This article is also available in French.
Buffalo Bisons vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders Preview
Opening Day is finally here, and the Buffalo Bisons have the honor of starting the new season against Scranton. The three-game series takes place at Sahlen Field in Buffalo on Friday. Bisons’ general manager, Brandon Beane, will throw the Ceremonial First Pitch on March 29 at 2:05 PM ET.
The Bisons and the Railriders missed the Triple-A National Championship Game last year. Buffalo finished one spot above Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in the East Division, coming fifth after winning 76 times in 148 games. The Railriders finished a few points behind the Bisons, having won 73 contests last year. With the new season fast approaching, who will get the first win of 2024?
Buffalo Bisons vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders Head-to-Head and Key Stats
The Buffalo Bisons and the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders faced each other in a six-game series at the tail-end of last season. Heading into the series, neither side could qualify for the Triple-A National Championship Game. However, the contests were thrilling and the series was split after six action-packed games.
Buffalo opened the scoring in the first contest, but a four-run sixth inning gave the Railriders the victory. The Bisons avenged the loss in the next game, scoring eight runs in the seventh and winning 9-1. In the third meeting, Buffalo again won by a large margin, scoring six more runs than the Railriders.
The last three contests of the series were tight. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre got a 4-2 victory in the fourth game, and the Bisons won the fifth by one run. However, their latest meeting was a thrilling 13-run game that went to extra innings. Buffalo was the first to score a run in the opening inning, taking the lead until the seventh. The Railriders tied the game, and another inning without a run led to a spectacular finish. The ninth inning had six runs, three for both sides to force a tiebreaker. In the extra innings, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre narrowly beat the Bisons to split the series, three games each.
As this is the opening day, we can look at the key stats from last season. Neither side made the playoffs, but the Buffalo Bisons had more wins. Both teams had their moments last year, but it’s clear that Buffalo was more clinical at bat. The Bisons posted 853 runs last season and registered 1,370 hits. Buffalo was the eighth-best team for runs and notched the third-most hits in the league. The New York side also stole 176 bases, two more than Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. As mentioned, the Railriders weren’t as effective at bat last year. They recorded 796 runs in 148 games and got 1,272 hits across these contests. However, the Railriders hit 219 home runs, the third-highest behind the Syracuse Mets and Durham Bulls.
Rafael Lantigua was the Bisons’ biggest threat at-bat last season. Lantigua scored 101 runs, the second-most in the league, with Connor Norby posting 104. The fielder notched 142 hits but only got 12 home runs. Lantigua was one of the most patient batters in the league, walking 98 times. The highest of any player on the Buffalo roster, Spencer Horwitz, finished the season with a .337 batting average. Estevan Florial was the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders’ leading batter. Florial notched 83 runs and registered 116 hits in 2023. However, the Dominican-Haitian player has moved to the Cleveland Guardians.
Looking at pitchers, Mitch Spence was the standout performer for the Railriders. Spence played 29 games and had an ERA of 4.47. But he is unavailable for the Railriders this season, as the Oakland A’s selected the pitcher in the Rule 5 draft. Brandon Eisert pitched in 59 games for Buffalo last season and had a 4.17 ERA. But Zach Thompson looks destined to make an impact, having pitched 105.1 innings and won 6 games for the Bisons.
Buffalo Bisons vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders Predictions
Correct Score Prediction: Buffalo Bisons 8-3 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders
Buffalo Bisons vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders is the opening game of the Triple-A season, and both sides will be keen to start victorious. However, we predict the Buffalo Bisons will win the series’ first contest. The Bisons were better at-bat last season, and we see this trend continuing in 2024. Our correct score prediction is a Buffalo 8-3 win over the Railriders.
We expect 11 runs during the contest, but we predict the start of the game will be quiet. Buffalo will take a 2-0 lead within the opening five innings. Novibet’s sportsbook allows you to handicap a team throughout the first five innings. If you’re looking for a handicap wager, betting on the Bisons -1.5 is our pick. The tail-end of the game will register most of the runs. We predict the seventh inning will post five runs.
