Sports stats



IL Buffalo Bisons

Bisons Remain Top Pitching Team in Triple-A East

August 24, 2021 - International League (IL)
Buffalo Bisons News Release


A matchup between the first place team and last place team in a division doesn't normally produce a tightly fought series. But when you were playing -and pitching- as well as the Buffalo Bisons and Syracuse Mets have been, it was no surprise the Thruway Cup rivals produced their fair share of nail-biters last week at NBT Bank Stadium.

The pitching-oriented series featured four games in which the winner scored four runs or less. The Bisons and Mets combined for just 17 runs through the first four games, until the Herd finally broke through and scored nine runs in their Sunday win to close out the series.

Syracuse took three of the five games in the series, earning their first series win over Buffalo this season. Despite being last place in the division, the Mets are playing some of their best baseball right now. The opposing club came into the series riding a five-game win streak, beating Worcester in the final five games of their previous series.

Winning the first two games of the series against Buffalo, Syracuse expanded their win streak to seven games, but the Herd finished the week strong, winning two of the last three contests.

Getting great pitching is nothing new for the Bisons. The Herd has the lowest earned run average in the Triple-A East, sporting a 3.36 ERA. The club also holds the second-lowest batting average against, with opposing hitters batting just .224 against Buffalo.

Being such a solid pitching team takes a group effort. From the players in the field to the starter on the mound, to the relievers from the bullpen, the Bisons have seen a group effort when it comes to keeping runs off the board.

Friday evening's game was a great example of the Herd's ability. Already trailing in the series by two games, Buffalo had their backs against the wall, looking to escape with a win. It was Zach Logue who took the mound for the Bisons, with veteran catcher Juan Graterol behind the plate.

The duo earned the win, with Logue pitching 5.1 innings, allowing just one earned run. The southpaw then handed the ball over to the bullpen, who used four different pitchers to secure the win. The five pitchers combined for ten strikeouts and stranded six Syracuse runners on base.

Sunday afternoon's game looked much similar. This time it was Casey Lawrence who started on the bump for Buffalo, with Kellin Deglan behind the plate. The duo held the Mets to just one earned run through five innings and Lawrence handed the ball over to the bullpen to finish the job.

Yet again the Buffalo bullpen delivered. Using four different pitchers, the bullpen allowed just one run on two hits through the final four innings.

Again, this is nothing new for the Bisons. When the Herd has a lead, they tend to hold it. The club has a league-best, 3.00 earned run average when leading, and holds opposing batters to just a .214 batting average.

As the Worcester Red Sox travel to Buffalo, it will be important for the Bisons to continue their all-around great team play. The Woo Sox are trending in the wrong direction as a club, winning just four of their last thirteen games, but the numbers can be a bit deceiving. Four of Worcester's nine losses have been games in which the club lost by two runs or less.

Worcester was also able to shutout Scranton Wilkes-Barre in two of their wins last week, which is an impressive feat considering the RailRiders lead the division in runs scored with 495 on the season.

With Scranton Wilkes-Barre just one game behind the Bisons, the upcoming series against Worcester will be pivotal in the division. Buffalo will look to get help from Lehigh Valley as the RailRiders travel to take on the IronPigs.

The series between the Bisons (56-36) and Woo Sox (49-46) starts on Tuesday night at Sahlen Field. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 pm. Nick Allgeyer is expected to start on the mound for the Herd.

Check out the Buffalo Bisons Statistics



International League Stories from August 24, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central