Inside Pitch

By Mike Harrington

We had plenty of Ricky Romero talk on the blog earlier today leading up to tonight's home debut of the bedraggled Blue Jays left-hander. The Bisons will be playing their series finale against the Charlotte Knights and it will be most interesting to see how Romero fares against rehabbing White Sox infielder Gordon Beckham (batting second tonight) and left fielder Jordan Danks (who is batting .310 and homered twice last night).

The Bisons, meanwhile, are simply trying to get a split of a four-game series and find some semblance of peace in their rotation, which has been impossible this month (7.96 ERA). One big change made today was the release of MLB veteran Miguel Batista (1-2, 8.36), who is likely to be replaced in the rotation by Thad Weber. He was picked up on waivers from San Diego yesterday.

With Anthony Gose up in Toronto, the Blue Jays have promoted Ricardo Nanita from Double-A New Hampshire, where he was batting .255 with four home runs. The 31-year-old Nanita, who played for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic, has been with Herd manager Marty Brown in Las Vegas the last two years. Moises Sierra has moved to center field for tonight, which is where likely to stay with Gose in the big leagues and with Nanita en route.

Reliever Chad Beck (1-0, 9.45) has been placed on the disabled list.

The Bisons' lineup tonight:

Mike McCoy, ss
Jim Negrych, 2b
Moises Sierra,  cf
Josh Thole, dh
Mauro Gomez, 1b
Ryan Langerhans, rf
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Eugenio Velez, lf
Mike Nickeas, c
---
Ricky Romero, p 

By Mike Harrington

The Bisons' rotation has been in a world of hurt all month and there's nowhere to hide when the starter isn't giving you innings. The Bisons know that feeling as their 8-11 May record is largely rooted in the ghastly 7.96 ERA for the month from the rotation.

The spotlight will be particularly bright tonight in Coca-Cola Field as downtrodden former Toronto all-star Ricky Romero (right) makes his home debut. Romero is 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in two starts for the Herd so far -- allowing 14 hits and 11 walks in 7 1/3 innings while striking out just one.

"His stuff has been really good coming out of his hand," Bisons pitching coach Bob Stanley said. "It's just sometimes he fights himself. If he can avoid doing that, he definitely has the stuff. It's not like he's been really hurt out there. He's in a big rut. Everyone has been there. I've been there."

Stanley, remember, threw the historic wild pitch to Mookie Wilson and got the groundball that Bill Buckner booted to end Game Six of the 1986 World Series for the Red Sox at Shea Stadium. The next year, the Red Sox turned him into a starter and he had a nightmarish 4-15 season.

By Mike Harrington

(For Amy Moritz's blog post on the Anthony Gose-less lineup for tonight's Bisons-Charlotte game, go to this link)

I had a quick chat late this afternoon after batting practice with Charlie Wilson, the Blue Jays' director of minor-league operations, to get some updated thoughts on the Bisons. Naturally, he was naturally thrilled with the way the club has thrived offensively.

"From an offensive standpoint, it's been really, really fun to watch," Wilson said. "The highlight, the most exciting game was following the game online in Syracuse where we put up 27 runs. Jimmy Negrych has had a great first six weeks but so has everybody else. You go around the whole diamond and everybody is contibuting in so many ways."

While the Bisons continue to lead the league in batting (.287) and home runs (51) and are second in runs (233), their pitching has been crumbling. The team ERA of 4.91 is second-last in the IL and would be the second-worst in franchise history if the season ended today. The starters have an ERA of 8.09 in May.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

The buzz around Coca-Cola Field this afternoon was about Anthony Gose and his callup this morning to the Toronto Blue Jays. The 22-year old outfielder even got in game in Toronto this afternoon, a defensive replacement in the eighth inning for Melky Cabrera. He got an at-bat, too, though he flew out to left field. With Gose gone, the Herd had to juggle its lineup slightly. Here's the breakdown:

Outfield shift: Moises Sierra take Gose's spot in centerfield. Sierra, the regular rightfielder, has two previous starts for the Herd this season at center. Ryan Langerhans is making his fourth start in right field while Eugenio Velz is getting his 18th start in left field.

