Monday, July 18, 2011 (7:00 p.m.) – Alliance Bank Stadium
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet HD 713
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (41-54, T4th(-15.0), North)
RHP Dylan Owen (4-5, 4.48)

Syracuse Chiefs (40-53, T4th(-15.0), North)
RHP Yunesky Maya (1-6, 4.45)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Syracuse Chiefs in the first game of a four-game set from Alliance Bank Stadium (7:00 p.m.). The Herd is coming off a two-game split in Rochester and is now 3-1 since returning from the All-Star break. In the four games (all against the Red Wings), the Bisons outscored their opponent, 28-15.

VS. THE CHIEFS: The Bisons are 2-4 against Syracuse this season. The clubs have only played two-game series thus far, with a pair of splits and a Chiefs’ sweep at Coca-Cola Field, July 2-3. The Herd has not won a series at Alliance Bank Stadium since taking two of three, June 15(DH)-16, 2009.

DEALIN’ DYLAN: RHP DYLAN OWEN gets the ball for the 17th time this season. The righty has made 11 starts and has posted a 3.76ERA when he begins a game. Owen lost his last time out, allowing four runs in five innings to Pawtucket on July 10. The start before that, he defeated the Chiefs in Syracuse with six innings of one-hit, two-run ball on July 5.

OUR PAL, VAL: Last night, INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI became the fourth Bisons player to record two homers in a game this season. The two blasts give him 13 on the season and 30 for his Bisons’ career. He is the 23rd player to reach that total in the Bisons modern era. The slugger now has 60RBI on the season, third most in the International League. Today, the IL named the slugger the IL Batter-of-the-Week.

BIG GAME BISONS: The Bisons set a season high with their 17 hits last night. All nine in the starting lineup had a hit with six Bisons collecting multi-hit efforts. Since the All-Star break, Buffalo has hit .311 (46-148) as a team and .325 (13-40) as a club with runners in scoring position.

BISONS BITS: C RAUL CHAVEZ has hit in eight straight games, averaging .371 (10-27) with two doubles, a home run and four RBI since the streak began on June 29…The Bisons have had six performances of 5RBI or more in a game with three coming from INF LUIS HERNANDEZ and two from INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI…Pascucci leads the IL with 53 walks.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (47-47) were defeated by the Phillies, 8-5, last night. Former Bisons OF LUCAS DUDA had a double and a triple in the loss. INF DANIEL MURPHY also had two hits and a pair of walks. After losing two of three to the Phillies, the Mets have an off day today before welcoming St. Louis to Citi Field Tuesday.

Valentino Pascucci has been red-hot since the Bisonsreturned from the All-Star break driving in 10 runs in four games including five RBI Sunday on two-home runs, a three-run shot in the third and a two-run blast in the eighth inning.

The Bisonstallied 13-runs Sunday evening at Frontier Field beating Rochester 13-4, giving the Herd a 3-1 record to start the second half of the season.

Sunday, July 17, 2011 (6:05 p.m.) – Frontier Field
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (40-54, T4th(-16.0), North)
LHP Mark Cohoon (2-5, 6.48)

Rochester Red Wings (36-57, 6th(-19.5), North)
RHP Kyle Gibson (3-7, 4.17)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons host the Rochester Red Wings in the second game of a two-game series at Frontier Field (6:05 p.m.). The Herd needs a win tonight to earn a split of the two-game set following Rochester’s 4-2 win last night. After today’s contest, the Bisons will move along the I-90 for a four-game series in Syracuse.

VS. THE RED WINGS: The Bisons are 6-5 against their closest rivals this season. The clubs split a pair of four-game sets earlier this season before Buffalo’s two-game sweep this week. The Bisons (8-9) are in second place in the 2011 Thruway Series standings, three games behind Syracuse (11-6) and a game and a half ahead of Rochester (9-13).

ON THE HILL: Triple-A rookie LHP MARK COHOON makes his ninth start as a Bison tonight. The southpaw lost his last time out, July 7 in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre despite his strongest start at Triple-A. Cohoon struck out seven, walked none and allowed just three runs in six innings of a quality start. After winning his first game with the team on May 30 in Charlotte, Cohoon is 0-4 with a 6.53ERA in four starts on the road (20.2IP, 15ER)

CATCHIN ON: C RAUL CHAVEZ extended his hit streak to eight games last night with his first home run as a Bison. The catcher has hit .371 (10-27) with two doubles, a home run and four RBI since the streak began on June 29. Chavez has been the IL’s top defensive catcher all season, throwing out 48.9% of would-be base stealers (23CS, 47ATT).

