Meaningful Games

[Guest Edgy DC]

The Buffalo Bisons are out of reach of Scranton-Wilkes Barre in the Internatinoal League's Northern Division, barring an epic collapse, but they just off the Wild Card pace, a game behind Columbus, who call themselves the Cluppers, even though Columbus didn't come to America in Clippers. (I'm pretty sure they didn't exist yet.)

Thrill to this baseball drama as the Buffs are joined by Jesus Feliciano from on high and Jenrry Mejia from on low (though also on high before that) in pursuit of post-season glory. Tonight they trail those same Scrantonians 2-1. But nothing is out of reach when you're a Buffalo Bison. Mike Nickeas is batting .313 and hitting ninth. That's how awesome we're talking.

[Guest Edgy DC]

And 2-1 is a final. Nothing I root for is working out tonight.

[Guest Edgy DC]

And a 5-1 loss to the the Scranton-Wikes Barre Yankees tags Buffalo with a second straight loss. The Bisons trailed 5-0 with just one hit entering the ninth, but stated the inning with an Andy Green single followed by walks to Lucas Duda and Nick Evans to load the bases with no outs. Unfortunately, one run was all the managed from the threat.

Eliminted from the Division race, Buff now sits 2.5 off the wild card with just four games remaing --- and only three for the first-place rival Columbus Clippers.

So root hard for your Buffs over their final four-game homestand, includingwith two against the Syracuse Chiefs and two with those same Scranton-Wilkes Barre Yankees. Good teams, unfortunately.

But tonight is doubly big, as Jenrry Mejia takes the mound as a starter for his AAA debut. One wonders if the Bisons are elminated, whether Mejia will return to the Mets forthwith and take Pat Misch's spot in the rotation. I guess a lot has to happen for it to shake out that way, and I'm certainly not rooting for it, but maybe.

[Willets Point]

Edgy DC wrote: but they just off the Wild Card pace, a game behind Columbus, who call themselves the Clippers, even though Columbus didn't come to America in Clippers. (I'm pretty sure they didn't exist yet.)

Yes, Clipper ships are a high-speed sailing ship built to carry 49ers around the cape to California in the 1840's-1850's. Also, Ohio is land-locked and Columbus is not on the lake.

[MFS62]

Maybe they meant this kind of clippers:
http://local.yahoo.com/info-15438798-ohio-state-college-of-barber-columbus

Later

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

Willets Point wrote: Edgy DC wrote: but they just off the Wild Card pace, a game behind Columbus, who call themselves the Clippers, even though Columbus didn't come to America in Clippers. (I'm pretty sure they didn't exist yet.) Yes, Clipper ships are a high-speed sailing ship built to carry 49ers around the cape to California in the 1840's-1850's. Also, Ohio is land-locked and Columbus is not on the lake.

Ohioans would dispute that whole land-locked thing, as Lake Erie is pretty big and hasn't caught fire in years. Columbus, meanwhile, while having a nice river, likely hasn't seen anything larger than a pontoon boat filled with Buckeye alumni in a while.

[ashie62]

We have a cartographer in our midst. Nice work.

[Vic Sage]

The Sage family drove up to Niagara Falls for a vacation last week. While we were in the area, we went to a Bisons game in Buffalo last wednesday night.

We got lost driving there ("oh, you'll see it, it's right off the highway", said the concierge. "Fuck you, concierge" says I, driving around desolate downtown Buffalo, getting conflicting directions from various inbred goobers), so we didn't get there til the top of the 3rd, and they were alreadly losing 3-0 to Pawtucket Red Sox.

But, on the other hand, it was "Fernando Martinez bobblehead night", and we had great seats, so that took the sting away. Of course, the sting came back when we learned that Martinez was out on the DL (quel supriz!). Also, there was some drizzle soon after we sat in our nice box seats, so we ended up retreating to the rear under the overhang.

