IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Game Notes

Published on May 19, 2022 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (13-24) vs Worcester Red Sox (17-21)

Game 38 | Road Game 20 | Polar Park | Worcester, MA | Thursday, May 19, 2022 | First Pitch 6:45 PM

RHP Hayden Wesneski (1-4, 2.31) vs RHP Kutter Crawford (No record)

WESNESKI: Earned first of year in 6.0 inning start with 2 H, ER, HR, 4 K vs Syracuse Mets 5/14 (4-1 W)

CRAWFORD: Pitched two innings of relief for Boston, going 2.0 IP, H, BB, K @ Texas 5/13 (7-1 W)

LAST TIME OUT

WORCESTER, MA (May 18, 2022) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders dropped their second consecutive game to the Worcester Red Sox on Wednesday night by a 5-2 final. Greg Bird picked up a pair of doubles in a losing effort.

Luis Gil returned to the RailRiders rotation after a brief stint with New York. The righthander pitched into the fifth inning for the first time this season but was forced to exit mid-at bat with two outs in the inning with an apparent right inner-elbow injury. Gil wound up with just one earned run allowed on three hits, three walks and six strikeouts. Worcester starter Brayan Bello made his Triple-A debut and chalked up ten strikeouts to match a season-high, which he set with the Portland SeaDogs.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third thanks to an Estevan Florial solo home run, his second long ball in the last three games. He also has hits in ten of his last twelve games played. The WooSox tied the game in the bottom of the inning courtesy of a Jarren Duran solo shot. The RailRiders regained the advantage with back-to-back doubles from Bird and Phillip Evans to put them ahead 2-1.

The game remained there until the Sox put up a three-spot in the bottom of the sixth keyed by a go-ahead two-run double from Yolmer Sánchez. The RailRiders brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth but failed to score, falling 5-2.

NEWS & NOTES

FIRST THINGS FIRST - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are on the road for their first trip to Polar Park as they take on the Worcester Red Sox. The two teams are scheduled to play 24 games against each other this season with the first two series of the year in Massachusetts. Polar Park opened in 2021 as this is just the second season of this ballpark's existence. The RailRiders played here 19 times last season, going 11-8 at Polar Park. They will play 12 games in Worcester this season.

HAY-DUB - Tonight's game is slated to be started by Hayden Wesneski, who is coming of his first win of the season. Wesneski was stellar in the month of April, but has found even more success in the month of May. Across three starts this month, Wesneski has struck out sixteen batters while walking only one. His impressive 0.84 WHIP in April is even lower in May at 0.64. The righthander is making his 11th career Triple-A start but it's the first time he faces the Worcester Red Sox. This is his fifth start away from PNC Field this season. He is still searching for his first road win. The RailRiders are 3-4 in games he starts this season.

IS THE WORD - Greg Bird had his batting average drop to .143 on the season after an 0 for 4 performance on May 13. Since then, Bird has a three-game hitting streak where he is 4 for 12 with a solo home run and two doubles, raising his season average 26 points. His two double performance on Wednesday evening was the fourth time this season a RailRider hit two doubles in a game.

FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS - Today is RailRiders starting pitcher Deivi García's 23rd birthday. It is also coincidentally WooSox catcher Connor Wong's 26th birthday. The next birthday the RailRiders will celebrate is Oswald Peraza's 22nd birthday on June 15. Strangely enough, Wednesday night's Worcester starter Brayan Bello just recently celebrated his 23rd birthday on Tuesday (May 17).

NOT 'FIL'ING WELL - During Wednesday's game, RailRiders starter Luis Gil removed himself in the fifth inning with an apparent elbow injury. Marly Rivera of ESPN tweeted Thursday morning, "Aaron Boone says that he has not gotten any info on Luis Gil. Boone says he'll see Dr. Ahmad tomorrow for an evaluation."

COMO LA FLOR - Estevan Florial entered this series on a three-game hitting streak, went 0 for 4 on Tuesday then followed with his third home run in the last two games as a part of a two-hit game on Wednesday. He has hits in ten of his last twelve games played. The 0 for 4 performance on Tuesday ended a fifteen-game on base streak, the longest for any RailRider this season. He raised his on base percentage from .311 to .365 (54 point difference) during the streak. The longest on-base streak of his RailRiders career remains eighteen-straight that occurred from June 11 to July 7, 2021 (.448 OBP). 2022 is Florial's second season with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

MAKIN' MOVES - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre made a handful of roster moves prior to the start of the series in Worcester. Oswaldo Cabrera was placed on the 7-Day Injured List on Monday. Derek Dietrich and Ken Waldichuk were promoted to the RailRiders from Double-A Somerset today. Carlos Espinal and José Mujica were transferred to Double-A Somerset. Additionally, Ryan LaMarre was activated from the 7-Day Injured List. Five roster moves on Tuesday is the most in a single day for the RailRiders this season.

QUICK HITS - Worcester is the only opposing team the RailRiders visit twice (series) before hosting this season... SWB has one more win (7) on the road than they do at home (6)... After winning their first four games on the road, the RailRiders have a 3-12 mark away from PNC Field... Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has made 23 transactions in the month of May. They had 18 in the entirety of April...

ON DECK - The RailRiders will be on the road this week to face the Worcester Red Sox in their first trip to Massachusetts this year. They will return home on Tuesday, May 24 to host the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. It's "Twosday". Get 2-for-1 lawn or bleacher seats online only and enjoy $2 Landshark Lager tallboys for two hours after gates open, presented by PrimoHoagies & The River.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION - The New York Yankees (28-9) squeaked past the Baltimore Orioles on Wednesday night by a 3-2 final. They rode a three run first inning and Gerrit Cole to lock up the series victory. The Orioles and Yankees wrapped up the series with day baseball in Baltimore today... After trailing 5-0, the Somerset Patriots (23-11) came from behind to defeat the Reading Fightin Phils 7-6 in day baseball on Wednesday. Josh Breaux hit his sixth home run of the season. Sean Boyle starts tonight at 6:35 PM... The Hudson Valley Renegades (15-19) lost their sixth straight game against the Brooklyn Cyclones 5-4 on Wednesday afternoon. Aaron Palensky crushed a two-run homer to close the gap to 5-4 in the eighth, but the rally stopped there. Matt Sauer takes the ball tonight at 7:00 PM... The Tampa Tarpons (14-20) dropped the second game of their six-game set against the St. Lucie Mets 9-3. The Tarpons struck out 15 times and stranded 11 runners on base. Richard Fitts starts tonight at 6:30 PM...

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