Road dominance continues as RailRiders cruise
The RailRiders will come home to PNC Field next week riding the wave of another series win, no matter how the rest of the weekend in Jacksonville plays out.
If things go much better, they may prefer to stay away a little while longer, though.
Carlos Narvaez had a pair of clutch two-out RBI hits in the first two innings, including a two-run single that capped a four-run second frame and sent the RailRiders to their fourth consecutive win, a 7-2 triumph over the Jumbo Shrimp on Friday afternoon at 121 Financial Ballpark.
In his return to the RailRiders after being optioned by the Yankees, Narvaez launched a run-scoring double off the right field wall with two outs in the first against star Marlins pitching prospect Max Meyer in the first inning before his second-inning hit. First baseman T.J. Rumfield also doubled and later joined Jose Rojas with solo homers in the seventh inning to turn a close game into what had to seem like an insurmountable five-run deficit for a once-hot Jacksonville offense that continued to struggle to get runs across against RailRiders pitching.
Lefty Edgar Barclay did get off to a bit of a slow start, with center fielder Victor Mesa Jr. popping a double down the right field line to start the bottom of the first before veteran Jonah Bride and young catcher Will Banfield ripped RBI singles to give the Shrimp a 2-1 lead.
Barclay, however, settled in and gave Crustacean Nation little to cheer about from that point.
He allowed just two hits in five shutout innings after that, striking out six in all and pitching around few Shrimp threats. After lefty Clayton Andrews’ two shutout innings of relief — he allowed just one hit — and Anthony Misiewicz’s perfect ninth, that first inning goes down as the only one in the last 28 frames in which Jacksonville scored against RailRiders pitching.
Coming off a 4-2 series win over Durham last week, the RailRiders have won eight of their first 10 games on a season-long 12-game road trip. They also improved their record away from PNC Field to a stunning 15-3.
The second inning against the hard-throwing Meyer had plenty to do with their latest road win.
After the Shrimp took the lead after the first, Josh VanMeter hit a pop up to short left that both fell in and got accidentally kicked toward the foul line by hustling shortstop Christian Gray.
VanMeter was balked to third, then scored two batters later on Luis Gonzalez’s hard one-hop single to right to tie the game. Greg Allen, who walked between those at-bats, wound up giving the RailRiders the lead when he scored on a perfect squeeze bunt by Brandon Lockridge. Lockridge and Caleb Durbin scored on Narvaez’s groundball single to center.
Saturday’s game
RailRiders (21-9) at Jacksonville (16-15), 1:05 p.m., 121 Financial Ballpark
Pitching probables: RailRiders RHP Cody Poteet (2-0, 1.74) vs. Jumbo Shrimp RHP Patrick Monteverde (3-0, 3.12)
Off the rails
C Carlos Narvaez, who was optioned to the RailRiders when OF Alex Verdugo was activated from the paternity list, officially rejoined the team Friday. To clear a roster spot, C Josh Breaux
* was placed on the development list.
* The RailRiders became the first team in Triple-A to reach 20 wins this season Thursday night, and the first to hit 21 on Friday. Omaha reached 20 after the RailRiders did Thursday, as did former Valley View star pitcher Mason Black’s Sacramento River Cats.
* Lefty
Edgar Barclay
* allowed two first-inning runs Friday before going on to spin five shutout innings after it. He hasn’t allowed more than two earned runs in any of his six starts this season.
* 1B
T.J. Rumfield
* homered and doubled and has multiple hits in six of his 15 games since joining the RailRiders on April 16.
