By Tamar Chalker
With the Major League club having an off-day as they travel out to California for a series against the A’s, I figured it was a good time to check in with one of the minor league teams. As I am writing this on Wednesday night, the Railriders (56-37) are currently tied with Buffalo for first in the Triple-A East Northeast Division. They are 4.5 games behind Durham, who has the best record in the League.
Quick Team Stats:
The Railriders are winning because they are getting on base and making it count. They lead the Triple-A East in on base percentage of .354 and their run differential is +119, the second highest in the league (Durham’s is a whopping +190). They’ve also managed 97 stolen bases.
SWB is showing some good discipline at the plate, with the second most walks (417) and one of the lower strikeout numbers in the league.
Scranton has done well on the mound, too. As a team they have a 3.89 ERA, one of the lowest in the league. They are tied for the second lowest opponent batting average at .225.
The Railriders pitchers are racking up over 10 Ks per nine innings, but struggle when it comes to walks. Their K/BB of 2.15 puts them towards the bottom of the league.
Who’s Hot:
Ryan LaMarre is hitting .289/.384/.483.
Greg Allen is smoking the ball this month, hitting .436/.511/.744 over 12 games in August.
Reggie McClain has thrown just over 10 innings in relief this month and has a 0.84 ERA.
Clarke Schmidt is making his second start with the Railriders as I write this. He gave up one run in his debut, going 3.1 innings and picking up four Ks. He was motoring through tonight’s game until he had two on with two outs in the third. He gave up one run and then hit a batter, but he managed to get out of trouble with his fifth K of the game.
What to Expect:
While the Railriders have put together a strong season, they have struggled some recently. They are 5-5 in their last ten games and their pitching has been mediocre at best in August. It’s always a wonder to me how these Triple-A managers handle their ever shifting roster of minor league lifers, prospects, and rehabbing major leaguers, and given the dearth of Yankee injuries this season, it isn’t a surprise that the Railriders would experience quite a rollercoaster over the last couple of months. Still, their offensive prowess has taken them this far, and I believe it should carry them into the postseason pretty comfortably. Whether anyone will be able to catch up with Durham, however, is another question.
