IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on June 21, 2016 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


LAST TIME OUT: The RailRiders made sure a sixth-inning run was all they needed on Sunday, blanking the Gwinnett Braves at PNC Field, 1-0.

TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS: SWB recorded its league-best 11th shutout. Only Indianapolis (3.15) has a better ERA than the RailRiders (3.18). Tommy Phelps' hurlers also rank among the IL's best in: WHIP (2nd, 1.21), H/9 IP (1st, 8.0), BB/9IP (4th, 2.9), K/9IP (2nd, 8.3), K:BB ratio (2nd, 2.85) and saves (3rd, 21). SWB is on pace to post 22 shutouts, which would shatter the franchise record of 15 set by the 2003 Red Barons. Last year's Rochester Red Wings logged 21 shutouts, the most by an IL squad since Tidewater's staff fired 21 shutouts in 1975.

SOL MAN: Donovan Solano drove home Sunday's lone run with his sixth-inning single. A .259 bat after an 0-for-4 effort versus the Charlotte Knights on June 8, Solano has since gone 14-for-37 over 10 games, slashing .378/.426/.486/.911 with six RBIs and five runs scored. His two-week surge has lifted his average back up to .277. He has handled lefties particularly well on the year, slashing .342/.382/.443/.825.

GUILTY AS CHARGED: Aaron Judge saw his batting average bottom out at .221 after an 0-for-3 day versus Columbus on June 2 during an 0-for-24 tailspin. Since then he has reached base in 15 of 16 going 19-for-55 with three homers, 11 RBIs, 14 walks and 19 runs scored. In that time he has slashed .345/.493/.582/1.075. His season-long OBP has risen by over 50 points (.285-.336) with 47% of his overall walk total in the 16-game run. All three of those homers have come over his last eight games played. He leads the team in big flies (10) and RBIs (36).

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME?: At PNC Field, the RailRiders have slashed .254/.317/.383/.700 while scoring 3.97 runs/game. On the road, the team has slashed .268/.343/.406/.749 while scoring 4.89 runs/game. The team has played just above .500 baseball at home (19-17), but co-leads the IL with 22 road victories. They are on pace to win 45 games away from NEPA. That would tie the franchise record set by Marc Bombard's 2002 Red Barons who won 91 total games with players like Chase Utley, Marlon Byrd, Brett Myers and Joe Roa.

BELIEVE: Nick Swisher was a .234 bat after an 0-for-5 game versus Columbus on June 4. In 11 games played since he has gone 16-for-43 with three homers, 10 RBIs, eight walks and six runs scored. In that span, he has slashed .372/.471/.581/1.052, lifting his overall average by 30 points in barely more than two weeks to .264, the best it has been since he ended play on May 9 at .271.

I'M JUST A CAVE MAN: Jake Cave paces SWB with five triples. Including his time with Double-A Trenton to start the season he has eight total three-basers, tying him for third in MiLB. Among the names deadlocked with Cave is Florida State League All-Star Jorge Mateo with Advanced-A Tampa. Cave has hit safely in seven straight and 11 of 12. He has taken advantage of PNC Field's wide gaps, hitting .316/.342/.539/.881 at home with four of his five Triple-A triples.

ALL ABOUT THE BENJAMIN: Ben Gamel was a .250 hitter after an 0-for-4 showing versus Louisville on May 24, he has since gone 37-for-100 over his last 24 games, slashing .370/.452/.520/.972. He has his average up to .301 (9th in IL).

TEIX MESSAGE: Mark Teixeira begins a scheduled three-game rehab assignment with the RailRiders tonight. The three-time American League All-Star and five-time Gold Glover hit the Yankees' 15-day DL on June 4. He is a career .270 hitter in 14 MLB seasons with 397 home runs. His only other MiLB time with the Yankees came in 2013 when he went 1-for-5 with Double-A Trenton. He was last a regular MiLB player in his first pro season (2002) after which he was the game's No. 1 overall prospect per Baseball America.

OFF THE RAILS: Paid attendance of 7,583 on Sunday made for SWB's eighth fixed-seat sellout (7,115)...The RailRiders won a home series for the first time since sweeping Indianapolis over three games from May 13-15...Sunday's starter Phil Coke fired the first five frames on Sunday...In his five nods as a RailRider he has gone 2-1 with a 0.73 ERA, .183 batting average against and 0.93 WHIP...Giovanny Gallegos (3-0) got the win in relief with three perfect innings and three strikeouts on 42 pitches (28 strikes)...NEPA's own Matt Wotherspoon earned his second save while working around a leadoff infield hit in the ninth...SWB won three of four at Toledo for the franchise's first-ever set of back-to-back series successes in the Glass City as the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate.

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International League Stories from June 21, 2016


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