BIG GAME LUIS: INF LUIS HERNANDEZ drove in one of Buffalo’s two runs last night and now has six RBI in the three games after the All-Star break. On the season, the infielder is second on the Bisons with 42RBI on the season. Hernandez is on pace to beat his career-high 50RBI he drove in at three different levels during the 2010 season (12 in 47 games with the Bisons).

BISONS BITS: LHP TAYLOR TANKERSLEY has struck out 11 in 5.0 shutout innings against the Red Wings this season…Last night’s loss means the Bisons will have to wait until going to Syracuse to pick up their first road series win of the season…RHP DALE THAYER has converted eight straight save chances.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (47-46) took it to their rivals last night with a 11-2 thumping of the Phillies. OF SCOTT HAIRSTON homered, doubled twice and drove in five runs. LHP JON NIESE allowed just one earned run in seven innings to improve to 9-7 on the season. The Mets host the Phillies again this afternoon at 1:10 p.m.

The Rochester Red Wings, and more specifically Dustin Martin, got off to a fast start on Saturday night to defeat the Bisons by a 4-2 score at Frontier Field.

Martin’s first-inning home run off Bisons’ All-Star Chris Schwinden gave the Herd’s closest rival an early 2-0 advantage. The Wings’ centerfielder singled and scored again in a two-run third inning as Rochester built and 4-0 lead.

The Bisons were able to keep Martin from scoring after he tripled in the fifth, but his three-hit game was more than enough support for Wings’ starter Andrew Baldwin and three relievers.

Baldwin worked six innings for his fifth win of the season. Although he struck out just one batter, the Bisons never threatened off the Rochester righty. Buffalo’s lone run against him came on Raul Chavez’s first home run of the season.

The Bisons added an eighth-inning tally as Luis Hernandez singled home Valentino Pascucci for his 42nd RBI of the season.

Schwinden lost for the first time in nine starts. The righty worked a season-low 4.1 innings, allowing four runs on seven hits.

BISONS NOTES: Dustin Martin had averaged just .200 (6-30) with no extra-base hits in his first nine games against the Bisons this season…Luis Hernandez has 6RBI in three games since the All-Star break…Chavez’s home run was his first since August 7, 2010 against Memphis while playing for the Las Vegas 51s.

Saturday, July 16, 2011 (6:05 p.m.) – Frontier Field
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (40-53, T4th(-15.0), North)
RHP Chris Schwinden (6-3, 3.07)

Rochester Red Wings (35-57, 6th(-19.5), North)
RHP Andrew Baldwin (4-7, 5.55)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons host the Rochester Red Wings in the first game of a two-game series at Frontier Field (6:05 p.m.). The Herd is coming off a two-game sweep of the Wings at Coca-Cola Field to begin the season’s second half. After Sunday’s contest, the Bisons will move along the I-90 for a four-game series in Syracuse.

VS. THE RED WINGS: The Bisons are 6-4 against their closest rivals this season. The clubs split a pair of four-game sets earlier this season before Buffalo’s two-game sweep this week. The last time Buffalo played a two-game series at Frontier Field they swept the Red Wings by scores of 6-4 and 16-1 on September 5-6, 2010.

SCHWING AND MISS: RHP CHRIS SCHWINDEN makes his team-high 17th start of the season tonight. The righty is also making his first appearance since working a 1-2-3 inning on seven pitches in Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star Game. Schwinden ranks 6th in the IL with a 3.07ERA and also leads the Bisons with six wins and 81 strikeouts. In his last four starts, Schwinden is 3-0 with a 2.77ERA and 24 strikeouts in 26.0 innings of work.

1-2 PUNCH: INF VAL PASCUCCI (4RBI) and INF LUIS HERNANDEZ (3RBI) combined to drive in seven of Buffalo’s eight runs last night. Pascucci leads the Bisons with 55RBI on the season with Hernandez second at 41RBI. Pascucci has averaged .299 (23-77) with runners in scoring position this season while Hernandez had hit at a .301 (25-83) clip in the same situation.

CLOSER: RHP DALE THAYER earned saves in each of the last two nights and now has converted his last eight save opportunities. The veteran now has nine saves of the year. The last Bisons reliever to post 10 or more saves in a season was RHP Elmer Dessens during the 2009 season.

BISONS BITS: C RAUL CHAVEZ brings a seven-game hit streak into tonight’s game, over which he has averaged .375 (9-24)…OF JESUS FELICIANO averages a strikeout every 18.13 plate appearances, the best ratio in the International League…With a double and a home run last night, INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI now has 33 extra-base hits this year, 8 more than any other Bison.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (46-46) lost to the Phillies last night by a 7-2 score. All-Star OF CARLOS BELTRAN homered in the defeat. Former Bisons RHP R.A. DICKEY fell to 4-8 on the year after allowing four runs in seven innings of work. The Mets host the Phillies again this afternoon at 4:10 p.m.