Inside Pitch

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Ricky Romero will look build momentum tonight as he makes his eighth start for the Buffalo Bisons in tonight's game against Gwinnett at Coca-Cola Field.

Romero had his first quality start of the season on June 14 in Pawtucket, pitching six innings of shutout ball while giving up two hits, two walks with three strikeouts. He took a no-decision as the Herd dropped a 1-0 game to the PawSox.

LaRoche gets a rest: Andy LaRoche made his first start of the season at second base Tuesday night, but that lasted only an inning and a half. LaRoche experienced some tightness in his arm after making a throw in the top of the second inning. He is being evaluated and manager Marty Brown said he is day to day.

Reyes shuffling to Buffalo: Four-time All-Star Jose Reyes will be bringing his rehabilitation show to Buffalo on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Reyes has been out of the Toronto Blue Jays lineup after injurying his ankle while sliding into second base on April 12. Check out Mike Harrington's post for more details on the Reyes rehab.

Tonight's Bison Lineup:
Mike McCoy -- 2B
Anthony Gose -- CF
Mauro Gomez -- DH
Moises Sierra -- RF
Jim Negrych -- 3B
Ricardo Nanita -- LF
Sean Ochinko -- 1B
Ryan Goins -- SS
MIke Nickeas -- C

Jose Reyes was all smiles when he first tried on his Blue Jays cap over the winter. Now he'll be getting fit for a Bisons lid Friday night (Getty Images)

By Mike Harrington

Getting big-name players from the big club to spend part of their injury rehabilitation assignments in Buffalo was certainly the hope when the Bisons signed on with the Toronto Blue Jays last fall, and the Jays are already making good on that promise.

Josh Johnson made two starts for the Herd last month and now comes the word Buffalo fans -- and most folks in the Bisons front office -- have been waiting for: All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes will be manning his normal spot on the diamond for the Herd beginning Friday night.

The Bisons play the Durham Bulls here Friday night at 7, Saturday night at 6 and Sunday afternoon at 1. As previously scheduled, Saturday is Star Wars Night and only about 3,500 tickets remain. The traditional Friday night crowd will almost certainly swell now and Sunday could be a good house as well, meaning a gate of 40,000+ for the weekend is certainly possible.

As rehab assignments go, this will be the biggest one in Buffalo since Manny Ramirez spent three days here in 2001 at the height of the Cleveland era.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Reports on Twitter from Toronto reporters noted that shortstop Jose Reyes would be joining the Buffalo Bisons on Friday for games this weekend. Reyes injured his ankle on a slide into second base on April 12. He began his rehabiliation assignment with Class A Dunedin on Monday and seems to be ahead of his rehab schedule.

Reyes, a four-time National League All-Star, started Dunedin's last three games at shortstop, going 5 for 12 with one RBI and three runs scored.

More to come ... 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Offense continues to be the source of strength for the Buffalo Bisons and the designated hitters have been helping the Herd's cause. Nine different players have been in the DH spot for the Herd this season and collectively they are batting .310 with 17 home runs and 46 runs batted in.

Luis Jimenez and Mauro Gomez have made 51 of the 69 starts at DH. Jimenez gets the call in the spot tonight when the Herd hosts Gwinnett (7:05 p.m., TWCS, Radio 1520). Jimenez is hitting .348 with five home runs and 19 RBI when he is the DH.

Overall in the International League, the Herd ranks second in team batting (.276) behind Durham (.286) but is dead last in pitching (5.03 ERA).

Bush gets the start: Dave Bush will make his 12th start for the Herd. He leads the team in wins (seven) and ERA (4.23). In his last start, June 9 against Scranton/Wilkes Barre in Moosic, Pa., he pitched six scoreless innings giving up just two hits with five strikeouts to pick up the win.

Gomez hits for power: Mauro Gomez leads the International League with 18 home runs. But the interesting note -- only three of those have come at home.

Tonight's Bison lineup:

Anthony Gose -- CF
Jim Negrych -- 3B
Mauro Gomez -- 1B 
Luis Jimenez -- DH
Moises Sierra -- RF
Ricardo Nanita -- LF
Andy LaRoche -- 2B
Ryan Goins -- SS
Sean Ochinko -- C 

By Rodney McKissic

The Buffalo Bisons, coming off a 3-5 road trip through Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Pawtucket, tonight take on the Gwinnett Braves in the first of a four-game series. Todd Redmond (1-1, 10.24) starts his third game for the Herd against Omar Poveda (5-3, 3.01).

