Thursday, July 7, 2011 (7:05 p.m.) – PNC Field
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (38-50, 5th(-13.0), North)
LHP Mark Cohoon (2-4, 6.81)

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees (45-40, 3rd(-4.5), North)
RHP Ivan Nova (NR)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons take on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the middle game of a three-game series at PNC Field (7:05 p.m.). The Bisons are now 2-1 on their seven day roadtrip that will lead them right to this season’s All-Star break. The Herd is coming off of a 7-5 win over the Yankees last night and have won two straight games.

VS. THE YANKS: The Bisons are 4-4 against the Yankees this season. Buffalo won just one game of a three-game set the last time they visited PNC Field, April 13-15. The clubs split a four-game set in Buffalo, May 9-12. Last season, the Bisons were 5-3 at PNC Field, including a series win, April 8-11.

ON THE BUMP: LHP MARK COHOON will make his 8th start of the season tonight. In his last outing, the southpaw allowed a season-low one earned run in five innings against Syracuse, but did not factor into the decision. This will be only his second appearance against an IL-North opponent all season.

LOCKIN’ IT DOWN: RHP DALE THAYER converted his team-high seventh save of the season last night after pitching 2.1 innings in relief against the Yanks. In his 31st appearance of the season, he gave up just one hit and struck out three Scranton/Wilkes-Barre hitters. Thayer has been unhittable against the Yankees this year, with 11 strikeouts in eight scoreless innings.

ROSTER MOVE: The Mets have selected the contract of OF NICK EVANS from the Bisons. The slugger has averaged .329 (74-225) with seven home runs and 29RBI in 57 games with the Herd. With the roster room, INF JON MALO has been promoted from Double-A Binghamton. Malo has played 21 games with the Bisons and averaged .133 (4-30) with two RBI.

BISONS BITS: The Bisons hit back-to-back home runs in the sixth inning of last night’s contest, the first consecutive home runs since July 15, 2010 against Gwinnett…OF JESUS FELICIANO hit his first home run of the season last night and his first since April 25, 2010 at Pawtucket…Five Bisons players had multi-hit performances in last night’s win.

METS UPDATE: The Mets have now four straight after their victory against the Dodgers last night, 5-3. Former Bison INF RUBEN TEJADA had a big two-run double in the sixth and LHP JON NIESE improved to 8-7 on the season with a strong seven-inning performance. The Mets go for the sweep tonight at 10:10 p.m.;

The New York Mets today announced the team has placed shortstop Jose Reyes on the 15-Day Disabled List, retroactive to July 3, with a strain of his left hamstring and selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Nick Evans from Buffalo (AAA) of the International League.

Reyes, 28, suffered the injury running to first base in the first inning on July 2 vs. the Yankees.

Evans, 25, was with the Mets earlier this season from May 18-June 10, going 0-12 with five walks. Evans was hitting .329 (74-225) with 28 runs scored, 13 doubles, seven home runs and 29 RBI in 57 games with the Bisons. He had a 19-game hitting streak from May 12-June 29, batting .514 (38-74) during that span.

The Bisons battled back in the sixth-inning to beat Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 7-5, Wednesday night at PNC Field.

After falling behind, 4-3, in the third-inning the Bisons roared back in the sixth with back-to-back homeruns to start the inning. Zach Lutz lead off the sixth-inning by slamming his fifth-homerun of the season over the left-field wall to tie the game at, 4-4.

Jesus Feliciano followed Lutz with his first-homerun of the season lifting the ball over the right-field wall and giving the Bisons the, 5-4 lead on back-to-back homeruns.

The Herd added another run in the sixth-inning after Mike Nickeas worked a one-out walk, and moved to second on Luis Figueroa’s single to right-field. Michael Fisher grounded into a fielder’s choice that left him on first and Nickeas on third.

Nick Evans drove in Nickeas with his third hit of the game, giving the Bisons the, 6-4, lead in the sixth.

