Buffalo Bisons (34-46, 5th(-13.0), North)

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (46-32, 1st(+4.0), North)

Wednesday, June 29, 2011 (1:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field

LHP Pat Misch (2-4, 5.08) vs. RHP Tim Redding (0-1, 3.75)

Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Bisons take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the second game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The I-Pigs struck first in the series with last night’s 6-3 win. The Bisons are now 4-1 on their 10-game homestand that began with a four-game sweep of Norfolk. The Herd is 21-22 at home this season.

VS. THE IRONPIGS: Buffalo is now 3-6 against the IronPigs this season. The clubs split a four-game series in Buffalo, April 22-25, and Lehigh Valley won three of four at Coca-Cola Park, April 30-May 3. Eight of the nine contests have been decided by three of fewer runs with the exception being a 7-2 victory by the IronPigs on May 1.

DISCH ON MISCH: LHP PAT MISCH will make his 10th start of the season today. The southpaw has worked at least six innings in each of his last six outings and has allowed two or fewer runs in three of his last four. Misch struck out a season-high seven in his last outing, a six-inning no-decision in Friday’s 4-2 win over Norfolk. Misch has two no-decisions and a 3.86ERA in two starts against the IronPigs this season.

EVANS ALMIGHTY: INF NICK EVANS’ hit streak is now 18 games, one shy of the International League high for 2011. Columbus’s Luis Valbuena hit in 19-straight May 22-June 9. Evans is just the 11th Bisons player to reach 18 games with a hit streak in the modern era. During his streak, the slugger has averaged .478 (33-69) with 10 doubles, three home runs and 15RBI.

GET IGGY WITH IT: RHP RYOTA IGARASHI has made nine consecutive scoreless outings out of the bullpen. Since June 8, the reliever has yielded just four hits and three walks with 11 strikeouts in 13.1 innings. On the season, opponents have just nine hits in 82 at-bats against Igarashi for a .110 average against. He has yet to allow a hit with runners in scoring position (0-11).

BISONS BITS: Bisons catchers have thrown out a league-best 42.2% of base stealers, almost five points higher than any other team…INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI’S 44RBI since May 10 are two more than any IL hitter.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (40-39) climbed back above the .500-mark with a 14-3 blowout win in Detroit last night. New York got grand slams from OF JASON BAY and OF CARLOS BELTRAN in back-to-back innings and INF JOSE REYES went 4-4 to raise his average to .349. New York takes on the Tigers again tonight at 7:05 p.m.

Nick Evans extended his hit team-best hit streak, but the Lehigh Valley IronPigs snapped the Bisons’ four-game win streak, topping the Herd 5-2 Tuesday night at Coca Cola Field.

Evans took the streak to 18 games with a first-inning single and a solo homer in the fourth.

“I’m just trying to have good at-bats and be productive. If the hits come, they come,” Evans said. “I’d rather go 0-for-4 with four RBIs than get a hit and extend a streak.”

Down 6-2 with two outs in bottom of the ninth, an error, walk and a pinch-hit RBI single by Bubba Bell brought the would-be tying run, Luis Figueroa, to the plate. However new reliever Michael Schwimer struck out Figueroa looking to save the game.

Ryan Feieraband struck out seven in six innings in his sixth win of the season, allowing two earned runs on seven hits with one walk.

The IronPigs (46-32) built a 3-0 lead after two innings with Rich Thompson scoring from third on a Jack Egbert wild pitch, before a two-run home run by Tagg Bozied in the second. Bozied added a third RBI, singling in one of two ninth-inning IronPigs runs.

Brandon Moss singled against Mike O’Connor in the sixth, moving John Mayberry, Jr. from second to third. As the Bisons caught Moss in a rundown off of first base, Mayberry snuck home just before second baseman Luis Hernandez’ throw and catcher Nickeas’ tag.

Home plate umpire Gerard Ascani ejected manager Tim Teufel after a lengthy argument over the play at the plate and Hernandez’ attempted tag of Moss.

“Gerard made a good call,” Teufel said. “From the bench, from our angle, we saw something different. We argued it and I guess when you point to the area of where you think the tag was being displayed, that’s when you get tossed.”