Here is the starting lineup for tonight's game:

Anthony Gose, cf
Jim Negrych, 2b
Mauro Gomez, dh
Luis Jimenez, 1b
Moises Sierra, rf
Ryan Langerhans, lf
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Ryan Goins, ss
Mike Nicheas, c
Todd Redmond, p

By Mike Harrington

As I wrote about in Sunday's Inside Baseball column, this weekend is the 25th anniversary of the Kevin Costner-Susan Sarandon baseball classic "Bull Durham." Jim Caple of ESPN.com rolled out an incredible piece deconstructing the movies scenes on Saturday. If you get way down near the end, he talks about a convo on the mound between current Seattle pitching coach Carl Willis and veteran catcher Tim Laker. That had to be in Buffalo in 2002!

The Bulls are having events all season, with a big celebration planned for today. One thing the team did this year was have a nightly "Bull Durham Racers" run. The characters? Of course, Crash, Annie and Nuke. Check it out.

The team also did an hysterical vignette of current and former players reciting famous lines from the movie. Well done and candlesticks DO make a good gift!

Think the Bulls don't embrace the movie? The famous bull is on a wall of the concourse and there's a new one in left field. Hit the bull, win a free steak for you and a fan. Hit the grass, win a free salad. Here's Shelley Duncan doing just that earlier this month.

By Mike Harrington

If it seems like a lot of long MLB days are turning into night lately, you're right.

For the third time in less than a week, a matinee went at least 18 innings. This time, it was the Yankees' 3-2 loss Thursday at Oakland that ended in the bottom of the 18th after 5 hours and 35 minutes. Last Saturday while I was in Scranton with the Bisons, we were following the Mets' 20-inning loss to the Marlins and the Blue Jays' 18-inning win over the Rangers.

So how rare is all this?

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it's just the fourth time in history there has been three 18+-inning games in a month and it's never happened in a week. The previous three times were June 1967, August 1972 and May 1973.

More from Elias on A's-Yankees:

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz 

The Buffalo Bisons can't escape the rain on their road trip. The series opener for the Herd in Pawtucket today was postponed due to rain. The teams will play a doubleheader on Friday starting at 5:35 p.m. Both games will be scheduled for seven innings.

Ricky Romero will get his seventh start for the Herd in the opener. He is still looking for his first win as a Bison. He is 0-1 with five no-decisions.

Meanwhile, Andy LaRoche cleared waivers and was outrighted to the Bisons. In one game with the Toronto Blue Jays, the third baseman went 0 for 4 with a strikeout while starting at third base. With the Bisons, he hit .282, driving in 32 runs. 

By Mike Harrington

MOOSIC, Pa. -- Sunday's 4-1 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders continued the Bisons' odd trend of dominance on the road as compared to scuffling at home.

The win gave the Bisons a 20-12 record on the road, tied with Pawutcket for the best mark in the International League (click here for the full IL standings). Buffalo is just 14-16 in Coca-Cola Field, one of four North Division teams better out of their home park.

"No idea why," said infielder Jim Negrych. "I wish I did know. It seems like offensively we swing the bats good at home. It will come there. If we get the pitching like we have the last couple weeks, we're a tough team to face anywhere."

The Bisons are simply scoring more on the road and batting with more power, with 46 of their 72 home runs. That's especially true for IL home run leader Mauro Gomez, who is batting just .217 in Coca-Cola Field with three homers and nine RBIs -- but is at .295-13-28 on the road.

By Mike Harrington

MOOSIC, Pa. -- Dave Bush pitched six shutout innings on short rest and Mauro Gomez belted a two-run homer as the Buffalo Bisons scored all of their runs in the first inning today to post a 4-1 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders at PNC FIeld.

The Bisons have won the first two games of this series and three of four overall. They are 20-12 on the road, the best road record in the International League.

By Mike Harrington

MOOSIC, Pa. -- The Blue Jays' 18-inning win Saturday over the Texas Rangers cost the Bisons today's scheduled starter as Thad Weber was recalled to give Toronto another arm in the bullpen. So the Herd will go with veteran Dave Bush (6-4) today in the second game of the series against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, who will counter with Chris Bootcheck (5-1).

The Bisons are 19-10 on the road this year and just 14-16 in Coca-Cola Field. The RailRiders are just 11-18 here at new PNC Field at the base of Montage Mountain. and 16-15 on the road. In fact, four of the six teams in the IL North are better away from home. Bizarre. Let's see if that continues.

