Strong pitching not enough in Bisons 5-3 loss to Rochester

Rochester, N.Y. - At ESL Ballpark on Friday night, Liover Peguero ruined Jameson Taillon’s rehab start with a fourth-inning bases-clearing double, and despite a seven-strikeout relief effort from Richard Gallardo, the Buffalo Bisons dropped their third straight game in their series against the Rochester Red Wings, 5-3.

The early part of this game featured a pitchers’ duel between Taillon and Rochester’s Isaac Lyon in his Triple-A debut. In the first three innings, they combined to allow only three baserunners, with Taillon needing only 27 pitches to navigate them.

The scoring started in the top of the fourth. After a seeing-eye one-out single up the middle by Yohendrick Piñango, Jay Harry delivered a two-out double, scoring Piñango with help from the Red Wings’ Johnathon Thomas, who committed an error by struggling to pick up the ball against the left-field sidewall.

Lyon left the game after the double, then Lenyn Sosa greeted Chandler Champlain rudely with a hard-hit RBI single, making it 2-0 Buffalo.

In the bottom of the inning, momentum shifted. A single and a walk put two on with one out for Cayden Wallace. Sean Keys couldn’t make a shoestring catch in left field, giving Wallace a double. That made it 2-1 and put men on second and third, then a walk to the next batter ended Taillon’s night.

Sam Gardner replaced Taillon, and Peguero immediately cleared the bases with a double, giving Rochester a 4-2 lead and altering the tone of Taillon’s rehab outing. Overall, Taillon allowed four earned runs on three hits, two walks, and two strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.

The Herd inched closer in their half of the fifth. Josh Smith worked a two-out walk, then Sean Keys scored him with an RBI triple off the top of the right-center field wall, making it 4-3 Red Wings.

Rochester responded in the bottom of the inning. A pair of singles and a stolen base against Joe Mantiply put two in scoring position with one out. It led to an RBI groundout by Wallace, bringing the Herd’s deficit back to two at 5-3.

Gallardo entered after Mantiply exited. He threw a scoreless sixth and seventh, only allowing a walk while striking out four.

Meanwhile, Buffalo’s offense labored to get baserunners against Champlain, who faced the minimum in innings six through eight. Only Ismael Munguia, who replaced Rudy Martin Jr. in the fourth, reached base, doing so by a one-out walk in the seventh. Even then, he was erased when Smith lined into an unassisted double play to end the frame.

Gallardo encountered a threat when two singles and a wild pitch put two runners in scoring position for Rochester in the bottom of the eighth, but he struck out three more to put the danger away. His seven strikeouts on the night were the most of his Buffalo career and most of the 2026 season since he fanned eight on May 7 with Double-A New Hampshire.

The Herd faced Yovanny Cruz in the top of the ninth, and a first-pitch double by Harry brought the tying run to the plate. However, a groundout and two strikeouts prevented any chance at a Buffalo comeback.

The Bisons and Red Wings will play the fifth game of this six-game set on Saturday at ESL Ballpark in Rochester at 6:45 p.m. You can listen to the action on The Bet 1520 AM, the Audacy app, and bisons.com starting at 6:25 p.m. with Pat Malacaro.