Minors Stuff

The Herd:

One pitch — “bad pitch selection,” according to manager Ken Oberkfell— cost the Buffalo Bisons a 4-3 loss to the Pawtucket Red Sox on Tuesday afternoon at McCoy Stadium.

Angel Chavez hit a 1-1 serving by Bisons reliever Carlos Muniz for a two-run homer with two out in the eighth inning to give the PawSox the victory in the finale of a four-game series between the teams.

Buffalo had the lead because of Fernando Martinez’s second home run of the game, a solo shot in the fifth inning.

“It was bad pitch selection,” Oberkfell said. “He can get the fastball by him, and he throws a hanging slider.

“To me, that’s not his best pitch. If you’re going to get beat, you’ve got to get beat with your best pitch in that situation. And he pitched well. He gave up a broken-bat single [to Chris Carter, the preceding batter] and then made a poor pitch.”

Martinez homered in the third to give the Bisons a 1-0 lead, ending a string of 24 scoreless innings by Pawtucket’s Clay Buchholz. Iggy Suarez tied it for the Sox with a solo homer in the bottom half of the inning. An RBI single by the Bisons’ Jesus Feliciano made it 2-1 in the fourth before Pawtucket tied it in its half of the inning

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bisons/story/677160.html


An appearance from New York Mets’ great Darryl Strawberry and the return of the Cleveland Indians’ affiliate highlight an eight-game homestand for the Buffalo Bisons, Triple-A affiliate of the New York Mets, that starts Thursday, May 21 at Coca-Cola Field.

The Bisons will welcome in Strawberry to the ballpark on Saturday, May 23. The Mets’ All-Time Home Run King will throw out a first pitch and then be available in the Coca-Cola Field concourse for autographs. The first 4,000 fans through the Swan St. Gate will also receive a complimentary Darryl Strawberry Bobble Head, presented by NAPA Auto Parts.

Saturday’s game will be one of four for the Bisons against the Columbus Clippers, the new Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians (May 21-24). Led by Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo, the 2009 Clippers currently feature 16 players that once wore a Buffalo Bisons uniform.

The eight-game homestand also features a fridaynightbash!®, sponsored by Seneca Gaming Corporation with post-game Fireworks on May 22 and the team’s Memorial Day Pre-Game BBQ on Monday, May 25 (2:05 p.m.), presented by Famous Dave’s BBQ.

Please see below for a complete promotional scheduled for all eight games. Tickets are available by calling THE-HERD (716-843-4373) or charge-by-phone at 1-866-223-6000. You can also order online at Bisons.com or visit the Coca-Cola Box Office (Mon-Fri, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Saturdays, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.).

B-Mets:

Julio De La Cruz escaped a bases-loaded mess in the ninth inning Tuesday night to preserve the Binghamton Mets' 4-2 Eastern League victory over the Connecticut Defenders.

With the score tied at 2, Jose Coronado led off the Mets' ninth with his second double of the night. After Josh Thole was hit by a pitch from Joe Paterson, Lucas Duda bunted through a pitch and Defenders catcher Jackson Williams attempted to pick Coronado off second.

Williams headed for third on the throw to second, and the throw to third by shortstop Brandon Crawford was wild down the third-base line and allowed Coronado to score the go-ahead run.

The final run came home on Ruben Tejada's sacrifice fly to right field.

De La Cruz came on with no one out and a runner on first in the ninth, and proceeded to yield a single to Mike McBryde and a walk to pinch hitter Antoan Richardson to load the bases.

The threat was squelched when De La Cruz struck out Tyler LaTorre and got Brock Bond to fly into a game-ending double play- left fielder D.J. Wabick's throw doubling Mike Mooney off third.

Binghamton took a 2-1 lead in the sixth on an RBI single from Wabick, following a base on balls issued to Duda and a double by Shawn Bowman

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090520/SPORTS02/905200448/1118/Sports/B-Mets+edge+Defenders


Wednesday, May 20 at Connecticut 6:35 pm RHP Jose Sanchez (1-4, 6.00) vs. RHP Tim Alderson (1-0, 0.00)

Thursday, May 21 at Connecticut 10:35 am RHP Eric Brown (3-2, 3.41) vs. RHP Henry Sosa (2-0, 2.18)

Friday, May 22 New Britain 7:05 pm RHP Tobi Stoner (1-0, 1.46) vs. TBA

Saturday, May 23 New Britain 7:05 pm RHP Ryan Coultas (3-1, 2.54) vs. TBA


Lucy:

SP Brad Holt had another ‘hiccup’ tonight, walking the first three batters he faced. This was followed by a one-run scoring single; however, Holt struck out the next three batters he faced in the first.

Manager Tim Teufel continues to play OF Brahiam Maldonado, who is close to going below the .200 mark in batting. Maldonado has always been a streaky hitter and, when he’s hot, he’s hard to mow down. His problem has always been consistency and this might be a good time to consider promoting 22-year old Sean Ratliff, who needs to be moving up to determine if he can hit A+ ball like he has done at both the A and rookie level.

And then, the skies opened…

Gnats:
Saturday night’s Military Appreciation Night heads a full lineup of exciting events at Historic Grayson Stadium as the Gnats return home for an eight-game homestand beginning on Wednesday, May 20. Also on the schedule this Memorial Day weekend is a Sunday night Fireworks Extravaganza.

The Sand Gnats will salute our troops with Military Appreciation Night presented by Coca-Cola and Budweiser this Saturday night. As a special treat, the Gnats will wear camo jerseys that will be auctioned off throughout the game. Fans with a military ID will get two dollars off a general admission ticket and can receive a military four pack for $30, which includes four tickets, hot dogs, chips, and Cokes.

Sgt. Slaughter will be on hand at the ballpark on Saturday night to help support our troops. The four-time heavyweight champion frequently makes appearances at Military Appreciation Nights across the country. Slaughter uses his fame as a wrestling icon to show respect and support for the U.S. military. The WWE hall-of-fame wrestler will be available for autographs and pictures throughout the game.

The following evening the Sand Gnats will begin the Memorial Day celebration a day early with a fireworks show after the Sunday game beginning at 6 p.m. This Sunday will also mark the first Family Sunday of the year where kids can eat free, courtesy of BIG 98.3, The CW and the Savannah Morning News. Kids receive a free hot dog, bag of chips, and a Coke when they present one child’s ticket along with the coupon from the Friday or Sunday edition of the Savannah Morning News.

This Thursday, along with half-price select Budweiser and Coke products, is also Pirate Night. Fans are encouraged to wear pirate attire and will receive $2 off a general admission ticket if they dress like a pirate. Friday night is Richmond Hill Community Night presented by The Station Xchange and, as always, a Fireworks Friday contest. First pitch on Friday night is a 6:30 p.m.