Inside Pitch

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.

Continue reading "Bisons hold on for matinee victory at Indy; Romero struggles again" »

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.

Continue reading "Herd to face Arrieta, just down from Baltimore" »

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.

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
----
Dave Bush, 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 Mike Harrington

The Bisons' bid to tie the franchise record of 10 straight wins is on hold. Tonight's game against Pawtucket in Coca-Cola Field has been postponed by rain.

The teams will play a single-admission doubleheader Thursday beginning at 12:30. The gates will open at noon. Should the Bisons sweep, they could break the mark set in 2002 and 2004 and push their streak to 11 wins in a row.

Tickets for tonight's game can be exchanged at any time this season at the ballpark box office for a comparable ticket to a future game, excluding special events.

By Mike Harrington

In April, 2009 -- their first month in Buffalo -- the New York Mets put a putrid team here that posted a 2-16 record. Yes, 2-16.

In April, 2013 -- their first month -- the Toronto Blue Jays are making good on a lot of winter promises to put a good team here.

The Bisons are 13-4, have the top offense in minor-league baseball and can tie the franchise record for consecutive victories by earning their 10th straight tonight at 6 against the Pawtucket Red Sox in Coca-Cola Field. (Weather permitting, of course)

The Herd made it nine in a row with Tuesday's 5-3 win in the opener of a four-game series. The Bisons have won 10 straight twice previously, in April, 2002 and in August, 2004 under current manager Marty Brown.

Their numbers are off-the-charts crazy:

Continue reading "Offense stampeding as Bisons go for 10 in a row tonight" »

By Mike Harrington

Absurdly-hot leadoff man Jim Negrych went 3 for 5 and drove in two runs today as the Buffalo Bisons completed what's believed to be the longest perfect road trip in their modern era with an 8-2 win over the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

The 10:35 a.m. start in Allentown, Pa., was nationally televised on MLB Network and the TV audience saw the Bisons wrap up their second straight four-game sweep and an 8-0 trip to Syracuse and Lehigh Valley. The eight straight road wins are one shy of the franchise record of nine set over three series in April and May of 1985, the year Buffalo returned to Triple-A baseball.

The franchise record for consecutive wins overall is 10, last set in August, 2004. The Bisons are 12-4 and can move a step closer to that mark when they go for No. 9 Tuesday night at 6 in Coca-Cola Field as they open a four-game series against the defending International League champion Pawtucket Red Sox.

Continue reading "Bisons finish perfect 8-0 road trip with matinee poking of Pigs" »

I was at the Sabres game Sunday night and I've already heard from a few people with sloshed DVRs from the Masters playoff, so I'm helping you all out here as a public service (heh). Blue Jays and ex-Bisons knuckleballer R.A. Dickey was the subject of a long feature on last night's edition of "60 Minutes" and, as usual, with baseball's biggest renaissance man, the piece was pretty interesting.

It didn't break a lot of new ground if you've followed Dickey's story closely over the last three years but it's all here. The breakthrough as a knuckleballer, his sexual abuse, his struggles in his marriage, the trade from the Mets. All of it.

Click the files below to see the piece (it's 13 1/2 minutes) and to see the online-only "60 Minutes Overtime", which talks about Dickey's lowest moments and suicidal thoughts. Pretty riveting stuff.

With Friday night's injury to starting shortstop Jose Reyes, the Toronto Blue Jays needed another infield option and this afternoon purchased the contract of Buffalo Bisons infielder Munenori Kawasaki.

Kawasaki has played in two of the Bisons six games this season. He has a pair of hits in five at-bats (.400), with one RBI and two runs scored. Both games he started at shortstop for the Herd.

While Reyes injury -- an ankle suffered when his left foot caught behind him as he attempted to slid into second in a game at Kansas City Friday night -- leaves all kinds of holes for the Blue Jays, Bisons manager Marty Brown sees Kawasaki as someone who can give Toronto some solid defense.

"I don’t know long that will be, if it’s a short-term fix or if it’s something that they’ll give him a chance to play," Brown said this morning, as he team worked out in the cages during a fourth straight day of Coca-Cola Field rainouts. "But he’s been at the Major League level all last year in Seattle. He played several years in Japan at the highest level. He’s a very sound player. He should be able to help them defensively."

