Buffalo Bisons
71-61, 2nd(-9.5)
G1 RHP Gee 13-7, 4.87; G2 TBA

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre
80-51, 1st(+9.5)
G1 LHP Igawa 2-3, 4.64; G2 Hirsh 9-7, 3.96

Saturday, August 28, 2010
PNC Field – Moosic, PA

Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons face the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the first two games of a three-game series from PNC Field (5:35 p.m.). The Herd is coming off a two-game split in Syracuse to start this five-game in four-day roadtrip. This is only Buffalo’s second doubleheader this year, as they lost both games of a twin bill to Pawtucket on August 22.

WILD RACE: With last night’s win, the Bisons pulled back to within two games of Columbus in the IL Wild Card race. The Clippers lost to Louisville on Friday, 2-1. The Herd has 12 games left to Columbus’ 10 and can make up even more ground with tonight’s doubleheader. The Clippers host Indy tonight.

vs. THE YANKS: The Bisons are 6-4 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre this season, including a 4-1 mark at PNC Field. The Herd won three of four in Moosic to begin the season, April 8-11, and won the only game in a rain-shortened series on August 11. Tonight’s game one starter, RHP DILLON GEE, is 2-0 with a 0.00ERA and 12 strikeouts in two starts against the Yanks in 2010.

GOSH GOLLY: RHP DILLON GEE can add to his Triple-A leading strikeout total tonight. Gee has 150 punchouts, 12 more than any pitcher at this level. He has 27 in his last four starts as the righty recently cruised past the Bisons modern era single-season strikeout record (was 137, RHP Vicente Palacios, 1990). Gee is also second in the International League with 13 wins, just one behind Durham’s RHP Richard De Los Santos.

WELL CERVED: INF MIKE CERVENAK has hit in eight-straight games, the longest active streak on the team. Since August 21, the infielder has averaged .455 (15-33) with two doubles, three RBI and six runs scored. Cervenak is hitting .338 (27-80) in 21 games this month to bring his average up to .260, the highest it’s been since the opening weekend of the season.

FELICIANO BACK: OF JESUS FELICIANO has been optioned back to the Bisons after his third stint with the Mets this season. Feliciano still carries a .342 (100-292) average in 78 games with the Herd. He is 35 plate appearances shy of league qualification. His average would lead all hitters by six points.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (64-64) picked up the 2-1 win over the Astros on Friday night. New York had just three hits, but got eight dominating innnings from RHP MIKE PELFREY. Pelfrey allowed just six hits and struck out four to improve to 13-7 on the season. Bisons INF LUIS HERNANDEZ had his contract selected by New York before the game. The Mets host the Astros again tonight at 7:10 p.m.

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No victory in late August is going to be easy. Friday night at Alliance Bank Stadium was no exception.

The Bisons defeated Syracuse 4-2 to snap their three-game skid and jump right back on the heals of the Columbus Clippers for the lone wild card spot in the International League. Triple-A rookie Josh Stinson shutout the Chiefs for seven innings before the Herd held on for the much-needed win.

Buffalo entered play Friday three games behind the Clippers and with just one win in their last six contests. Their 5-4 loss to the Chiefs in 14 innings on Thursday night could have been a devastating loss, as Buffalo lost more ground to the wild card race.

But the Bisons gained what ground they lost to the Clippers after Columbus lost 2-1 to IL West-leading Louisville. Buffalo is now two back with 12 games left in the season.

The story for most of Friday’s game was the start of Stinson. In just his second Triple-A start, the righty was brilliant with nine strikeouts in seven shutout innings. He allowed six hits, but all were singles. Stinson also helped his cause by walking just one batter and letting Syracuse bat with runners in scoring position only twice.

Things did get interesting, or rather scary, for the Bisons in the ninth inning. Yhency Brazoban came in and allowed two singles and a sacrifice fly as the Chiefs cut the lead to 4-1. After a walk and a strikeout, he was lifted for Mike O’Connor, who allowed an RBI-single to Chase Lambin.

With the game-tying runs on the bases, pinch hitter Carlos Maldonado turned on an O’Connor offering but lined out hard to third baseman Mike Cervenak to end the game.

The Bisons got on the board in the first when Andy Green reached on an error and scored on a wild pitch from Chiefs starter Yuneski Maya. They tacked on two more runs in the fifth with four straight two-out singles by Lucas Duda, Nick Evans, Valentino Pascucci and Cervenak.

