SWB RailRiders Game Notes- August 26, 2025
IL Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders

SWB RailRiders Game Notes- August 26, 2025

Published on August 26, 2025 under International League (IL)
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders News Release


Syracuse Mets (33-18, 64-62) at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (36-15, 74-49)

August 26, 2025 | Game 124 | Home Game 62 | PNC Field | First Pitch 6:35 P.M.

LH Brandon Waddell (2-7, 4.79) vs. LH Ryan Yarbrough (0-1, 4.26)

Waddell: Surrendered 6 R (5 ER) on 4 H over 3.2 innings in 8/20 Loss vs. IND (6-0 Indians)

Yarbough: Allowed 2 R on 3 H over 3.1 IP in 8/20 Loss @ BUF with 3 K and 0 BB (4-1 Bisons)

LAST TIME OUT- BUFFALO, NY (August 24, 2025) - The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders rallied to beat the Buffalo Bisons 5-3 on Sunday afternoon at Sahlen Field. Down 3-0 in the seventh, the RailRiders plated three to tie and took the lead in the eighth to seal a series win.

With two down in the bottom of the third, Buffalo loaded the bases with a single and a pair of walks. Riley Tirotta singled to right off RailRiders starter Erick Leal, plating Jonatan Clase and Michael Stefanic to give the Bisons the early lead. Buffalo extended the lead in the fifth when Rainer Nunez scored on a Zach Messinger wild pitch.

In the top of the seventh, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre leveled the score. A bases-loaded sac fly from Andrew Velazquez cut the deficit to two. Duke Ellis doubled to right, driving in Jeimer Candelario from second and Braden Shewmake from first to tie the game 3-3. With two on and two down in the eighth, Shewmake singled in Spencer Jones and Candelario to give the RailRiders a 5-3 lead.

Leal worked four innings, allowing two hits and two runs with three strikeouts and four walks. Buffalo starter Easton Lucas held the RailRiders scoreless over five innings, striking out six, walking two and scattering two hits. Harrison Cohen worked a scoreless sixth. Scott Effross (2-4) followed with a shutout frame in the seventh and Kervin Castro faced three batters in a perfect eighth. Joel Kuhnel recorded the final three outs to secure his fifth save of the season and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre's fourth win of the set. Bobby Milacki (2-2) allowed the eighth inning runs in the loss.

SHOWDOWN- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hosts Syracuse in a battle of first and second place teams in the International League. The RailRiders hold a three-game edge as play starts this evening. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre topped Syracuse in 14 of 18 first half meetings, including a six-game sweep at PNC Field in June. The top tiebreaker in the IL playoff race is head-to-head record in that given half. Toledo is four games back and the RailRiders and Mud Hens don't meet in the second half. Indianapolis is five back and the clubs split their series two weeks ago.

REHAB RUN BACK- Ryan Yarbrough makes his third rehab start for the RailRiders tonight. Yarbrough worked three innings on 37 pitches on August 14 against Indianapolis, striking out three and walking none, and went 3.1 innings last Wednesday on 50 pitches, again striking out three and walking none at Buffalo. Yarbrough was placed on the 15-Day Injured List retroactive to June 20, 2025, with a right oblique strain. New York signed the left-hander to a free agent contract on March 24 and he appeared in 16 games for the Yankees, including eight starts. Yarbrough has struck out 49 and walked 17 over 55.1 innings pitched this season.

TOP OF THE HEAP- Sunday's win at Buffalo gave the RailRiders a .602 winning percentage after 123 games played, pushing just past Jacksonville's .600 percentage for the best record in Triple-A baseball. Oklahoma City has the best record in the Pacific Coast League at 74-52, good for a .571 winning percentage.

THE FINAL STRETCH TM - The RailRiders have two homestands and two road trips remaining on the 2025 calendar. After this week's series against Syracuse, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre travels to Worcester, hosts Lehigh Valley and returns to Buffalo in September to close out the 2025 slate.

SERIES BUSINESS- Sunday's win at Buffalo captured the series for the RailRiders against the Bisons. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has won or split 13 consecutive series since going 1-4 in Nashville from May 21 through 24. Since the Worcester series started on May 27, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre has a league-best 52-23 mark, six wins more than the next closest club.

WINNING WAYS- Scranton/Wilkes-Barre is now 17-0 in games that Allan Winans has appeared in this year. Winans is slated to take the mound Friday against Jonah Tong, the top pitching prospect in the Mets' organization.

BOOM STICK- Spencer Jones is tied for the Minor League lead with 32 home runs after a fifth inning blast Saturday. Mariners Minor Leaguer Lazaro Montes hit 18 for the Everett AquaSox and has 14 with the Arkansas Travelers this season, including three in his last three games to draw level with Jones. Oklahoma City's Ryan Ward is one off the pace. The RailRiders' Jose Rojas is tied for eighth with 23.

SLAMMING- Jeimer Candelario's third inning grand slam on Friday was the sixth by a RailRider this season and second this month. Jose ROjas has a franchise-record three this season while Dom Smith and Ismael Munguia each have hit one. The club record for grand slams in a single season is eight, set during the 2019 campaign.

SPOT WORK- Joel Kuhnel's spot start in game two Thursday was just the fourth of the season for the RailRiders. One hundred and fifteen of the 123 games played this season have been started by a member of the rotation. The other four games have been MLB Rehab starts.

AROUND THE ORGANIZATION- New York beat Washington 10-5 on Monday night. Cam Schlittler struck out eight over six scoreless innings of work and the Yankees launched three home runs to back him in the win... Somerset fell 1-0 to Hartford on Sunday. Carlos Lagrange struck out five and allowed a fifth inning homer for the only offense of the game... Hudson Valley lost 9-1 at Jersey Shore. Dillon Lewis drove in the only Renegades run... Tampa's doubleheader at Fort Myers was canceled.

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