Kawasaki played last year for Seattle.

Video of Reyes' injury from the Blue Jays' website:

By Mike Harrington

Like I showed you earlier today through the lens of Harry Scull, the press box at Coca-Cola Field was jammed yesterday for the Bisons' season opener and first game as a Toronto affiliate. Basically almost the same numbers in there as last summer's Triple-A All-Star Game. 

Here's a look at some of the visitors' handiwork:

In the Toronto Globe & Mail. Robert MacLeod points out some of the marketing advantages of the new arrangement. The paper also offers five reasons to come to Buffalo to see the Bisons (Pearl Street Grill is No. 5!) and offers a great photo gallery from the opener.

In the Toronto Star, Cathal Kelly penned a fun column on the opener that spanned the Globe of Alex Anthopoulos taking his wife to the Walden Galleria and the fact the Bisons will have "O, Canada" at every game.

Wrote Kelly: "The Sabres do the same thing, honouring Canada in games that feature no Canadian content. Sure, it’s a marketing gimmick aimed at visiting fans, but that’s not all it is. If it doesn’t sound like too big a deal to you, try to imagine any Canadian venue performing The Star Spangled Banner just because or out of respect. Wouldn’t happen. Would be shouted down if it was tried. “Jingoism.” they’d call it. Whatever their faults, Americans aren’t weighted down by our inferiority complex. They don’t think pumping someone else’s tires deflates their own. That’s the very best thing about them."

In the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, Jim Mandelaro talks about how the Red Wings didn't quit even though they gave up their most runs in an opener since 1986. You can review tweets from Mandelaro during the game by going here.

The Red Wings have a touching tribute planned for firefighters injured in the deadly Christmas Eve shooting in Webster at their home opener Saturday against the Bisons.

Mandelaro is the dean of International League beat writers, entering his 23rd season (I am second, as this is my 21st). In advance of the opener, he wrote a terrific blog post reviewing his time in Rochester. Great stuff about lots of old Orioles and our old friend, Jeff Manto.

It was a jammed press box and a pretty full crowd at Coca-Cola Field for the Bisons' 12-7, season-opening win over Rochester Thursday, as seen through the lens of News Staff Photographer Harry Scull. The teams play again Friday afternoon at 1.

Click here to see a full gallery of Scull's shots from the opener.

By Mike Harrington

Manager Marty Brown named Justin Germano his Opening Day starter yesterday and has set his batting order today for Thursday's 2:05 game against Rochester. Former St. Francis star Jim Negrych, the first Western New York native to start for the Bisons since Dave Hollins in 2001, has drawn the assignment as the leadoff man in the order.

Negrych will be followed by standout Toronto outfield prospects Anthony Gose and Moises Sierra. Cleanup man Luis Jimenez thrilled a sellout crowd here last July with moonshots to right field during the Triple-A All-Star Home Run Derby.

The complete lineup:

Jim Negrych, 2b
Anthony Gose, cf
Moises Sierra, rf
Luis Jimenez, 1b
Andy LaRoche, 3b
Josh Thole, c
Ryan Langerhans, lf
Eugenio Velez, dh
Ryan Goins, ss 

It was a tough night for Colby Rasmus (left) and R.A. Dickey. (Associated Press)

By Mike Harrington

TORONTO -- Quick thoughts on the Blue Jays' clunker of an opener, Tuesday's 4-1 loss to the clearly-improved Cleveland Indians:

1). Pretty surprising to see this offense held to four hits -- only one over the final seven innings. But Asdrubal Cabrera's diving stop at second on Adam Lind's shot up the middle with the bases loaded and no outs in the third was a game-changing play.

2). R.A. Dickey's knuckleball was all over the place in the early going and I get several tweets from Mets fans pointing out the Jays are making a mistake keeping Josh Thole, Dickey's personal catcher, in Buffalo. Thole hit just .171 in spring and the Jays aren't willing to put a weak bat in their lineup. Dickey said J.P. Arencibia, who was charged with three passed balls, will get better.

Said Arencibia: "There are pitches he's going to throw that no one is going to catch unless you have a fishnet -- for a very large fish."

