SWB Game Notes - July 29, 2026
IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes - July 29, 2026

Published on July 29, 2026 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (17-9, 54-46) @ Iowa Cubs (13-15, 43-57)

July 29, 2026 | Game 101 | Road Game 52 | PNC Field | First Pitch 1:38 P.M.

#22 RH Brendan Beck (8-2, 2.89) vs #6 RH Jaxon Wiggins (0-1, 9.19)

Beck (7/23 vs SYR): 6.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 SO, 82 P (54 S) [RailRiders, 2-0]

Wiggins (7/23 @ GWN): 2.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 63 P (31 S) [Stripers, 4-2]

LAST TIME OUT

DES MOINES, IA (July 27, 2026) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders rallied to beat the Iowa Cubs 6-3 at Principal Park on Tuesday night. The RailRiders plated all six runs on ten hits from the sixth inning on to come from behind and take the series opener.

The Cubs took a 2-0 lead against Dom Hamel and the RailRiders in the bottom of the first on an RBI double from Owen Miller and a Kevin Alcántara sac fly. Owen Ayers' solo home run to right in the fourth extended the Cubs' lead to 3-0. Iowa starter Jace Beck allowed four singles over five scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts and no walks.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre cut into the lead in the sixth with a run on three hits off reliever Jayden Murray. J.C. Escarra doubled and moved to third on an Oswaldo Cabrera single. Yanquiel Fernández doubled in Escarra to narrow the Cubs advantage to 3-1.

The RailRiders sent eight to the plate against Antoine Kelly in the top of the eighth. With two down and two on, Ernesto Martínez Jr.'s triple off the centerfield wall plated Cabrera and Tyler Hardman to tie the game at 3-3. Kenedy Corona dropped a squeeze bunt on the very next pitch to drive in Martínez Jr. for a 4-3 SWB lead.

Martínez Jr. added a two-run single in the ninth to extend the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lead to 6-3.Danny Watson (4-2) earned the win with 1.2 scoreless frames. Yerry De Los Santos pitched a three-batter eighth, and Kervin Castro retired the final three batters for his fourth save. Kelly (1-1) was tagged with a blown save and the loss for the Cubs.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Iowa had not met since 1990 during the Triple-A Alliance days. All nine batters reached for the RailRiders, and seven of nine had at least one hit in the franchise's first win in Des Moines since 1989.

NEWS AND NOTES

IN THE LEAGUE - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is tied for second place in the International League alongside Indianapolis. The RailRiders boast a 17-9 record against the Indians 18-10 who have played two more contests. They are one and a half games behind the league leading Durham Bulls who are 18-7. Iowa is middle of the pack with a 13-15 record.

MARTÍNEZ IS MASHING- Ernesto Martínez Jr., 27, recorded his fourth triple of the season last night, driving in a pair of runs. He is one shy of tying a career record set back in 2021 in Single-A. Martínez now has 53 runs batted in which is nine away from the most he has had in a single season (62 in 2024).

THE HOMER GAME- The RailRiders have now dropped to fifth most home runs in the International League after only recording two last week in six games against Syracuse. Ernesto Martínez Jr. hit one in the opener and Abrahan Gutierrez smacked the other in the series finale. SWB has 139 homers in 100 games. The Iowa Cubs are middle of the pack with 106 on the season.

COMPLETE OPPOSITE SIDES - SWB has the best pitching earned run average in the International League. In 99 games, the arms hold a 4.18 ERA allowing 398 earned runs. The RailRiders have let up 98 home runs, second least in the IL. Meanwhile, Iowa has the worst ERA with a 6.13 in 101 games. The Cubs have allowed a league-high 598 earned runs. In addition, the home team has allowed the most homers with 149 let up.

GEORGE'S GAME - George Lombard Jr., the Yankees #1 prospect, snapped his16-game hit streak that began back on June 12. In that time, the righty has had 24 hits, including ten doubles and three home runs. He is still amidst a 25-game on-base streak that dates back to May 29. Throughout that, he has had 29 hits, 19 walks, and was hit by a pitch three times.

THRICE TRIUMPHANT - Yankees #22 prospect Brendan Beck received International Pitcher of the Week honors after his performance last week against Syracuse. Beck got the call for Thursday's contest to face off against the New York Mets rehabber Clay Holmes. The righty earned his team-high eighth win of the season with 6.1 innings of scoreless baseball. He allowed just three hits and one walk, while striking out seven. Beck threw 82 pitches in his first appearance after the All-Star break. It was his third time winning the award along with the June Pitcher of the Month accolade. He lowered his International League leading earned run average to 2.89 among qualified pitchers. Beck has also tossed the most innings with 99.2 and recorded the second most strikeouts with 100. The 27-year-old was drafted by the Yankees in the 2nd round back in 2021 out of Stanford University.

CASTRO'S COMMAND- Reliever Kervin Castro earned a team-high fourth save of the season last night, working through the ninth frame clean. With Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the righty holds a 1.88 ERA in 22 outings with just six walks while striking out 31. With the Yankees, he holds a 3.38 ERA in two appearances with no walks and four strikeouts.

Check out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Statistics

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International League Stories from July 29, 2026


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