STAFF REPORTS
DURHAM, N.C. — It was a day of firsts for the battery mates in the Bisons line up on Wednesday. Ryan Borucki notched his first career Triple-A victory and his catcher, Reese McGuire, left the yard for the first time with the Bisons as Buffalo came away with a 5-2 victory over Durham from Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The win helped the Herd avoid a three-game sweep at the hands of the Bulls.
Borucki, who made his Triple-A debut with a no-decision on Fan Appreciation Night last year, was 0-2 after the first two starts of this season before heading to the mound on the Bulls’ annual morning day game for kids. The #8 overall prospect in the Blue Jays system (#3 pitcher) was in control all game, allowing just five hits while striking out on seven in six innings of work. The only run he yielded was a solo home run from Adam Moore in the third inning.
But the Bisons made quick work of that deficit. Rowdy Tellez clubbed a one-out double in the fourth inning and scored five pitchers later when Anthony Alford singled to left. Then McGuire gave his pitcher the lead for good when he drilled an 0-1 offering from Bulls starter Vidal Nuno off the top of the wall in right field.
McGuire, the Blue Jays’ 14th ranked prospect by MLB.com, had six home runs at Double-A New Hampshire last year in a season limited because of a right-knee injury. His home run on Tuesday was the 11th of his minor league career.
Staked to a lead, Borucki faced just one over the minimum through the rest of his outing, retiring nine of 11 batters faced. He erased one of those base runners with an inning-ending doubleplay of the bat of Bulls’ outfielder Justin Williams in the fourth inning.
The Bisons added to their lead in the fifth inning, thanks to the red-hot Tim Lopes. The International League’s leading hitter added two more knocks to his great start, the first of which put him on base in front of an RBI-ground out from Danny Espinosa.
Lopes, who has hit in each of his first nine games at Triple-A, is now hitting .452 on the year.
Al Alburquerque and Jake Petricka nailed down the win for the Herd. Petricka provided two innings of hitless relief to record the Herd’s first save of 2018.
The Bisons are off Thursday before returning to Coca-Cola Field for ‘Opening Weekend 2.0,’ which begins with a Honda fridaynightbash! against the Pawtucket Red Sox (6:05 p.m.)
BISONS NOTES
Dalton Pompey went 2-4 and has now hit in all five of his games since returning to the Bisons with a .381 average…Ryan Borucki is the first Herd pitcher to give the team six innings in a start this season…The Bisons finished their roadtrip to Norfolk and Durham with a 2-4 record.
Dalton Pompey went 2-4 and has now hit in all five of his games since returning to the Bisons with a .381 average…Ryan Borucki is the first Herd pitcher to give the team six innings in a start this season…The Bisons finished their roadtrip to Norfolk and Durham with a 2-4 record.
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