Elmer Rodriguez and three relievers combined on a six-hitter to help the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders beat the Syracuse Mets, 3-2, in the series finale Sunday afternoon at PNC Field in Moosic.
After allowing eight runs to Syracuse in each of the past two games, Rodriguez gave the RailRiders just what they needed. The Yankees’ No. 3 prospect gave up one run on five hits in 5.1 innings with no walks and seven strikeouts to improve his record to 7-3. He threw 79 pitches, 55 for strikes, to beat Syracuse for the second time in the series and win his fourth straight start. He is 4-0 in July with a 3.32 earned-run average with 22 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.
Jake Bird threw 1.2 scoreless innings and Will Brian followed with a perfect eighth inning on just six pitches. Yovanny Cruz got the final three outs to earn his third save as the RailRiders (16-9, 53-46) gained a split of the six-game set. Syracuse won the overall season series, 14-10.
Offensively, the RailRiders — playing as the Baby Bombers — managed only five hits, two by Marco Luciano. Top prospect George Lombard Jr. singled in his final at-bat in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. He walked earlier in the game to extend his on-base streak to 24 games.
For the third straight game, Syracuse scored in the top of the first. Three consecutive one-out hits — singles by Nick Morabito and Ronny Mauricio and a double by Christopher Morel — made it 1-0. However, that’s all the Mets would muster against Rodriguez and company.
In the bottom of the fourth, the RailRiders took the lead. Lombard led off with a walk, went to third on a double by J.C. Escarra and scored on a single by Luciano. With one out, Tyler Hardman grounded into a fielder’s choice that forced Luciano at second. But the throw to first to try to get Hardman and complete the double play was high for an error, enabling Escarra to score and make it 2-1.
Abraham Gutierrez provided an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth, hitting a 416-foot home run out to left field to make it 3-1. It was the backup catcher’s second home run of the season.
It was needed, too, since Morel homered to left-center field with one out in the top of the ninth to bring Syracuse back to within one run. But Cruz struck out the final two Mets batters to seal the victory.
On Tuesday, the RailRiders hit the road and begin a six-game series at the Iowa Cubs.