Top of the order: Gose hit primarily in the first and second spots in the order. For tonight's game, Velez takes the leadoff spot, his third time at the top of the order. Jim Negrych will bat second, a familiar position for him. It's his 13th time batting second.

Quality from Bush: Dave Bush gets the start for the Herd. The righty leads the team in quality starts with three and is 4-3 overall. His last outing he took the loss at Indianpolis, giving up nine runs on 10 hits in four innings. He has walked just four batters in 36 innings of work this season, including just one walk in his lat four starts combined against 13 strikeouts.

Tonight's Bisons lineup:
Eugenio Velez -- LF
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Moises Sierra -- CF
Luis Jiminez -- DH
Mauro Gomez -- 1B
Josh Thole -- C
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- RF
Ryan Goins -- SS 

By Mike Harrington

Anthony Gose is batting .200 in May with 23 strikeouts in 70 at-bats and only four extra-base hits. He's batting .227 for the season with 41 strikeouts in 154 at-bats -- well on his way to more than 100 Ks for the fifth straight year. In a column for today's paper, he told Bucky Gleason, "Right now, I’m probably at the lowest point I’ve ever been in my career. It’s been frustrating. It has felt like the longest month of my life." 

May just got better for Gose. The Blue Jays gave him a surprise callup to the big leagues today, returning reliever Mickey Storey to the Bisons.

Gose somehow leads the IL in runs (36) but has been largely quiet since putting up a .309 average in the first 14 games. Full Gose stat breakdowns here.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

With good situational hitting and a solid outing from the bullpen, the Buffalo Bisons earned an 11-6 win over the Charlotte Knights at Coca-Cola Field Sunday afternoon.

It was a three-hit day for Jim Negrych and Moises Sierra while Luis Jimenez drove in three runs.

The Herd trailed, 3-0, early in the game, but got four runs in the third inning. A two-out, three-run home run by Blake Tekotte put Charlotte back on top, 6-4, in the fourth but the Herd tied the game in the bottom of the inning then took the lead for good on a solo home run from Ryan Langerhans in the seventh.

The Bisons went 7 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

Chad Beck (1-0) picked up the win for the Herd, giving up one run on two hits in 1 2/3 innings.

Zach Stewart (2-5) took the loss for Charlotte, giving up seven runs on 11 hits in five innings.

The teams meet again Monday at 7:05 in Coca-Cola Field.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

The Buffalo Bisons continue their series with the Charlotte Knights this afternoon at Coca-Cola Field. After last night's 11-6 loss, the Herd has now lost six straight home games to the Knights dating back to May of 2011.

Redmond Debut: Righty Todd Redmond will make his Bisons debut this afternoon, coming off the disable list. He missed the first 41 games with a right shoulder impingement. He has ranked in the Top 5 of the International League in strikeouts each of the last three seasons, including coming in at No. 3 in 2012 with 136 Ks combined for Gwinnett and Louisville. The Blue Jays claimed Redmond off waivers from Baltimore on March 22.

Negrych dips: Jim Negrych is now hitless in his last two games on an 0-7 skid. That dropped his batting average to .390 -- the first time he's been below .400 all season. He still ranks tops in the International League and is now fourth in all of minor league baseball. Last night he hit seventh in the lineup. Today, he is back to second.

Today's Bisons' Lineup:

Anthony Gose -- CF
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Moises Sierra -- RF
Luis Jimenez -- 1B
Mauro Gomez -- DH
Josh Thole -- C
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- LF
Ryan Goins -- SS 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

The Buffalo Bisons return to Coca-Cola Field to open a four-game series with the Charlotte Knights. The Herd is coming off a 4-4 road trip splitting series at Louisville and Indianapolis.

Rehab assignment: Righty Dustin McGowan joined the Bisons on an MLB injury rehab assignment and is expected to throw in relief tonight. A former No. 1 pick of the Toronto Blue Jays, he missed all of 2012 with plantar fasciitis in his right foot and missed 2009 and 2010 with shoulder injuries. He pitched twice for Single-A Dunedin, striking out four in two innings of work.

