Bison Notebook Archives - May

Herd - Indy rained out

By Dave Ricci

 May 20, 2003

The final game of the Buffalo-Indianapolis series was canceled because of rain. The Tuesday night contest, which was scheduled to begin at 7:05 P.M., was officially called off after a two hour and forty-five minute rain delay.

Bison manager Marty Brown stated how every effort was made to get this game in because it was the last time the two clubs would meet in the regular season.

“It was a huge priority for the umpires as well as us you don’t want to lose a game during the season.”

With both teams scheduled for a day off Wednesday the possibility of Indy hanging around to make up the game was kicked around. But Brown didn’t seem too keen on that notion. “It’s a travel day for them, they’ve got to head for Ottawa. You have very few off days during the season…with the off day and their travel day it just didn’t match up right.”

Having already lost one scheduled day off (July 28) because of a make-up game the Bison’s understandably weren’t exactly jumping through hoops to give up another free day. Had tonight’s game been rescheduled the Herd would not have seen another day off until June 11.

Even though Tuesday’s game was canceled that isn’t considered an “off day” since the team still went through normal game day preparations.

Brown said, “An off day is when you don’t have to think about baseball.”

As of about 9:40 P.M. the plan was to attempt to get the game in. But after more rain began to fall the umpire’s finally gave into common sense and called it off at about 9:55.

The grounds’ crew had removed the tarp to reveal the infield was playable but excess water from the tarp drenched the outfield grass, which made playing conditions very unsafe. The wet field was a perfect recipe for a possible pulled hamstring, popped groin or a twisted knee.

While you can certainly applaud the efforts made to get the game in, it was very surprising that it took so long to officially call it off.

If this was a division opponent or the end of the season and a playoff spot was at stake I could understand the long wait. But this was a meaningless game against the worst team in the I.L. It would have been foolish for both teams to risk their player’s health by playing in those conditions.

Imagine Cleveland losing a top prospect like Coco Crisp or Alex Escobar to an injury that was sustained in an irrelevant game. It boggles the mind that the umpires waited so long to end the night.

If anything good can come from this rain out it’s the fact it gives Greg LaRocca another day to heal. “Roc” is still on the mend after being hit in the face by a pitch on Monday.

Brown said, “He’s just bruised after this day and tomorrow (off) we’ll reevaluate him. He needs a couple days of rest anyway he’d been playing every day. It’s unfortunate he had to get hit to get it (rest).”

Brown planned on meeting with pitching Coach Terry Clark and Tuesday’s scheduled starter Jason Stanford on how the rain out will effect the rotation for the next series. But early indications are Stanford will get the nod on Thursday’s opener against the Richmond Braves.

“Terry and I have to talk about it but I just assume we’ll just back (Stanford) up…you hate to give (pitchers) that much time off.”

As expected Karim Garcia is in Buffalo to begin a rehab assignment for his strained right wrist.

Chad Paronto won the International League’s Pitcher of the Week award for May12-18. Paronto went 3-for-3 in save opportunities. In four innings of work he gave up just one hit while recording four K’s without allowing a run.

Richmond comes to town for a four game set that begins on Thursday May 22 at 7:05 P.M. Other games are Friday May 23 7:05 P.M. and back-to-back 2:05 starts on Saturday and Sunday.
 

By Dave Ricci

 May 19, 2003

As the Bison’s increase their lead in the North Division with a 28-13 record, manager Marty Brown stated a winning atmosphere has grown within the clubhouse and that has been the catalyst for their success so far. “One of the reason’s our record is what it is they just don’t like losing. It doesn’t matter if we play a good sound ball game, if we get beaten they don’t like it so it’s a fun team to manage in that respect.”

The Bison’s are 10^th in the I.L. for team home runs. While the long-ball has been somewhat lacking in their game, Brown feels they’ve made up for it with solid situational hitting. “I think these guys concentrate on what I call ‘my time’. In pre game those are the things we work on. (Hitting coach) Carlos (Garcia) spends a lot of time in the cage trying to get these guys in the right mindset and it carries over into the ball games. I think they’re seeing consistent results each and every at-bat. They’re really focused it’s about every pitch. It’s not about giving at-bats away, they’re trying to lock it in and understand that if I get beat I need to make an adjustment for the next at-bat. That’s when you start to find out how good you can be.”

All due respect to the minds at Baseball America, but Victor Martinez is hardly living up to the tag of best defensive catcher in the Indians organization. Martinez was suppose to be earning his living with his bat but he’s been just as inconsistent and disappointing offensively as he has been defensively.

