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IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes - May 22, 2021

May 22, 2021 - International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (12-4) at Rochester Red Wings (3-13)

RHP Deivi García (1-0, 3.38 ERA) vs. RHP Tyler Eppler (0-1, 4.97 ERA)

| Game 17 | Road Game 11 | Frontier Field | Rochester, NY | May 22, 2021 | First Pitch 5:05 p.m. |

FAST OUT OF THE GATE: With their 12th win of the season in 16 games on Friday, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have kept themselves in elite company across minor league baseball. Entering play on Saturday there are seven teams across minor league baseball with 12-4 records, with only Jacksonville at that mark among Triple-A teams. Within the Yankees organization, the Tampa Tarpons also are off to a 12-4 start to the season. Overall, the Yankees have the best organizational record in baseball (43-21, .672), a full four games better than Cleveland (39-21, .629). The RailRiders are off to their best start to a season since the 2009 SWB Yankees went 17-3 in the month of April.

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 9 BB in his first 26 PA (34.6 BB%), and including his time with Double-A Somerset has 13 total BB in 38 PA in 2021 (34.2 BB%). Zehner leads all minor league players (min. 30 PA) in BB%, with Delmarva's Anthony Servideo (33.3%) sitting in second place, according to leaderboards at Fangraphs. Additionally, Zehner had been 3-for-6 career in stolen bases in Triple-A, and is already 3-for-3 in 2021.

BULLS ON PARADE: The RailRiders bullpen has emerged as one of the strengths of the team through the first 15 games of the season. Even after surrendering a 3-1 lead on Thursday night, SWB's Bullpen ERA is a solid 3.49 (30 ER/77.1 IP), good for eighth in the 20-team Triple-A East. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's bullpen leads Triple-A East in wins (10), saves (8) and strikeouts (104), and ranks second in the league in batting average against (.179). Across all levels of the minor leagues, SWB's bullpen is t-4th in W (1st: Tampa, 12) and SV. The 12-man unit is posting ratios of 12.10 K/9, 5.23 BB/9 and a 1.22 WHIP.

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 25 home runs in their first 16 games this season. The 25 round-trippers hit by SWB puts the club in a tie for second place in Triple-A East with Charlotte and Gwinnett, trailing Durham (31). The RailRiders are tied for fifth in minor league baseball in home runs, and it is a true team effort, as only Chris Gittens (t-9th, 4) ranks in the top 15 in home runs in Triple-A East.

WALK-A-THON: Through 16 games this season, the RailRiders have drawn 93 walks, tied for the most in all of Triple-A baseball with Gwinnett. No other team in the minors' highest level has taken more than 79 bases on balls. Overall, the RailRiders are 5th in all of minor league baseball in walks, with Tampa (Low-A, NYY) leading the way with 109 walks. SWB's team .369 OBP is best in the Triple-A East League, and ranks 7th across all levels of the minors. There are currently three teams in Triple-A East with team OBPs greater than .360. Rochester (.294) has the lowest OBP of the 20-team league. The Red Wings also have the second-lowest team SLG (.334) in the circuit, and have an abysmal .628 team OPS, the lowest in all of Triple-A.

OH SAY CAN YOU GENESEE?: The current six-game road trip marks the one and only trip to Frontier Field for the RailRiders during the 2021 season, with the final 12 games against the Red Wings to be played in Moosic. Despite an all-time winning record against Rochester, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has historically struggled in Roc City, going only 1-7 last year and a combined 4-11 at Frontier Field in 2018 and 2019. In the RailRiders era (2013-Present), SWB has only one winning season in Rochester, when they went 4-3 in 2017. Including the three wins in 2021, SWB is 129-140 (.480) all-time in Rochester.

#SQUADUP: The RailRiders received three players this week from Double-A Somerset, and all three have made meaningful impacts in the series against Rochester. INFs Hoy Park, Brandon Wagner and OF Thomas Milone have combined to hit .356 (16-for-45) with 8 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBIs, 9 BB, 15 K and 2 HBP. In Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Red Wings, Park and Milone drove in all three SWB runs, while all three have contributed strong play on the defensive end as well.

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