SWB Game Notes

August 23, 2018 - International League (IL1)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release

SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (65-61) vs. BUFFALO BISONS (60-65)

RHP Adonis Rosa (1-0, 1.80) vs. RHP Jacob Waguespack (5-6, 5.04)

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| First Pitch 1:05 p.m. | Pregame Show 12:35 p.m. |

LAST TIME OUT: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders and Buffalo Bisons needed to complete Tuesday night's suspended ballgame Wednesday, on top of the regularly-scheduled game, and both decisions went to the Bisons.

In Wednesday's scheduled game, the RailRiders broke out to an early lead in the first. Former Bison Giovanny Urshella doubled home Abiatal Avelino and Zack Zehner added a RBI single, driving in Mike Ford, for a 2-0 Scranton/Wilkes-Barre advantage.

After the Buffalo plated a run on a fielder's choice in the second, the RailRiders extended the lead back to two on a run-scoring double by Zehner to make it 3-1. The RailRiders left fielder finished with a 2-for-4 night which included a double as part of a seven-hit night by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

In the bottom of the fourth, the Bisons sent all nine men to the plate, scoring four times against reliever J.P. Feyereisen. Tim Lopes drove in a pair with a single to tie the game at three. Jonathan Davis singled in Lopes and Gunnar Heidt to push Buffalo ahead 5-3. The RailRiders threatened trailing by a pair of runs with two baserunners in both the 6th and 7th innings, but were unable to draw any closer. With two more runs in the bottom of the 8th inning, Buffalo made it a comfortable 9th inning for Jose Fernandez to close out of the win, 7-3.

SHEFF SERVES UP NEW ROLE: The top pitching prospect in the Yankees organization, LHP Justus Sheffield, made his bullpen debut for the RailRiders Tuesday night. In comments leading up to Tuesday's game Yankees GM Brian Cashman said "You'll see him pitching in New York whether it's as a rotation guy or out of the bullpen at some point I would expect in 2018. The stuff's electric. The ceiling and the upside is exciting and just because it hasn't happened yet doesn't diminish what we think of him. That's just timing is everything and when do we unwrap that and deploy that. Is it going to be before September. It just depends on how things shake out." In the his first relief outing he tossed 2.0 innings and allowed 2 H, R/ER, 0 BB, 2 K.

RAIN, RAIN...: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders have been unable to catch a break at PNC Field this season. Not only have two games been cancelled (June 10 vs. Louisville; July 25 vs. Charlotte), but they have lost the most openings of any team in the International League this season. Five home dates remain over the final two weeks of the season, and the RailRiders have lost seven openings over the first 65 home dates of the year. In the rest of the league, 10-of-14 teams have lost four openings or fewer, including the Indianapolis Indians, Durham Bulls and Louisville Bats who have not lost any. Last season, the RailRiders lost only three openings and they have not lost more than four in any season since 2011 when the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees also lost seven openings. The tough-luck weather has dipped into road games, affecting Tuesday's series-opener with the Bisons.

...GO AWAY: Since the calendar turned to August, the RailRiders have had 10 home dates and 7-of-10 have featured a rain delay, postponement, cancelation or doubleheader. Dating back to mid-July, 10-of-16 home dates have featured some combination of weather-related alterations.

RACE TO THE FINISH: The Wild Card race in the International League is heating up as the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (65-61) hit the homestretch of the 2018 season. With 12G to go, SWB finds itself 2.0 GB of the Indianapolis Indians (68-60) for the Wild Card lead. It's looking like a three-team race for the final playoff spot with the Norfolk Tides (66-61) also making a playoff push, tied with the RailRiders entering Thursday.

Check out the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders Statistics

International League Stories from August 23, 2018

Bats Awaken as Indians Hold off Clippers, 8-6 - Indianapolis Indians
VanMeter Delivers in 5-2 Comeback Win - Louisville Bats
Salt Potatoes Fall to IronPigs in Series Finale, 3-2 - Syracuse Mets
Toussaint Dominates in Durham as Stripers Win Series - Gwinnett Stripers
Plates Top PawSox - Rochester Red Wings
Rochester Tops Pawtucket, 5-1, in Series Finale - Pawtucket Red Sox
Bulls Stymied 5-0 by Stripers in Series Finale - Durham Bulls
Pigs Take Rubber-Match in Syracuse - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
RailRiders Defeat Bisons, 7-3, to Avoid Sweep - Buffalo Bisons
RailRiders Evade Sweep with Finale Victory - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Durham Bulls Game Notes - Thursday, August 23, 2018 - Durham Bulls
Knights Drop Thursday's Finale to Tides 9-8 - Charlotte Knights
Tejada Contributes to Tides' Rally - Norfolk Tides
Dunkin Donuts Becomes Official Coffee of Bisons Baseball - Buffalo Bisons
Louisville Bats Notes: August 23 - Louisville Bats
Game Information: Indianapolis Indians (68-60) vs. Columbus Clippers (69-59) - Indianapolis Indians
LHV Game Notes - Lehigh Valley IronPigs
Bisons Game Notes - Buffalo vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (1:05 p.m.) - Buffalo Bisons
SWB Game Notes - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
RailRiders announce 30th anniversary season schedule - Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders
Clippers Take Series with Huge Win in Indy - Columbus Clippers
Clippers Nab Important Game One in Indy - Columbus Clippers
Syracuse Chiefs to Host Pre-Game Wedding at NBT Bank Stadium, Saturday August 25 - Syracuse Mets

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