STAFF REPORTS
BUFFALO, N.Y. — The Bisons received an efficient outing from Jacob Waguespack and mounted a rally that proved unsuccessful as the Herd fell, 6-4, Thursday afternoon at home.
Waguespack took the rubber getting the start in the series finale against the IronPigs to face his old team. The right-hander was acquired by the Blue Jays via a trade with the Phillies that sent him over to the opposite dugout right before the trade deadline.
“That was the most fun I’ve had all year,” Waguespack said after the game. “Facing my old team and kind of knowing what to throw them and their strengths and weaknesses.”
Prior to joining the Bisons, Waguespack started eight times on the mound and has won each of his last three outings.
Waguespack powered through the Lehigh Valley lineup while striking out a career-high 12 batters in 6.1 innings pitched. He got himself into plenty of pitcher’s counts ahead of a lot of hitters and filled up the strike zone–with a 59:33 strike to ball ratio.
“Me and [Reese] McGuire were on the same page,” he said. “We were talking before the inning even started on how we wanted to attack each guy… I was able to flip a few breaking balls in there to keep them off balance.”
He set a season-high in strikeouts for a Bisons pitcher this season and etched his name into team history by accomplishing the feat of recording the most strikeouts by a pitcher in a Bisons debut.
“It was just a good day,” the righty commented. “I was relaxed and having fun and I think that contributed to the good day.”
A two-run home run from ex-Bison Ryan Goins evened the score at two runs apiece in the sixth.
In a tie ballgame in the seventh, the IronPigs loaded the bases with one out on a walk. Lehigh Valley also brought home the go-ahead run on a walk when Joey Meneses watch balled four go by. A bases-clearing, standup double from Adron Chambers broke open a four-run lead.
Down four runs, the Bisons started to rally back, but the comeback fell short. Back-to-back home runs in the seventh from Tim Lopes and Jonathan Davis sliced the lead to two runs. It was Lopes’ first deep fly of the season and the second for Davis in two games.
Baseball’s top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. reached base twice on a walk and a double that he drilled off the left field wall in his first at-bat of the game.