Rehab assignment Part II: Charlotte's starter tonight is John Danks, who is working his way back to the Chicago White Sox after season-ending surgery on his left shoulder last August. He has 57 wins for the White Sox over six seasons with a career 4.12 ERA.

A .400 slump? Jim Negrych still leads all of minor league baseball in batting average, but the Bisons' infielder has slipped to batting .400 after batting just 7 of 24 (.292) on the Herd's road trip. Negrych, however, is hitting well in Buffalo, batting .475 (29 of 61) at Coca-Cola Field. 

Slumping starters: Speaking of slumping, the starting pitching has been problematic for the Herd. In May, the starters ERA is 7.51 coming off a road trip where the starters ERA was 8.61 (37 earned runs in 38 2/3 innings pitched). Tonight, Claudio Vargas (3-2) makes his eighth start. In his last outing, a no-decision at Louisville on May 13, he gave up two runs on seven hits in six innings.

Transactions: This afternoon, the Herd added righthanded pitcher John Stilson from Double-A New Hampshire and released righty Clint Everts. Stilson, 22, was a third-round draft pick of the Blue Jays in 2011. In two relief appearances for New Hampshire, he has one save and six strikeouts with a 3.86 ERA in 2 1/3 innings.

Tonight's Bisons' lineup:

Mike McCoy -- SS
Anthony Gose -- CF
Moises Sierra -- RF
Luis Jimenez -- DH
Mauro Gomez -- 1B
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Eugenio Velez -- LF
Mike NIckeas -- C 

By Mike Harrington

Closer Neil Wagner stayed perfect in 11 save opportunities this season by getting the final two outs with runners at second and third as the Buffalo Bisons held off the Indianapolis Indians, 6-4, today in an 11 a.m. start at Victory Field.

In the Indy ninth, Wagner gave up singles to Alex Presley and Josh Harrison before striking out Matt Hague. The runners then executed a double steal, putting both in scoring position. But Wagner induced a fly ball to right by Jared Goedert and got Brett Carroll on a liner to Ryan Langerhans in left to end the game.

Wagner combined with Buddy Carlyle (3-0) and Jeremy Jeffress on 5 1/3 innings of strong relief work after another struggling start from Ricky Romero. The relievers allowed one run on four hits, struck out six and walked one.

Romero, meanwhile, allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits in 3 2/3 innings. But he walked six, struck out just one and threw only 44 of his 86 pitches for strikes. He has a 9.82 ERA in two starts with Buffalo thus far since returning from Toronto to continue to work on his erratic mechanics.

Jim Negrych enters Tuesday batting an IL-best .417 (Mark Mulville/Buffalo News)

TORONTO -- Blue Jays General Manager Alex Anthopoulos was holding a routine meeting with reporters in the dugout prior to tonight's game against the Giants when veteran Toronto Star columnist Richard Griffin brought up the subject I was just about to ask: What's up with Bisons second baseman Jim Negrych?

The St. Francis product enters tonight's game at Indianapolis leading all of affiliated baseball with a .417 batting average. He leads the International League in on-base percentage (.475) and OPS (1.114) and is second in slugging (.639, behind only the .647 of teammate Luis Jimenez). Negrych is tied for second in the league in doubles (13) and has actually walked more than he's struck out (13 BBs, 12 Ks in 108 official at-bats).

What more does a guy have to do to get his first callup to the big leagues?

Bucky Gleason and guest host Mike Harrington discuss the importance in protecting pitchers from line drive hits after Toronto Blue Jays pitcher J.A. Happ was hit in the head with one Tuesday. Watch this segment from Friday's Bucky & Sully Show:

See more highlights from Friday's show here.

By Mike Harrington

I threw this link up on Twitter earlier this afternoon and it's getting quite a run thanks to a retweet from Joe Posnanski, the former KC Star and Sports Illustrated columnist and noted author now working for NBCSports.com.

It's about a 1991 game at then-Pilot Field where home plate umpire Angel Hernandez blew a game-ending call at home plate and precipitated a huge rhubarb with the visiting Iowa Cubs. It was great stuff. Catcher jumping up and down and throwing equipment and all!