Kirk Nieuwenhuis provided insurance in the seventh with an RBI-double.

BISONS NOTES:Mike O’Connor earned his fourth save of the season…Valentino Pascucci reached base three times with a single and two walks. He has a .398 on-base percentage in 60 games with the Bisons…With two doubleheaders left on the schedule, including one on Saturday in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, Buffalo has 12 games left while Columbus has just 10.

Buffalo Bisons
70-61, 2nd(-9.5)
RHP Josh Stinson 0-1, 4.50

Syracuse Chiefs
68-63, 3rd(-11.5)
RHP Yunesky Maya (0-0, NR)

Friday, August 27, 2010
Alliance Bank Stadium – Syracuse, NY

TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons play the Syracuse Chiefs in the final game of a two-game set at Alliance Bank Stadium (7:10 p.m.) The Herd is 5-8 against the Chiefs this year and is three games behind Columbus in the IL Wild Card race. After this series, the Bisons travel to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a three-game in two-day series that starts with a doubleheader on Saturday.

WILD RACE: The Bisons lost a game to the Clippers in the IL Wild Card race with the 5-4 loss to Syracuse last night. Buffalo is three games behind Columbus, as the Clippers beat Louisville, 5-2. Louisville now leads Columbus by half of a game in the IL West division race.

THRUWAY SERIES: With a win tonight, Syracuse (18-7) would clinch the 2010 Thruway Series. The Bisons (14-13) are in second place, five games back of the Chiefs. The two-time defending champion Rochester Red Wings (7-19) are in third place and eliminated from this year’s contention.

CERVENAK ATTACK: INF MIKE CERVENAK went 3-7 last night with an RBI and a run scored to extend his hit streak to seven games. During the stretch, Cervenak is batting .464 (13-28) with two RBI and six runs scored. The veteran has hit .333 (25-75) with two homers, 10 RBI, and 15 runs scored in 20 games this month.

DOMINATING: LHP MIKE O’CONNOR has been spectacular of late. The reliever has tossed 16.0 consecutive innings of scoreless relief for the Herd over his last eight-plus outings. The southpaw has 64 strikeouts in 64.0 innings this season and 21 punchouts in his last 16.0 innings of work.

BISONS BITS: Despite going 0-6, OF LUCAS DUDA did manage to draw a walk last night. In 24 games in August, Duda has failed to reach base safely in only two games…In 16 games in August, OF RUSS ADAMS has hit seven home runs. Before August, it took him 79 games to amass the same amount…Last night, the Bisons stranded a modern-day franchise record 19 baserunners. The previous record was 17, set August 24, 1997, in 3-2, 12 inning win against the Nashville Sounds…Yesterday’s game took a season-long 4:22. This is the longest Bisons game since July 21, 2008 when the Herd lost to Norfolk in 4:41.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (63-64) lost to the Marlins last night, 11-4. INF DAVID WRIGHT went 2-3 with two runs scored, a home run, and two RBI in the losing effort. RHP MIKE PELFREY (12-7, 3.80) takes hill as New York starts a three-game series with the Houston Astros tonight at 7:10 p.m. from Citi Field.

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The Bisons struggles continued on Thursday night to start off a crucial five-game road trip. The Herd lost 5-4 in a wild season high 14 innings at Alliance Bank Stadium and have now lost 5 of their last 7 games.

The Chiefs jumped on top 2-0 in the second inning, when the Chiefs starting pitcher Erik Arnesen helped out his own cause by driving in a run with a sacrifice fly and Boomer Whiting drove in a run on a fielder’s choice.

The Bisons struggled offensively over the first three frames, able to get just two hits, but the bats broke open in the fourth. Russ Adams got the rally started with a one out solo home run, his 14th of the year. Five of the next six batters came through with singles, including a two-run base hit by Luis Hernandez to give the Herd a 3-2 lead.

The Bison killer Chase Lambin then assisted the Chiefs in retaking the lead in the sixth inning on a two-run homer, his fourth long ball against the Bisons this season, to put Syracuse up 4-3.

However, as always the Bisons would not go down quietly. After a leadoff single by Andy Green in the seventh, Buffalo tied the game at four on an RBI base knock from Mike Cervenak. The Bisons third baseman extended his hitting streak to seven games going 3×4 with a run scored and that RBI.

The Bisons loaded the bases with one out in the ninth inning, but Mike Nickeas flew out to shallow center field and pinch hitter J.R. House grounded out to end the threat.

