IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on July 31, 2015 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The RailRiders wrapped up a two-game sweep of the Lehigh Valley IronPigs with a 3-2 triumph at Coca-Cola Park.

HOT, HOT, HOT: The RailRiders have won eight of nine to lengthen their IL-North lead to 3.5 games entering today. A win tonight would lift the team's record to a season-high-tying 12 games above .500. It previously happened after an 8-1 defeat of Louisville on June 24 made SWB 43-31. Before that, SWB had not stood 12 games above .500 since the 2012 SWB Yankees won the division at 84-60.

RIDE THE RAIL: SWB claimed a 7-6 edge in the IronRail Series. The RailRiders took the inaugural IronRail Trophy in 2013 by virtue of a tiebreaker. The IronPigs earned the hardware with a 10-6 mark against SWB in 2014. With five head-to-head meetings left, the RailRiders must best the 'Pigs three times to take the IronRail outright, or win twice including the Aug. 28 series finale.

RBI MACHINE: Catcher Gary Sanchez drove in all three runs. He went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer and a walk. The 22-year-old posted five RBIs in the two-game sweep and has knocked in a dozen runs in as many Triple-A games played. He has more than twice as many walks (9) as strikeouts (4).

WINNER, WINNER: Starter Chaz Hebert (1-0) earned the win in his Triple-A debut by limiting Lehigh Valley to a run on four hits over five innings. The southpaw walked one and struck out four. A 27th-round pick out of Breaux Bridge, La. in 2011, he had never pitched above Advanced-A ball before last night. He went 1-1 with a 0.87 ERA for Low-A Charleston and 6-5 with a 3.48 mark in 17 games and 12 starts with Advanced-A Tampa earlier this season.

THE 'PEN IS MIGHTIER: Lehigh Valley's seventh-inning run went earned on reliever Nick Rumbelow, spoiling the bullpen's streak of consecutive innings without an earned run at 21 going back to a July 23 win at Indianapolis. Rumbelow might have extended it, but a bases-empty strikeout of K.C. Serna did not retire the hitter thanks to a wild pitch combined with a Sanchez throwing error. The 'pen owns a collective 2.86 ERA compared to a 3.81 mark for the starting staff.

LORD I WAS BORN A GAMELING MAN: Ben Gamel, who sat last night, extended his hitting streak to six games with a great effort on Wednesday night including a leadoff home run (2-4, HR, 2RBI, 2R, BB). He has gone 10-for-23 (.435) during his spurt, lifting his average back up to .290. The home run was his sixth of the year. He entered 2015 with 10 career home runs in 415 games played and 1,634 at-bats. His 10 outfield assists pace the RailRiders and trail only Pawtucket's Bryce Brentz (11) for the IL lead.

YOU SAY GOODBYE, I SAY HELLO: Before yesterday's game, the New York Yankees traded two mainstays of the RailRiders era in reliever Jose Ramirez and outfielder Ramon Flores to the Mariners for Dustin Ackley, the No. 2-overall pick of the 2009 draft. Ramirez bolted down his team-best 10th save in his final SWB appearance on Wednesday. He only blew one save try at Triple-A this season and his 56 strikeouts in 49.2 IP made for the IL's fifth-best K/9 IP rate among relievers entering today at 10.15. Flores, who went 4-for-4 and hit for the cycle on Opening Night this season, departed with slashes of .286/.377/.417/.794 in 73 games this season. He hit second or third 55 times and logged nine outfield assists. While SWB lost two regulars, they regained the services of Slade Heathcott who went 0-for-4 with a walk in his first game as a RailRider since May 19. In between, he went 6-for-17 with the big club including a home run against the Royals at Yankee Stadium on Memorial Day, May 25. A quad strain sidelined him until rehab started July 25 with Low-A Charleston (3GP, 2-for-9).

ROAD WARRIOR: After reaching base in all but one of his first 18 Triple-A games with slashes of .300/.380/.486/.865 in the process, Greg Bird entered the Allentown portion of the Lehigh Valley home-and-home in an 0-for-12 funk with one walk over three games. He returned to form with back-to-back two-hit showings at Coca-Cola Park including a well-hit two-run homer to right on Wednesday. With a similar number of at-bats, he has wide home-road splits. On the road, he has slashed .373/.448/.627/1.076 going 19-for-51 with all of his four homers and 13 RBIs. At home, he has slashed .150/.209/.225/.434 by going 6-for-40.

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International League Stories from July 31, 2015


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