Inside Pitch

Victor is here! With a rare buzz capturing the city's sporting heart, the press box is shaking, a standing room only crowd is chanting, "Victor, Victor," and the field is teeming with TV cameras. And by that, I mean there's a hearty crowd of four in the press box, the TV folk are absent and the stadium is half full. But hey, Victor Martinez is here, and we'll be your one stop shop for updates.

Martinez will hit third and catch six innings tonight while DH Travis Hafner and 2B Josh Barfield are off tonight. Interesting that Victor's first game in Buffalo comes against Lehigh right-hander Carlos Carrasco. The 21-year-old right-hander is Philadelphia's system, and has had his way with International League competition so far. In three starts for the Iron Pigs, Carrasco is 1-1 with a 0.48 ERA and 22 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings.

Here's the rest of Buffalo's lineup:

Trevor Crowe, LF

Tony Graffanino, 3B

Victor Martinez, C

Michael Aubrey, DH

Todd Linden, RF

Jordan Brown, 1B

Jorge Velandia, SS

Brad Snyder, CF

Andy Cannizaro, 2B

Scott Lewis, P

--- David Briggs