Worcester, MA – The Worcester Red Sox were shutout for the fourth time in their last eight games suffering a 2-0 setback to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Friday night before a sell-out crowd of 9,037 at Polar Park. The WooSox were held to 3 hits in losing for the 12th time in their last 17 games after enjoying a 15-2 stretch between July 22 – August 8.
The 6-game series between the Red Sox and Yankee Triple-A affiliates is knotted at two victories apiece and will be decided over the weekend when the clubs play Saturday at 4:05 pm and Sunday at 1:05 pm to conclude Worcester’s penultimate homestand of the season.
For the first time in the series, the WooSox did not have their now famous trio of rehabbing Red Sox players in their lineup. However, Roman Anthony, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Trevor Story are all expected to be in the WooSox starting lineup on Saturday for game five of the series at 4:05 pm at Polar Park. Anthony is slated to play leftfield, IKF at second base, and Story at shortstop and most likely be the top three in the WooSox batting order.
Scranton/WB starter Alexander Cornielle was outstanding holding the WooSox to just 2 hits through 8-innings. An infield single by Nate Eaton in the 2nd inning and a single by Romy Gonzalez in the 4th were the only Sox hits off Cornielle who improved to 4-3 and lowered his ERA to 2.83. The 25-year-old Dominican native allowed 2 walks with 6 strikeouts and retired 13 of the final 14 WooSox batters he faced.
The RailRiders used a solo HR by DH Yanquiel Fernandez (#22) to break a scoreless tie with 2 outs in the top of the 4th inning. They would double their lead in the 5th thanks to an RBI double off the bat of SS Anthony Volpe. And that would be it for scoring in the game.
Those two runs were all that WooSox starter and loser John Holobetz (1-4) would allow in a solid 5-inning outing. The Worcester bullpen was excellent. John Brebbia worked a scoreless 6th inning, while Angel Bastardo (2 hitless innings) and Hobie Harris (hitless 9th with 3 strikeouts) also combined to keep it close.
SS Franklin Arias ripped a one out double in the bottom of the 9th to extend his hitting streak to 7 straight games, but was stranded at third base as the WooSox fell to 5-9 in shutout games this season.
Game five of the 6-game series will be Saturday at 4:05 pm at Polar Park. LHP Raymond Burgos (3-6, 5.14), who did such a fine job helping a depleted Boston Red Sox bullpen two weeks ago, makes his second start since returning to Worcester. RHP Brendan Beck (9-2, 2.75) who was also recently in the big leagues with the New York Yankees, will get the start for Scranton/WB.
The game is live on NESN+ and can be heard on NASH 98.9 FM and the rest of the WooSox Radio Network.