IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on May 7, 2016 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


ABOUT LAST NIGHT: The RailRiders dropped their road trip finale to the IronPigs on Friday night, 5-1. SWB went 5-4 on its odyssey while the IronPigs posted just their second win in five IronRail Series meetings on the young year.

BELIEVE: Nick Swisher, who started in left field for the first time with SWB, singled home the RailRiders' lone score in the opening inning. He has hit safely in four straight and nine of his last 10. His turn in left marked his second game played in the SWB outfield. He started in right field versus Lehigh Valley on April 25. Before last night, he had not played left field since Sept. 29, 2015 while with the Atlanta Braves versus the Washington Nationals.

I AM THE LAW: Aaron Judge was the only RailRider to reach base after Slade Heathcott's third-inning single. Judge walked in the sixth and singled in the eighth. He also recorded his team-leading third outfield assist when he nailed Tommy Joseph at third base to end the fifth. The team's co-leader in RBIs (17) enjoyed an outstanding road trip. In eight games played, he went 10-for-30 with six extra-base hits (three homers), eight RBIs, six walks, just five strikeouts and slashes of .333/.444/.733/1.178. The trip also saw him play left field for the first time as a pro on Thursday night.

DUAL THREAT: Gary Sanchez shares the IL lead in doubles and ranks second with 14 extra-base hits: nine doubles, one triple, four homers. A .175 bat after his first 10 games, he has since gone 17-for-47 with eight extra-base hits, slashing .347/.396/.592/.988 over a dozen games. He got last night off. When he last saw the field, his three-run homer on Thursday tied him with Judge for the team lead in RBIs. When he has been behind the plate, opposing base stealers have been caught eight times in 15 attempts (.533). Only Norfolk's Francisco Pena has better caught-stealing numbers among ranked IL catchers. Sanchez has multiple hits in three straight games played.

R&R: Rob Refsnyder got last night off after starting in right field in three straight games. He has reached safely in 14 straight games and owns the team's longest hitting streak of the season, a 10-gamer. He stands one game off the pace of Columbus' Giovanny Urshela (11) for the IL's longest active hitting streak. Refsnyder's run has lifted his average by 75 points (.190-.265). He entered the road trip in a 4-for-30 (.133) funk, but went 13-for-31 (.419) on the journey.

NEPA'S OWN: Mountain Top, Pa. native Matt Wotherspoon allowed just one baserunner over two scoreless and hitless innings in his Triple-A debut on Thursday. The former Crestwood H.S. star joined Russ Canzler as the only NEPA natives to play for SWB. Canzler, a former big leaguer and IL MVP who played for SWB in 2014, recently took a front-office job as the RailRiders' business development executive.

LORD I WAS BORN A GAMELING MAN: Ben Gamel made his Major League debut last night when he took Dustin Ackley's place in right field. Immediately upon entering, the ball found him when he snared a David Ortiz line drive for an out. The 2015 IL Rookie of the Year left SWB hitting .286/.346/.363/.709 with a team-high seven stolen bases.

SOL MAN: With Gamel's departure, Donovan Solano has emerged as the new regular leadoff man. He worked a walk last night and over his last 12 games has gone 16-for-47 (.340). Solano is the only RailRider to lead off this season other than Gamel, having spelled him four times before taking the role outright in each of SWB's last two games.

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International League Stories from May 7, 2016


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