IL1 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB Game Notes

August 25, 2018 - International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (67-61) vs. LEHIGH VALLEY IRONPIGS (77-53)

RHP Erik Swanson (2-2, 4.50) vs. RHP Jerad Eickhoff (0-0, 2.35)

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| Game No. 129 | August 25, 2018 | Coca-Cola Park | Allentown, PA |

| First Pitch 6:35 p.m. | Pregame Show 6:05 p.m. |

LAST TIME OUT: The pitching was so good, the explosive early offense was nearly an afterthought for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders as they jumped all over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in a 9-1 series-opening victory Friday night.

Before a sellout crowd of 10,100 fans at Coca-Cola Park the RailRiders got another strong start from Michael King in his fourth Triple-A outing. The right-hander pitched six no-hit innings before allowing a hit to begin the seventh inning. King bounced-back from the leadoff double from Collin Cowgill to strike out Mitch Walding for his seventh strikeout of the night before he was removed from the game.

The strong crowd was out to see the Lehigh Valley IronPigs try and clinch their first I.L. North championship in the 11-year history of the franchise, but early on the RailRiders wanted to delay that possibility for at least one more night. SWB gained an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first just a handful of batters into the night. With Giovanny Urshela on first following a one-out single, Mike Ford drilled a 3-1 pitch from Tom Eshelman over the high wall in right. It was Ford's team-best 15th of the year and gave him a team-best 47 RBI.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre add five runs on five hits over nine batters in the fifth. With one out and the bases loaded, Ryan McBroom singled in Rey Navarro and Tyler Wade. Ford followed with a double to plate Usherla for a 5-0 advantage. The RailRiders added their sixth run on a ground out and took a 7-0 lead when Ford scored as Mark Payton reach on a throwing error. The RailRiders scored a run in the top of the 6th inning and then the teams traded harmless runs down the stretch as Scranton/Wilkes-Barre cruised to a 9-1 victory.

SHEFF SERVES UP NEW ROLE: The top pitching prospect in the Yankees organization, LHP Justus Sheffield, made his bullpen debut for the RailRiders Tuesday night. In comments leading up to Tuesday's game Yankees GM Brian Cashman said, "You'll see him pitching in New York whether it's as a rotation guy or out of the bullpen at some point I would expect in 2018. The stuff's electric. The ceiling and the upside is exciting and just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't diminish what we think of him. That's just timing is everything and when do we unwrap that and deploy that. Is it going to be before September. It just depends on how things shake out." In the his first relief outing he tossed 2.0 innings and allowed 2 H, R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K.

RACE TO THE FINISH: The Wild Card race in the International League is heating up as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (67-61) hit the homestretch of the 2018 season. With 10G to go, SWB finds itself 1.0 GB of the Indianapolis Indians (69-61) and Columbus Clippers (69-61) for the Wild Card lead. It's looking like a four-team race for the final playoff spot with the Norfolk Tides (67-63) and Toledo Mud Hens (66-63) also making a playoff push.

EXTRA INCENTIVE: The playoff race is enough of a reason for the RailRiders to be motivated down the stretch, but the Lehigh Valley IronPigs enter the series against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre needing just one win to clinch the IL North title. Anything short of a four-game sweep and the RailRiders will have to watch as Lehigh Valley celebrates some franchise history. Though Lehigh Valley has made the postseason each of the last two seasons as the International League Wild Card, they are looking for their first division title in the 11-year history of the team since moving from Ottawa before the 2007 season. They have made the postseason three times as the Wild Card in 2017, 2016 and 2011.

AND THEN THERE WAS ONE: With RHP J.P. Feyereisen heading to the Disabled List, the RailRiders have only one player who was on the SWB Opening Day roster and has not been on the DL or played with another team in the Yankees organization -- RHP Raynel Espinal, who is in his first season of Triple-A. RHP Cale Coshow was on the Opening Day roster but was on the DL from July 13-20 and the same can be said for INF Mike Ford who was on the DL from June 8 - July 12 (but player 6G on rehab with SS-A Staten Island).

Check out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Statistics



International League Stories from August 25, 2018


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