stadium this season, totaling 12 games...

WHO'S WHO? - Entering the season, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre features 18 players with Major League experience and seven of the organization's top 30 prospects. Those seven prospects (per Baseball America) are: infielders Oswald Peraza (#2) and Oswaldo Cabrera (#8), pitchers Deivi Garcia (#14), Luis Gil (#4), Hayden Wesneski (#6) and Greg Weissert (#30) and outfielder Estevan Florial (#15).

DON'T JUDGE ME - Multiple reports have stated that the New York Yankees have offered former RailRider Aaron Judge a contract extension. Here's an excerpt from MLB Trade Rumors, written Friday: "With the Yankees set to open their season hosting the Red Sox in less than five hours, Aaron Judge's self-imposed deadline for a contract extension as he enters his walk year is fast approaching. First pitch remains a hard deadline, Judge told reporters this morning. The Yankees are willing to offer their slugging right fielder a six or seven-year extension, a source told Bob Nightengale of USA Today yesterday. The two sides "remain far apart," adds Nightengale this morning. Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman of the New York Post report that the Yankees and Judge are still talking today, with the team offering to make Judge the highest paid position player in Yankees history by average annual value."

AROUND THE ORG - New York began their season today at 1:05 PM, hosting the Red Sox. Gerrit Cole is facing Nathan Eovaldi. Minor League Baseball below Triple-A begins today with every NYY affiliate on the road. The Somerset Patriots face the Reading Fightin' Phils, the Hudson Valley Renegades face the Greenville Drive and the Tampa Tarpons match up with the Lakeland Flying Tigers.

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