After Syracuse was unable to walk-off with the victory in the bottom of the ninth, the Bisons went into extra innings for the second straight night.

Things got dicey in the bottom of the 12th inning. With men on second and third base and only one out in the inning, Brian Bixler lined a ball out to center fielder Kirk Nieuwenhuis. On the catch, Pete Orr tagged up from third base, but was gunned down at the plate by Nieuwenhuis to end the inning and continue the game.

Seth Bynum led off the 13th frame with a double down the left field line. He got down to third base with one out in the inning, but a strikeout of the pitcher Joe Bisenius and Carlos Maldonado flew out to center field to send the contest to the 14th.

For the third straight inning, the Chiefs got the winning run on third base in the 14th, as it was Pete Orr. This time however Syracuse was able to walk off with the win, when Brian Bixler lined a ball into left field and Orr came in to score the winning run.

The 14 innings and 4:22 time of game were both season longs for the Bisons in 2010.

The Chiefs and Bisons will meet in the series finale and Buffalo’s final game in Syracuse this season tomorrow night with a 7:10 p.m. start time.

BISONS NOTES:Russ Adams has hit five home runs in his last nine games…Bisons starting pitcher Fernando Nieve got the no-decision, meaning he has still yet to lose a game as a Buffalo starter (5-0 in ten career starts as a Bison)…Mike O’Connor pitched a scoreless ninth inning to extend his scoreless innings streak to 16 innings…The Bisons left a modern era record 19 men on base.

Buffalo Bisons 70-60, 2nd(-8.5)
RHP Fernando Nieve 2-0, 5.24

Syracuse Chiefs
67-63, 3rd(-11.5)
RHP Erik Arnesen (5-7, 3.71)

Thursday, August 26, 2010
Alliance Bank Stadium – Syracuse, NY

TV: Time Warner Cable 13, (87 -Spanish)
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons play the Syracuse Chiefs in the opening game of a two-game set at Alliance Bank Stadium (7:00 p.m.) The Bisons are 5-7 against the Chiefs this year and are just two games behind Columbus in the IL Wild Card race. After this two-game series, the Herd travels to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre for a three-game in two-day series.

WILD RACE: The Bisons did not lose any ground Clippers in the IL Wild Card race with the 8-3 loss to Pawtucket last night. Buffalo is two games behind Columbus, as the Clippers lost to Toledo, 5-4 (12 innings). Louisville lost last night but still leads Columbus by 1.5 games in the IL West division race.

THRUWAY SERIES: The Bisons (14-12) are currently in second place in the 2010 Thruway Series standings. Buffalo trails Syracuse (17-7) by four games for the Thruway Cup, with Rochester (7-19) in last place. The Bisons are 5-7 against the Chiefs this season, the only divisional foe they have a losing record against. Since 2008, the Herd is just 6-16 in 22 games at Alliance Bank Stadium.

STARTING PITCHER: RHP FERNANDO NIEVE gets the start for the Herd on the mound tonight against Syracuse. In his last three starts, Nieve is 2-0 with 13 strikeouts. This season, Nieve has made five starts and tossed 17 strikeouts in 22.1 innings of work. Dating back to last season, Nieve is 5-0 in nine career starts as a Bison.

NICK EVANS: Last night, Evans went 3-4 with a run scored, a triple and a walk. Since August 10, Evans is hitting .351 (20-57) with six doubles, a triple, four home runs and 13 runs scored. Evans enters tonight’s game with a four-game hit streak, hitting .400 (6-15) over the span from August 22(2)-25. Combined with his 88 games with Double-A Binghamton, Evans has hit .301 (133-442) with 40 doubles, one triple, 22 homers and 76RBI this year.

DOMINATING: LHP MIKE O’CONNOR has been spectacular of late. The reliever has tossed 15.0 consecutive innings of scoreless relief for the Herd over his last eight-plus outings. The southpaw has 63 strikeouts in 63.0 innings this season and 20 punchouts in his last 15.0 innings of work.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (63-63) lost a close game last night to the Marlins, 5-4. The Mets scored one run in the bottom of the ninth, it but wasn’t enough to get the win. Former Bisons INF IKE DAVIS went 1-4 with a run scored, a triple and an RBI. INF DAVID WRIGHT went 2-4 with three runs scored, a home run, and an RBI. New York finishes up the three-game series against Florida tonight at 7:05 p.m.

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