It's sunny and in the mid-70s here today but that's going to change. The four-game series is slated to continue Monday night although the weather forecast is dismal. It's only marginally better for Tuesday night, when there's a good chance these teams will be trying to play a doubleheader.

Here's today's lineups:

Buffalo
Anthony Gose, cf
Ryan Goins, ss
Luis Jimenez, 1b
Mauro Gomez, dh
Jim Negrych, 3b
Eugenio Velez, lf
Ryan Langerhans, rf
Sean Ochinko, c
Mike McCoy, 2b
----
Dave Bush, p 

Scranton-WB
Thomas Neal, dh
Zolio Almonte, cf
Ronnier Mustelier, lf
Dan Johnson, 1b
Josh Bell, 3b
Melky Mesa, rf
Addison Maruszak, ss
Jeff Farnham, c
Alberto Gonzalez, 2b
---
Chris Bootcheck, p
 

News Sports Columnists Bucky Gleason and Jerry Sullivan discussed performance enhancing drugs in baseball Friday morning on "The Bucky and Sully Show," which airs live at 10 a.m. Friday every week at buffalonews.com.

On PED scandal:

On A-Rod

For more segments from the show, click here.

MOOSIC, Pa. -- The Bisons are back at PNC Field tonight for the first time since Sept. 5, 2011 but it's not the same place they made regular visits to during their stints in both the Triple-A Alliance and the International League.

The home of the newly-christened Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders was completely reconstructed during the last year (Remember, the then-SWB Yankees played the whole year on the road!) and it's quite an improvement for both specators and players. There's a 360-degree open concourse, grass berm in the outfield, party areas, HD video boards and a club level complete with buffet restaurant.

The huge concrete cavern of an upper deck is gone. The place seats about 7,200 with room for another couple thousand in the outfield. It's intimate and scenic, on the base of Montage Mountain. It's about a 4-hour drive from Buffalo and worth the trip. Be sure to look for a big look at the park next week in The News.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Lefty Ricky Romero will make his sixth start of the season for the Buffalo Bisons but only his second at Coca-Cola Field in the first game of a doubleheader against Lehigh Valley.

Romero pitched a season-best six innings in a no-decision at Norfolk on Saturday. HE walked none and struck out three in that out. He his 0-1 with an 11.84 ERA.

Justin Germano is slated to start the nightcap. He is 4-4 with a 6.79 ERA and struck out a season-high eight batters on Sunday in Norfolk. He allowed just two runs in six innings to get the win.

Gose leads off: Centerfielder Anthony Gose returns to the Bisons today and will bat leadoff. He played 13 games with Toronto where he hit .304 (7-23) with two doubles and four runs scored.

Lineup Note: In the first game, Jim Negrych is playing third base. It is first start at the position. He has 43 starts at second and twice was a the designated hitter.

All-Star voting: Second baseman Jim Negrych and designated hitter Luis Jimenez top International League players in their positions in the fan voting for the 2013 Triple-A All-Star Game. Fans can vote at MiLB.com and their votes determine the starting lineups for both All-Star teams.

Tonight's Bisons' Lineup (Game 1):
Anthony Gose -- CF
Ryan Goins -- SS
Mauro Gomez -- 1B
Luis Jimenez -- DH
Moises Sierra -- RF
Jim Negrych -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- LF
Mike McCoy -- 2B
Mike Niceaks --C 

By Mike Harrington

The Bisons will be pretty thin for tonight's makeup doubleheader against Lehigh Valley (5:30 at Coca-Cola Field) because the Toronto Blue Jays have called up catcher Josh Thole and third baseman Andy LaRoche. They are certainly well-deserved promotions.

The Blue Jays have designated catcher Henry Blanco for assignment. The Thole/Blanco switch was long overdue. R.A. Dickey has said Blanco is the best knuckleball catcher he's ever had, although Thole caught most of Dickey's Cy Young season in 2012 in New York. Thole hit just .171 in spring training for the Jays so they opted to keep Blanco. 

Bad move. Blanco is basically useless offensively and batting  just .184. Thole, meanwhile, was batting .322 with seven homers and 31 RBIs through 41 games. He can be used as a pinch-hitter and can certainly give the Jays some pop behind the plate to spell J.P. Arencibia.

LaRoche hit .282 with seven homers and 32 RBIs in 49 games with the Bisons and is in the big leagues for the first time since 2011 with Brett Lawrie on the disabled list.