He has five passed balls already and his throw-out ratio on stolen bases is 26 percent.

His batting avg. at home is around .160 while going .282 on the road.

Karim Garcia should be sent to Buffalo sometime this week on a rehab assignment.

14,406 was the announced crowd for this years Kids Day game.

Jason Bere is lights’ out for Herd

Buffalo 2 Indianapolis 0

By Dave Ricci

May 17, 2003

Just how far away is Buffalo from Cleveland? For Jason Bere Cleveland and a return to the Major’s are about 11 strikeouts away from the Queen City.

Bere worked a masterful 6-2/3 innings fanning 11 Indianapolis Indians (15-26) to earn his first victory of the season as a Bison (26-13).

Bere retired the first twelve batters he faced. Eight of them went down on K’s. “His split-ball and change-up were working and he had command of his fastball in and out.” Said Bison skipper Marty Brown.

For Bere a call-up to Cleveland with a spot in the starting rotation appears to be a lock. He should be on the bump for the Tribe when Cleveland faces Detroit Thursday May 22.

Bere, who went 1-10 in 2002 as a member of the Chicago Cubs before going on the DL (June 27) for two months, has not started a Major league game since August 31, 2002.

“There’s no place else I’d rather be,” Bere said of his impending return to the Majors. “By no means will I be overwhelmed about throwing there again.”

The Bison’s cashed in all the runs they’d need in the first inning. Coco Crisp reached on a bunt single and advanced to second when Indy starter David Manning walked Zach Sorensen. After Greg LaRocca bumped his mates up one base on a 1-3 ground out Manning issued walks to Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez. The Martinez walk “drove in” Crisp to give Buffalo the 1-0 lead. Sorensen scored on a fly out by Alex Escobar.

The game took slightly longer to complete then it took to build the pyramids. Manning who was born in WNY decided to give his entourage of friends and family their monies worth. The first inning alone took 24 minutes to finish as Manning’s whined-up and throw-back motion to first base were about as graceful a one-legged cat trying to bury a turd on a frozen pond.
Manning (2-1) took the loss. Welcome home.

Chad Paronto notched two strikeouts in the ninth as he picked up his fifth save of the year. Marty Brown commented on how Paronto has filled that all-important job of closer.

With the loss of Dave Elder and Jason Boyd, the Herd needed someone to step up and fill that roll of the guy who can come in and shut the other team down one-two-three in the ninth.
Brown feels that it’s a challenge Paronto has come to love.

The Bison’s continue their series against Indy with a 2:05 start Sunday. Brian Tallet (3-1) will be on the hill facing recently departed Bison Dave Burba (2-3).

Burba was granted his release from the Cleveland organization on May 3. He signed with Milwaukee May 4 and was assigned to Indianapolis.

Marty Brown said, “I know Dave Burba real well, every time he goes out there he wants to win. He competes…we know what he can do.”

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Bisons bounce back to rout Bats

By Mike Freedman

May 4, 2003

Right fielder Alex Escobar continued heating up and starting pitcher Jason Stanford was on fire as Buffalo trounced the visiting Louisville Bats 7-2 Sunday afternoon.

Escobar smashed a two-run blast over the left field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning to give the Bisons a 4-1 lead that they would never relinquish.

Stanford improved to 3-0 on the year by scattering five hits over six innings while striking out seven batters and allowing just an unearned run.

“It’s the second outing in a row where his changeup has opened the door for his fastball and his slider,” said Buffalo manager Marty Brown. “If he continues to do that, I think that we’ll see him continue to flourish and give solid outings for weeks at a time for the rest of the season.”

Relievers Jerrod Riggan, Aaron Myette and Chad Paronto finished off the win for the Herd (18-8).

The Bisons got on the board in the second inning when third baseman Nate Grindell belted a double to plate Jhonny Peralta before Coco Crisp singled in Luis Garcia for an early 2-0 lead.

Escobar’s two-run shot in the fifth then proved to be too much as Louisville could only muster up a run off of the Buffalo bullpen.

Terry Adkins was saddled with the loss for the Bats as he allowed four runs on seven hits in 4.2 innings in his first start of the season. Wilton Guerrero and Brandon Larson each finished with two hits for Louisville (16-12) while Larson and Jim Chamblee were credited with an RBI apiece.

For Buffalo, who took three of four from Louisville, Escobar finished one for three with two RBI and a pair of runs scored. Teammates Garcia and Grindell each added a pair of hits and an RBI for the Bisons.

