The Bisons fell 8-2 at the hands of former Buffalo hurler David Huff for their ninth loss in ten games and third of the series with the Columbus Clippers Monday night at Coca Cola Field.

 Huff struck out 10 Bisons without a walk over seven innings, allowing one run on four hits.

Shortstop Luis Valbuena provided all the necessary Columbus offense with seven RBI, tying a record for a Bisons visitor with Nashville’s Drew Denson, who recorded seven May 13, 1993.

Bisons starter Dylan Owen walked four of his first six batters, including Valbuena with the bases loaded, to give the Clippers a 1-0 first-inning lead.

Jason Botts tied the score with a rocket homer over the screen behind the left-field fence, his first as a Bison. After the home run, Huff retired 17 of 18 batters.

Columbus reclaimed the lead with an Ezequiel Carrera RBI triple in the fourth before a two-run home run by Valbuena gave the Clippers a 4-1 cushion.

Mike O’Connor allowed the Valbuena homer after relieving Owen with one runner on. Owen allowed three earned runs on four hits with six walks and four strikeouts.

Luis Figueroa and Michael Fisher hit consecutive single to lead off the bottom of the first and extend their hitting streaks to nine and eight games, respectively.

Dale Thayer made his Buffalo return, taking the mound for the sixth inning, but allowed Valbuena’s grand slam after a Botts error in left field sandwiched between walks.

Luis Hernandez and Figueroa hit eighth-inning doubles for the Bisons’ second run.

The clubs wrap up the four-game set Tuesday at 7:05 p.m.

Game Notes: The Bisons activated reliever Thayer before the game after the Mets optioned Thayer and recalled righty D.J. Carrasco Saturday… Huff went 6-4 with a 3.01 ERA as a Bison in 2008… Carrera stole his International League-leading 22nd base of the season… Ryota Igarashi pitched a perfect ninth for the Bisons.

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

Buffalo Bisons (27-38, 5th(-14.0), North)
RHP Dylan Owen (2-2, 4.88)

Columbus Clippers (42-22, 1st(+5.5), West)
LHP David Huff (4-2, 4.37)

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons take on the Columbus Clippers in the third game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). Columbus has won the first two games by a combined score of 17-10. Buffalo is now 1-5 on its eight-game homestand which began with a series loss to Indy. After Wednesday’s off-day, the Bisons travel to Norfolk to face the Tides.

VS. THE CLIPPERS: The Bisons have lost the first two games of the season series with the Clippers. Buffalo won the season series in 2010 with six wins in eight games against Columbus. The Herd won’t travel to Huntington Park until August 20 for the second half of this season series.

ON THE BUMP: RHP DYLAN OWEN will make sixth start and 11th appearance for the Bisons this season. The righty was solid in his last start on June 1 in Charlotte, allowing just one run and striking out seven in five innings of work. On the season, Owen is 2-1 with a 2.78ERA in 23.0 innings of work following a Bisons defeat.

GET FIGGY WITH IT: INF LUIS FIGUEROA enters tonight’s game on an eight-game hit streak. Since June 5, the infielder has averaged .385 (10-26) with nine runs scored. Figueroa has also walked nine times during the hit streak and has 16 free passes to only 11 strikeouts in 30 games this year. Overall, Figueroa has averaged .320 with a .413 on-base percentage with the Herd.

OUR PAL, VAL: INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI has collected 37RBI since May 10 or, 11 more than any other player in the league during that span. In his last 31 games, Pascucci has averaged .304 (31-102) with 10 doubles, seven homers and a .608 slugging percentage.

BISONS BITS: INF ZACH LUTZ is 5-13 (.385) with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in his three games since returning from the DL…Only five of the 12 position players on the current Bisons roster have hit a home run with the team this year…RHP BRIAN SWEENEY became the first Bisons pitcher to throw five innings in relief in a game since RHP BUBBIE BUZACHERO did in a 13-inning loss to Rochester on July 3, 2008…. Sweeney has put together 10 straight scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (32-33) blanked the Pirates, 7-0, yesterday afternoon. LHP CHRIS CAPUANO allowed just three hits in seven innings to improve to 5-6 on the year. INF JOSE REYES had three hits including his third home run of the season. New York faces Pittsburgh again tonight at 7:05 p.m.

