Toledo 5, Buffalo 1

from press release:

If it wasn't for bad luck the Buffalo Bisons would have had no luck in today's 5-1 loss against the Toledo Mud Hens at Fifth Third Field.



Entering the eighth inning the game was tied at one apiece between the two ball clubs. Riding a strong start from Bisons pitcher Pat Misch the Herd looked to reliever Ryota Igarashi to keep the game knotted up at one.


Today wasn't Igarashi's lucky day as an unusual bounce off of catcher Michael Barrett and an error from second baseman Justin Turner led to four Toledo runs as they completed the sweep of the Herd.


With one out in the eighth, Mud Hens DH Jeff Frazier attempted to check his swing on a 1-2 pitch from Igarashi but was called out by home plate umpire Craig Barron. Frazier stood in the batter's box to argue the call but the pitch from Igarashi ricocheted off of Barrett's shin guards and rolled into the Bisons dugout. Because it tapped into the Herd's dugout, Frazier was awarded first without ever taking a step out of the box.



Following Frazier first baseman Ryan Strieby hit a sharp grounder to shortstop Ruben Tejada which could have resulted in a double play. A twin killing would have negated Frazier's reach on the dropped third strike and gotten the Herd out of the inning with no damage done. Turner unfortunately made an error trying to receive the toss from Tejada allowing everyone to reach base safely.



Center fielder Casper Wells then singled to center to score the go-ahead run in Frazier, giving the Mud Hens a 2-1 lead. Third baseman Max Leon hit a two RBI triple to right, giving the Mud Hens a 4-1 lead. They would add another run in the inning to make the final tally 5-1 in favor of Toledo.



The unlucky eighth inning for the Herd denied Misch his tenth win of the season. While getting the no-decision Misch went seven strong innings, giving up one run and six hits. Misch also struck out eight which is a new season high for the left hander.


The loss for the Herd is their sixth straight and they are one away from matching their longest losing streak of the season when they dropped seven in a row back in June. The Herd's record is now at .500 at 51-51. Buffalo is at the .500 mark for the first time since June 28th when they were 39-39 after a 13-12 loss to Charlotte.