IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on June 1, 2013 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


BULLISH EFFORT: With Tampa Bay's No. 2 prospect Chris Archer set to start in the bigs today, veteran right-hander Jim Paduch got a fill-in nod in yesterday's series opener. While he allowed three home runs, Paduch (2-3) gave up just four total runs over 6.1 innings for his first win as a starter this season as the Bulls bested the RailRiders, 8-4.

NEAL DEAL: Thomas Neal delivered two of the three home runs on a 3-for-3 night. He entered the game without a dinger in 36 games played and 125 at-bats. With his Friday efforts, Neal now owns the IL's top batting average (.359) and on-base percentage (.454). His contact clip ranked fourth in the minors at the start of the day while his on-base percentage ranked fifth. Neal entered play on May 20 hitting a solid .318. He has hit safely in 10 of his 11 games since, amassing slashes of .450/.551/.700/1.251. The hits come with even greater impact than boosting his numbers. On May 21, @TdaddyNeal tweeted, "I'm going 2 Donate $20 bucks 4 every HIT I get until the Triple-A All-Star Break. #OperationHelpOKC #WhoWants2MatchIt". Since then, the RailRiders have announced that they will do just that, as SWB will match Neal's donation.

JUMP FOR ZOI: The team's third round-tripper last night came off Zoilo Almonte's bat. The team leader in RBIs lifted his total to 33. The night also expanded on some wide season-long splits. On the road, Almonte has hit .359/.417/.553/.971 with four of his five homers and 22 of his RBIs. At home, he has slashes of .187/.309/.275/.584. As a left-handed hitter, Almonte is at .299/.386/.479/.865 with all of his five homers and 28 of his RBIs. As a right-handed bat, the 23-year-old is at .220/.305/.260/.565.

MY BAD: The RailRiders committed a season-high three errors in the loss and saw multiple miscues by a single RailRider for the first time as Corban Joseph made two errors for a team-worst seven on the year. SWB has been charged with an error in a season-high-tying four straight games. The RailRiders still own the IL's top fielding percentage (.982) and a league-low 35 errors.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: The defensive letdowns made for two unearned runs on the line of starter Chris Bootcheck (5-1), who lost for the first time since July 28, 2012 when he was an All-Star reliever for Toledo. Bootcheck failed to last five frames for just the second time in his 10 starts.

MAYDAY: On the month of May, the RailRiders went 11-18 (.379). That tied with Toledo for the IL's worst record on the month. Their 4.76 ERA ranked fourth-worst in the loop while their .239 batting average placed dead last. The next-lowest marks belonged to Syracuse (.247) and Rochester (.253).

SWING & A MISS: Outfielder Melky Mesa went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the loss. The whiffs lifted his season-long total to 81 which entered today as the second-highest total in minor league baseball. Mesa trails only Low-A Hickory (Texas Rangers) outfielder Lewis Brinson (86). He has struck out in 41% of his 197 at-bats while walking just five times.

ROSTER MOVES: Before the game yesterday, the RailRiders got some help from above. In corresponding moves for the return of Mark Teixeira and Kevin Youkilis to the bigs, the Yankees sent both Vidal Nuno and Ivan Nova to SWB. New York manager Joe Girardi told the media that both men will join the Triple-A rotation. They will not count against the IL's 25-man limit until they physically arrive. No rotation updates have yet been announced by the RailRiders.

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International League Stories from June 1, 2013


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