SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE RAILRIDERS (8-6)  @  BUFFALO BISONS (4-9)

LHP Gio Gonzalez (2-1, 6.00) vs. RHP Jordan Romano (1-1, 6.75)

|  Game No. 15  |  Sahlen Field |  Buffalo, NY  |  April 19, 2019  |  First Pitch 6:05 p.m.  |

MOOSIC, PA (April 17, 2019) -- The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders dropped both games of a doubleheader to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Wednesday night, falling 5-3 in both games – each time, a last-inning rally falling just short.

In Game One, after three shutout innings from Jonathan Loaisiga, the IronPigs took a 2-0 lead on a home run by Deivy Grullon. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre halved the deficit in the bottom of the inning on a Zack Zehner sac fly. Lehigh Valley plated an insurance run in the top of the sixth on a Grullon base hit to drive in Dylan Cozens and added two more in the top of the seventh on a Lane Adams two-run home run.

As the game moved into the bottom of the 7th inning- the final inning of play- the RailRiders sparked a rally after entering the frame trailing 5-1. The inning began with a pair out outs, but then Thairo Estrada and Trey Amburgey reached to set up Mandy Alvarez with a two-run double. Ryan McBroom stepped into the box as the game-tying run but was struck out by Edubray Ramos to end the ballgame.

The RailRiders opened the scoring against Tyler Viza in the bottom of the second of Game Two, opening up a 2-0 lead through three innings. The IronPigs didn’t record a hit in any of the frames besides the top of the 4th, but that was a decisive inning as Lane Adams and Jan Hernandez each launched homers as part of the five-run attack.

Despite falling behind, the RailRiders rallied in the bottom of the 7th inning and loaded the bases to put the tying run in scoring position, but Zack Zehner struck out, ending the game.

DOUBLEHEADERS: The RailRiders enter Friday with a scheduled doubleheader set for Saturday at 1:05 p.m. It will be (weather pending) the second doubleheader of the season to this point for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, as only one of their first 14 games of the season was postponed (swept in both games of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, L 5-3 (7) // L 5-3 (7)).

STRIKEOUT RATE: The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders enter Friday’s game against the Buffalo Bisons with the 3rd-most strikeouts (137 K) as a team in the International League and the 2nd-highest strikeout rate (137 K in  116.0 IP; 10.6 K/9) behind the Rochester Red Wings (148 K in 113.0 IP; 11.8 K/9). The RailRiders enter their series vs. Buffalo ranked 8th in the IL in ERA at 4.73 which is a couple pegs higher than the Bisons who rank last at 6.75. Last season, the RailRiders ranked 5th in ERA (3.71), 3rd in K (1,179) and 2nd in K/9 (Durham: 9.4; Pawtucket: 9.0; Scranton/Wilkes-Barre: 8.9).

NOW YOU HAVE CC’N HIM IN TRIPLE-A: As a corresponding move to LHP CC Sabathia returning from the Injured List in the big leagues, RHP Jonathan Loaisiga was transferred to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. When the 24-year old Nicaraguan made his Triple-A debut with SWB in Game 1, he will have had made almost as many appearances in the MLB (11G/6GS) as he had in full-season Minor League Baseball (14G/14GS with Charleston/Tampa/Trenton). In a pair of starts this season for the Yankees, Loaisiga has a 3.86 ERA (3R/3ER in 7.0 IP) including his first start of the season 4/3 @ Detroit where he allowed just 1H over 4.0 IP.

THEY’VE DUG UP A GEM IN GIO: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre’s Opening Day starting pitcher was LHP Gio Gonzalez, who has  pitched in the big leagues for 11 seasons among three different organizations (Oakland Athletics, Washington Nationals and Milwaukee Brewers). He ranks 118^th on the all-time MLB career strikeout list, with only six players ahead of him who have ever worn a Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Jersey:

No. 3 Roger Clemens 4,672 K 2007 Rehab

No. 15 Curt Schilling 3,116 K 1996 Rehab & 2000 Rehab

No. 42 Andy Pettitte 2,448 K 2012 Rehab

No. 45 Cole Hamels 2,419 K

No. 72 Kevin Millwood 2,083 K

No. 111 Randy Wolf 1,814 K 2001 Rehab

No. 118 Gio Gonzalez