Bisons Game Notes
August 17, 2007 - International League (IL1)
Buffalo Bisons News Release
TODAY'S GAME: Tonight, the Buffalo Bisons host the Rochester Red Wings in the final game of a four-game series from Dunn Tire Park (7:35 p.m.). Buffalo is up in the series 2-1 after winning 5-4 Thursday afternoon in the bottom of the ninth. Buffalo is 4-5 on their season-long 10-game homestand that ends tonight. On the mound tonight will be LHP Jeremy Sowers. The southpaw is coming off a victory as he threw seven solid innings on Sunday. Rochester will counter with LHP Brian Duensing.
vs. THE WINGS: Buffalo is 7-4 against Rochester this season with victories in seven of the last nine games. As a team, the Herd is hitting .300 with 13 home runs in the 11 games against Red Wings' pitching. With a victory tonight, the Bisons can assure themselves a split of the season series against their closest rival.
LEADING THEM ALL: Ben Francisco's (.326) lead in the IL batting race is currently .0008655 points over Rochester's Jose Morales (.325). Francisco is 5-12 (.417) in this series while Herd pitchers have limited Morales to 1-9 (.111). The last Bisons player to lead the league in average was Mark Ryal (.334) in 1990 in the American Association. Francisco won the NY-Penn League Batting Championship in 2002 when he hit .349 with Mahoning Valley (his first professional season).
COMING ON STRONG: The main reason Ben Francisco has taken over the lead in the batting race is a 15-game hit streak. Since August 2, the outfielder has averaged .381 (24-63) with five doubles, a triple, two home runs, eight RBI and 10 runs scored. Francisco also had a 19-game hit streak this year as he hit .423 (33-78) from May 18-June 7.
IN A PINCH: In the last two years, Jason Cooper has posted a .714 (5-7) with six RBI as a pinch hitter. In 2006, Cooper was a perfect 3-3 with a pinch-hit a single, a home run (July 16 at Indianapolis) and an RBI-double. This year, he had a two-run triple on July 16 in Charlotte before yesterday's game-winning two-run double in the bottom of the ninth inning.
THRUWAY SERIES: The Bisons currently lead the 2007 Thruway Cup Series. Buffalo (15-10) is 3.5 games ahead of second place Rochester (12-14) and 4.0 games up on third place Syracuse (13-16). There are just 8 combined Thruway Cup games left.
Jeremy Sowers
-Last Outing (8/12 vSWB): (W, 7.0IP, 8H, 3R, 2ER, 1BB, 7K), Bisons 9-4 win.
-2007 w/ BUF: (2-5, 4.04)(11G, 11GS, 71.1IP, 83H, 41R, 32ER, 17BB, 46K).
-2007 w/ CLE: (1-6, 6.93)(12G, 12GS, 62.1IP, 79H, 49R, 48ER, 19BB, 19K).
-2006 Bisons Most Valuable Pitcher (9-1, 1.39)(15GS, 97.1IP, 78H, 15ER, 29BB, 54K).
-2006 with Cleveland: (7-4, 3.57)(14GS, 88.1IP, 85H, 36R, 35ER, 20BB, 35K).
-2005 Indians Minor League Pitcher of the Year: 14-4, 2.37ERA at 3 levels.
-Selected in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 2004 First-Year Player Draft.
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