8-2 win completes perfect roadie
The road has been kind for the Buffalo Bisons.
For the first time in the modern era, the Bisons went a perfect 8-0 on a trip away from Coca-Cola Field. After a four-game sweep of the Chiefs in Syracuse last week, the Herd completed a second sweep in Lehigh Valley with an 8-2 victory over the IronPigs on Monday.
There have been several recipes for success since the Herd was in Western New York. The club came through with clutch hitting in a pair of one-run wins to sweep a doubleheader in Syracuse on Wednesday. The big bats then took over with Thursday's record-setting 27-9 win and then an 8-4 victory in Lehigh Valley on Saturday. Over the weekend and into Monday, it was the pitching that has powered the Herd.
On Monday, Justin Germano allowed just two runs over seven innings for his team-leading third win of the season. He scattered 11 hits, but benefited from a pair of doubleplays and the fact that he did not issue a walk. Germano struck out three and threw 59 of his 94 pitches for strikes.
Buffalo got on the board with yet another big inning. A six-hit third gave the Herd a 4-0 advantage with Jim Negrych, Anthony Gose, Luis Jimenez and Andy LaRoche driving in runs.
Negrych had another RBI-single in the seventh and then singled and scored on a balk in the ninth. The Buffalo-native had three hits in five at-bats to raise his league-leading average to .488.
Jimenez, who was named IL Batter of the Week on Monday morning, was 1-4 with an RBI and a walk.
Mikey Storey closed out the win by striking out five of the six batters he faced over two innings.
BISONS NOTES: Bisons starters Dave Bush, Claudio Vargas, Miguel Batista and Justin Germano combined to allow just four earned runs over 25.0 innings of work in the four-game sweep of the IronPigs…Every Bisons batter in the lineup reached base safely…Buffalo had just one extra-base hit, a double from Josh Thole.