Why do I bring it up? Because Hernandez was in the middle of things Wednesday night in Cleveland. Adam Rosario's apparent game-tying home run in the top of the ninth was ruled a double -- even after replays clearly showed it was a home run because it hit a railing in the front of the Progressive Field bleachers before bouncing back on the field. See the replay at the top of this post

Hernandez then ejected A's manager Bob Melvin which, technically, is automatic for an umpire challenging a review decision. But still sophomoric. And then he told a pool reporter afterward he wouldn't do an interview unless she turned off her tape recorder. And the reporter was San Francisco Chronicle veteran Susan Slusser, the president of the Baseball Writers Association of America!

What a buffoon. Hernandez had an Eric Gregg-like strike zone during the World Baseball Classic and is universally hailed as the worst umpire in the game. Here's another addition to the list. How does this guy keep his job?

I'll have plenty more to say about replay in Sunday's Inside Baseball column. Be sure to check it out.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

It will be righty Miguel Batista with the start for the Buffalo Bisons as they close out their eight-game homestand with a 1:05 game against Norfolk at Coca-Cola Field. Batista (1-0, 4.87 ERA) gave up four runs in six innings of a no-decision on Saturday against Louisville.

He takes the spot of Edgar Gonzalez, who was scheduled for this start earlier in the week before the Blue Jays purchased his contract. Gonzalez pitched for the Blue Jays in their 10-4 loss to Tampa Bay last night. Today he was designated for assignment. 

Against the Tides: The Bisons are 1-2 in the series this season. A win today would give them the series split and give the Herd a split in its eight-game homestand. Since 1998, the Bisons are 73-46 agianst the Tide and 35-24 at Coca-Cola Field.

Offensive notes: Andy LaRoche has a five-game hit streak. He is batting .421 since May 3. The Herd has hit a home run in eight straight games. Oh yeah, and Jim Negrych is on a seven-game hitting streak. His .429 average continues to lead all hitters in affiliated baseball.

Today's Bisons Lineup:

Anthony Gose -- CF
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Moises Sierra -- RF
Luis Jimenez -- 1B
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- LF
Eugenio Velez -- DH
Mike McCoy -- SS
Mike Nickeas -- C 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Wednesday night, it was anybody's guess what would happen with the pitching rotation for both the Toronto Blue Jays and the Buffalo Bisons.

The injury to Toronto's J.A. Happ caused a ripple effect and so too did the performance of Ricy Romero in his dismal start against Tampa Bay on Wednesday which didn't even last an entire inning. He gave up three runs on four hits with two walks in one-third of an inning.

This morning, the Blue Jays announced that they optioned Romero to the Bisons and desingated Edgar Gonzalez for assignment. Gonzalez, who had been with the Herd, pitched in relief of Romero yesterday giving up five runs on six hits, including a pair of home runs, in 4 2/3 innings.

The Blue Jays then selected the contracts of starter Ramon Ortiz (2-0, 2.18) and reliever Mickey Storey (0-1, 3.63, 23 strikeouts).

The Herd is scheduled to conclude its homestand with a 1 p.m. game against Norfolk, though the forecast is looking sketchy. It was originally set as a start for Gonzalez, but that won't happen. Last night manager Marty Brown said it could be Ortiz, who was scheduled for his regular start tomorrow. But that won't happen now, either.

Stay tuned for the next edition of the pitching rotation.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Coca-Cola Field is still buzzing about the Top 10 play from Anthony Gose last night. The outfielder's straight steal of home made it to No. 3 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays and helped the Herd to a 6-4 win over the Norfolk Tides.

The tarp is on the field, but all indications are for an on-time first pitch of 7:05 p.m. when the Bisons continue their series with the Tides.

Starting pitchers: Righty Claudio Vargas makes his team-leading sixth start for the Herd. He leads the team in innings pitched (29), strikeouts (23) and quality starts (three). Last Thursday he suffered his first loss of the season, giving up four runs in six innings against Louisville.

Norfok counters with Jair Jurrjens who has an ERA of 2.56 -- one of four starters for the Tides with an ERA under 3.00.

