IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on July 8, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (45-41) vs. PAWTUCKET RED SOX (41-45)

LHP Justus Sheffield (2-3, 2.61) vs. RHP William Cuevas (5-5, 3.65)

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| Game No. 87 | Sunday July 8, 2018 | McCoy Stadium | Pawtucket, RI |

| First Pitch 1:35 p.m. | Pregame Show 1:05 p.m. |

LAST TIME OUT: The offense was incremental, but unrelenting from the Pawtucket Red Sox in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.

Pawtucket opened the scoring with a run on a hit and an error in the bottom of the first off starting pitcher Josh Rogers. Rusney Castillo singled and scored when Zack Zehner dropped a fly out from Mike Ohlman that would have ended the inning, producing the lone unearned run in the frame. Two innings later, Pawtucket added a second unearned run off Rogers as they took a 2-1 lead and never looked back.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tied the game off Drew Pomeranz immediately following the gifted run in the first inning. Bruce Caldwell singled and advanced to third on a pair of walks to load the bases, when Shane Robinson hit a deflected ground ball up the middle that stayed on the infield but produced a run as he legged out the throw from shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin.

Pomeranz, who was with the PawSox on a Major League rehab assignment, lasted three innings and danced around seven baserunners (five hits, two walks) to allow just the one run in a no-decision. Meanwhile the RailRiders got 4.2 innings from Rogers, who allowed four runs (only two earned) in his start, as he was charged with the loss. It was just the fourth time in 17 starts this season that Rogers failed to get through five full innings.

The loss ends Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's season-best five-game winning streak, and knocks them a game back of their season-high mark of five games above .500.

...AND JUSTUS FOR ALL: Sunday's starting pitcher, LHP Justus Sheffield, has been selected to participate in the 2018 SiriusXM Futures Game July 15 at Nationals Park in Washington D.C. Baseball America ranked Sheffield as the No. 3 prospect in the New York Yankees system entering the season, trailing only INF Gleyber Torres and OF Estevan Florial. In 15 appearances this season (14GS), the southpaw is 3-5 with a 2.49 ERA and 88 K (10.0 K/9), 36 BB (2.4 K:BB) over 79.1 IP between Double-A Trenton and Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Sheffield is the first Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders player to be tabbed for the Futures Game since OF Aaron Judge was selected to the United States in 2015. The lone Yankees representative last season was RHP Domingo Acevedo who allowed 3R/3ER on 4H in his one inning of work for the World Team.

ROLLING INTO THE BREAK: Over the last 26 games the RailRiders have owned an 18-8 record to bring them up to 2nd place in the International League North standings. After taking both games in each of their two-game series up in Buffalo and at PNC Field, the RailRiders are 6-0-2 in their last eight series. The RailRiders entered the series June 29 against Pawtucket trying to draw themselves back to .500 for the first time since being 19-19 May 17 (Game No. 38) and made it to five games above .500 for the first time all season Friday night.

WINGING IT: The RailRiders continue to get a strong performance out of its bullpen over the last two weeks. In 18G since June 17, the bullpen arms not named MLB rehabber RHP A.J. Cole have combined for 68.0 IP, 42 H (5.6 H/9), 18R/13ER (1.72 ERA).

SWEEP APNEA: The RailRiders notched a fourth straight win over Buffalo this week and it marked the 7th time the RailRiders have had at least a three-game win streak this season-- before extending it to a five-game streak before Saturday's 4-2 loss. If you consider the split series a four-gamer, the RailRiders look for a four-game sweep of Buffalo since all the way back to... last season: June 16-18 which included a pair of wins in a doubleheader June 17.

Check out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Statistics

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International League Stories from July 8, 2018


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