Some instant offense put the Bisons away early as the Columbus Clippers cruised to a 10-4 victory to take a 2-0 series lead Sunday afternoon at Coca Cola Field. “You go on hot streaks and cold streaks throughout the season and you never know when they’re going to come,” Valentino Pascucci said. “Right now it seems like we’re that little low side, but I guess you can look up from there.

Columbus ended starter Josh Stinson’s effort after two innings, scoring six runs (all earned) on six hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Stinson needed 45 pitches to escape the first and 76 overall.

“Today, (Stinson) just couldn’t find it,” manager Tim Teufel said. “The key to his success is fastball control. If he’s got a good fastball and can control it, we’re going to get ground-ball outs and things like that, but today he missed, fell behind and things kind of snowballed from there.”

International League steals leader Ezequiel Carrera worked a leadoff walk for the second game in a row before scoring on Jason Kipnis’ sixth triple of the season. Kipnis found home on a wild pitch later in the inning.

The Bisons also plated their leadoff hitter, Luis Figueroa, who singled and later scored on a fielder’s choice ball hit by Pascucci. With a 3-for-4, two-run, one-RBI game, Figueroa extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Shelley Duncan, in his fourth game since being sent to Columbus by the Cleveland Indians, padded the lead with a three-run home run to left in the second.

With two men on base, the Bisons threatened to cut the lead but Columbus third baseman Josh Rodriguez made a diving catch to end the inning on a hard liner by Mike Nickeas. Nickeas hit doubles in his next two at-bats, scoring in the ninth as part of a three-run rally. Figueroa, Michael Fisher and Fernando Martinez collected consecutive two-out RBI hits before Clippers reliever Justin Germano ended the game with a Pascucci strikeout.

Brian Sweeney settled the Clippers down in five shutout innings of long relief, allowing three doubles with no walks and three strikeouts.

Columbus starter Jeanmar Gomez earned the win, his fourth consecutive start allowing one earned run.

Jared Goedert and Luke Carlin tacked four more runs on back-to-back home runs in the ninth to seal a victory.

Game Notes: A first-inning center-field collision of Jesus Feliciano and Bubba Bell sent Feliciano to the ground, but both players stayed in the game after a visit from Teufel and trainer Joe Golia… Pascucci leads the Bisons with 42 RBI… Kipnis is now 5-for-9 on the series with a home run, five RBI and three runs scored.

Sunday, June 12, 2011 (1:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (27-37, 5th(-13.0), North)
RHP Josh Stinson (3-5, 6.04)

Columbus Clippers (41-22, 1st(+4.5), West)
RHP Jeanmar Gomez (5-1, 2.36)

TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Bisons take on the Columbus Clippers in the second game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). Columbus won the series opener last night by a 7-6 score. Buffalo is now 1-4 on its eight-game homestand which began with a series loss to Indy. After Wednesday’s off-day, the Bisons travel to Norfolk to face the Tides.

VS. THE CLIPPERS: Columbus earned the 7-6 win last night, their first victory at Coca-Cola Field since May 22, 2009. Since then, the Herd had won six straight over the Clippers in Downtown Buffalo. Last season, the Bisons won six of eight overall against Columbus, including a four-game sweep at home.

OUR PAL, VAL: INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI has driven in seven runs in his last three games as he moves up the league’s RBI chart. With a team-high 41RBI on the season, Pascucci is tied for 4th-most in the IL. The slugger has 36 runs driven in since May 10, or 10 more than any other player in the league during that span. In his last 30 games, Pascucci has averaged .320 (31-97) with 10 doubles, seven homers and a .639 slugging percentage.

