Today, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the first game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Herd collected win #1 yesterday with a 4-2 victory in 15 innings over Pawtucket. Buffalo is now 1-3 on its season-opening eight-game homestand.

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SUNDAY MARATHON: In terms of innings, yesterday’s game was the fifth longest game in Coca-Cola Field history. The longest was a 19-inning loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre – when they were the Red Barons – on September 9, 2001 in Game 5 of the IL Semi-Finals (6-2 loss). Yesterday’s victory was the longest game the Herd has ever won at home. Despite playing seven games of 14 innings or longer downtown, the Bisons had been 0-7 in those games.

STARTING STRONG: The Bisons got great work from RHP Nelson Figueroa and LHP Casey Fossum over the weekend. While neither starter got a win, the two combined to allow just four singles in 12 shutout innings. Figueroa faced the minimum over seven frames on Saturday while Fossum faced just two over the minimum in his five-inning effort on Sunday.

HELPING YOUR CAUSE: Bisons pitchers have been using their gloves just as well as their arms this year. Herd hurlers have played errorless baseball in the first four games with 14 total chances and a pair of double plays. Last year, Bisons pitchers made 27 errors and had just a .907 fielding percentage.

BULLY FOR THE PEN: With yesterday’s game tied at two, the combination of RHP Carlos Muniz, LHP Ken Takahashi and RHP Eddie Kunz held Pawtucket to just three base runners in seven innings of work. The trio allowed two singles and a walk while striking out three. The Herd’s bullpen this season has posted a razor-thin 1.93ERA in 23.1 innings of work.

SULLY STREAK: OF Cory Sullivan kept his hit streak going yesterday, but it was the hit he didn’t allow that was the story. Sully took back a home run from Pawtucket’s Paul McAnulty in the 8th inning to keep the scored tied at two. Sullivan enters today’s game on a four-game hit streak, hitting .235 (4-17).

Even though the Bisons got off to an 0-3 start, little did we know it would take 15 innings to finally earn the first win of the young season. Following a leadoff walk to Fernando Martinez, Nick Evans provided the blast in the bottom half of the 15th to win the game 4-2 against Pawtucket.

LISTEN: Evans talks about the game winner
READ: Box Score
READ: Game Story Details

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~ Ben Wagner

TODAY’S GAME: Today, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Pawtucket Red Sox in the final game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Herd is hoping to avoid a sweep at the hands of the PawSox, having lost the first three games of the season by a combined score of 16-4. Today’s game is the fourth of an eight-game homestand to begin the 2009 campaign. Tomorrow, the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees come in for a four-game series.

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CASEY AT THE MOUND: The Bisons will turn to a former Pawtucket pitcher to get them in the win column today. LHP Casey Fossum gets his first start of the season today. The veteran started the 2008 season in the International League, but didn’t last long. After going 3-0 with a 1.96ERA in 11 games with Toledo, he was quickly promoted to Detroit for the remainder of the season. With the Mud Hens, Fossum threw 48 strikeouts in just 46.0 innings of work.

TOUGH START: This is the first time the Bisons have started 0-3 since the 1987 season, back when the team played at War Memorial Stadium. That Bisons team went 0-6. The Bisons also need a win today to avoid a four-game sweep at home. Last year’s Herd club was swept twice at home, by Syracuse (April 15-18) and Louisville (July 10-13).

SULLY STREAK: OF Cory Sullivan is the lone Bisons player to have a hit in each of the team’s first three games. He is now 3-10 in the early going with a double and an RBI. Sullivan hit .320 in 94 games for Colorado Springs (AAA) last season.

MAJOR EXPERIENCE: The Bisons Opening Day roster features 17 players who have played in the major leagues during their career (71%). Additionally, 14 of those players appeared in a big league game last year. INF Rob Mackowiak leads the club with 856 big league games while RHP Elmer Dessens leads all Bisons pitchers with 360 major league appearances.

THE UP AND COMERS: The Bisons Opening Day roster contains 5 of the Mets top prospects, according to Baseball America. Headlining the list is New York’s top prospect, OF Fernando Martinez. LHP Jonathon Niese (#3), INF Nick Evans (#9), RHP Eddie Kunz (#10) and RHP Dillon Gee (#17) are also in BA’s Mets Top 20.

MEET THE METS: Jose Reyes doubled, homered and drove in his first three runs of the season as the Mets (3-2) bested Florida last night, 8-4. Carlos Delgado chipped in three hits and is hitting .421 in the early going. Livan Hernandez got the win with six solid innings, allowing a pair of runs on six hits while striking out four.

Still in the infancy of the 2009 season, Bisons starter Nelson Figueroa turned in one of the best International League performances by a starting pitcher, but Buffalo couldn’t take it to the win column, falling 1-0 to Pawtucket Saturday afternoon.

Figueroa’s postgame comments: LISTEN HERE!

Figueroa faced the minimum through his seven innings of work, allowing two hits and two walks. All four base runners were erased on double plays. Figueroa took a no-decision for his efforts.

Ken Oberkfell’s postgame: LISTEN HERE!

Read the Recap: CLICK HERE!
Box Score: CLICK HERE!

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~ Ben Wagner

TODAY’S GAME: Today, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Pawtucket Red Sox in the third game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Herd is still looking for their first win of the 2009 season after falling in game two of the series on Friday, 9-0. Today’s game is the third of an eight-game homestand to begin the 2009 campaign.

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OH NELLY: RHP Nelson Figueroa gets the ball today looking to get the Bisons in the win column in 2009. The 34-year old was 4-7 with a 4.43ERA in 20 games and 16 starts with New Orleans last year. The veteran is an “innings eater,” averaging 6.1 innings a start last year. He worked 7.0 innings or more in half of his starts in 2008. In 2007 with Chihuahua of the Mexican League, Figueroa pitched 10 complete games in 19 starts.

TOUGH START: The Bisons haven’t started 0-2 since the 2002 season. That year, the Herd opened up on the road with losses of 4-3 and 8-3 in Pawtucket. The Bisons rebounded to win the third game in 2002, 6-0 over the PawSox. Buffalo started the 2007 and 2008 seasons 2-0, but missed the playoffs each year.

SULLY: OF Cory Sullivan is the lone Bisons player to have a hit in each of the first two games. His 5th-inning single last night was one of the team’s two hits against PawSox pitching. Sullivan hit .320 in 94 games for Colorado Springs (AAA) last season.

MAJOR EXPERIENCE: The Bisons Opening Day roster features 17 players who have played in the major leagues during their career (71%). Additionally, 14 of those players appeared in a big league game last year. INF Rob Mackowiak leads the club with 856 big league games while RHP Elmer Dessens leads all Bisons pitchers with 360 major league appearances.

THE UP AND COMERS: The Bisons Opening Day roster contains 5 of the Mets top prospects, according to Baseball America. Headlining the list is New York’s top prospect, OF Fernando Martinez. LHP Jonathon Niese (#3), INF Nick Evans (#9), RHP Eddie Kunz (#10) and RHP Dillon Gee (#17) are also in BA’s Mets Top 20.

MEET THE METS: Last night, the Mets (2-2) fell to Florida, 5-4 in 10 innings. Jeremy Reed’s two-out RBI hit in the top of the ninth forced extra innings. Daniel Murphy, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church all had 3 hits in the loss. John Maine started and allowed 2 runs in five innings of work. New York takes on Florida at 6:10 p.m. tonight.

~ Ben Wagner