Two Bisons homers not enough in 8-3 defeat to Mets Wednesday afternoon

Buffalo, N.Y. - In the second game of a six-game series between the Buffalo Bisons and Syracuse Mets, a five-run third inning for the Mets against Triple-A newcomer Kendry Rojas was enough to distance them from the Herd, who fell 8-3 on Wednesday at Sahlen Field.

The Mets struck first in the top of the second with a two-out rally. Luis and Omar De Los Santos got on base against Rojas, then Gilberto Celestino had an opposite-field RBI single to make it 1-0 Syracuse.

In the top of the third, Pablo Reyes and Luke Ritter had hits to lead it off for the Mets, with the former’s being a double, then Drew Gilbert hit a slow roller to third for an RBI groundout. Hayden Senger then sent one over the wall in left center for a two-run shot and a 4-0 lead. After a walk, Omar De Los Santos lined one hard to left field for his own two-run homer, making it 6-0 Syracuse and capping off a five-run frame.

Rojas came back strong in the fourth by facing the minimum in the frame, aided by a caught stealing by Phil Clarke. However, offensively, the Bisons mustered just one hit against Mets starter Nolan McLean through the first three innings. But, with two out in the fourth, Orelvis Martinez skied one to dead center and over the 404-foot marker for a solo home run to get the Herd on the board. It was his 12th long ball of the season.

Rojas got through the Mets 1-2-3 in the fifth to finish his Triple-A debut. He did a good job of navigating trouble and preventing any crooked numbers through the first two innings, but that changed in the third. Overall, the Toronto Blue Jays’ sixth-ranked prospect allowed six earned runs on 10 hits, two walks, six strikeouts and two homers.

The Bisons scratched in another run in the fifth. Jonatan Clase reached on a one-out fielder’s choice and scored on a Michael Stefanic double that snuck inside the third-base line, making it 6-2 Mets.

In the top of the seventh, Hunter Gregory walked two batters, then a double steal was compounded by a throwing error, allowing Reyes, the lead runner, to score an unearned run and make it 7-2 Syracuse.

Joe Mantiply made his Bisons debut in the top of the eighth. He caught a runner trying to steal, but with a man on second and two outs, he was betrayed by a bouncing ball that took an in-between hop to Riley Tirotta at first base for an error and an unearned run, and the Syracuse lead grew to 8-2.

In the bottom of the eighth, Clase hit a fly ball to deep right-center field against Austin Warren, which snuck over a leaping Celestino’s glove and into the Buffalo bullpen for a leadoff homer, his second long ball of the season, to cut the Herd’s deficit to 8-3.

In addition to Martinez’s and Clase’s homers, Stefanic had two hits, recording his third multi-hit game in his last five.

Amir Garrett worked around two walks in the top of the ninth for a scoreless frame, but Junior Fernández shut down the Bisons 1-2-3 in the bottom of the frame to wrap it up.

The Bisons and Mets will play the third game of this six-game set on Thursday at Sahlen Field at 6:35 p.m. LHP Adam Macko will take the mound for the Bisons. You can listen to the action on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy app, and Bisons.com starting at 6:15 p.m. with Pat Malacaro and Duke McGuire.