WALK THE LINE: The Bisons have been extremely patient of late. The club has drawn 25 walks over the past three games, including nine free passes in last night’s contest. INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI ranks tied for fourth in the IL with 34 walks. INF LUIS FIGUEROA has seven free passes in his last five games and INF MICHAEL FISHER has seven walks in his last four contests. On the year, Buffalo has drawn 218 walks, third most in the IL.

TWIN STREAKS: INF MICHAEL FISHER and INF LUIS FIGUEROA have nearly identical streaks. Figueroa comes into today’s action with a seven-game streak while Fisher has hit in six straight. Despite the game difference, each batter has averaged .318 (7-22) during their stretches. Figueroa has scored seven times during his streak while Fisher has come around five times.

BISONS BITS: INF ZACH LUTZ is 4-9 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored in his two games since returning from the DL…The Bisons lineup has been retired 1-2-3 in just four times in the last three games…RHP D.J. CARRASCO has been recalled to the Mets.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (31-33) lost to the Pirates, 3-2, on Saturday. Former Bisons RHP R.A. DICKEY threw a complete game and allowed just eight hits. However, the knuckleballer falls to 3-7 on the season. Game three of the four-game set from Pittsburgh is this afternoon at 1:35 p.m.

The Bisons erased two two-run leads with consecutive three-run innings, but the Columbus Clippers struck base to take a 6-5 win Saturday at Coca Cola Field.

Chad Huffman scored the go-ahead run from third on a passed ball in the eighth after back and forth fifth, sixth and seventh innings.

“That’s a tough passed ball,” manager Tim Teufel said. “(Catcher Raul Chavez) didn’t even get glove on it. It just went straight to the mask of the umpire so it’s just one of those pitches that’s hard to give a passed ball, it’s hard to give a wild pitch to because the guy swung.”

Justin Hampson took the loss after leaving Huffman on for fellow reliever Ryota Igarashi.

Teufel credited the loss to poor fielding, marked by two errors.

“When you’re giving away outs and opportunities, those are the things that hurt you in a game,” Teufel said. “Once you start giving away runs it’s hard keep coming back like that.”

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth, a Luis Figueroa single and walks by Michael Fisher and Fernando Martinez brought Valentino Pascucci to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs. The Herd’s RBI king delivered with a double off the left field wall to knot the score at two.

A wild pitch by Columbus starter Corey Kluber then brought Martinez in for a one-run Bisons lead.

After a walk to Zach Lutz, Kluber left with runners on the corners and two down for reliever Nick Hagadone, who escaped the inning with a walk and a fly out. Over 4.2 innings, Kluber allowed three runs (all earned) on five hits and walks with five strikeouts.

However the Clippers struck back on a bloop single by Phillips with the bases loaded, scoring two runs with an error by left fielder Jason Botts bringing in a third run and moving Phillips to second.

Chris Schwinden left the start after the big hit, allowing five runs – four earned – on seven hits with four walks and two strikeouts over 5.2 innings.

A sixth-inning Fisher double with two Bisons on evened the score again at five. New reliever Joe Martinez walked Pascucci to load the bases again before Lutz gave the Herd a slim 6-5 lead on a sharp single.

Martinez salvaged the inning with a double play ball off the bat of Feliciano to keep the lead at one. Jason Kipnis then tied the score with a solo home run on the first pitch of the seventh inning.

Figueroa and Fisher, the first two hitters in the Herd lineup, each reached base three times, both hitting 1-for-3 with two walks. Chavez and Zach Lutz both recorded two hits.

Ezequiel Carrera stole his International League-leading 20th and 21st bases of the season, the latter setting up the Clippers’ first run before a Kipnis RBI single in the first.

Martinez took the win, while Josh Judy closed out the ninth inning for the save.

Game Notes: Carrera’s 21 steals top Buffalo’s team total by one… Lutz is now 4-for-8 with a double, an RBI and a walk since returning from the disabled list… A crowd of 13,583 took in the Star Wars Night game filled with light saber battles and a pyrotechnics show after the game… Pascucci raised his Buffalo-best RBI count to 41… The Bisons turned four double plays, three against Lonnie Chisenhall.