After beginning the season with his usual slow start, Escobar has begun to come alive as he hit safely in all four of the games versus Louisville. Through April the right fielder was batting just .158 with three home runs and 10 RBI but sprung to life once May hit.

In the Louisville series, Escobar finished 6-14 (.429) with two homers, four RBI and five runs scored and cites a number of reasons for the turnaround – including warmer weather and better focus at the plate.

“It’s been a little bit of everything,” says Escobar who sat out all of last year with a torn ACL. “Sometimes for me it takes a while. The first four weeks of the season I couldn’t hit anything but now everything is starting to come together. The weather is getting warm – well warmer – and I’m feeling more comfortable at the plate.”

Bisons RHP Jason Boyd was promoted up to Cleveland early on Sunday. He was 1-0 with three saves and a paltry 1.23 ERA in nine outings for the Herd.

To make room for Boyd in the bigs, the Indians optioned RHP Jose Santiago back to Buffalo where he had appeared in 15 games with a 1-0 record and an ERA of 3.94.
 

The Herd begins another four game homestand on Monday against Toledo. Taking the hill on Monday for Buffalo will be RHP Mike Fyhrie (1-2, 5.01 ERA) against LHP Andy Van Hekken (1-4, 8.10) at 7:05.

Tuesday’s 7:05 first pitch will feature Buffalo’s LHP Brian Tallet (2-0, 4.15) versus Toledo’s LHP Nate Robertson (1-1, 2.64).

On Wednesday at 7:05, it’s RHP Jason Phillips (5-0, 2.17) for the Bisons while the Mud Hens counter with RHP Shane Loux (3-1, 1.93).

The series finale on Thursday at 2:05 will send Buffalo’s RHP Jamie Brown (1-1, 1.98) to the mound to take on Toledo’s Seth Greisinger (3-2, 4.40).

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By Dave Ricci

May 1, 2003

It wasn’t the prettiest win the Bison’s have ever concocted but they’ll take it. The Herd rallied with two runs in the ninth inning to steal a 6-5 victory from the visiting Louisville Bats Thursday night at Dunn Tire Park.

After going three up three down in the eighth Buffalo (16-7) had their backs against the wall trailing 5-4 going into the final frame.

No. 8 batter in the line-up Luis Garcia, who was 0-for-3, got the ball rolling with a leadoff single. Then Bison’s manager Marty Brown had Nate Grindell pinch-hit for Scott Pratt in the nine-hole.

Louisville (15-10) reliever Mark Watson hit Grindell giving the Bison’s two base runners. Garcia and Grindell each advanced a base on Coco Crisp’s sacrifice ground out.

Second baseman Zach Sorensen drove a fly ball to deep left which allowed Grindell to advance to third and Garcia to come with the tying run.

With two out and the winning run just 90 feet away, Watson tried to bear down on Bison batter Greg LaRocca, but Watson lost his grip on the ball and released the throw too soon. It sailed over the head of Bats catches Mike Stefanski and Grindell was able to race down the third base line and score the winning run.

After the game Zach Sorensen noted that while the Herd worked hard for what the got, fate did smile upon them.

"Yeah there’s no doubt you need a little bit of luck in this game now and then. Tonight we got some."

During his playing days Marty Brown found himself in the visiting dugout on numerous occasions.

Remember very clearly just how hard fans can get Dunn Tire Park rocking, Brown commented how nice it is to be one of the good guys. "It use to make me sick," Brown said with a smile as he recalled those days. "You’d start to hear music from AC/DC pumping around the seventh inning…you just knew something was going to happen. It’s good to be in this club house now when that starts happening."

Jarrod Riggan got the win in relief (2-0) as he struck out two and gave up two hits. Mark Watson (0-1) took the loss.

Zach Sorensen went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. Alex Escobar went 3-for-4 with a run scored and Greg LaRocca’s fifth inning single extended his hitting streak to 16 games.

Jacob Cruz went 3-for-4 with three RBI and a home run for Louisville. Brandon Larson and Kelly Dransforth also hit home runs for the Bats.

Prior to the game the Herd announced pitcher Dave Elder was called up to Cleveland. Elder had six saves and 0.00 ERA.

Aaron Myette was recalled from Akron to take his place.

The Bison’s finished April with a league best team ERA of 3.10

Friday night’s starters’ will be Jason Phillips (4-0) against Seth Etherton (2-2)

Thursday night’s attendance was announced at 5,585 but it looked as if barely 300 people were in the stands. Come on people, a winning team and rock bottom prices. You can’t lose, come on out!

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