Continue reading "Quick thoughts: Blue Jays opener" »

DUNEDIN, Fla. -- It's a dark, windy day down south and the Bisons are taking on the Indianapolis Indians about 90 minutes south of here in Bradenton. Be sure to catch up with my story in today's paper on Marty Brown's early thoughts on how camp is going 10 days before the season opener.

Bisons play-by-play voice Ben Wagner was here last week doing several interviews with potential Bisons players and many will air tonight at 7 pm. on WWKB (Radio 1520 AM). Wagner also taped a segment with this corner and you can listen to it below.

(Memo to Buffalo: I'm coming back in five days. Get the weather situation straightened out).

Mike Harrington with Ben Wagner

(Photo of Blue Jays minor-league complex. Look which logos is top center.)

By Mike Harrington

Just as many web sites speculated, and just like we told you here this morning, no one got elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame today.

So for the first time since 1996, the Baseball Writers' Association of America pitched a shutout as no one got 75 percent of the vote. And for the first time since 1960, no living person will be elected to the Hall this summer.

You can see the complete rundown of the balloting at this link.  Craig Biggio led the way with 68.2 percent of the vote followed by Jack Morris at 67.7 and Jeff Bagwell at 59.6. Morris has just one more chance (you're removed from the ballot after 15 years).

For the record, Roger Clemens finished eighth at 37.6 and Barry Bonds ninth at 36.2. Interesting numbers for guys who would have been shoo-in guys on the first ballot were it not for PED issues.

Here's MLB.com's official story on the election, or lack thereof.

Biggio got 388 votes, 39 shy of election. Pretty wild to think a 3,000-hit guy didn't get in on the first try. Especially one with no PED suspicion. There were five blank ballots, which didn't cost anyone this year. Still, I think those are absurd. Vote or don't vote. Don't influence the results.

From the BBWAA Web site, Hall of Fame president Jeff Idelson said, “The standards for earning election to the Hall of Fame have been very high ever since the rules were created in 1936. We realize the challenges voters are faced with in this era. The Hall of Fame has always entrusted the exclusive voting privilege to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America. We remain pleased with their role in evaluating candidates based on the criteria we provide.”

Writers have the option of providing their ballot to the BBWAA for public consumption and you can go to this link to see dozens of them.

The view from the Comerica Park press box late Friday afternoon.

DETROIT -- Landed in Detroit within the hour and took the loooooooooong cab ride from the airport to the hotel, then high-tailed it here to Comerica Park.

Under a grey sky and light drizzle, the Tigers staged a small workout, with manager Jim Leyland, Game Three starter Anibal Sanchez, catcher Alex Avila and center fielder Austin Jackson meeting the media.

The Giants are scheduled to be talking in the 6 o'clock hour.

The news items of note from Leyland's chat are that Andy Dirks and Quinton Berry will be in the lineup tomorrow (with Delmon Young move back to DH) and that Doug Fister is doing fine but had more tests today after taking the line drive off his head in Game Two last night at AT&T Park.

The weather is supposed to be frigid, and temperatures by the end of the night could be in the high 30s.

Joked Leyland: "This is the World Series and it's cold for everybody.  It's cold for the fans, the beer is cold, everything is cold.  It's great. Enjoy it."

Elsewhere in baseball, the one Buffalo-centric item that developed today is that Buffalo Baseball Hall of Famer Torey Lovullo has officially been named bench coach of the Boston Red Sox, in a move rumored all week since John Farrell left Toronto to be Boston's manager.

You can listen to a couple quick interviews with Farrell and Lovullo at this MLB.com link.

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington

TORONTO -- I've covered plenty of Blue Jays games for The News since 1997 but Thursday's 6-0 win over the Yankees was the first time I've been in the SkyDome/Rogers Centre with the Bisons as part of the Toronto organization.

To mark the occasion, longtime Blue Jays announcer Jerry Howarth invited me into the radio booth for an inning to chat about the new arrangement. I joined Howarth and analyst Alan Ashby (the former catcher with the Indians, Jays and Astros) to talk Blue Jays and Bisons, with a little Indians thrown in.