The Bisons, remember, are getting Anthony Gose back from Toronto and may be keeping Chad Jenkins in their rotation because the Blue Jays today signed veteran Ching-Ming Wang off the Scranton roster and penciled him in to start Tuesday night; Wang was scheduled to start Tuesday against the Bisons.

No game today at Coca-Cola Field. 

By Mike Harrington

The Buffalo Bisons' School Kids Day game today at Lehigh Valley was postponed due to persistent heavy rain at Coca-Cola Field. It will be made up with a doubleheader Friday at 5:30. The gates will open at 5.

Around 10,000 children were expected at the game and many made their way downtown in school buses but were left disappointed when the postponement was called about 75 minutes after the scheduled 10:35 a.m. first pitch. There was little chance to play the game as the heavy rain was not expected to let up most of the afternoon

Fans holding tickets to today's game can exchange them for a comparable ticket to any future game this season (excluding special events). The exchanges must be made at the ballpark box office. However, the Bisons say club representatives will be be reaching out to all schools to assist with their ticket redemptions. 

Friday's twinbill will continue to be a regular fridaynightbash! with postgame fireworks. The pregame happy hour begins at 5, with food and drink specials running through 6:30. Ricky Romero, still trying to work his way back to Toronto, is expected to pitch the opener tomorrow with Justin Germano going in the nightcap.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

The tarp is still on the field for School Kids' Day but there's good news for the Buffalo Bisons. Outfielder Anthony Gose was optioned to Buffalo from the Toronto Blue Jays.

Gose played his first 40 games of the season with Buffalo, hitting .225 (35 of 154) with a pair of home runs, 12 runs batted in and five stolen bases. He also has 36 runs scored, tied for the fifth most in the International League.

He was promoted to the Blue Jays on May 20. He played in 13 games with Toronto, hitting .304 (7 of 23) with two doubles and four runs scored.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Welcome to a rainy morning at Coca-Cola Field. The annual School Kids' Day has a scheduled first pitch at 10:35 a.m. with over 125 schools expected at the ballpark. The tarp is on the field with a light rain falling, but word in the pressbox is that the game is scheduled to start on time. Stay tuned on Twitter (@amymoritz) for weather-related updates.

Romero Makes Start: Lefty Ricky Romero makes his sixth start with the Herd today but just his second at Coca-Cola Field. His last outing was Saturday in Norfolk where he pitched a six-inning no-decision with no walks -- a significant statistic for Romero who is trying to find his mechanics which mysteriously fell apart last season. An American League All Star in 2011 when he won a career-best 15 games, he was the Blue Jays Opening Day starter last season and won four straight decisions. He ended the season losing 13 straight and has been trying to get back to form ever since.

Gomez hits for power: Mauro Gomez has eight home runs in his last 10 games after hitting a solo blast in last night's 5-3 loss. The eight home runs are two more than any player in minor league baseball since May 26. He now is tied for the most homers in the International League this season with 15.

Brown is back: Marty Brown returns to the dugout today after serving a three-game suspension for his antics and ejection in Norfolk on Sunday.

Today's Bisons' Lineup:
Ryan Goins -- SS
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Luis Jimenez -- DH
Mauro Gomez -- 1B
Josh Thole -- C
Moises Sierra -- RF
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- CF
Ricardo Nanita -- LF 

By Mike Harrington

The White Sox beat the Mariners, 7-5, in 16 innings Wednesday at Safeco Field in Seattle. Fair enough. Long games happen from time to even. Even ones that go 5 hours, 42 minutes.

But this one was unlike any other in MLB history.

There was no score through 13 innings. None. Then the White Sox plated five runs in the top of the 14th to take a seemingly safe 5-0 lead. But the Mariners got a run and loaded the bases with two out. 

And then Kyle Seager hit a grand slam to tie the game, 5-5. Seem odd? Seem pretty incredible? Sure does. Look at the video above. Father runs over a little kid, presumed to be his own, to get the ball. The stunned looking coach the camera pans to in the Chicago dugout? White Sox hitting coach and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Jeff Manto

The Elias Sports Bureau and Retrosheet quickly combed the files and figured out it was the first time in big-league history both teams scored as many as five runs in a game that was scoreless through nine. And the first time a team scored as many as five runs to tie an extra-inning game. And the first time anyone in all the years of baseball ever hit a game-TYING grand slam in extra innings to extend a game.

Moral of the story: Never leave a baseball game early.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Chad Jenkins will make his Triple-A debut with the Buffalo Bisons as the starter for tonight's game against the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

But this is merely a pit stop on his way back to Toronto.

