SWB RailRiders Game Notes- August 1, 2026
IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes- August 1, 2026

Published on August 1, 2026 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (20-9, 57-46) @ Iowa Cubs (13-18, 43-60)

August 1, 2026 | Game 104 | Road Game 55 | PNC Field | First Pitch 7:08 P.M.

RH Adam Kloffenstein (2-7, 4.90) vs #27 RH Grant Kipp (1-0, 5.59)

Kloffenstein (7/24 vs SYR): 4.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 BB, 5 SO, 69 P (38 S) [Mets, 8-1]

Kipp (7/26 @ GWN): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 2 SO, 76 P (46 S) [Cubs, 7-3]

LAST TIME OUT

DES MOINES, IA (July 31, 2026) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders beat the Iowa Cubs 9-5 at Principal Park on Friday night. All nine batters had at least one hit as the RailRiders collected 16 hits en route to their fifth straight win.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took a 4-0 lead in the second. Facing MLB rehabber Edward Cabrera, Duke Ellis opened the scoring with an RBI single. Cabrera was lifted after one time through the order, but the RailRiders offense continued to roll against reliever Ty Blach. Four straight hitters reached, with a bases loaded, two-run single by J.C. Escarra breaking the inning open. Marco Luciano singled in George Lombard Jr. to extend the lead.

Elmer Rodríguez blanked the I-Cubs over the first 4.2 innings, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out four. Iowa loaded the bases in the fifth, and Zach Messinger replaced Rodríguez, inducing a groundout to end the threat.

The RailRiders added a pair in the sixth on three hits. Luciano doubled in Escarra and a Yanquiel Fernández single brought Luciano home for a 6-0 advantage. The Cubs plated a run on an Owen Ayers single in the bottom of the inning to narrow the SWB lead to five.

Escarra was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the seventh for a 7-1 lead, and Cole Gabrielson singled in Oswaldo Cabrera in the eighth to tack on another. Iowa rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth, and both teams scored in the ninth to close the account.

Messinger (7-1) earned the win, and Edward Cabrera (0-1) took the loss. Luciano went 4-for-6 with a double, a triple and two runs batted in. Escarra drove in three and five players had multi-hit efforts as the RailRiders maintained their share of first place with the victory.

NEWS AND NOTES

IN THE LEAGUE - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is now tied for first place in the International League alongside the Durham Bulls. The RailRiders are 7-3 in their last ten contests and eleven games above .500, their best record of the season. SWB also has the best run differential in the second half, +53, in the league.

MESSINGER DOESN'T MISS - Zach Messinger has impressed lately out of the bullpen in all different spots for Manager Shelley Duncan. Messinger entered with the bases loaded and stranded all the runners to close the line on Elmer Rodríguez scoreless. This season he has inherited 20 runners and only allowed seven to score. He has The 26-year-old has been back and forth between starter and reliever after being drafted by NYY in the 13th round back in 2021, but has only worked out of the bullpen this summer.

YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS - The last time the RailRiders swept a six-game series was last summer. In the second week of July, SWB took all six contests from Buffalo at PNC Field. They also were victorious in the half a dozen games against Syracuse last June at home as well.

IN JULY - The RailRiders produced their best month midway through the season. In July, SWB had one of the best records in Triple-A with a 16-6 record. The pitching staff had the third best ERA at 3.63 and was tied for the second most saves (8). The RailRiders also had the third best average, hitting .293 in 22 games. They hit 34 runs and stole 15 bases.

COMPLETE OPPOSITE SIDES - SWB has the best pitching earned run average in Triple-A. In 103 games, the arms hold a 4.13 ERA allowing 406 earned runs. The RailRiders have let up 98 home runs, second least in the IL. Meanwhile, Iowa has the worst ERA in the International League with a 6.15 in 104 games. The Cubs have let through a league-high 619 earned runs. In addition, the home team has allowed the most homers with 153 let up.

WELCOME BRIAN- Brian Hendry joined the RailRiders roster back on July 21 but was placed on the development list three days later without pitching. Hendry was reinstated yesterday and tossed a clean inning of work out of the bullpen, registering a pair of strikeouts. It was his first outing in Triple-A after being drafted by New York in the 10th round in 2023 out of Oklahoma State. The righty began the season on the 60-Day Injured List and began a rehab assignment on June 11, first in the FCL and then with Tampa.

AGAINST AN MLB REHAB- The RailRiders got three runs off of Major League rehabber in an inning and a third of work. They plated three runs off of Edward Cabrera in the second inning before he was removed from the game. SWB earned a pair of walks but struck out three times at the hand of the righty veteran. Cabrera has over three years of service time over portions of six seasons in the big leagues between Miami and Chicago (NL). The 28-year-old was placed on the Injured List on June 24 with a left hamstring strain.

Check out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Statistics

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