Egbert left his second start as a Bison after five innings, as Jon Malo – in his first game in Buffalo since May 19 – pinch hit and walked in the bottom of the inning. In 81 pitches, Egbert (0-2, 5.79) allowed three earned runs on four hits with two walks and a strikeout.

“Jack didn’t have his slider or his curveball early on, spiking it a little in the front and then he settled down,” Teufel said. “He ended up going five innings and kept us in the game.”

With Malo on first and Mike Nickeas on second, Luis Figueroa hit a single to score Nickeas, but Malo was thrown out at home trying to tie the game.

Game Notes: Evans is 33-for-68 with three homers, 10 doubles, 15 runs scored and 15 RBI over the streak… Malo was called up from Double-A Binghamton before the game to replace Zach Lutz, who went on the disabled list with a concussion… The IronPigs lead the season series, 6-3.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011 (7:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet HD 713
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (34-45, T4th(-12.0), North)
RHP Jack Egbert (0-1, 6.23)

Lehigh Valley IronPigs (45-32, 1st, North)
LHP Ryan Feierabend (5-5, 6.24)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons take on the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the first game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Bisons opened their season-long 10-game homestand with a four-game sweep of the Norfolk Tides. Buffalo won all four of the games by two or fewer runs. After their set with the IronPigs, the Bisons host the Chiefs for two games, July 2-3.

VS. THE IRONPIGS: Buffalo is 3-5 against the IronPigs this season. The clubs split a four-game series in Buffalo, April 22-25, and Lehigh Valley won three of four at Coca-Cola Park, April 30-May 3. Despite being outscored in the series, 39-32, the Bisons have hit .283 against IronPig pitching this season. Lehigh Valley hitters have just a .215 mark against the Herd.

ON THE BUMP: RHP JACK EGBERT will finally make his Coca-Cola Field debut tonight. The righty was claimed by the Mets off waivers (Chicago-AL) during the 2010 off-season but suffered an arm injury in spring training. All told, Egbert spent 191 games on the Bisons disabled list over the last season and a half. In his first Bisons start on Thursday in Durham, Egbert allowed three runs in 4.1 innings in a defeat to the Bulls.

EVANS ALMIGHTY: INF NICK EVANS stretched his hit streak to 17 games last night, the first Bisons player to reach that mark since 2007. Four years ago, outfielders FRANKLIN GUTIERREZ and BEN FRANCISCO each had 17-game stretches. In his streak, Evans has averaged .477 (31-65) with 10 doubles, two homers, 14RBI and 14 runs scored. Only four Bisons players have reached 20 games with a hit streak in the modern era.

ROSTER MOVE: INF ZACH LUTZ has been placed on the disabled list, retroactive to June 25, with a concussion. The slugger was hit in the head with a pitch on Friday night by Norfolk’s Steve Johnson. INF JON MALO has been called up from Double-A Binghamton to fill his spot. Malo has hit .154 (4-26) in 16 games with the Herd this year. Also, RHP JOSE DE LA TORRE has been transferred off the Bisons disabled list and to the Gulf Coast League Mets. The reliever has missed the last 37 games with a right shoulder strain.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (39-39) were off yesterday as they begin a three-game series at Comerica Park against the Tigers. In their last two games in Texas, New York scored 22 runs in a pair of wins over the Rangers. Tonight the Mets send former Bisons RHP R.A. DICKEY to the mound against the Tigers (7:05 p.m.).

The Bisons completed their first four-game sweep since August 2010, closing out the Norfolk Tides 4-3 behind southpaw starter Mark Cohoon Monday night at Coca Cola Field.

In his second win and first quality start, Cohoon left the game after a season-high six innings, allowing three runs on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.

Cohoon credited his strong outing to balance and pitch location.

“Today, I finally had the ball down in the zone,” Cohoon said. “I’ve been struggling with it the whole time, struggling with my balance. Ricky (Bones) has been doing real well getting me balanced out with all of my mechanics and everything. Today I felt good having my fastball down and away and a good changeup.”

The four-game sweep also equals a season-long win streak.

