Niese Dominates in 5-0 Herd Win
The lefty allowed only five hits in the game. He walked only two and struck out a season high 10 batters. The final K ended the ballgame as Rochester third baseman Danny Valencia went down looking. The southpaw has now allowed just five earned runs over his last six starts, including three scoreless outings.
Niese also picked up his fourth straight winning decision. He's now 4-6 on the season and has not lost since June 7th.
The effort was the first Bisons nine inning complete game shutout since 2004. Scott Elarton was the winning pitcher on June 7th on that date.
Buffalo provided plenty of offense behind their starter, scoring the eventual game winner in the third inning. Luis Rivera began the frame with his second double of the year. He later scored for a 1-0 lead. Cory Sullivan singled for the RBI.
The big blow came in the fifth. Javier Castillo led off with a liner to left for a base hit. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and third on a Michel Abreu single. The Panama native scored on a Rivera single to center for a 2-0 lead.
Sullivan continued the offensive with a single of his own. That scored Abreu. Jesus Feliciano then grounded out to score Rivera. The Bisons led 4-0.
The final touch was a solo homerun from Rene Rivera in the 7th. The blast was his third of the year and it led off the inning.
Sullivan finished as one of three Buffalo players with three hits (Castillo and L. Rivera). He paced the bats with a pair of RBI.
The Bisons and Red Wings play again Monday night Armando Gabino will face Brandon Knight for the Herd.