Bisons Game Notes

TODAY’S GAME:

This evening, the Buffalo Bisons face the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the third game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The set is tied 1-1 as Buffalo won 8-7 on Monday and the IronPigs collected a 2-1 win last night. The Herd is 3-3 so far on this eight-game homestand. After Thursday, the Bisons will leave for Durham on their first eight-game roadtrip of the season.

HOME COOKIN’:

Tonight will be the Bisons 31st home game of the season. The team has only completed 13 games on the road (three postponements). After tonight’s game, the Bisons will have played 70% of their games this season at Coca-Cola Field.

THE REY TO GO:

INF Argenis Reyes enters tonight’s game on a seven-game hit streak -tied for the longest by a Bisons player this season. Since May 19, Reyes has averaged .321 (9-28) with two runs scored and five RBI. Reyes has actually reached base in nine straight games for Buffalo, a stretch that goes back to May 17 (.305, 11-36, 4BB).

SECRET VALENTIN:

INF Javier Valentin has reached base safely in eight straight games. Since May 18, the veteran has hit .370 (10-27) with two doubles, two home runs, seven RBI, four runs scored and seven walks. Overall, Valentin has failed to reach base in only one of his 11 starts with the Bisons.

IN A PINCH:

INF Michel Abreu scored the Bisons lone run last night with a pinch hit home run to lead off the 8th inning. The last Bisons player to hit a pinch hit home run was OF Jason Cooper on July 16, 2006 in Indianapolis. Abreu also had a pinch hit RBI-single in Monday’s win and now has three of Buffalo’s four pinch hits this season.

F-MART:

OF Fernando Martinez got his first major league promotion yesterday and went 0-3 with an RBI-ground out and two strikeouts for the Mets. Martinez left the Bisons as the team leader in virtually every offense category, including average (.291), home runs (8) and RBI (28). Martinez also led the International League with his 25 extra-base hits.