New York Mets C RONNIE PAULINOhas joined the Buffalo Bisons on a major league baseball rehab assignment.

 Paulino, who turned 30 today, was placed on the Mets disabled list on April 10 with anemia. He spent all of the 2010 season with Florida and hit .259 with 18 doubles, four home runs and 37RBI in 91 games.

 With his first appearance with the Bisons, Paulino will be playing his first game at Coca-Cola Field since eliminating the Herd in the 2005 International League Governors’ Cup semi-finals. While with the Indianapolis Indians, Paulino hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning of Game 5 (on September 11) to send Indy to a 6-4 win and a 3-2 series victory over Buffalo.

Thursday, April 21, 2011 (Game 1 – 1:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13             
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (4-9, 6th(-4.0), North)
G1: LHP Casey Fossum (0-1, 9.00)
G2: RHP Chris Schwinden (0-0, 1.80)

Rochester Red Wings (6-6, 4th(-1.5), North)
RHP Kyle Gibson (0-0, 5.63)
LHP Scott Diamond (0-0, 2.89)

TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Bisons host the Rochester Red Wings in the final two games of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (G1: 1:05 p.m.). The teams are playing two, seven-inning games today because yesterday’s contest was postponed due to rain and high winds. Tomorrow, the Bisons will welcome in Lehigh Valley for a four-game series against the IronPigs.

VS. RED WINGS: Today’s contests are the second doubleheader in three days against the rival Red Wings. With Monday’s series opener postponed due to snow, the teams played two on Tuesday with Rochester picking up the sweep. The Wings won 3-1 and 2-0. However, since the Bisons returned to the IL in 1998, the Herd has more wins against Rochester (115) than any other team.

CASEY ON THE MOUND: With yesterday’s rainout, LHP CASEY FOSSUM has gotten extra rest before his start today. The southpaw pitched on short rest in his last outing, April 15 in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Still, Fossum struck out six and yielded just two runs over 4.2 innings of work. On the year, Bisons’ starters have allowed just 54 hits in 66.2 innings of work this year, but together have just a 2-8 record.

DYNAMITE DEBUT: RHP CHRIS SCHWINDEN made a great impression in his first outing with the team. Called up from Double-A Binghamton on Saturday, Schwinden struck out nine Pawtucket batters in a five-inning no-decision to the PawSox. It was the most strikeouts the righty threw since he fanned 10 with Single-A St. Lucie on July 22, 2009.

ALWAY ON: OF KIRK NIEUWENHUIS has reached base safely in all 13 games this season. The outfielder also has the longest active hit streak on the Bisons club. He has hit in nine straight, with a .419 (13-31) average since April 11. Overall, Nieuwenhuis leads the Herd with a .349 average this season.

LEADING OFF: OF JASON PRIDIE hit his second lead-off home run of the season in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader. Pridie also homered to lead off the team’s game on April 9 against Pawtucket. The outfielder has half of the Bisons six home runs this season and leads the team with six RBI.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (5-13) lost to the Astros 4-3 last night on Hunter Pence’s eighth-inning home run. Former Bisons LHP R.A. DICKEY worked eight innings but fell to 1-3 on the season. OF CARLOS BELTRAN had two doubles in the loss. New York hosts Houston again at Citi Field tonight at 7:10 p.m.

Bisons strarter, Pat Misch has cleared waivers and has accepted his assignment to the Bisons.

Misch began the 2011 season with the Bisons and made one start for the Herd. The southpaw allowed five runs in seven innings in a loss to Pawtucket on April 9. Misch made one appearance with the Mets, allowing a run in two innings of relief on April 16.

The Bisons 2010 Most Valuable Pitcher, Misch was 11-4 with a 3.23ERA in 23 games with the Herd last year. He had more wins than any lefty in the International League.

Wednesday’s game between the Buffalo Bisons and the Rochester Red Wings at Coca-Cola Field has been postponed due to rain and high winds. The teams will make up the game as part of a doubleheader on Thursday, April 21 at Coca-Cola Field (Game 1: 1:05 p.m.)

On Thursday, April 21, the Bisons and Red Wings will play two, seven-inning games.

Fans holding tickets to Wednesday’s game can exchange them for a comparable ticket to any future 2011 Bisons games (excluding special events). All ticket exchanges must be made at the Coca-Cola Field box office. Please note that these exchanges do not have to be made on Wednesday, April 20. Fans with tickets can exchange them throughout the remainder of the 2011 season.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011 (1:05 p.m.) – Coca-Cola Field
TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13             
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

Buffalo Bisons (4-9, 6th(-4.0), North)
LHP Casey Fossum (0-1, 9.00)

Rochester Red Wings (6-6, 4th(-1.5), North)
RHP Kyle Gibson (0-0, 5.63)

TODAY’S GAME: This afternoon, the Bisons host the Rochester Red Wings in the third game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (1:05 p.m.). The Wings jumped out to a 2-0 series lead thanks to a doubleheader sweep on Tuesday. Following tomorrow’s finale, the Bisons will welcome in Lehigh Valley for a four-game series against the IronPigs.

VS. RED WINGS: The Red Wings picked up the first two victories of the season series with yesterday’s doubleheader sweep. Last season, the Bisons won the last five contests of the year to close out an 11-5 season-series win. Since the Bisons returned to the IL in 1998, the Herd has more wins against Rochester (115) than any other team.

CASEY ON THE MOUND: LHP CASEY FOSSUM is back on normal rest and will make his third start of the season this afternoon. The southpaw pitched on short rest on April 15 in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and struck out six over 4.2 innings of work. Fossum yielded just two runs on six hits to the Yankees. Bisons’ starters have allowed just 54 hits in 66.2 innings of work this year, but together have just a 2-8 record.

ALWAY ON: OF KIRK NIEUWENHUIS has reached base safely in all 13 games this season. The outfielder is one of only two International League hitters to have reached base in 13 games this year, matching Louisville’s Dave Sappatt. Nieuwenhuis also has the longest active hit streak in the IL. He has hit in nine straight, with a .419 (13-31) average since April 11.

LEADING OFF: OF JASON PRIDIE hit his second lead-off home run of the season in game one of yesterday’s doubleheader. Pridie also homered to lead off the team’s game on April 9 against Pawtucket. The outfielder has half of the Bisons six home runs this season and leads the team with six RBI.

ROSTER MOVE: During yesterday’s doubleheader, the Mets recalled Bisons INF JUSTIN TURNER. With the Herd, the infielder hit .300 (12-40) with two RBI and six runs scored in 10 games to begin the season. Turner led Buffalo with two triples.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (5-12) lost to the Astros last night by a 6-1 score at Citi Field. Former Bisons LHP JON NIESE allowed just two runs in six innings but fell to 0-3 on the season. OF CARLOS BELTRAN hit his third home run of the year in the loss. New York hosts Houston again tonight at 7:10 p.m.