The Bisons were beaten once again by the Gwinnett Braves on Wednesday, losing 8-3 at Coolray Field. The middle game of a three-game set from Lawrenceville, GA saw the Herd fall to 0-6 against Gwinnett in 2016, and lose its fourth-straight ballgame. Buffalo is now 9-14 in the month of August.
Jesus Montero and Chris Colabello each went 2-4, with Colabello homering for a two-run shot in the eighth.
A 1-1 tie was ended by Gwinnett in the bottom of the sixth, when leadoff batter and major league veteran Reid Brignac knocked a solo home run over the right field wall. Brignac’s blast, just over the leaping grab of Junior Lake, began a stretch of five unanswered runs for the Braves.
Darrell Ceciliani knocked his 10th home run of the year in the top of the first to put the Bisons’ out on top 1-0. It was the only earned run allowed by G-Braves’ starter Rob Wooten, who surrendered four hits and one walk in 4.0 innings of work.
Tyler Moore tied the game at one for Gwinnett in the bottom of the first, cracking a single with two runners on into right field past a diving Chris Colabello. Moore went 2-4 with two RBI in the contest, with Briganc going 3-4 with three RBI, and Braeden Schlehuber finishing with three RBI in a 2-4 night.
Bisons’ starter Casey Lawrence settled down after the first inning run, keeping Gwinnett off the bases until a leadoff walk in the fifth. Lawrence ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh, when a single by Kyle Kubitza and a double by Daniel Castro brought up Gwinnett catcher Schlehuber. The Braves’ backstop singled in a run on a hit into right field, which got past Lake, allowing a second run to cross the plate.
Lawrence left after allowing four earned runs over 6.1 innings, striking out five. Ryan Tepera, returning from a stint with the Blue Jays, relieved Lawrence. His return was sullied by Brignac, who connected for his second home run of the game, with the later shot coming in the form of a two-run homer.
Bradley Roney, who relieved Wooten in the fifth, pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, and punching our four hitters. He improves to 3-0 in the year. Maikel Cleto entered for Gwinnett out of the bullpen for the top of the eighth, but a dropped infield pop-up allowed Jesus Montero to reach first. A batter later, Chris Colabello made the error count, mashing a two-run homer to right.
Tyler Moore added Gwinnett’s third longball in the bottom of the eighth, taking Chad Girodo deep. The Moore homer was followed by Braeden Schlehuber’s singling up the middle, adding his third RBI of the night.
The Bisons were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday, following the club’s loss to Gwinnett, and a win for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Aug. 23.
The Herd will send Scott Copeland to the mound against the Braves on Thursday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Coolray Field. On Friday, the Bisons head home, and will begin a four-game series with Lehigh Valley.
BISONS NOTES:
Reliever Ryan Tepera rejoined the Herd after being optioned by the Blue Jays on Tuesday… Tepera, appearing in his first Triple-A game since Aug. 7, allowed his first earned run on the road since July 4. Jesus Montero increased his hitting streak to 15-games, the longest by a Bison this season.
from Bisons.com via IFTTT