The Bisons’ Friday night contest in Allentown, PA went the way of the IronPigs, as Lehigh Valley shutout the Herd 10-0.
After beating the Bisons 6-1 on Thursday thanks to 17 hits, the ‘Pigs came back on Friday with 15 more knocks, with four batters having multi-hit games. Nick Williams went 4-4 with two RBI, while Brock Stassi collected three hits, including a three-run home run. Buffalo has now lost nine of its last 13 ballgames, with the team scoring two runs or less in each of those defeats.
It was a rough outing for Chris Leroux, the former IronPig pitcher, who allowed a season-high 10 hits and seven earned runs.
Lehigh Valley took a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first against Buffalo starter Leroux. Nick Williams drove in a run in the bottom of the first on a RBI single. Darin Ruf then scored J.P. Crawford with a sac-fly one batter later. Andrew Knapp singled to make it 3-0, and was thrown out trying to stretch out extra bases.
A four-run bottom of the third made it 7-0 Lehigh Valley. Ruf drove in his second run of the game in the inning, increasing the ‘Pigs lead to 4-0 with a run-scoring single. Brock Stassi then connected for a no-doubt three-run home run, his sixth of the year.
Jake Thompson, in his first ever start against Buffalo, induced six-straight groundouts to begin his outing. The prized Phillies’ pitching prospect yielded just three hits in 7.0 innings of work, walking one and striking out five. He lowers his ERA to 2.42 on the season, as his record improves to 8-5.
J.P. Crawford went 4-4 against the Herd, and he is now 6-9 in this series so far, and 11-20 in five games against Buffalo since July 8.
Playing in his first rehab game with the Herd was Ryan Goins, who batted second as the designated hitter. Goins landed on the disabled list on July 2 with a forearm strain, after appearing in 59 games with Toronto this season. Goins went 1-4 with a single in the fourth inning.
Besides Goins, Domonic Brown and David Adams collected the Herd’s only other hits, with Adams’ double in the third the lone extra-base hit for Buffalo.
Leroux was removed after 4.0 innings of work, allowing 10 hits, two walks, and seven earned runs. It was his shortest start since April 17.
Bobby Korecky relieved Leroux, taking the mound for the first time in nine days. The righty tossed the Bisons’ first one-two-three inning in the fifth, but allowed two runs in the sixth, as Lehigh Valley pulled ahead 9-0. David Lough knocked a solo homer, and Nick Williams added his fourth hit and second RBI later in the frame, plating Taylor Featherston with a single.
Chad Girodo entered in the seventh for the Herd. With runners on the corners, Cam Perkins bounced into a double play, while Andrew Knapp scored from third, as the IronPigs reached double-digits in the run column. Ryan Tepera pitched a scoreless eighth inning for the Herd.
Defensive wiz Casey Kotchman made a highlight in the field in the bottom of the third. The all-time leader in fielding percentage among MLB first baseman dove to his right on a ball hit by J.P. Crawford, and threw from one knee to Leroux covering first for the out.
Game three of the four-game series at Coca-Cola Park is scheduled for 6:35 on Saturday night. Scott Diamond will square off against Lehigh Valley starter Adam Morgan.
BISONS NOTES:
It was announced before Friday’s game that Blue Jays’ first baseman Chris Colabello will join the Herd on a rehab assignment Monday… Friday tied the Bisons’ worst losing margin of the season, as Buffalo also lost to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre 10-0 on July 6… The Bisons all-time record at Coca-Cola Park is now even at 37-37.
from Bisons.com via IFTTT