BUFFALO — Just three hits came the Bisons’ way on Tuesday, as Buffalo lost to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders 4-0. The shutout for the RailRiders, the Triple-A affiliate of the New York Yankees, kicked off the last series of the year at Coca-Cola Field. Scott Copeland went eight innings for the Herd, allowing three earned runs, while Matt Dominguez, A.J. Jimenez, and Jesus Montero collected the only hits for Buffalo.
Making his Triple-A debut for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre was starting pitcher Nestor Cortes, who did not allow a hit through 5.2 innings of work. The 21-year old lefty allowed three walks and a hit by a pitch, but picked up four strikeouts to earn his first win of the year. He went 10-4 with a 1.61 in 20 minor league starts across three different levels this year.
“The kid was up from A-ball, a finesse guy who threw three of his pitches for strikes, and we didn’t barrel too many of them up,” Bisons’ manager Gary Allenson said of the RailRiders’ starter. Cortes pitched most recently for Single-A Tampa, but made a start in Double-A Trenton on June 26, previously his highest level of the pros.
“He was mixing the pitches really well,” Bisons’ catcher A.J. Jimenez said of his opponent on Tuesday. “He threw pitches sidearm every once and a while, and he was keeping us off-balance.”
Rob Refsynder lined a RBI single into center field in the top of the first, giving the RailRiders a 1-0 lead against the Bisons’ Scott Copeland. In the fourth, a single by Refsynder and a double by Chris Parmelee was followed by a run-scoring single off the bat of Donovan Solano. Solano plated Mason Williams with an opposite-field single in the sixth, pushing the RailRiders further ahead at 3-0. 2016’s International League Most Valuable Player Ben Gamel lined a shot to Chris Colabello at first base to begin the top of the eighth, when the Bisons’ first baseman whiffed on the ball, allowing Gamel to reach second. He scored on a single by Mason Williams
Copeland threw 97 pitches, and allowed four runs, three of which were earned, in 8.0 innings of work. He struck out four and yielded eight hits, as his record drops to 3-3 at Triple-A this season.
“I thought Copeland did a really good job,” Allenson said of his starter. “They have a tough-hitting lineup, they fouled a lot of balls off, and they don’t swing at bad pitches. He was up in the zone in the first inning, that’s when he gave up the first run, but other than that I thought he did a pretty good job against their lineup.”
Cortes hit Dalton Pompey to begin the bottom of the first, put quickly settled down. He fanned back-to-back batters for his first pair of Triple-A strikeouts in the bottom of the second. Cortes allowed three walks before being relieved with two outs in the sixth. Luis Severino emerged out of the bullpen in the sixth, and gave up the Bisons’ first hit, a single to Matt Dominguez. A.J. Jimenez collected the Herd’s second hit, a single, in the eighth. Severino fanned five Bisons in his 2.0 innings in relief.
Danny Barnes replaced Copeland for the top of the ninth, and struck out the side, getting all three hitters he faced to go down swinging.
Dietrich Enns allowed a single to Jesus Montero in the ninth, but a beautifully turned double play started by Rochester, NY-native Cito Culver ended the Bisons’ night.
Jio Mier replaced Ryan Goins defensively with one out in the top of the sixth at shortstop for Buffalo.
“I have no idea right now, I was just told to get him out of the game as soon as I could, so I don’t know what’s going on up above,” Allenson said postgame of Goins’ departure “Obviously, if Goins is going up, he’s going to a level where he belongs I think.” After the game, sources out of Toronto revealed that Goins was indeed being recalled to the Blue Jays.
Game two of the Herd’s three-game set with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre will take place at 7:05 p.m. on Wednesday. Scott Diamond will take the mound for Buffalo, and the RailRiders will hand the ball to fellow lefty Richard Bleier.
BISONS NOTES:
Prior to Tuesdays game, the Bisons placed infielder Alexi Casilla on the disabled list, retroactive to Aug. 28… Designated hitter Jesus Montero was also named to the International League postseason All-Star team on Tuesday. Montero also now has a 20-game on-base streak, as he walked in the bottom of the fourth and singled in the ninth… Danny Barnes picked up his 20th strikeout against left handed batters. Lefties are 1-40 against him this year.
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