The Yankees got a solo-homerun from Greg Golson in the seventh-inning pulling them within one run, but the Bisons answered back again in the eighth.

Luis Figueroa worked a two-out walk, then stole second, and then scored on Fisher’s second hit of the game, giving the Bisons a, 7-5, lead.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre jumped out to an early lead in the first inning after Schwinden gave up an infield single and a walk that would come around to score. The Bisons scored three-runs in the second-inning taking a, 3-2, lead over the Yankees.

Bisons Starter Chris Schwinden had to battle through six-innings to get the win. After giving up the lead in the third-inning Schwinden retired the next 11-batters he faced keeping the Yankees dormant while the Herd reclaimed the lead.

Dale Thayer closed out the ninth-inning for his team leading seventh-save of the season.

Game Notes: Nick Evans had another multi-hit game going, 3-5, and extending his Bisons team lead to 28 multi-hit games, and moved his batting average to .330…Jesus Feliciano hit his first homerun of the 2011 season with the Bisons during the fifth-inning…Fernando Martinez returned to the Bisons after his second stint with the Mets, going, 1-4, with a run scored…Chris Swinden earned his team-high sixth-win.

Luis Figueroa’s three doubles and Luis Hernandez’ five RBI helped Dylan Owen roll to his fourth win and the Herd’s first over Syracuse, 11-6, on the season Tuesday night at Alliance Bank Stadium.

Owen held the Chiefs without a hit until the fourth, when he allowed his only hit, a two-run homer by Chris Marrero after a walk. Over six innings, Owen struck out five and walked two.

Figueroa, who went 3-for-5, scored twice and drove in one.

Chad Gaudin’s rehab start for Syracuse lasted just 2 2/3 innings with 62 pitches. The Nationals righty allowed three runs (though none earned) on two hits with two strikeouts and two walks.

When Gaudin exited, the Bisons held a 1-0 lead, scored by Owen, who previously reached base on a fielding error by third baseman Tug Hulett.

The Bisons then jumped on reliever Carlos Martinez for four more runs (two credited to Gaudin), including three on a Hernandez home run.

Martinez, in his Triple-A debut, allowed four earned runs in 1 2/3 innings on seven hits, walking two without a strikeout. Figueroa’s last double, in the fifth, scored Raul Chavez, who Martinez had left on second for Ryan Tatusko.

Newly signed veteran pitcher Miguel Batista made his Bisons debut, replacing Owen to start the seventh. Batista allowed four runs on four hits, recording just one out in the inning before manager Tim Tefeul called on Justin Hampson.

Valentino Pascucci went hit just a homer shy of the cycle, hitting 3-for-3 with his first triple, a double, run and two walks. Chavez went 3-for-5 with three RBI and a run scored.

Ryota Igarashi pitched the eighth and ninth innings, allowing two hits and a walk but no outs on three strikeouts.

Game Notes: The Mets announced Batista’s singing Tuesday and assigned the righty, 40, to Buffalo. He took the spot of John Lujan, who was assigned to Binghamton… Batista, who made his major league debut in 1992, has a career record of 99-112 with a 4.51 ERA and 41 saves… Owen has allowed two or fewer runs in eight of his last nine starts.

The New York Mets today announced the team has signed righthanded pitcher Miguel Batista to a minor league contract and assigned him to Buffalo (AAA) of the International League.

Batista, 40, was released by the St. Louis Cardinals on June 22. He was 3-2 with a 4.60 ERA (15 earned runs/29.1 innings) in 26 games, one start for St. Louis this year.

He went 1-2 with two saves and a 3.70 ERA (34 earned runs/82.2 innings) in 58 games with the Washington Nationals last year.

Overall, the 6-1, 210-pounder is 99-112 with 41 saves and a 4.51 ERA in 614 major league games, 239 starts with the Pirates, Marlins, Cubs, Expos, Royals, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Mariners, Nationals and Cardinals.

Content: Mets press release