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IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes - August 11, 2021

August 11, 2021 - International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs (38-44) vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (49-31)

RHP Mark Appel (2-2, 5.40 ERA) vs. LHP Josh Maciejewski (0-1, 5.00 ERA)

| Game 81 | Home Game 42 | PNC Field | Moosic, PA | August 11, 2021 | First Pitch 7:05 p.m. |

BEEN A LONG TIME: With a loss to Lehigh Valley on Tuesday and Buffalo's 11-0 win over Rochester, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders wake up Wednesday morning in a tie for first place for the first time since the beginning of play on May 18. That day, the RailRiders beat the Red Wings 11-6 to take sole possession of first in Triple-A East Northeast. During SWB's 85-day reign atop the division, the average price of a gallon of gas jumped from $3.02 to $3.17, "Save Your Tears" by The Weeknd and Ariana Grande was de-throned as the No. 1 song, and Hoy Park's entire RailRiders career happened.

HELLO, MY NAME IS...: Owing to the ever-evolving injury and COVID situation with the New York Yankees, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders roster has been dramatically re-made in the month of August, with already 32 transactions in the first 11 days of the month (2.91 per day). The team previously had 39 moves in May, 42 in June and 43 in July. At the current rate, the RailRiders are on pace for 90 transactions in August, which would obliterate the previous team-record of 82 moves made in August 2019. SWB has had 58 different players suit up for them this year, a far cry from the franchise-record 82 that did in the 2019 regular season (plus two more in the playoffs only).

ROUGH PATCH: Following Tuesday's loss to Lehigh Valley, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders are mired in their worst stretch of the season, having dropped seven out of their last nine games. The two three-game losing skids for SWB in this span are only the second and third times this year that the RailRiders have dropped three in a row, respectively. Through 80 completed games, the RailRiders have not dropped four straight games. In 2019, SWB had three four-game losing streaks and one six-game losing streak. There was also one stretch where the team lost 11-of-12 games played from Aug. 6 - Aug. 17.

'A BALL' HEROES: The RailRiders have been short-handed on the pitching staff over the past week, necessitating two call-ups directly from the High-A Hudson Valley Renegades. LHP Josh Maciejewski has been called up from the Renegades twice this season to make starts, and RHP Sean Boyle was recalled prior to Saturday's game with Worcester. Against the Red Sox, Maciejewski turned in a solid outing of two runs allowed in 5.0 innings, while Boyle racked up 4.0 innings of scoreless relief work behind Brian Keller on Saturday. Earlier in the season, the RailRiders had two position players from Hudson Valley transferred to the team, INF Cristian Perez, and OF Frederick Cuevas.

THREE DOZEN SIDES OF BACON: The COVID-19 pandemic has created one of the most unusual season schedules in the history of the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre franchise. With the season beginning a full month later than traditional, all teams in Triple-A East will play 120-game regular season schedules, followed by the 10-game Triple-A Final Stretch. The RailRiders, along with the rest of the Northeast Division teams, will exclusively play teams within the division. This leads to a schedule where SWB plays the rival Lehigh Valley IronPigs an unprecedented 36 times. For perspective, the RailRiders play the Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons a combined 36 times. The RailRiders currently lead the 2021 IronRail Series 11-7.

RECORD-SETTING CLUB: Following Thursday night's game in which RailRiders hitters struck out 18 times in 11 innings, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has already set or tied five single-game franchise records this season. Some are dubious, such as Longest 9-Inning Game (4:09, 5/6 @ SYR), Most Walks Issued (16, 7/28 @ SYR) and Most Strikeouts (18, 8/5 vs WOR), while others are positive, like Most Stolen Bases (7, 6/29 @ WOR) and Fewest Hits Allowed, 9-Inning Game (0, 7/21 vs ROC).

FALLING BEHIND: The RailRiders have made a habit of notching comeback wins this season, but the flip side is that is predicated on the team falling behind in many games this season. Through 80 games this season, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has allowed the first run in 44 games, notching a 23-21 record in those contests. The RailRiders have been out-scored 90-71 (-19) in the first two innings of games this season, a shocking number considering the team is +95 in run differential this season, the third-best mark in Triple-A East (Durham, +175; Buffalo, +101). Most of the damage has been done in the middle innings, with SWB sporting an impressive +71 run differential in innings four through six.

IT'S THE FINAL STRETCH (DA NA NA NA): In lieu of a traditional playoff in Triple-A Baseball, MLB announced last month that all Triple-A teams will compete in a 10-game postseason tournament called the Triple-A Final Stretch from Sept. 22 through Oct. 3. Each league will have a regular season champion, crowned for having the best record across 120 games, and a Final Stretch champion, crowned for having the best record in the added 10 games. Unlike any tournament you may be familiar with, the Triple-A Final Stretch has a set schedule of opponents and you continue to play even if you are eliminated from contention. MLB announced the RailRiders will play Syracuse from 9/22-26 at PNC Field and finish the Final Stretch at Rochester from 9/28-10/3. MLB also announced it will give a prize to the winners.

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