Bisons lineup:

Anthony Gose -- CF
Jim Negrych -- DH
Moises Sierra -- RF
Luis Jimenez -- 1B
Josh Thole -- C
Eugenio Velez -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- LF
Mike McCoy -- 2B
Ryan Goins -- SS 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

Blue Jays starting pitcher J.A. Happ met with reporters this afternoon in Tampa Bay, less than 24 hours after one of the worst nightmares in baseball -- a line drive back to the mound that hit Happ in the head.

He left the field on a stretch and was taken to a nearby hospital. He was released this morning.

In the presser with media members in Tampa, Happ said that he suffered a small fracture behind his ear and that he had stitches in his ear. The injuries were not serious or life threatening.

On the play, he also tweaked his knee and will have further tests to determine the damage. Sportsnet reporter Shi Davidi noted in his Twitter feed that Happ "limped on and off dais" at the press conference.

Happ also said he watched the replay and joked that he thought he made a good pitch. He spoke with Tampa Bay's Desmond Jennings, telling the centerfielder that he knew it wasn't his fault. Happ will likely stay in the Bay area for further tests, although he said he does not have a concussion.

The Blue Jays moved Happ to the disabled list and purchased the contract of Edgar Gonzalez, who was scheduled to start Thursday for the Bisons. Gonzalez was 1-0 with a 5.49 ERA for the Herd this season.

By Mike Harrington

The Bisons beat Norfolk, 6-4, Tuesday on Jim Negrych's two-out, two-run single in the seventh but the main talking point after this one was Anthony Gose's steal of home in the first. And he stole it easily.

(Midnight update: Gose's steal was No. 3 on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 plays!)

Corey Wimberly did that for the Bisons here on May 20, 2012 against Indianapolis but prior to that, Buffalo's last straight steal of home was by Chris Clapinski in 2004. So it's a pretty rare play -- and it's really rare to see it done so easily.

That's true even if Gose correctly pointed out afterward that doing it with red-hot Luis Jimenez at the plate might have been a little ill-advised. Fair enough. But it was a thrilling play with some great video from Bisons.com. Check it out (click the symbol at the bottom right of the video box to make it full-screen for easier viewing)

By Mike Harrington

Following last night's 8-3 loss to Norfolk, Bisons manager Marty Brown talked about how impressed he was with the veteran quartet of Norfolk pitchers, topped by the eight strikeouts of Tides starter Steve Johnson.

The Bisons will see another experienced arm tonight in Coca-Cola Field as 27-year-old right-hander Jake Arrieta, optioned by Baltimore on April 24, will get the start for Norfolk against Buffalo's Justin Germano (3-1). Arrieta is 2-0, 1.38 in two starts for Norfolk, with 15 strikeouts and just one walk in 13 innings.

By Mike Harrington

There might be some changeups on the mound tonight from Dave Bush and there will be a bit of a changeup in the broadcast "booth" tonight as the Bisons and Norfolk Tides open a four-game series in Coca-Cola Field.

With more mid-70s weather, Ben Wagner and Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Duke McGuire will take it outside this evening and do the game from a table on the club level from behind home plate for WWKB (1520 AM) and across the Internet at Bisons.com. Wagner tweeted a shot of the setup here (left) and I've already reminded him foul balls come in hot from right-handed hitters and I'm expecting some good plays to be made.

Bush (3-1, 1.61) continues to excel since returning from Toronto. He's given up zero or one run in three of his four starts and is coming off a solid one last Tuesday in Rochester, where he gave up one run in six innings and threw 57 of his 78 pitches for strikes. 

Moises Sierra is back in the Buffalo lineup batting third after sitting out Sunday's game following the hand plunking he took in the first inning Saturday against Louisville. He enters tonight seventh in the IL in batting at .354. Jim Negrych continues to lead at .420 while Josh Thole is fourth (.361) and league RBI leader Luis Jimenez is fifth (.360). 

