Fernando Martinez hit two home runs for Buffalo but it was a two-run shot from Pawtucket’s Angel Chavez that game the Red Sox a 4-3 victory over the Herd on Tuesday afternoon from McCoy Stadium.
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The Bisons return home on Thursday. Check out all that’s in store for an eight-game homestand,
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TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Buffalo Bisons face the Pawtucket Red Sox in the finale of a four-game series from McCoy Stadium (12:05 p.m.). The Bisons are looking for the split of the four-game set. After dropping the first two games of the series, the Herd roared back with an 8-2 victory last night. After this series, the Bisons will have an off-day before returning home for an eight-game homestand against Columbus and Lehigh Valley on Thursday.
OFFENSIVE OUTBURST: The Bisons had their best offense game of the season last night, scoring six runs in the seventh inning of a 9-2 victory over Pawtucket. Seven different Bisons had hits and six drove in at least one run. OF Fernando Martinez led the charge with a double, a home run and a Bisons season-high three runs scored.
F-MART: OF Fernando Martinez is starting to heat back up at the plate. The 20-year old has hit in four of his last five games with a .333 average (6-18), a double, two home runs, four RBI, six runs scored and two stolen bases. Martinez leads the Bisons in all triple crown categories as well as hits (39), runs (18) and extra-base hits (20).
RUN-PRODUCER: C/INF Javier Valentin has already proven himself a big-time run producer for the Herd. The veteran has five hits in his first five games, with four of them driving in runs. Valentin had a pair of RBI-singles in last night’s victory. In his first at-bat as a Bison, Valentin hit a solo home run in the first game of last Friday’s doubleheader against Gwinnett.
DONE LIKE DESSENS: RHP Elmer Dessens has been virtually unhittable this month. The veteran has pitched scoreless relief in six consecutive outings. During the stretch, Dessens has allowed just two hits and two walks in 8.0 innings of work. On the year, opponents are hitting just .178 against Dessens with only one extra-base hit.
ROSTER MOVE: The New York Mets have selected the contract or INF Ramon Martinez. The veteran missed the first 21 games of the season but was activated on May 3. He reached base safely in all nine games he played in with the Bisons, hitting .290 (9-31) with an RBI and four walks.
Pawtucket was the first team on the board, plating two runs in the second inning on walks by Chris Carter and Travis Denker. The runners were batted in by an Angel Chavez double.
That would be all Fernando Nieve would allow for the Herd. The first-time Bison went six innings in his debut. Nieve allowed three hits while striking out seven and walking six.
The better news for Nieve was that he got mammoth run support.
The Herd really broke things open in the seventh inning when 11 batters came to the plate. Buffalo combined four hits with two walks and two PawSox errors to plate six runs and take an 8-2 lead. The Bisons would post a 9-2 win and have a chance to split the series at 12:05 p.m. on Tuesday.
Follow the Herd:
Listen to the Game Live: CLICK HERE!
Bisons Baseball Network: CLICK HERE!
Email the Broadcast Team: CLICK HERE!
Everything about the Herd: CLICK HERE!
Get to a Bisons Game: CLICK HERE!
TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons face the Pawtucket Red Sox in the third game of a four-game series from McCoy Stadium (7:05 p.m.). The PawSox have won each of the first two games of the set by the score of 3-2. After this series, the Bisons will have an off-day on Wednesday before returning home for an eight-game homestand against Columbus and Lehigh Valley on Thursday.
vs PAWSOX: The Bisons are 1-5 against Pawtucket this season after the Red Sox won a season-opening series at Coca-Cola Field, April 9-12. Buffalo has not lost a season-series to the PawSox since 2005, going 10-6 against Pawtucket in each of the last three seasons.
K-CREW: Bisons pitchers matched a season-high yesterday when they struck out 13 PawSox batters. RHP Dillon Gee fanned eight, while the bullpen combined for five more punchouts. Buffalo also struck out 13 batters on April 14 against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. As a staff, the Bisons 3.77ERA is the fifth-best in the International League.
DONE LIKE DESSENS: RHP Elmer Dessens has been virtually unhittable this month. The veteran has pitched scoreless relief in six consecutive outings. During the stretch, Dessens has allowed just two hits and two walks in 8.0 innings of work. On the year, opponents are hitting just .178 against Dessens with only one extra-base hit.
ROSTER MOVE: RHP Fernando Nieve has been promoted to the Bisons from Binghamton (AA) and will make his Herd debut tonight. Nieve was 0-1 with a 4.91ERA in five games and four starts with the B-Mets. He is coming off his best outing of the year as he struck out six in six innings of work in a no-decision against New Hampshire last Tuesday.
THE REY TO GO: INF Argenis Reyes’s two run home run yesterday was his 11th career homer in 835 professional at-bats. Reyes went 2-5 yesterday and is now hitting .271 on the season. Reyes also has 14 walks and leads all Bisons hitters with a .374 on-base percentage.
The past few days have been very eventful while visiting the Pawtucket clubhouse.
Yesterday, the Boston Red Sox had Daisuke Matsuzaka on hand to continue his rehab assignment with Pawtucket. “Dice-K” threw for about 20 minutes in left field on Sunday, two days after he pitched on the mound in what is presumed his final rehab start. The Red Sox have penciled him in to start Friday. We’ll have some of his thoughts on the air tonight, so join us on “Countdown to Bisons Baseball” at 6:35 p.m.
While talking with PawSox manager Ron Johnson he revealed that Kevin Youkillis (pictured) will play in the final two games of the Bisons’ series.
Youkillis is expected to DH tonight and play at first base Tuesday afternoon in the series finale.
Buffalo and Pawtucket meet on Monday at 7:05 p.m. and conclude their series on Tuesday at 12:05 p.m.
Bisons Notebook 