4/17/12

Buffalo Pre-Game Notes

Buffalo Bisons (5-7, 4th(-5.0), North) vs. Lehigh Valley IronPigs (10-2, 1st(+3.0),North)
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 (6:05 p.m.) - Coca-Cola Field
RHP Chris Schwinden (1-1, 3.00) vs. LHP Pat Misch (1-1, 4.50)
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, bisons.com

TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons host the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in the second game of a four-game series at Coca-Cola Field (6:05 p.m.). The IronPigs picked up an 8-2 victory over the Herd last night. The Bisons are now 2-4 on their first homestand of the 2012 season. Buffalo lost a three-game set with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and split a two-game series with Pawtucket.

vs. IRONPIGS: The IronPigs won the season series over the Bisons in 2011 with nine wins in 16 games. However, since Lehigh Valley joined the International League in 2008, the Bisons have the 18-15 edge in games played at Coca-Cola Field. Last year, the clubs split each four-game series in Buffalo.

SCHWING & MISS: RHP CHRIS SCHWINDEN will make his third start of the season tonight. The righty won his debut with five innings of work on April 7 in Rochester, but fell in defeat to the Yankees last Thursday. Schwinden has struck out four batters in each of his two starts. Last season, he racked up 134 strikeouts, the 3rd highest single-season total in the Bisons modern era.

TIPPIN’ THE SCALES: With a hit and two walks last night, INFBOBBY SCALES continued his amazing on-base streak. The veteran has reached base at least twice in all nine games he’s started in 2012. His .561 on-base percentage is tops in the league, eight points higher than former Bisons now Clippers’ OF Trevor Crowe. Scales is also second in the IL with a .438 batting average.

UNHITTABLE: The Bisons have a pair of relievers who have been nearly unhittable in 2012. LHPCHUCK JAMES has made five scoreless appearances (6.0IP) for the Herd and has allowed just one base hit to 21 batters faced. RHPJACK EGBERT has given up just two singles to 24 total batters. In his four appearances, Egbert has struck out seven in seven scoreless innings.

BISONS BITS: INFJORDANY VALDESPIN brings a seven-game hit streak into today’s game. He has averaged .273 (9-33) witih five RBI during the stretch...As a team, the Bisons are 3rd in the IL in average (.266) and 2nd in on-base percentage (.355)...INFBOBBY SCALES has walked nine times and struck out only once in 43 plate appearances.

METS UPDATE: The Mets (7-3) collected a 6-1 victory over the Braves in Atlanta last night. Former Bisons INFIKE DAVIS homered for the second straight game and OF JASON BAY also went deep. RHPDILLON GEE allowed just one run on four hits in seven innings of work. The Mets face the Braves again tonight at 7:10 p.m.

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