Former Bison outfielder Jason Pridie is batting leadoff tonight for Norfolk. Ex-IL MVP Russ Canzler, who was signed by Toronto during the offseason and later waived, is batting third for the Tides, who are coming off a 7-1 homestand and are tied for the South Division lead with Durham at 20-10. The Bisons (19-9) continue to lead the North by two games. 

Here's Buffalo's lineup tonight:

Anthony Gose, cf
Jim Negrych, 2b
Moises Sierra, rf
Luis Jimenez, dh
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Josh Thole, c
Mauro Gomez, 1b
Ryan Langerhans, lf
Ryan Goins, ss
---
Dave Bush, p

A final note on the outdoor broadcast. It's not a first here. BBHOFer Pete Weber famously did one in 1989 -- climbing to the roof of then-Pilot Field to get an incredible panoramic view of the ballpark so he could see what it would be like to have a seat in the upper deck if the park was expanded for a major-league team.

You can check out the pic below from Weber's archives (h/t for the email assist from Nashville from the voice of the NHL's Predators). Be sure to click on the picture for a great full-screen view. You can see the old metal bleachers in right field, the old scoreboard and the old fence configuration. Ed Sprague is batting in the game against the Syracuse Chiefs, who were the Triple-A affiliate of none other than the Blue Jays! The Bisons, of course, were with the Pirates at the time.

And what's missing beyond the parking lot and Buffalo News building as you look past right field? No giant dome of First Niagara Center. How strange to see.

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

The Buffalo Bisons look to earn a series split with the Louisville Bats when the teams meet at 1:05 p.m. (Radio 1520) in Coca-Cola Field. The Bats have a 2-1 lead in the four-game series. The Bisons have only lost one home series to Louisville since returning to the International League in 1998.

Lineup shuffle: Moises Sierra is not in the lineup today. The rightfielder took a pitch off his hand in the first inning on Saturday and was ejected from the game after arguing the call. (The home plate umpire called a foul/strike instead of a hit-by-pitch.) Marty Brown said before the game that Sierra is "OK. He's just sore. Tomorrow he should be back in the lineup."

Mike McCoy is starting in right field. McCoy is also leading off for the Herd, a spot that Jim Negrych has occupied in 12 of his 20 starts.

Negrych, who continues to lead the IL in batting (.416) is batting third behind McCoy and Anthony Gose.

Roster moves: The Herd moved around some members of its pitching staff before Sunday's game. Righty Justin Germano was activated after being outrighted to the Bisons from the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday, while righty Buddy Carlyle was activated from the disabled list. Righty Claudio Vargas was placed on the temporary inactive list while righty Clint Everts was placed on the disabled list.

Ortiz gets the start: Righty Ramon Ortiz makes his fourth start for the Herd. Opponents are hitting just .178 against Oritz. Opponents are 0-for-15 against Oritz with runners in scoring position.

Today's Bison lineup:

Mike McCoy -- RF
Anthony Gose -- CF
Jim Negrych -- 2B
Luis Jimenez -- 1B
Josh Thole -- C
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- DH
Eugenio Velez -- LF
Ryan Goins -- SS 

by Amy Moritz
@amymoritz

After a dramatic 11th inning win Friday night, the Buffalo Bisons are back for an early start at Coca-Cola Field. Game three of the series with the Louisville Bats starts at 1:05 (Radio 1520). The series is tied 1-1 after Andy LaRoche doubled in the 11th to give the Herd a 4-3 win last night.

Scoring late isn't new for the Bisons this season. They have outscored their opponents, 43-12, from the seventh inning on.

Righty Miguel Batista makes his fifth start for the Herd. His last three starts have been on the road. In his last outing in Rochester on April 29, he gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings for a no-decision. His one win this year came at Lehigh Valley on April 21 where he gave up one run on one hit in six innings.

On the mound for Louisville is righty Pedro Villarreal (0-2, 4.23 ERA).

This afternoon's Bison lineup:

Jim Negrych -- 2B
Anthony Gose -- CF
Moises Sierra -- RF
Mauro Gomez -- 1B
Josh Thole -- DH
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Eugenio Velez -- LF
Mike Nickeas -- C
Ryan Goins -- SS 

By Amy Moritz

@amymoritz 

The Buffalo Bisons are still looking for that winning touch at home. The Herd is just 6-5 at Coca-Cola Field after last night's 4-1 loss to Louisville. The teams meet at 7 tonight in the second of the four-game series.

