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The good news for the New York Yankees — rehabbing pitcher Jonathan Loaisiga turned in an impressive rebound from his last Triple-A start.
The bad news for the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders — Brody Koerner didn’t fare nearly as well in relief against the International League’s top team.
Koerner was rocked for 10 earned runs on 16 hits by Gwinnett on Friday night as the Stripers pulled away late for a 10-2 win at PNC Field, extending the RailRiders’ losing streak to four games.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s lengthy homestand hasn’t allowed the team to take firm control of the IL North. After opening the nine-game set by taking two out of three from Lehigh Valley, the RailRiders were swept by Charlotte before getting hammered by Gwinnett.
The RailRiders (64-53) have now allowed 56 runs in the first seven games of the homestand, outscored 34-11 during the four-game skid. Fortunately for them, the competition in the IL North hasn’t been able to take advantage.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre still holds a five-game lead atop the division with a growing mess in the rearview mirror. Buffalo, Rochester and Syracuse were all tied for second place at 59-58 after Friday’s games.
A night after managing just two hits against Charlotte, the RailRiders managed just two runs vs. the Stripers. Both came on a double by Ryan McBroom in the bottom of the eighth.
That cut the deficit to 5-2, but any hope of a comeback was erased in the top of the ninth, as the Stripers put up five runs against Koerner. The first five batters of the inning all recorded a hit — including a homer and two doubles — and there was a sac fly and another single before David Sosebee came on to get the final out of the inning.
It was a particularly rough sequence after Loaisiga had shined to open the game. The 24-year-old had started his rehab assignment from a shoulder injury at Double-A Trenton before joining the RailRiders last weekend. On Sunday against Lehigh Valley, he didn’t make it out of the first inning.
His second start with the team went much better. In three scoreless innings, Loaisiga gave up just one hit with no walks while striking out four.
But the run support never came. And the Stripers (68-48) broke the scoreless tie in the fifth against Koerner on a two-run double by Sean Kazmar and a two-run homer by Drew Waters. Pedro Florimon added a solo shot in the seventh that made it 5-0.
Nine-hitter Billy Burns led the RailRiders with a three-hit showing. Thario Estrada had two hits, including a double.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will look to stop the skid with a 6:35 p.m. rematch against the Stripers on Saturday in Moosic.