SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (38-25) @ NORFOLK TIDES (26-37)

RHP Brody Koerner (3-0, 3.41) vs. RHP Tom Eshelman (1-1, 2.77)

|  Game No. 64  |  Harbor Park  |  Norfolk, VA  |  June 13, 2019  |  First Pitch 12:05 p.m.  |

NORFOLK, VA (June 12, 2019) -- The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders topped the Norfolk Tides 7-6 Wednesday evening at Harbor Park. The RailRiders launched three home runs to win their fifth straight game.
With one down in the top of the first, Breyvic Valera tripled and scored on a Thairo Estrada single. Mike Ford followed with a two-run home run to right off Tyler Herb for a 3-0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lead. It was Ford’s 15th home run of the year in 42 games for the RailRiders. The first baseman hit 15 in 102 games for the club in 2018.
Tyler Wade hit a two-run homer with Erik Kratz on in the fourth inning to give Scranton/Wilkes-Barre the lead back. It was Wade’s second of the year and the 100th of the season in game 63 for the RailRiders. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hit home run number 100 in game 96 last summer. After a 42-minute rain delay prior to the fifth, play resumed as Estrada hit a solo home run off of Chris Lee. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre plated another insurance in the top of the sixth when Billy Burns singled in Trey Amburgey for a 7-3 RailRiders lead.
Danny Farquhar, making his return to regular season play after suffering a ruptured aneurysm in April 2018, pitched a perfect sixth before allowing a three-run homer to Mullins in the seventh as Norfolk drew within one run. Danny Coulombe (1-0) worked two scoreless innings in-back of Farquhar before Joe Harvey earned a four-out save; his fourth in four tries this season. Herb (4-4) took the loss for Norfolk after surrendering the first five runs on seven hits over four innings prior to the delay.
SWEEP APNEA: Dating back to the 2005 season, the RailRiders have not taken a three-game or four-game series from the Norfolk Tides on account of a sweep. During that time, there have been a pair of rain-shortened two-game series that SWB has swept (5/27/2016 - 5/29/2016 and 4/20/2012 - 4/23/2012). The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders go for a three-game sweep of the Tides Thursday afternoon.
HIGH-WATER MARK: The RailRiders knocked off the Norfolk Tides 7-6 Wednesday night to improve to 38-25 (.603) and are percentage points ahead of the Durham Bulls (39-26, .600) for the best record in the league. The 2017 RailRiders finished 86-55 (.610) but they didn’t get themselves to 12 games over .500 until June 17th when they improved to 39-26.
A QUICK RISE: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (.278 AVG) enter Thursday’s game against Norfolk with the second-best batting average in the International League, trailing Durham Bulls (.279 AVG) by just a point. The RailRiders can put out a lineup that features five players who have played over 20G with SWB this season and are batting over .290: Breyvic Valera (27G, .417 AVG), Mike Ford (42G, .342 AVG), Ryan McBroom (54G, .323 AVG), Mike Tauchman (22G, .296 AVG), Brad Miller (41G, .294 AVG). For McBroom, Tauchman and Miller it has been a product of a recent hot stretch that has bumped the average to where it is now. McBroom has batted .443 over his last 19G, Tacuhman is 7-for-10 in his last 3G and Miller is 8-for-12 in the last 4G in which he’s played.
A FRIENDLY FACE: Sunday, Erik Kratz was crouched behind the plate for Game 1 of the doubleheader against the Syracuse Mets. He was signed by the New York Yankees in conjunction with Ryan Lavarnway’s injury Saturday night, marking the third organization he’s played for this year (San Francisco Giants; Tampa Bay Rays). A year ago, Kratz appeared in 17G for the RailRiders and batted .269 with 4 HR in 52 AB before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers as they dealt with injuries at the big league level.