Buffalo Pre-Game Notes

Buffalo Bisons (36-47, T4th(-12.0), North) vs. Syracuse Chiefs (34-45, T4th(-12.0), North)Saturday, July 2, 2011 (7:05 p.m.) - Coca-Cola FieldLHP Mark Cohoon (2-4, 7.63) vs. LHP Tom Milone (6-5, 3.51)TV: Time Warner Cable SportsNet 13         Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com  TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons welcome the Syracuse Chiefs in the first game of a two-game series at Coca-Cola Field (7:05 p.m.). The Bisons are now 6-2 on their 10-game homestand that began with a four-game sweep of Norfolk and was followed by a split of a four-game series against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Buffalo is an even 23-23 at home this season. VS. THE CHIEFS: The Bisons are 1-1 against the Chiefs this season as the two teams split a season-opening series in Buffalo. It has been 84 days since the two Thruway rivals squared off. With that, there are only nine players on the Bisons active roster who played in that two-game set to begin 2011. The Herd’s active roster has just two hits in only 17 at-bats against Chiefs pitching this season. ON THE BUMP: LHP MARK COHOON makes his seventh start for the Herd tonight. Cohoon work a season-high six innings and allowed only three runs in a victory over Norfolk his last time out. His four strike outs against the Tides was also an individual high for the Triple-A rookie. SCHWING AND MISS: RHP CHRIS SCHWINDEN made his team-high 15th start of the season last night. The International League All-Star worked seven innings and allowed only four hits with eight strikeouts. Schwinden is currently sixth in the  International League with a 2.87ERA. He is also leading the Bisons with five wins and 75 strikeouts. EVANS ALMIGHTY: INF NICK EVANS’ went 2-3 in last night’s game for his 25th multi-hit performance on the season. That total is 11 more than any other Bisons batter. Evans had a hit in 20 out of his last 21 games with a .494 average (40-81). In the first eight games of this homestand, the slugger has led the herd with a .500 average (15-30).   BISONS BITS: Last night, INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI went 1-4 and currently has the longest active hitting streak on the Bisons with a seven-game stretch (.269, 7-26)...Last night’s game was the first time the Herd lost in the last at-bat at home this season (previously 5-0). METS UPDATE: The Mets (41-41) lost 5-1 in the first game of the Subway Series against the New York Yankees, last night . Former Bisons LHP JON NIESE allowed three runs in six innings of work to fall to 7-7 on the season. The Mets collected 10 hits in the game, but all were singles. The Mets host the Yankees again today at 4:10 p.m.