Edgar Gonzalez (1-0, 6.75 ERA) makes his fourth start for the Herd. He picked up his first win of the year last Sunday, giving up three runs in 5 1/3 innings in Rochester. He has walked just two batters in 14 2/3 innings.

This afternoon, the Bisons added righty Jeremy Jeffress to the roster. Jeffrees was promoted from Single-A Dunedin, taking the spot available after Brad Lincoln was recalled to the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday. The 25-year-old Jeffress pitched one game with the Blue Jays this year and was designated for assignment on April 6. In Dunedin, Jeffress has allowed just one hit over five innings.

Tonight's Bison's lineup:

Jim Negrych -- 2B
Anthony Gose -- CF
Moises Sierra -- RF
Luis Jimenez -- DH
Mauro Gomez -- 1B
Josh Thole -- C
Andy LaRoche -- 3B
Ryan Langerhans -- LF
Mike McCoy -- SS 

Matt Harvey has been dealing. (Associated Press)

Matt Harvey's rapid ascent in baseball circles continued today as the New York Mets right-hander was named National League Pitcher of the Month for April.

Harvey, 24, went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA and 46 strikeouts in six April games. His four wins tied for the NL lead, while his ERA ranked third and the strikeouts tied for fourth.

Harvey became the first MLB pitcher since 1900 to win his first four starts of the season while allowing no more than 10 hits combined in them. In a huge statistical oddity, Tampa Bay’s Matt Moore became the second pitcher to accomplish the feat the following week.

The Buffalo Bisons return to Coca-Cola Field for an eight-game homestand beginning today.

 By Amy Moritz

@amymoritz 

After a record-setting April, the Buffalo Bisons return to Coca-Cola Field looking to create some home turf advantage when they host the Louisville Bats at 7 tonight. The game kicks off an eight-game homestand for the Herd. The Bisons are just 6-4 at home this season, but went 17-7 in April for the most wins in the first month of the season in the modern era.

Righty Claudio Vargas makes his fifth start for the Herd today. He has won his last three starts and as not allowed more than three earned runs in any of his outings this season.

In transaction news, the Toronto Blue Jays recalled righty Brad Lincoln. It's the pitcher's second stint with the Blue Jays. He was promoted April 25-29 and gave up two runs in 2.0 innings over two games. For Buffalo, he is 1-0 with a 3.72 ERA in six outings.

Tonight's Bison's lineup:

Jim Negrych -- 2B
Anthony Gose -- CF
Moises Sierra -- RF
Luis Jimenez -- 1B
Mauro Gomez -- DH
Josh Thole -- C
Ryan Langerhans -- LF
Eugenio Velez -- 3B
Ryan Goins -- SS 

By Mike Harrington

ROCHESTER -- Catcher Josh Thole went 4 for 4 and Dave Bush tossed six more strong innings as the Bisons completed a scintillating April with a 5-2 win over the Rochester Red Wings in a nationally televised game today before 3,755 in Frontier Field.

Thole slapped a wind-blown, two-run homer the opposite way to left to give Buffalo a 2-1 lead in the fourth and the Herd never looked back. The Bisons scored three runs in the ninth, one on a slap single by Ryan Goins and another on Anthony Gose's queeze bunt. Buffalo ended April 17-7, the most wins in a month in its modern era.

Thole's four-hit day was his second of the season and sixth for the Bisons this month. Behind the plate, he caught six strong innings from Bush -- who is 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA thus far. Veteran Ramon Ortiz tossed 2 2/3 innings and came within one out of his first professional save since 1996. Neil Wagner got the final out with the bases loaded for his seventh save.

The Bisons are off Wednesday and open an eight-game homestand Thursday night at 7 against the Louisville Bats. Cincinnati's Triple-A affiliate features outfielder Billy Hamilton, who set a minor-league record last season with 155 stolen bases at two levels. Thursday's starter for the Bats will be Armando Galarraga, the former Detroit pitcher who lost a perfect game against Cleveland in 2010 due to botched call at first base by umpire Jim Joyce.