Jenkins, a first-round draft choice of Toronto in 2009, made three starts with the Blue Jays, from May 12-31. He went 1-0 in those starts with a 3.60 earned run average over 15 innings of work. In his three starts he gave up 18 hits and six earned runs while striking out six with four walks.

Since the Blue Jays had two scheduled off days, they went to a four-man rotation, sending Jenkins to Buffalo so that he could start on his regular day. It is anticipated that he will start for the Blue Jays on June 11.

Jenkins opened the season in Double-A New Hampshire and last season made 20 starts in Double-A before earning his first Major League promotion. He made 13 appearances with three starts for the Blue Jays in 2012.

He becomes the second pitcher to make his Triple-A debut with the Bisons after already pitching in the Majors. The other was Josh Johnson, who was with the club on a rehabilitation stint.

Guest Skipper: Doug Davis, the Blue Jays' minor league field coordinator, will again serve as the Bisons manager tonight as Marty Brown serves the final of his three-game suspension for his antics after getting ejected from Sunday's game in Norfolk. The latest place the video went viral? On this afternoon's episode of "Around the Horn" on ESPN.

Tonight's Bisons' Lineup:
Mike McCoy -- CF
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Luis Jimenez -- 1B
Mauro Gomez -- DH
Josh Thole -- C
Moises Sierra -- RF
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- LF
Ryan Goins -- SS 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Marty Brown threw batting practice for the Buffalo Bisons Tuesday afternoon, then retired to the clubhouse. That was it for his on-field or dugout participation as the manager served the second of his two-game suspension after being ejected on Sunday in Norfolk.

Brown was arguing for an interference call in the second inning (see the video and details in this previous blog post) and was ejected. He then staged a bit of a sit-in on the field.

Before Tuesday's game, Brown said he was frustrated with base umpire Kevin Bultron's lack of an explanation on the no-call. "Basically he said he didn’t see it and wasn’t going to ask for help," Brown said. "It could have had a huge impact on the game and I didn’t think that was right. If you’re out there at least get the call right or try your hardest to get the call right. I didn’t feel that was appropriate just to tell me he didn’t see it and to get off the field."

Bisons manager Marty Brown takes a seat on the Norfolk infield Sunday. (MILB.TV video)

By Mike Harrington

The Buffalo Bisons open a four-game homestand tonight at Coca-Cola Field against Lehigh Valley but veteran manager Marty Brown will be absent for the first two games after earning a suspension from the International League in the wake of his comedic ejection Sunday at Norfolk.

Brown was suspended three games and fined an undisclosed amount, the team said today. Pitching coach Bob Stanley and batting coach Jon Nunnally ran the team during Monday's 10-5 win at Norfolk, and Toronto Blue Jays minor league field coordinator Doug Davis will be at the head of the Herd tonight and Wednesday.

Brown was ejected in the second inning Sunday, arguing that second baseman Jim Negrych had been interfered with while trying to field an infield chopper. Base umpire Kevin Bultron ejected Brown and the Bisons skipper than made contact with plate umpire Travis Carlson, who tried to get between them.

Brown then sat down on the infield, refusing to leave the field, and tossed his helmet. The umpires walked away from Brown, who finally got up and booted his helmet toward the Buffalo dugout. I've watched the video on the MILB.TV subscription package. Classic. Hysterically funny -- except, of course, to IL president Randy Mobley.

Watch other segments from this week's "Bucky & Sully Show" here.

By Rodney McKissic

The Buffalo Bisons scored four runs in the first inning, powered by back-to-back home runs by Mauro Gomez and Josh Thole, then held off a late Indianapolis rally in the ninth to defeat the Indians, 6-5, today at Coca-Cola Field.

The Bisons split the four-game set with the Tribe (34-17) and begin an eight-game road trip to Durham and Norfolk on Monday.

With two outs and one on, Gomez launched a shot over the fence in left center, followed by Thole who parked a Brooks Brown offering in the same spot. The Herd (28-20) loaded the bases and Brown walked in the fourth run.

The Indians rallied late by scoring three runs in the ninth inning but reliever Neil Wagner, who picked up his 13th save on the year, got Felix Pie to fly out to left field to end the game.

Dave Bush (5-4) went five complete innings to pick up the win, while Ryan Langerhans finished 3-for-4 and scored two runs for the Herd.

Left-hander Ricky Romero (0-0, 8.76 ERA) is scheduled to take the mound for the Bisons at 5:05 p.m. tomorrow against Durham southpaw Alex Torres (2-2, 2.81).

