IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes - May 19, 2021

Published on May 19, 2021 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (10-3) at Rochester Red Wings (2-11)

RHP Nick Green (0-0, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Rogelio Armenteros (0-1, 10.13 ERA)

| Game 14 | Road Game 8 | Frontier Field | Rochester, NY | May 19, 2021 | First Pitch 1:05 p.m. |

LET'S GET IT STARTED (IN HERE): After posting a 6.75 ERA (15 ER/20.0 IP) in the season-opening series at Syracuse, RailRiders starting pitchers were terrific against Lehigh Valley, posting a 3.04 ERA (8 ER/23.2 IP). That figure includes Mike Montgomery allowing 5 ER in 4.0 IP in Saturday's tilt. With a small sample size of 13 games played RailRiders' starting pitchers' ERA has fallen to 4.69, while the overall staff ERA has fell from 6.24 entering Tuesday's home opener, to 4.10 entering Wednesday's day game at Rochester. In 2019, SWB posted a 4.98 ERA at home in 71 games, and 4.94 overall.

BULLS ON PARADE: The RailRiders bullpen has emerged as one of the strengths of the team through the first 13 games of the season. After 12.1 consecutive scoreless innings, Rochester broke through last night for four runs in the final three innings. Before the late outburst, the bullpen had allowed only one run in its last 24.0 innings across five games, and three runs in 33.1 dating back to Sunday, May 9. As a 12-man unit, the bullpen combined for 51 strikeouts and 17 walks in that span. Overall, the bullpen sports a 3.66 ERA (23 ER/64.0 IP) and is 6-for-7 in save opportunities. The bullpen ranks 10th in the Triple-A East League in ERA, fifth in innings pitched, and is first in strikeouts. In fact, the bullpen's 92 strikeouts are 15 more than second place Durham.

DINGER ALERT: After shattering the SWB franchise record with 212 home runs in 2019 (previously 164 in 1998), the RailRiders are at it again, hitting 22 home runs in their first 13 games this season. The 22 round-trippers hit by SWB puts the club in third place in the Triple-A East League, trailing Durham (28) and Gwinnett (23). The RailRiders are tied for fifth in minor league baseball in home runs and are one of five teams who have hit at least 22 long balls. Of that group, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has struck out the fewest number of times (114).

LET IT ZEHN: Before this season, RailRiders OF Zack Zehner had drawn 41 walks in 546 plate appearances (142 G) in Triple-A between the 2018 and 2019 seasons (7.5 BB%). However, in an extremely small sample in Triple-A in 2021 Zehner has already drawn 7 BB in his first 13 PA (53.8 BB%), and including his time with Double-A Somerset has 11 total BB in 25 PA in 2021 (44.0 BB%). Additionally, Zehner had been 3-for-6 career in stolen bases in Triple-A, and is already 2-for-2 in 2021.

WALK-A-THON: Through 13 games this season, the RailRiders have drawn 72 walks, the second-most in all of Triple-A baseball behind Gwinnett (80). No other team in the minors' highest level has taken more than 67 bases on balls. Overall, the RailRiders are 12th in all of minor league baseball in walks, with Tampa (Low-A, NYY) leading the way with 85 walks. SWB's team .372 OBP is second best in the Triple-A East League, trailing Gwinnett (.384), and ranks 11th across all levels of the minors. There are currently four teams in Triple-A East with team OBPs greater than .360. Rochester (.291) has the lowest OBP of the 20-team league. The Red Wings also have the third-lowest team SLG (.338) in the circuit, and have an abysmal .629 team OPS.

MARATHON MEN: The RailRiders played their longest 9-inning game in franchise history on Thursday at Syracuse, clocking in at 4:09. That surpassed the previous record of 4:04, when the then-Red Barons locked horns with the Pawtucket Red Sox on Sept. 1, 2000. Thursday's game also featured 13 walks by SWB pitchers, three shy of the club record set against Tidewater in 1991. Early in the season, it stands as the longest game in Triple-A East League history, but wasn't even the longest 9-inning game in minor league baseball on May 6. That distinction belongs to the Lake County Captains (High-A, CLE) and Lansing Lugnuts (High-A, OAK) who completed a 7-6 Captains win in 4:18. Not to be out-done, the RailRiders and Mets game on Sunday, May 9 lasted 4:03, making it the third-longest game in franchise history.

AIN'T NO PARTY LIKE A MOOSIC PARTY: Last Tuesday's RailRiders home opener was Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's first game at PNC Field since Game 3 of the First Round of the IL Playoffs vs. Durham on Sept. 7, 2019. The span of 612 days between games at home in NEPA is the longest in franchise history, surpassing the 577-day streak from Sept. 5, 2011 - April 4, 2013 when SWB played the entire 2012 season away from Moosic owing to renovations at PNC Field. In 2019, the RailRiders were 45-26 (.634) at home, and are 215-143 (.601) at PNC Field since the beginning of the 2015 season, and sport an average season record of approximately 42-28.

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