IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes - August 18, 2021

Published on August 18, 2021 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (52-35) at Worcester Red Sox (47-43)

RHP Clarke Schmidt (Triple-A Debut) vs. LHP Kyle Hart (4-6, 4.40 ERA)

| Game 88 | Road Game 42 | Polar Park | Worcester, MA | August 18, 2021 | First Pitch 6:35 p.m. |

WE'RE GETTING THE BAND BACK TOGETHER: Since mid-July the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders roster has been radically changed owing to injuries, two COVID-19 outbreaks and the taxi squad, but the roster is beginning to resemble its old self. Chris Gittens has been activated off the injured list and optioned to the RailRiders, while Trey Amburgey continues to be with the RailRiders on an MLB rehab assignment. Catchers Rob Brantly and Max McDowell are back after stints as a COVID replacement player and on the taxi squad, respectively. Outfielder Matt Pita is back from a leg injury, and RHPs Sal Romano and Nick Goody have re-signed minor league contracts with the Yankees after leaving the organization in July. RHP Stephen Ridings has also been returned by the Yankees after a stint as a COVID replacement, but is yet to report.

THAT'S ALL WE GOT WAS TWO HITS?: In Tuesday's 2-0 loss to Worcester, the RailRiders were limited to only two hits by a trio of WooSox pitchers. The was the fewest number of hits for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in a game this season, and their fewest since being held to two hits by the Durham Bulls on June 15, 2019. Ironically, Red Sox pitcher Raynel Espinal appeared in both of those games, throwing the first 7.0 innings for Worcester on Tuesday, and getting the start and tagged with the loss in the 2019 contest.

STARTING SLOW: The RailRiders sport a 4.00 ERA as a team through 87 games this season, but starting pitching has been a weak spot for the team. Starters have pitched to the tune of a 12-20 record and a 5.24 ERA, while the bullpen is 40-15 with a 3.06 ERA. SWB starters have lasted an average of just over 3.2 innings per start this season, and have sported a 5.57 RA/9 (both earned and unearned runs allowed per game on an ERA scale). Meanwhile the RailRiders have the third-best bullpen ERA among full-season minor league clubs, trailing Buffalo (2.92) and Somerset (2.99).

SUPER GREG: RailRiders OF Greg Allen has been on a tear in eight games since being returned to the team from the Yankees. The switch-hitter is batting .476 (10-for-21) with 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K, and 2 HBP. Overall, Allen is riding a seven-game hitting streak which has raised his season batting line from .263/.402/.343 to .307/.433/.442, a 130-point jump in his OPS.

MIND THE CLOCK: Last week's series with Lehigh Valley has featured three pitch clock violations -- one against RailRiders pitcher Josh Maciejewski for taking too long to deliver a pitch, one against Iron Pigs outfielder Matt Vierling for taking too long to step in the box on Wednesday, and a third against SWB pitcher Kevin Gadea for taking too long to come set with a runner on base on Saturday. In 87 games, the RailRiders have seen only 12 pitch clock violations against themselves or their opponents this year, after 31 were called in the 2019 season. These are the first pace of play violations called in a RailRiders game since June 22, when both Luis Gil and Lehigh Valley's Mauricio Llovera were cited for taking too long to come set with a runner on base.

BEEN A LONG TIME: With a loss to Lehigh Valley last Wednesday and Buffalo's 5-0 win over Rochester, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders wake up Thursday morning in second place in Triple-A East Northeast for the first time since the beginning of play on May 7. That day, the RailRiders beat the Syracuse Mets 7-3 to move into a tie for first in Triple-A East Northeast, and would at least share the throne until the end of play on August 11. During SWB's 97-day reign atop the division, the average price of a gallon of gas jumped from $2.89 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.

ROUGH PATCH: With Sunday's loss to Lehigh Valley, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders completed their 12-game homestand with a 4-8 record. In their last 19 games, SWB is 6-13, by far the worst stretch of the season. There have been two three-game losing skids for SWB in this span, only the second and third times this year that the RailRiders have dropped three in a row, respectively. Through 85 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 8/6-17.

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International League Stories from August 18, 2021


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