LAWRENCEVILLE, GA (August 16, 2019) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders continued to struggle away from PNC Field, losing their ninth straight game on the road Friday night with a 5-2 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers.
LAWRENCEVILLE, GA (August 16, 2019) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders continued to struggle away from PNC Field, losing their ninth straight game on the road Friday night with a 5-2 loss to the Gwinnett Stripers.
It was a game that saw the season debut of RHP Michael King to the mound for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, nearly 11 months after he picked up the International League Player of the Month award for August 2018. He was economical over 6.0 innings, needing just 79 pitches to work his way through the Stripers lineup. However, a pair of home runs were his undoing as he was charged with the loss while surrendering five runs on just six hits.
Trailing 1-0 entering the top of the fourth inning, the RailRiders got a leadoff double from Clint Frazier who finished 2-for-3 with a HBP. Tyler Wade followed with a sacrifice bunt to push Frazier to third base which set up Kyle Higashioka for a game-tying single to make it 1-1.
The next half inning, Jack Lopez had a pair of runners on when he crushed a three-run shot over the retaining wall and picnic area in left field to make it 4-1.
Tyler Lyons made his organizational debut in the seventh inning for the RailRiders and went 1.2 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and walking one batter while striking out three men. He handed the ball off to Kaleb Ort for the final out in the bottom of the eighth inning, and he induced a groundout by Cristian Pache to push the game into the ninth inning with the RailRiders needing three runs to tie.
Chad Sobotka entered for the save and locked down the win for Gwinnett without the tying run coming to the plate.
The RailRiders enter Saturday's middle-game of the series with a 2.0-game lead in the I.L. North Division with 17 games remaining in the season as the Buffalo Bisons defeated the Durham Bulls Friday night. The Rochester Red Wings also won Friday night and they are in third place in the division, 3.0 games back of first place.
The RailRiders continue their roadtrip Saturday night at Coolray Field. RHP Deivi Garcia (1-3, 5.93) takes the ball for the RailRiders against Gwinnett's RHP Ian Anderson (1-1, 6.00) in a matchup between the top pitching prospects for the Yankees and Braves organizations. Pregame coverage with Adam Giardino begins at 5:35 p.m. on the RailRiders Radio Network before a scheduled 6:05 p.m. first pitch.
