IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on June 16, 2013 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


TURN THE BEAT AROUND: The first four RailRiders to bat reached base and the first three scored as everything broke SWB's way in a 7-0 defeat of the IronPigs at Coca-Cola Park last night.

FIRST THINGS FIRST: Addison Maruszak led off for a second straight day and did his job by reaching base three times including a double, a walk, a bruise and another productive trip to the plate with a sac fly. He has hit safely in 20 of his last 22 games, lifting his season-long contact clip from .194 on May 17 to .247 entering today. That makes for his best average since May 7. During this run, he has hit .324 (22-for-68). The only RailRider with a better contact clip in that time is now in the big leagues - Thomas Neal (.357).

WHO DID J.R. SHOOT?: Ranked catching prospect J.R. Murphy got his first three Triple-A hits with a 3-for-6 showing in the win. The first came in the first against Raul Valdez (1-2) with a single to left. It was not a dream.

FOUR HITS, ONE GAME: He does not play for Polk High School, but Zoilo Almonte posted four hits in one game for the second time this season. No other RailRider has turned the trick once. Almonte once again tied himself with the since-promoted Neal for the team lead in multi-hit games (19).

RISPY BUSINESS: The RailRiders enjoyed a 6-for-13 (.462) showing with men in prime real estate to plate seven scores. On the other side, Lehigh Valley suffered through an 0-for-6 such showing. The RailRiders had been 1-for-13 (.077) with runners in scoring position on the series before Saturday night. Lehigh Valley, with last night's numbers, is 3-for-27 (.111) on the series.

DAN THE MAN: Veteran infielder Dan Johnson delivered the big blow in the RailRiders' three-run first inning with his opposite-way bases-loaded two-run single. Johnson has hit safely in six of his last seven, going 10-for-28 (.357) with five extra-base hits and seven RBIs. He enters today at .223 on the year, tied for his best contact clip since he was at .250 following a 1-for-4 showing against Pawtucket on Opening Day.

BASES LOADED: Johnson had been 0-for-5 with the bases full until last night. Even with that knock, the team owns a slim .188 (13-for-69) mark including eight singles with the bases full. Neal had four of this hits during his stay.

HITMEN: Butch Wynegar's nine notched 16 base hits in the game, one off the team's best showing of the season. SWB amassed 17 hits at Rochester on April 15.

BAKER'S DOZEN: Starter David Huff, who started on Tuesday against Buffalo, got his second nod as a RailRider and did not disappoint. The veteran southpaw retired the first 13 he faced and gave his club 4.1 innings of two-hit baseball.

TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS: Huff was the first of five RailRiders to pitch in the game. He combined with Mark Montgomery (0.2), Chase Whitley (2), Sam Demel (1) and Matt Daley (1) on the team's sixth shutout of the season. Whitley (1-0) got the win as the quintet allowed a total of six hits. Only the Indianapolis Indians (7) have enjoyed more shutout success than the RailRiders in the IL this season.

SKID SNAPPED: The victory snapped a season-worst five-game road losing streak for the RailRiders. The franchise had not suffered that many straight set- backs in true road games since dropping six straight at Louisville and Indianapolis from June 18-23, 2013.

Today's Probables SWB: RHP Ivan Nova (2-0, 2.45) vs. LHV: LHP Tom Cochran (2-2, 5.08)

SUPERNOVA: Ivan Nova grew up a NYY fan in the Dominican Republic. While he attended BOS's academy in his homeland, he turned down its offer and signed with NYY for $80K in July '04. He was a Rule 5 pick by SD in Dec. '08, but was returned. In '09, he dominated Double-A (12GS, 5-4, 2.36) before reaching SWB (12GS, 1-4, 5.10). He starred for SWB in '10 (12-3, 2.86), posting the IL's second-best ERA along with some MLB time. He then spent most of '11 with NYY for a career year (28G/27GS, 16-4, 3.70).

Tom Cochran began the season with Double-A Reading (EL) where he went 0-3 with a 5.73 ERA in three games and two starts. Walks were an issue with seven issued in 11 innings pitched. The Wilmington, Del. product also allowed three home runs to Eastern League hitters in that time. He has only started with Lehigh Valley, but owned an 0-2 record and a 6.75 ERA after his first six nods. He comes off of back-to-back wins at Buffalo and versus Charlotte, allowing one run over 11 innings. An 18th-round pick by Boston in 2003, he spent five years in independent ball from 2005-09.

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International League Stories from June 16, 2013


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