Bisons Game Notes

Buffalo Bisons (15-21, 5th(-6.0), North) vs. Louisville Bats (21-14, 2nd(-4.0), West)Saturday, May 14, 2011 (6:05 p.m.) - Louisville Slugger Field


RHP Brian Sweeney (0-1, 6.00) vs. LHP Dontrelle Willis (2-1, 2.52)

Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com



TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons take on the Louisville Bats in the second game of a four-game series from Louisville Slugger Field (6:05 p.m.). The Bats won big in the series opener with a 15-7 victory last night. The Bisons have now lost two straight and five of their last seven. On Tuesday, the Herd continues their roadtrip with a four-game set in Indianapolis.



VS. THE BATS: The Bats now hold the 3-2 edge in the season series with the Bisons. Thanks to last night’s win, Louisville has outscored the Herd 31-18 in the series. Last season, the Bisons won five of eight games from Louisville. However, the Bats had the biggest win last year as well, a 20-7 victory over Buffalo at Coca-Cola Field, May 3, 2010.



TONIGHT’S STARTER: RHP BRIAN SWEENEY will be making his second start of the season tonight. The righty was signed by the Mets on May 6 off of the Somerset Patriots of the independent Atlantic League. Although he took the loss in his debut on May 8 against the Yankees (6.0IP, 5R, 4ER), Sweeney struck out eight and did not walk a batter. He threw 107 pitches in his debut, the most by any Bisons’ starting pitcher this year.



THREE’S COMPANY: The Bisons finally got their first three-run home run of the season last night. INF LUIS HERNANDEZ hit a three-run shot for his first longball of the year. Of Buffalo’s first 28 homers this season, 22 were solo shots and six were two-run home runs. The Bisons last three-run homer before Hernandez’s was hit by INF NICK EVANS on August 31, 2010 against Syracuse.



ON A ROLL: RHP TOBI STONER was taken off the Bisons disabled list on Thursday so that he could be active for Single-A St. Lucie. The 26-year old right threw five shutout innings with four strikeouts on May 12. It was Stoner’s first action since being shutdown with right shoulder impingement syndrome on August 12, 2010. Stoner is 13-17 over the past two seasons with Buffalo.



FEEL: THE BEATO: During this roadtrip, Mets RHP PEDRO BEATO will be joining the Bisons on a MLB injury rehab assignment. The reliever was placed on the Mets DL on May 4 with right elbow tendinitis. He was 1-0 with a 0.00ERA in 11 appearances with New York this year (17.0IP, 9H, 4R, 0ER, 3BB, 10K).



METS UPDATE: The Mets (18-20) rallied from four runs down to defeat the Astros last night, 6-4. Former Bison OF FERNANDO MARTINEZ hit a pinch-hit two-run home run in the eighth inning. INF DAVID WRIGHT and OF JASON BAY also homered in the win. The Mets take on the Astros again today at 4:05 p.m.