Howarth has been on the air with the Jays since 1981 when he joined the legendary Tom Cheek in the franchise's fifth year of existence. They formed one of the great broadcast teams in any sport in the history of Canada through the World Series years and all the way until 2004, when a terminally ill Cheek left the booth due to a brain tumor (he died in October, 2005).

Howarth is one of the truly nice guys in the game and always asks how things are in Buffalo when I come to the ballpark. So it was a definite honor to share the microphone for an inning with one of the iconic sports voices of an entire nation.

You can hear the inning through the audio clips below.

Top of the fifth:

Bottom of the fifth:

(Download mp3s of the top and the bottom.)

---Mike Harrington
Twitter: @BNHarrington 

The Toronto Blue Jays are returning to their roots of the 1970s, 80s and 90s with new uniforms and logos that were unveiled today during a ceremony in the Rogers Center. The new look is returning the blue and focusing again on the red maple leaf, just like the original logo did in 1977. Check out the team's video introduction.

---Mike Harrington
(twitter.com/bnharrington) 

TORONTO -- Legendary New York Yankees closer Mariano Rivera has tied the all-time record with his 601st career save today, pitching a perfect ninth inning to wrap up a 7-6 win over the Toronto Blue Jays in Rogers Centre.

Rivera got Colby Rasmus to take a called third strike and got Brett Lawrie on a broken-bat grounder to first. With the Yankees fans in the crowd of 39,288 urging him on, Rivera got Eric Thames on a lazy fly ball for his 42nd save of the season and 13th in a row.

The Yankees trailed through five innings, 6-1, and were largely a trainwreck in the first half of the game. Bartolo Colon had very little in his four innings and light-hitting Toronto leadoff man Mike McCoy had three RBIs.

The New York offense failed to get a man in from third base five times -- five times! -- and Robinson Cano ran into a double play to end the fourth when he passed Mark Teixeira at third base. Cano, running head down from second, either thought Nick Swisher's liner to Corey Rasmus in center was either the third out or was dropping in. When Rasmus made the backhand catch, Teixeira retreated to third to tag up but Cano blew right by him.

The Yankees finally got it together in the sixth with four runs -- three on a first-pitch laser over the left-field wall by Alex Rodriguez, his first home run since Sept. 4.

They took the lead in the seventh on Curtis Granderson's 40th homer of the season, a two-run shot to dead-center off Carlos Villanueva. That was the at-bat of the game, as Granderson fouled off seven straight 2-2 pitches before finally connecting.

The New York bullpen set a remarkable red carpet for Rivera. Scott Proctor, Aaron Laffey, Hector Noesi and Rafael Soriano threw four hitless innings. In fact, they retired the final 11 in that stretch. Proctor gave up a leadoff walk to Jose Bautista in the fifth, but he was quickly erased on Adam Lind's double-play grounder and the Blue Jays never had another baserunner.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Lots of tasks cluttering my mind that include (gasp) a Bills column for Friday's paper. I'll have some thoughts on free agency, especially how Darcy Regier simply has a much easier road than Buddy Nix at this point in time. But there's never "out of time" when it comes to baseball and I've got a few thoughts here:

---Wish the Mets could have gotten more help for the '12 Bisons in exchange for Carlos Beltran. That said, the word is that Zach Wheeler is a solid pitching prospect and GM Sandy Alderson said today they went for one high-ceiling prospect (Wheeler was the No. 6 pick in 2009), rather than a package of three-lower prospects. Maybe he sneaks to Buffalo in the second half of next year. We'll see. 

---Wonder what, if anything, the Yankees do this week for pitching. Especially since Phil Hughes couldn't even beat the 17-loss-in-a-row Mariners in yet another game that showed the Yankees could use Felix Hernandez.

---How about a suspension when umpires make an obvious mistake? Can't think of any candidates offhand .... Can you, Jerry Meals?

---I love this MLB.com collection of calls on the Meals video from both teams' crews. ROOT Sports Pittsburgh's Greg Brown -- the former Bisons and Bills announcer -- goes utterly ballistic around 27 seconds. Classic.