Buffalo needs eight runs for our prediction to be correct, and we expect Rafael Lantigua to get over 1.5 RBIs against the Railriders. Lantigua was one of Buffalo’s most significant batters in 2023, and we believe he’ll be just as important this year. Many Blue Jays fans feel the Dominican can break into the Toronto side this season. When facing the Atlanta Braves in Spring Training, Lantigua hit a home run for the Blue Jays, and we are confident he’ll carry this momentum into the minor leagues.
The New York Yankees are unimpressed with Everson Pereira’s Spring Training numbers and optioned the outfielder to the Railriders. Pereira needs confidence, and we feel the Venezuelan will get over 0.5 RBIs on Friday. The Scranton/Wilkes-Barre fielder registered 91 hits in 303 at-bats in the Minor Leagues last season. It’s a crucial year for Pereira, as the Yankees paid $1.5 million for the fielder in 2017 and will want to see a return on their investment.
Buffalo Bisons vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders Betting Picks
Having as much information as possible is vital when betting on baseball events. However, you must work with limited data in the opening series of the 2024 MiLB season. We still believe you can find value in the markets, but we suggest keeping your wagers small, as the season opener will often deliver surprises.
Like most online betting sites, our sportsbook has a moneyline for every baseball contest. Our moneyline pick is the Bisons. If Buffalo continues their batting efficiency from last season, they will be too strong at-bat for the Railriders and cruise to an 8-3 victory. Betting on Buffalo to win the runs race is also a brilliant choice. At Novibet, you can wager on the team to reach a certain number of runs first. We suggest wagering on the Bisons to get five runs before Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
If you don’t want to select a winner, you can use Noivbet’s live betting feature on the total amount of runs. We predict over 10.5 runs on Friday. The total runs market allows you to wager on over or under a precise amount of runs. If you’re worried about a quiet game, betting on under 11.5 runs covers our correct score prediction but returns less profit. However, waiting until the game has started will give you time to analyze the pace of the contest and judge for yourself if it’ll be high-scoring or not.
Betting on Minor League Baseball is fantastic because the games often have more runs than the MLB. An alternative market to consider this Friday is the maximum consecutive runs. This wager comes with increased risk but can offer better profits. We believe Buffalo will take an early 2-0 lead within the first five innings but expect the Railriders to score three runs. With this in mind, betting on the maximum consecutive runs to be two is our pick.
Another way to bet on baseball is via the innings markets. We see the first inning finishing 0-0, so betting on a draw early on is a great idea. We predict the seventh inning will post the most runs, setting up a bet on the highest-scoring inning market. Wagering on the highest-scoring inning is hard to predict, so consider using your bonus funds on this market. Novibet offers a welcome bonus upon signing up, which you can use when betting on sports events to preserve your deposited funds.
Buffalo Bisons Team News
Ahead of their season’s opening game, the Buffalo Bisons made four roster changes. The Toronto Blue Jays optioned Brendon Little to the Bisons. Little is a left-handed pitcher and will cover for Adam Macko. Buffalo reassigned Macko to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. Nathan Lukes is also available for the Bisons. Lukes is an experienced fielder, with over 500 games in the minor leagues and over 20 appearances in the MLB.
ROSTER MOVE:
🔹 INF Eduardo Escobar has been granted his release and is now a free agent pic.twitter.com/7DhKmxZH1I
— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) March 22, 2024
The Blue Jays also released Eduardo Escobar. Escobar is now a free agent after struggling to earn his spot on third base. The 35-year-old is a minor and major league veteran with over 1,000 MLB games played but failed to impress during his time on the team. Toronto is monitoring Joey Votto on a day-to-day basis. Votto is on the Bisons’ roster, but the infielder may be absent from the first series. The first baseman resumes baseball activities on Friday, but his return date is unknown.
Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders Team News
The New York Yankees optioned four players to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Railriders. The Yankees sent two left and two right-handed pitchers to the Triple-A team. Clayton Andrews and Nick Ramirez are the two lefties, while Cody Poteet and Ron Marinaccio are the right-handed pitchers. Having this many extra options on the plate boosts the Railriders’ offensive threat.
