BUFFALO — Chris Colabello didn’t waste any time making his mark upon returning to the Bisons.
In his first rehab game with the Herd, the first baseman belted a ball beyond the flags in left-center field to tie the game in the opening inning. However, Norfolk piled on after that, eventually taking Monday’s contest at Coca-Cola Field by a score of 11-8.
Though he arrived at the park in the early afternoon, Colabello’s equipment didn’t complete the trip until the final frame.
“I was adlibbing until then,” said the 32-year-old, now five days from becoming eligible to return to the Blue Jays.
“There’s something about using someone else’s equipment. It makes you not think about it.”
With an 11 day layoff since he last appeared in a game, Drew Hutchison had his worst start off the year. Unable to shake off the rust, the righty was tagged with six runs on eight hits before leaving the game with runners on the corners and two out in the third inning.
Hutchison appeared to be dealing with a blister on his throwing hand throughout the brief outing. Manager Gary Allenson even sent the trainer out to look at it after back-to-back home runs by the Tides in the top of the third.
“He peeled it back there,” said Allenson of his starter’s thumb.
“You could tell by him looking at it after every pitch there that it was bothering him. Just to be safe, we got him out of there.”
Ben Rowen filled the middle three frames admirably for the Bisons. The submariner lasted a season-high 3.2 innings and had faced the minimum through 11 batters before three seeing-eye singles led to a Norfolk run, forcing him from the game.
“That kept us in the game right there. We just couldn’t hold them,” added Allenson.
Switch-hander Pat Venditte, after an error loaded the bases, punched out a pair to end the top of the seventh, keeping the game at 7-5.
However, after Matt Dominguez brought the Herd to within one on his 12th home run of the year, the Tide needed just three batters to load the bases off of Venditte in the eighth before Dariel Alvarez cleared them all with a bullet over the left-field wall.
The grand slam put Norfolk up 11-6 but Buffalo was still not out of it.
Colabello picked up his second RBI with a liner to center field for a single to make it a four-score contest. A single and a walk then followed to load the bases, bringing the tying run to the plate.
Darrell Ceciliani, who had already reached in all four plate appearances, ripped a single to into right field to bring home Colabello and make it three-run game. But, the rally was cut short as Matt Dominguez was thrown out trying to go from first to third on the hit.
Colt Hynes prevented any further damage, keeping the score at 11-8 with two strikeouts in the ninth.
That was before Norfolk’s Jason Stoffel picked up his fourth save of the year with a 1-2-3 bottom half.
Tides’ starter Ariel Miranda also struggled off of irregular rest. The 27-year-old lasted just an inning longer than his counterpart and was charged with three runs on six hits and a trio of walks.
The win ended up falling on Edgar Olmos who fanned a pair of Bisons while giving up two runs over two innings.
BISONS NOTES:
Ryan Goins went 2-for-5 and cashed in three runs in his third rehab game with the Herd. With a single in the second inning, Domonic Brown extended his hit streak to six games…Matt Dominguez is now one home run ahead of Jesus Montero for the team lead…The combined 30 hits is the most in a game involving the Bisons this season, eclipsing the previous high by one.
from Bisons.com via IFTTT
