Call it the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders’ version of the Indianapolis .500.
The Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate split a six-game series at PNC Field in northeastern Pennsylvania last week with the Indianapolis Indians, top affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates. After dropping the opener, the RailRiders took the second game, 6-5, on a two-run single in the bottom of the ninth by T.J. Rumfield. It was the team’s sixth walk-off victory of the season.
Indianapolis won the next two games. But a six-run fifth inning enabled the RailRiders to break things open and win the penultimate game of the series, 11-5. Then in the finale, another six-run inning — this one in the third — keyed a 7-5 win and earned the split.
Bryan De La Cruz was the top hitter in the series for the RailRiders, batting .462 (12-for-26) in six games with three doubles, one triple, and four RBI. The recently-profiled Duke Ellis batted .357 (5-for-4) in five games with two doubles, one home run, and four RBI. He also was 4-for-4 in stolen bases.
Jose Rojas batted .350 (7-for-20) in six games with three doubles, three home runs, eight RBI, and eight walks. Jorbit Vivas extended his consecutive-game on-base streak to 23 by hitting .304 (7-for-23) with five walks in the series.
Spencer Jones has been mired in a .154/.250/.215 slump since the beginning of August and did not homer in the series. He actually only has one since his three-homer game July 24th at Rochester — a span of 19 games. Still, the Yankees’ No. 4 prospect according to MLB Pipeline is tied for the minor-league lead with just-promoted Rays prospect Bob Seymour of the Durham Bulls with 30. Fourteen of those home runs have come with the RailRiders; the first 16 were at Double-A Somerset.
Reliever Harrison Cohen (2-0) and starters Brendan Beck (6-1) and Erick Leal (8-9) were winning pitchers in the series. Scott Effross recorded his second save of the season in the series finale. Leal improved to 7-2 in the second half by allowing two unearned runs on five hits with one walk and six strikeouts in six innings in the finale. The right-hander has 119 strikeouts, which is tied for second in the International League, two behind leader Bubba Chandler of Indianap0lis. Sean Boyle (7-9) ranks ninth in the league with 103 strikeouts.
Allan Winans (10-0) received a no-decision in his start against Indianapolis. He remains tied for the league-lead in wins with Nashville Sounds righty Logan Henderson. The RailRiders are 16-0 in games in which Winans has appeared this season. His earned-run average is 1.20, but unfortunately doesn’t qualify to be ranked among the league leaders since he has only pitched 75 innings.
Among the offensive category leaders in the International League, Rumfield is ninth in batting average at .308, third in hits (124), runs (73) and RBIs (82). Rojas ranks second in RBIs with 84 and is tied for third in home runs (23). Both are tied for second in doubles (30). As a team, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre leads the International League in batting (.269), RBIs (620) and runs (665).
While splitting their series with Indianapolis, the RailRiders got some help from the Rochester Red Wings, who took four of six games in a series with the Syracuse Mets. That enabled the RailRiders to sit in first place in the International League second-half standings at 32-13, one game ahead of Syracuse.
Also, the RailRiders are 70-47 overall, which is tied for second with Durham and one game in back of the first-half champion Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (72-47) for the best overall record in the International League.
Now, the RailRiders head to Buffalo for the first time this season for a six-game series starting Tuesday against the Bisons, top affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Buffalo is 17-26 in the second half and 47-69 overall. In the lone meeting between the teams this season, the RailRiders swept a six-game series at PNC Field on July 8-13, outscoring the Bisons, 44-19.
After just facing Indianapolis, the RailRiders will been rooting for Indianapolis since they begin a six-game series in Syracuse on Tuesday. Next week, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will host those Mets in a six-game series that could help decide the second-half title in the International League.