By Mike Harrington

ROCHESTER -- The Bisons have their second nationally televised morning game of the season today in Frontier Field, an 11:30 start against the Rochester Red Wings that you can watch on MLB Network. The broadcast will be handled by the Rochester crew with the play-by-play done by veteran Josh Whetzel, who also does the radio calls for University at Buffalo basketball during the winter.

The Bisons have dropped two of the first three games in this series, including last night's 4-3 defeat that saw them blow a 3-1 lead. The Bisons are 16-7 overall but just 4-3 against Rochester. Oddly enough, this is the last time they'll play the Red Wings until July 3 -- and the last time they'll be in this always-relaxing downtown park until Aug. 30-31.

Boo to the IL schedule for that. NO GAMES in Rochester all summer? That's just plain terrible.

Veteran Dave Bush (2-1, 1.65 starts today for Buffalo against Red Wings left Andrew Albers (0-0, 4.58). It's the final game of April and the Bisons have already clinched their best record in the season's first month of their modern era.

Here's today's Bisons lineup:

Mike McCoy, lf
Anthony Gose, cf
Moises Sierra, rf
Luis Jimenz, dh
Mauro Gomez, 1b
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Josh Thole, c
Lance Zawadski, 2b
Ryan Goins, ss
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Dave Bush, p 

By Mike Harrington

Seattle Mariners third-base coach Jeff Datz, who managed the Bisons to the 1998 International League championship and a berth in the Las Vegas Triple-A World Series, announced today he has been diagnosed with cancer and might be away from the team for periods of time.  The kind of cancer was not disclosed, although Datz has a history of skin cancer; the Seattle Times, however, is saying this is not related.

"The good news is that it was caught very early, and I have great support from my wife, my family, Eric (Wedge), the coaches and staff, all the players and the Mariners organization," Datz said in a written statement released to the media.

Datz, 53, worked under Wedge for eight years in Cleveland, including the 2007 Indians team that fell one win shy of the World Series. They first started working closely in 1998, when Datz was managing the Bisons and Wedge was at Double-A Akron.

Datz's '98 Buffalo team wiped out a huge deficit in the IL North to finish 81-62 and win the division by a half game. The Bisons then swept Syracuse and won the IL title with a Game Five win at Durham before losing the World Series to New Orleans in four games. The Herd was 72-72 under Datz in 1999.

By Rodney McKissic

With a win tonight, Bisons manager Marty Brown will tie Brian Graham for the most wins in the Bisons modern era with 253. Brown won 238 games and two division titles with the Herd from 2003-05.

Here is the starting lineup for tonight's game:

Mike McCoy, ss
Anthony Gose, cf
Moises Sierra, rf
Luis Jimenez, 1b
Mauro Gomez, dh
Josh Thole, c
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Jim Negych, 2b
Eugenio Velez, lf
Claudio Vargas, p

By Rodney McKissic

Ramon Ortiz, the 39-year-old veteran pitcher, starts the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against Pawtucket.

Here is the lineup for this afternoon's game:

Mike McCoy, ss
Anthony Gose, cf
Moises Sierra, rf
Luis Jimenez, 1b
Mauro Gomez, dh
Josh Thole, c
Jim Negrych, 2b
Eugenio Velez, lf
Lance Zawadzki, 3b
Ramon Ortiz, p

By Rodney McKissic

Pawtucket rallied to score eight runs in the sixth inning and went on to defeat the Buffalo Bisons, 8-3, in the first game of a doubleheader.

The Bisons nine consecutive wins was one shy of the club's modern era record. They had won 10 straight twice, first in April (18-28) of 2002 and in August (12-21) of 2004.

Bisons starter Dave Bush retired 14 of the first 15 batters he faced until the PawSox Dan Butler started the sixth with a single on a swinging bunt. Pawtucket batted around in the inning as Butler capped the scoring with a two-run homer to center and an 8-3 advantage.

First pitch for Game 2 is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.