IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

Published on August 19, 2018 under International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


NORFOLK TIDES (64-59) vs. SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (65-58)

LHP Josh Rogers (8-9, 3.48) vs. RHP Erik Swanson (2-2, 4.50)

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| Game No. 124 | August 19, 2018 | PNC Field | Moosic, PA |

| First Pitch 1:05 p.m. | Pregame Show 12:35 p.m. |

LAST TIME OUT: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders swept a doubleheader from the Norfolk Tides on Saturday night at PNC Field. The RailRiders won the first game 2-1 and took the second 3-1. In the bottom of the seventh inning, Luke Voit hit an 0-2 pitch from Evan Phillips over the left field wall to give the RailRiders a 2-1 walk-off victory.

The Tides got on the board in the top of the third when Garabez Rosa lifted a solo home run to right off Mike King. A solo shot from Zack Zehner in the bottom of the fifth tied the game at 1-1.

King (2-0) was strong on the mound in the opener, tossing a complete game seven-hitter. The right-hander did not walk a batter and struck out four while allowing one run. In three starts with the RailRiders, King now owns a 1.74 ERA and a 14:2 strikeout-to-walk ratio. However, Jimmy Yacabonis was strong getting the start for the Tides, yielding just one run in five innings of work. Phillips relieved him and tossed a scoreless sixth, but then surrendered the game-winning blast to Voit.

In the second game Rosa once again hit a solo home run to give Norfolk a 1-0 lead, this time in the top of the second against Adonis Rosa. The RailRiders wasted no time retaliating in the bottom of the second, with Mike Ford drawing a leadoff walk against Luis Ysla. He advanced to second on a Zehner single, and both runners advanced on a Ray Navarro groundout. Wilkin Castillo hit a chopping ball to shortstop that Luis Sardinas booted, and Ford came in to score to knot the game at 1-1.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took the lead in the bottom of the fifth, when Gio Urshela drove an RBI single to center, scoring Ricky Surum. Later in the inning, Urshela scored on a wild pitch from Ysla to give the RailRiders a 3-1 lead.

Adonis Rosa (1-0) was strong in his 2018 RailRiders debut, tossing five innings, allowing one run on four hits, walking two and striking out two, getting the win. George Kontos threw a scoreless sixth inning, while Joe Harvey earned his sixth with a scoreless seventh.

RAIN, RAIN...: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have been unable to catch a break at PNC Field this season. Not only have two games been cancelled (June 10 vs. Louisville; July 25 vs. Charlotte), but they have lost the most openings of any team in the International League this season. Six home dates remain over the final two weeks of the season, and the RailRiders have lost seven openings over the first 63 home dates of the year. In the rest of the league, 10-of-14 teams have lost four openings or fewer, including the Indianapolis Indians, Durham Bulls and Louisville Bats who have not lost any. Last season, the RailRiders lost only three openings and they have not lost more than four in any season since 2011 when the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees also lost seven openings.

...GO AWAY: Since the calendar turned to August, the RailRiders have had nine home dates including Saturday vs. Norfolk, and 7-of-9 will feature a rain delay, postponement, cancelation or doubleheader. Dating back to mid-July, 10-of-15 home dates have featured some combination of weather-related alterations.

RACE TO THE FINISH: The Wild Card race in the International League is heating up as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (65-58) hit the homestretch of the 2018 season. With 15G to go, SWB finds itself 1.0 GB of the Indianapolis Indians (67-58) for the Wild Card lead. It's looking like a three-team race for the final playoff spot with the Norfolk Tides (64-59) also making a playoff push, as Norfolk concludes its 4G series Sunday at PNC Field.

FORD REVVING UP: RailRiders INF Mike Ford began the 2018 season in Spring Training with the Seattle Mariners, and struggled out of the gate with SWB to start the year. He was batting .218 AVG/.299 OBP as of July 21, but has turned it around lately. In the 25G since he has hit .318 AVG (28-for-88)/.381 OBP (8 BB, HBP) to raise his season AVG to .252.

DOING THE MATH: SWB enters Sunday against the Norfolk Tides in 2nd place in the I.L. North, 9.0 games behind the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The RailRiders have 15G left in their season, and if they were to go 13-2 (.867) to reach 78 wins, they'd need Lehigh Valley to play no better than 3-12 (.200) in order to win the division title.

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International League Stories from August 19, 2018


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