---What a crazy couple of days in Syracuse. Columbus pitcher Justin Germano tossed just the fifth perfect game in IL history Tuesday over the Syracuse Chiefs but the Chiefs nearly got revenge Wednesday as Brad Peacock took a no-hittter into the eighth before a Beau Mills double broke him off. That was the only Columbus hit in a 2-0 Syracuse win. Crazy year in the Cuse. Ex-Bison Michael Aubrey had a four-homer game in June against Durham and now a perfect game.

---Courtesy of the Clippers, here's the final out of the perfecto and the clubhouse scene as Germano comes off the field.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

TORONTO -- Yankees catcher Russell Martin said the Blue Jays were stealing signs from second base during Toronto's 16-7 win here Thursday night. The Yankees changed their signs so much Friday night they think it caused a big distraction for pitcher Freddy Garcia in their 7-1 loss. (I say Garcia had nothing but that's just me).

Now comes a ramping up of this chatter prior to today's 1 p.m. game on YES: Manager Joe Girardi actually said the Blue Jays might be doing it from somewhere off the field in Rogers Centre. Seriously.

"We're going to protect our signs and I told the guys there's things you have to do at certain ballparks," Girardi said.

Now, this isn't a new accusation. In the glory days here, Cito Gaston was one of the best sign stealers there was and plenty of teams have worried about the hotel rooms that overlook the field housing a potentially clandestine operative.

But come on. The Jays are 21-22 at home. Last night was the fourth game I've covered here this year -- and the first one the Jays have won! A team stealing signs would not be below .500 at home.

Yankee beat writers left Girardi's pregame meeting in the first-base dugout and bolted over to John Farrell's scrum in the third base dugout with Girardi's words and I'm told Farrell was baffled because of his team's home record. (Disclosure: I was not there as I was working on my Sunday Inside Baseball column).

Part of me tells me Farrell is involved because he got very familiar with the Yankees during his time in Boston. But a bigger part of me says the Jays probably will have a lot tougher time stealing signs today with CC Sabathia on the mound than they did with Garcia or Bartolo Colon.

Always some sort of sideshow when the Yankees are in town. Great stuff for reporters to chew on.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

TORONTO -- Live long enough in Buffalo and you'll deal with a whopper of a traffic jam sometime in your life coming up here. Be it the bridges or the QEW, you'll get yours eventually. I got it tonight. Because of a family obligation, I left my house at 3:30. Figured some extra bridge time and traffic would have me safely in the Rogers Centre press box in the 6-6:15 range. Heh. Next case.

I sat down in the press box here at around 8 p.m. after an epically nightmarish drive. Only 40 minutes at the Rainbow Bridge. Just traffic, accidents, traffic and more traffic. Followed by filled parking lots.

Haven't even filled out a scorecard yet. Trying to keep tabs and do a couple things. The Blue Jays lead the Yankees, 3-1, in the bottom of the fifth. Good friend of the blog Chad Jennings of the Westchester Journal-News, my former IL cohort from his days covering the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Red Barons and Yankees, was kind enough to give me a catchup on some of today's pregame chatter:

---Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista is not playing after twisting his ankle last night. It looked mighty serious but was much better today and he didn't even need an MRI. Jays manager John Farrell said Bautista might play Sunday but almost certainly would be ready Tuesday against Seattle here. So bummer for all you folks coming up this weekend that you probably won't see the big-league home run leader.

---Yankees manager Joe Girardi said Bartolo Colon, the ex-Bison of about 100 pounds ago, is physically fine in the wake of his eight-run blowup in the first inning last night. The Yankees were concerned about a leg issue as Colon continues to struggle covering first.

"I talked to him today and I said, ‘Do you feel anything?’ And he assured me that he didn’t," Girardi said. "So I went and watched the tape and looked for things that would tell me if he felt it or not. Did not see anything. Watching the tape, he threw much better than what we saw. We didn’t play defense behind him, which really hurt him."

---Yankees catcher Russell Martin said after Thursday's game and again today that he felt the Blue Jays were stealing signs last night, tipping off batters when there was a runner at second base. Martin changed the signs in the fourth inning but his team was already in a 9-1 hole.

"Teams have been giving locations and stealing signs forever, and it’s something that we guard against and we’ll continue to guard against it," Girardi said. "...They’re more famliar with you, you’re more familiar with them. It’s all part of the game.”

