TOLEDO MUD HENS (13-20) @ SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (18-14)

RHP Spenser Watkins (3-0, 5.67) vs. RHP Chance Adams (2-1, 4.80)

|  Game No. 33  |  PNC Field  |  Moosic, PA  |  May 12, 2019  |  First Pitch 1:05 p.m.  |

MOOSIC, PA (May 11, 2019) -- Friday night the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders fell behind in the first inning due in part to a Toledo Mud Hens home run. Saturday, back-to-back home runs in the first inning by the RailRiders set the tone in a bounceback 5-1 win over the Hens.
For the second time in his career- and second time in the homestand- Mike Ford was penciled into the lineup as the leadoff hitter for SWB. He connected for a home run on the third pitch of the game from Toledo’s starting pitcher, Matt Hall. The blast was estimated at 446 feet, but fell shy of what he did later in the game. 
OF Aaron Hicks played in his second game on rehab with the RailRiders, and after an 0-for-3 performance Friday had much better success Saturday afternoon. He followed Ford’s homer with a longball of his own to make it 2-0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre two batters into the game.
Ford belted a 453-foot home run in his second at-bat and is now tied with Gosuke Katoh and Ryan McBroom for the team lead in 2019. Hicks came to bat a couple more times and doubled and scored a run in both the third and fifth innings. He finished 3-for-4 with a homer, two doubles and three runs scored while driving in a run.
On the mound, it was a scheduled bullpen day for the RailRiders with LHP Nestor Cortes having been promoted to the New York Yankees earlier in the week. Bullpen arm, RHP Raynel Espinal got the start and went 5.0 inning and didn’t allow a hit until the leadoff man in the fifth inning. He picked up the win, throwing 67 pitches (the third most in his career) before handing the ball off to the bullpen. Stephen Tarpley (2.1 IP, 0R/0ER, K) and Jake Barrett (1.2 IP, 0R/0ER, 2 K) combined for a scoreless final four innings to close out the win and snap a mini two-game skid for SWB.
GETTING OFFENSIVE: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders allowed a season-high 12 runs on 15 hits to the Toledo Mud Hens Friday night (second-most runs and hits by the Mud Hens offense in a game this year), in what was a down day for the pitching staff. The Mud Hens offense however, has been the best in the International League this season, leading the way with a .277 AVG entering Saturday and second best in the league with 5.75 runs per game (Charlotte: 6.36). They also ranked 2nd in the league with 38 SB after swiping three bases Friday night (Syracuse: 41 SB) but were tied for last in the league with only 29 HR. Sunday In a 14-team league, the RailRiders are one of 7 teams batting over .270 to this point in the year (T-4th, .272 AVG), one season after only one team batted above .260 for the entire 2018 season. 
SPOT-STARTER: RHP Raynel Espinal got the ball Saturday for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders as he takes over the rotation spot normally occupied by LHP Nestor Cortes who made his New York Yankees debut Saturday night in Tampa. The lefty was optioned back to the SWB following the game in which he tossed a scoreless 7th inning before being tagged for a three-run homer in the 8th. Saturday marked the third time this season Espinal has started for SWB, with him spinning a gem last time out 5/5 @ Syracuse (4.0 IP, 4 H, R/ER, 0 BB, 6 K) before Saturday’s strong performance (5.0 IP, 2 H, R/ER, 2 BB, 4 K).
RAILREHABBERS: OF Aaron Hicks was in the lineup for Manager Jay Bell Friday night and is expected to play all three games of a weekend series against the Toledo Mud Hens through Sunday. This is the first Major Leaguer set to rehab with the RailRiders this season, one year after SWB had 10 different Yankees play games with them: Greg Bird (INF), A.J. Cole (P), Brandon Drury (INF), Clint Frazier (OF), Aaron Hicks (OF), Tommy Kahnle (P), Billy McKinney (OF), Gary Sanchez (C), Masahiro Tanaka (P), Adam Warren (P). In his 2G with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season Hicks was 2-for-6 with a 2B and a BB.
EXPLODING FOR RUNS: The RailRiders put up 8 more runs in Friday’s loss to the Toledo Mud Hens and have now recorded nine games over the first 31 games of the season in which they plated 8+ runs. It wasn’t until Game No. 66 last season @ Syracuse that SWB had its ninth 8R-game of 2018.