For the second consecutive game, the Bisons (34-45) scored three runs in the bottom of the first. Jason Botts’ single scored two with the bases loaded before Luis Hernandez added a third on his single.

The Tides quickly answered with a two-run Brendan Harris home run in the second.

“After that, he really became stingy,” Manager Tim Teufel said of Cohoon.

Buffalo loaded the bases again in the second, when Nick Evans picked up an RBI on a groundout to score Bubba Bell, pushing the lead to 4-2.

“When you score four runs in the first two innings, you can just relax a little bit more, make some pitches and get comfortable and Cohoon did that and took us as far as he can go,” Teufel said.

Evans extended his Triple-A hitting streak to 17 games, passing Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Michael Fisher for the longest of any Bison on the year.

Norfolk again cut the lead to one when Brandon Snyder drove in John Hester, who walked, from first with a double.

Buffalo twice ended innings with runners out at the plate, as Norfolk threw out Botts in the first and Valentino Pascucci in the fifth.

Norfolk starter Rick VandenHurk took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on nine hits, also with four strikeouts and two walks.

Reliever Josh Rupe held the Herd to the one-run lead with perfect seventh and eighth innings, including two strikeouts, but Ryota Igarashi shut the door with a four-out save.

Game Notes: Pascucci hit his 18th double of the season… The Herd defense turned the first double play of any team on the season against Norfolk’s Matt Angle on a hard grounder directly to the second baseman, Hernandez.

Monday, June 27, 2011 (7:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
TV: SNY, Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13 
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (33-45, T4th(-12.0), North)
LHP Mark Cohoon (1-4, 8.39)

Norfolk Tides (29-47, 4th(-13.0), South)
RHP Rick VandenHurk (5-7, 4.65)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons take on the Norfolk Tides in the finale of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Bisons have won the first three games of the series by scores of 4-2, 6-5 and 5-3. They look to capture their first four-game series sweep since late last season when they defeated the Columbus Clippers at home, August 5-10. Tomorrow night, the Herd will welcome in the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

VS. THE TIDES: Buffalo is now 5-2 against the Tides this season, having won the past four contests. The Bisons split a four-game series against the Tides last week in Norfolk. Buffalo is 15-7 in their last 22 games against the Tides and has owned the series since 1998. The Bisons are 29 games over .500 and own a .636 winning percentage over Norfolk in the last 13-plus seasons.

ON THE BUMP: LHP MARK COHOON makes his sixth start of the season for the Herd tonight. In his last start against Durham, Mark worked 4.2 innings and allowed three earned runs and a season-high 10 hits. The left-hander will be looking to earn his first victory at Coca-Cola Field. Cohoon’s last win came on the road May 30 against the Charlotte Knights (5.0IP, 5R, K).

PASCUCCI’S POWER: INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI hit a two-run homer in yesterday’s matinee, bringing his total to 10 on the season to go along with 49RBI. Pascucci is tied for sixth in the International League in RBI and is only six behind the league leader (CHA Dayan Viciedo, 55). Since May 10, the slugger is first in the IL with 44RBI. Pascucci is tied with OF LUCAS DUDA for the team lead with 10 home runs on the season.

EVANS ALMIGHTY: With another hit tonight, INF NICK EVANS can become only the 13th Bisons’ player in the modern era to record a 17 game hit streak.  Two other Bisons players have notched 16-game stretches this season, but failed to reach 17 (OF KIRK NIEUWENHUIS, INF MICHAEL FISHER). Evans’s 16-game stretch has been loud with 12 multi-hit games and a .492 (30-61) batting average. In the streak, Evans has 10 doubles, two homers, 13RBI and 13 runs scored. On the season, the slugger has 22 multi-hit performances, eight more than any other Bisons player.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (39-39) defeated Texas yesterday afternoon, 8-5. Former Bisons RHP DILLON GEE earned his team-high eighth victory of the season, allowing three runs over six innings. INF JOSE REYES had four hits and scored three times. The Mets have an off day today, before they travel to Comerica Park to take on the Detroit Tigers starting on Tuesday night at 7:05 p.m.