By Rodney McKissic

A win today would give the Bisons (27-20) a split against the IL West leading Indianapolis Indians (34-16) in this four-game set. Herd begins an eight-game road trip tomorrow in Durham.

Here is the starting lineup for today's game:

Jim Negrych, 2b
Moises Sierra, cf
Luis Jimenez, dh
Mauro Gomez, 1b
Josh Thole, c
Ryan Langerhans, rf
Ricardo Nanita, lf
Ryan Goins, ss
Mike McCoy, 3b
Dave Bush, p

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

The Buffalo Bisons scored in the first inning and had a fantastic performance from its pitching staff in a 2-1 win over the Indianapolis Indians at Coca-Cola Field Saturday afternoon.

Three straight base started the first inning for the Bisons with an RBI single up the middle from Luis Jimenez giving the Herd a 1-0 lead. A wild pitch from Indianapolis starter Gerrit Cole allowed another run to score for a 2-0 lead.

Josh Johnson, making a Major League injury rehab start, threw four scoreless innings giving up one hit with one walk and three strikeouts. He threw 68 pitches, 38 of them for strikes.

Neil Wagner picked up his 12th save, striking out three of the four batters he faced to seal out the win.

The Bisons close out the homestand on Sunday with a 1:05 game.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Josh Johnson will make his Buffalo Bisons debut on the second game of his Major League injury rehab assignment. The righty was placed on the disabled list on May 2 with right triceps inflammation. In his first rehab start with Single-A Dunedin on Monday, he allowed one run with five strikeouts in three innings.

Johnson was a two-time National League All-Star with the Marlins and was part of a seven-player deal between Miami and the Blue Jays in November. He started the season in Toronto, pitching four games with a 6.86 ERA in 19 2/3 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts.

Not in first: This is the first time since April 18 that the Bisons have not had at least a share of first place in the International League North. Yesterday's loss by the Herd combined with a 4-3 win for Pawtucket over Louisville put the PawSox alone in first by a game.

Thole's hot bat: Josh Thole has found his swing at the plate as the catcher has hit in eight of his last 10 outings. Since May 11, the catcher is hitting .382 (13 of 34) raising his batting average to .347 -- the fourth best in the IL.

Today's Bison Lineup:
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Eugenio Velez -- DH
Luis Jimenez -- 1B
Josh Thole -- C
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- RF
Ricardo Nanita -- LF
Ryan Goins -- SS
Mike McCoy -- CF 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

The Buffalo Bisons struggles against the Indianapolis Indians continue. After dropping three of four against the Indians on the road last week, the Herd dropped the series opener at Coca-Cola Field on Thursday, 7-3. That puts them at 1-4 against Indy this season. The Bisons have not won a series against the Indians in Buffalo since 2004.

Vargas on the Mound: Claudio Vargas makes his ninth start for the Herd. He leads the team in ERA (4.70) and quality starts with four. In his last outing on May 18 against Charlotte, Vargas took the loss, giving up six earned runs on seven hits in three innings.

Who's in first? The Bisons have now been tied or alone in first place of the International League North for 33 straight games, the club's longest streak since 2007. The Herd spent 65 straight games in first place and spent 76 games total in first, but failed to make the playoffs. Going into tonight's action, the Bisons are tied for first with Pawtucket.

Tonight's Bison lineup:
Mike McCoy -- CF
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Moises Sierra -- RF
Luis Jimenez -- DH
Mauro Gomez -- 1B
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Eugenio Velez --LF
Ryan Goins -- SS
Mike Nickeas -- C

By Rodney McKissic

Wind and rain - elements that hindered baseball in WNY during early April - have delayed tonight's game against the Indianapolis Indians. Tonight opens a four-game set against the IL West Division leading Tribe (32-15), who are in first place by 31/2 games. The Bisons, tied for first in the IL North with a 26-18 record, split a four-game set with Charlotte which ended on Tuesday.

Here is the starting lineup for tonight's game:

Jim Negrych, 2b
Moises Sierra, cf
Luis Jimenez, 1b
Mauro Gomez, dh
Josh Thole, c
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Ryan Langerhans, rf
Ricardo Nanita, lf
Ryan Goins, ss
Justin Germano, p

By Mike Harrington

You probably didn't see Miguel Cabrera's 13th home run of the season, since it came around midnight during the Tigers' rain-delayed, 11-7 win at Cleveland. But it's worth multiple looks. Quite an assist from Tribe center fielder Michael Bourne.

(Remember to click the square at the bottom right of the video box for a full-screen look)