Girardi went on to say sign-stealing is part of the game, so long as it's not done in an extreme way, such as with binoculars from the bullpen (see Phillies) or the stands. Did he notice it last night?

"I’m not going to comment on that," he said. "But believe me, we pay attention to it.”

---What was Farrell's take on the sign-stealing? He tended to plead ignorance but everyone here knows better. Farrell just spent four years as the pitching coach of the Red Sox so you know he has some pretty intimate knowledge of the Yankees.

"If it’s taking place, in the times when we’ve felt like it has, that’s where you shift to a secondary set of signs, always trying to stay one step ahead," he said. I don’t know if that was actually taking place last night. [Martin] has a right to his own opinion. I don’t know if that’s what was going on last night, but we’ve been in games where you kind of sense it. You’ve got to be equipped to adjust.”

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

TORONTO -- I'm on the scene at Rogers Centre for a game I've had circled in my mind for two years. It's the return of Roy Halladay to Toronto to meet the Blue Jays as the Phillies are in town for a 1:07 first pitch. This was, remember, supposed to happen last year but the teams' interleague series had to be moved to Philly because the G-20 Summit was in Toronto and the ballpark was within the security perimeter.

So MLB, in a wise move, granted the Jays' wish of a rematch series against the Phils. To top it off, they gave it to them on a holiday weekend. So more than 45,000 packed the park on Canada Day for yesterday's 7-6 Phillies win and a similar throng should be in the house today.

Halladay got a huge ovation (see the MLB.com video here) and doffed his cap as he took the lineup card to home plate yesterday. There was a video tribute and the whole thing was done at the Blue Jays' request. He should get plenty of rousing cheers again today. While many ex-Jays have heard it here when they returned, Halladay was a beloved figure and almost no one blamed him for asking out in 2009 to try to get on a winner. 

Halladay went 21-10 for the Phillies last year and then, of course, threw his playoff no-hitter against the Reds. He's 10-3 with a 2.40 ERA this season.

In the National Post, Jays pitcher Ricky Romero said, "He was the face of this franchise for such a long time,” Romero said. “He deserved a standing ovation. But as of [Saturday] I think he’s our enemy."

In the Toronto Star, veteran columnist Richard Griffin tells fans they should definitely stand and cheer when Halladay takes the mound.

In the Toronto Sun, Hall of Famer-to-be Bob Elliott has a neat read on several folks earliest recollections of Halladay.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

Still trying to get out of hockey mode, here's another item that I just learned about on the Bisons' beat: Veteran utility man Russ Adams has suddenly retired, according to ESPNNY.com. 

(The Bisons are not confirming that report. They are simply saying that Adams has been placed on the restricted list and is not with the team.)

Adams had a good season for the Bisons last year, especially in the second half, and finished at .264-16-58. This year, however, he was hitting only .180 but did belt a 10th-inning home run to provide the margin in Monday's 6-4 win at Lehigh Valley. 

But Toronto's former No. 1 draft pick apparently has had enough at age 30. Adams had appeared in 23 of Buffalo's 27 games, including 14 appearances at third base. 

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington) 

The season openers continue Friday with a 3:05 first pitch in sold-out Progressive Field for the Indians and White Sox and a 7:05 first pitch in the sold-out Rogers Centre for the Blue Jays and Twins and the managerial debut of ex-Bison John Farrell.

Check out the Cleveland Plain Dealer's preview section here. The Toronto Star has several stories looking ahead to the Blue Jays' season at this link

Cleveland.com will be hosting a live chat during the Indians' game. They also have a live Webcam into the Winking Lizard, a great pub on Huron Street by the ballpark that this corner has often frequented over the years. An odd little Opening Day addition (place opened at 9 a.m.!)

Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

The Mets, meanwhile, open the Terry Collins era tonight at Florida (7 p.m. on SNY). The Daily News' Mets section has all kinds of stories on the Amazins' season, both Madoff and non-Madoff variety. I like Andy Martino's look at how Collins and GM Sandy Alderson have quite a mess to fix. In terms of early impact on the Bisons is the fact that Jason Bay's trip to the DL means Lucas Duda has made the big club and won't take his big bat to Buffalo to start the year.

---Mike Harrington
(www.twitter.com/bnharrington)