Bisons end record April with win
If the rest of the summer is anything like what the Bisons put together in April, Buffalo fans had better buckle up for one awesome ride.
The Herd closed out its first month as the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays with a 5-2 win over the Rochester Red Wings on Tuesday afternoon from Frontier Field. The win gave Buffalo a split of a four-game series with their closest rival.
The Bisons finished April with a 17-7 record, two wins better than any previous April in the club's modern era. Within that mark was a 10-3 record on the road, including a perfect 8-0 roadtrip to Syracuse and Lehigh Valley earlier in the month. Buffalo will enter May with a two-game lead over Pawtucket in the IL North division.
With five more runs on 12 hits on Tuesday, Buffalo closed out the month with a .305 team batting average -the best in affiliated baseball. Josh Thole had four hits in the finale to raise his average to .379 and join Jim Negrych (.429) and Moises Sierra (.389) as the top three hitters in the league.
Luis Jimenez, who leads the IL with 26 RBI, had two hits in the Bisons win and is now hitting .372 on the year. He's just two points for joining his teammates for the top four averages in the league.
On Tuesday, Thole got the Bisons on the board in the fourth inning with the second of his four hits -a two-run home run to left field. Thole then singled to lead off a three-run ninth inning that gave the Bisons insurance. Ryan Goins and Anthony Gose drove in runs in the frame.
Dave Bush improved to 3-1 for the Bisons after allowing just a first-inning home run in six innings for Buffalo. Neil Wagner came in for the final out of the game for his seventh save of the season.
BISONS NOTES: The entire International League has an off- day on Wednesday. The Bisons will open up an eight-game homestand on Thursday against Louisville…Neil Wagner is a perfect 7-for-7 in save opportunities this year…Ramon Ortiz piggybacked Dave Bush with his first relief appearance of the year for Buffalo. The veteran allowed one run in 2.2 innings of work.