IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on July 3, 2014 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


SWEPT AWAY, PART II: There are doubleheader sweeps and then there's what happened to the RailRiders Wednesday night. The RailRiders had two men thrown out at the plate and left the bases loaded in the eighth inning of the extra-inning opener. In the home half of the same frame, former RailRider Dan Johnson bombed his league-best 17th home run to right off reliever Matt Daley (1-2) to win it. The Bisons used a pair of bases-loaded walks in the nightcap for a come-from-behind 3-1 triumph. The RailRiders have lost four in a row to fall a season-worst six games under .500. The last-place RailRiders stand tied with Gwinnett for the league's third-worst record.

HE'S ON FIRE: Tuesday, Jose Pirela was named the IL's June Player of the Month. Yesterday, he was named an IL All-Star and the loop's starting second baseman. Thanks to his three-hit effort last night, he entered today as the IL's lone player to reach the century mark in hits (101). He also ranks among the IL's best in batting average (4th, .318), runs scored (2nd, 53) and total bases (3rd, 143). Oddly enough, while he's the IL's starting second baseman, he played the position for the first time since June 4 in last night's nightcap. After the bevy of roster moves in recent days, Pirela is now the only player that has been on the RailRiders' active roster since Opening Day.

TRY ME ON FOR SIZE: Scott Sizemore posted a pair of hits in the nightcap. Each of the knocks came against southpaw Raul Valdes, lifting Sizemore's numbers against lefties to .329/.347/.486/.832. In his last 21 games played, he has gone 23-for-79 with almost half of his hits (11) going for extra bases (5-2B, 3-3B, 3HR) and 15RBIs. That makes for a .291 batting average and a .544 slugging percentage.

YIN & YANG: In the opener, starter Shane Greene fired six-plus scoreless innings with a season-best seven strikeouts. He has not allowed a run in back-to-back starts for the first time since June 3 and 9, 2012 nods at St. Lucie and versus Daytona respectively when he was with Advanced-A Tampa. In the nightcap, starter Nik Turley (0-1) tied his career-high mark for walks in an outing with six. That included two with the bases loaded in the fourth for the tying and game-winning runs. He has issued six walks in a game four times on his pro career.

STOP, THIEVES!: Buffalo proved successful in each of its first two stolen base tries in the opener. Kevin Pillar took second in the third while Kenny Wilson swiped second in the fourth. But in the fifth, catcher John Ryan Murphy gunned down Ryan Goins at second. That snapped a string of 25 straight successful swipes for SWB foes. The RailRiders have nabbed just 22 of 111 (.198) would-be base stealers. No IL unit has had more stolen base attempts or successes against it than SWB, which has the circuit's worst caught-stealing efficiency. In fact, there have been more successful steals against the RailRiders (89) than total attempts by nine of the other 13 IL teams. Buffalo ranks ninth with its .312 caught-stealing efficiency.

JUST-US LEAGUE: The RailRiders (.270) trail only Rochester (.272) for the league lead in batting average...Only Charlotte (.411) has a better slugging percentage than SWB (.405)...However, SWB has the IL's second-lowest walk total (259, 3/game) and just a .334 OBP...Buffalo ranks seventh with its .259 contact clip and tied for third-worst in slugging (.382)...Buffalo stands fifth in the league with its 3.58 ERA while SWB sits 11th at 4.36...The RailRiders own the IL's third-worst fielding percentage (.977) while the Bisons boast its second-best rate (.983).

OFF THE RAILS: The RailRiders have had 56 different players see game action this season (21 position players, 35 pitchers)...Wednesday's opening-game loss marked the RailRiders' first walk-off setback since Aug. 26, 2013 at Pawtucket...They led 1-0 entering the ninth inning in that game, but a Ryan Lavarnway sacrifice fly and a Mark Hamilton RBI single against Cesar Cabral led to the 2-1 loss...The RailRiders got shut out for the sixth time this season...Three of those donuts have come in games scheduled to go seven innings - all openers of doubleheaders...It was the RailRiders' first 1-0 loss since a July 1, 2013 setback also at Pawtucket when current Yankee David Huff took the loss despite allowing just one unearned run thanks to his own errant pickoff throw...Knuckleballer Steven Wright tossed a complete game for the PawSox to win that affair.

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International League Stories from July 3, 2014


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