The Bisons lost to the Gwinnett Braves on Friday 7-1, in what was Jose Bautista’s first rehab game in Buffalo.
Bautista, the six-time American League All-Star, injured his big left toe in a game against the Phillies on June 16, and joins the Herd after hitting a home run rehabbing with Single-A Dunedin on Wednesday.
Batting third and playing right field, Bautista struck out looking on a slider in his first at bat, flew out to center in the fourth, and grounded to third in the bottom of the sixth. He left following a half inning in the field in the seventh, and was replaced by Domonic Brown.
“Anytime you’re out on the field and it’s what you love doing, it’s exciting,” Bautista said postgame. “It’s one step closer, I feel pretty good, I don’t have any pain or anything like that, so it’s encouraging stuff today.”
“He looked fine,” Allenson said of Bautista. “I think for the most part he’s just trying to get his timing back. He made contact on a tough slider that he chopped down third base, you don’t get hits in every game and drive balls out of the ballpark.”
“Everything is pretty good, obviously not 100%, but I don’t think anybody truly plays at 100% in the big leagues anymore these days.” Bautista said of his health status. “It’s a long season and everybody’s dealing with something, but I felt pretty good.”
A 7.0 inning, one-run start by Casey Lawrence was wasted, as the Herd was held scoreless for the first eight innings, and totaled just five hits in the contest. The climax of the game occurred in the top of the ninth, when a six-run outburst by Gwinnett broke a tie game wide open.
Rob Whalen tossed a strong start for the Braves, allowing four hits in 7.2 innings, while Matt Lipka went 2-4 with four RBI, and Reid Brignac knocked three hits for Gwinnett.
“I wish I could have contributed a little bit more,” Bautista said. “That guy’s pretty good. He had a little movement on the ball that I couldn’t really figure out, so hats off to him, because he kept a good lineup in check.”
“We faced a kid, 22 years old, in his second Triple-A start, and we didn’t do anything off him,” Bisons’ manager Gary Allenson said postgame. “We didn’t get a guy in scoring position until two outs in the eighth inning. We scored our run on a swinging bunt down third [base] and three walks.”
Braves’ centerfielder Matt Lipka broke a scoreless game in the top of the third, depositing a no-doubt home run over the leftfield wall.
Gwinnett’s Rob Whalen pitched eight shutout innings, before allowing a single and a walk with two outs in the ninth inning. Gwinnett turned to their bullpen, and a walk to Ryan Goins loaded the bases. Domonic Brown then worked a free pass, plating the Bisons’ first run to tie the game.
Pat Venditte worked a one-two-three eighth inning, before giving up the go-ahead run in the top of the a ninth. A leadoff triple by Omar Infante was followed by a Reid Brignac bloop double, which fell off the glove of a hustling Ryan Goins in left field. First baseman George Kottaras drove in Infante with a single later in the inning.
Bobby Korecky emerged from the Bisons’ pen with the bases loaded in the ninth, when Matt Lipka cleared the bases with a triple, capping off a six-run ninth inning for the G-Braves.
Casey Lawrence gets a no-decision despite another quality performance. The righty loaded the bases in the fourth, but escaped the jam by fanning Rio Ruiz looking with a slider. It was one of his four punch outs of the ninth, during which he allowed just one earned run over four hits in his seventh start for Buffalo this year.
Lawrence toiled the rubber for three starts in April, before being sent down to Double-A New Hampshire. Since his return on July 5, he is 2-0, and has not allowed more than three runs in his four starts.
“I’m sure he trusts his stuff a lot better,” Allenson said of Lawrence’s emergence. “When he’s in trouble, he doesn’t let it bother him. He worked out of a bases-loaded jam, and pitched well enough to win, we’re just not doing anything with the bats.”
The Bisons’ starter benefited from several ground balls, including five in the first three innings. He pitched economically, throwing 67 of his 93 pitches for strikes.
“Lawrence did another great job,” Allenson said of his starter “He made one mistake. He did a super job going seven innings.”
Joining Bautista with the Herd on rehab are Chris Colabello and Ryan Goins. Colabello went 1-4 at first base, while the shortstop Goins went hitless in three at bats, walking once.
The Bisons totaled just five hits, as the club loses their second-straight game to Gwinnett, and third overall. The Herd is just 6-13 in the month of June.
The Bisons made several defensive gems, two of which were turned by the rehabbing Ryan Goins. Emilio Bonifacio grounded to Goins at shortstop in the fifth, who made a strong play in the hole. In the eighth, he ran for a grounder up the middle, stretching, spinning, and firing to first to retire Braeden Schlehuber.
A crowd of 13,554 packed a windy Coca-Cola Field for the Herd’s 100th game of the season. It was also Legends of the Aud Wrestling Night, featuring appearances by Eric Bischoff, The Nasty Boys and “Leaping” Lanny Poffo, amongst others.
“It was pretty good,” said Bautista of the Coca-Cola Field faithful on Friday. “I saw they had a couple promotions with wrestlers before the game, and everybody got into that one. I’ve never seen anybody get clotheslined on the mound before. It seems like there’s a passionate fan base here. I love the fact that they come out and support the team, and it seems like they love baseball.”
Tomorrow, the Bisons host the much-anticipated Star Wars Night at Coca-Cola Field. Buffalo will face Gwinnett for game three of a four-game series, with Drew Hutchison taking the mound against Roberto Hernandez, who pitched for the Herd earlier this season. First pitch us set for 6:05 p.m. The event is sold out, and roll call box offices open at 10:00 a.m.
BISONS NOTES:
The Blue Jays optioned both Andy Burns and Aaron Loup to Buffalo on Friday. Burns hit .238 in 70 games with the Herd, while Loup pitched eight scoreless outings with the Bisons earlier in the year… Reliever Bobby Korecky ties Fernando Cabrera for most pitching appearances with the Bisons in the modern era, pitching in his 136th game… Buffalo has not beaten Gwinnett at Coca-Cola Field since June 17, 2013.
from Bisons.com via IFTTT
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