As for the game, our old friend Raul Valdez was pitching, and not doing too badly despite the score. key hits from Nick Evans and Andy Green put us within striking distance by the 8th, 3-2. Then i got to see big Val Pascucci launch one into the net above the LF wall at lovely Coca Cola Field, to tie the score going into the 9th. Then Sean Green blew it in the 10th, and some miscellaneous reliever followed him and gave up a grand salami to a good Sox prospect, the CFer, whose name i forget.

Impressions:
- Nick Evans is playing well, and should be up with the big boys;
- They had Andy Green in the OF and he had a couple of big hits;
- Captain Kirk Nieuwenhuis hasn't hit in AAA yet, but he made a great HR-robbing catch in CF;
- Val Pascucci is built like Paul Bunyan;
- Lucas Duda did nothing against LHed curve-baller Rich Hill. There's no reason to think he won't get eaten up by LHers with a decent breaking ball in the majors, so lets not rush him;
- the concession stand sold fried bologna sandwiches;
- when we got the Fernando bobbleheads home, we found one of them to be broken, which made it an incredible likeness!

Despite the weather, directions and outcome, fun was had by all.
I love minor league ball.

[Ceetar]

Vic Sage wrote: The Sage family drove up to Niagara Falls for a vacation last week. While we were in the area, we went to a Bisons game in Buffalo last wednesday night. We got lost driving there ("oh, you'll see it, it's right off the highway", said the concierge. "Fuck you, concierge" says I, driving around desolate downtown Buffalo, getting conflicting directions from various inbred goobers), so we didn't get there til the top of the 3rd, and they were alreadly losing 3-0 to Pawtucket Red Sox. But, on the other hand, it was "Fernando Martinez bobblehead night", and we had great seats, so that took the sting away. Of course, the sting came back when we learned that Martinez was out on the DL (quel supriz!). Also, there was some drizzle soon after we sat in our nice box seats, so we ended up retreating to the rear under the overhang. As for the game, our old friend Raul Valdez was pitching, and not doing too badly despite the score. key hits from Nick Evans and Andy Green put us within striking distance by the 8th, 3-2. Then i got to see big Val Pascucci launch one into the net above the LF wall at lovely Coca Cola Field, to tie the score going into the 9th. Then Sean Green blew it in the 10th, and some miscellaneous reliever followed him and gave up a grand salami to a good Sox prospect, the CFer, whose name i forget. Impressions: - Nick Evans is playing well, and should be up with the big boys; - They had Andy Green in the OF and he had a couple of big hits; - Captain Kirk Nieuwenhuis hasn't hit in AAA yet, but he made a great HR-robbing catch in CF; - Val Pascucci is built like Paul Bunyan; - Lucas Duda did nothing against LHed curve-baller Rich Hill. There's no reason to think he won't get eaten up by LHers with a decent breaking ball in the majors, so lets not rush him; - the concession stand sold fried bologna sandwiches; - when we got the Fernando bobbleheads home, we found one of them to be broken, which made it an incredible likeness! Despite the weather, directions and outcome, fun was had by all. I love minor league ball.

Should've asked me, I would've given you better directions.

It _is_ right off the highway though. It's also walking distance from Lake Erie. And the delicious Pearl Street Brewery. and only a couple miles down the block from the Anchor Bar. Also, the Greyhound bus terminal is around the corner.

[Guest Edgy DC]

IN the sixth inning, Mejia has givine up his first AAA run, allowing Syracuse to tie the Buffs, 1-1. He's wiffed 8 and walked ZERO, while giving up only two hits.

Sadly, that was a homer to the Chiefs' Michael Martinez.

[Guest Edgy DC]

A single, a stolen base, and another single threatened to put the Chiefs ahead, but Kirk Nieuwenhuis pegged Boomer Whiting at the plate with Mike Nickeas laying the tag down.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Lucas Duda gets walked in the bottom of the sixth, but is wiped on a Russ Adams doubleplay.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Eighty-nine pitches and he comes out to pitch the eighth.

[Guest Edgy DC]

And Mejia comes out after eight innings, 103 pitches.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Extra innings in Buffalo. Sean Green threw one inning, and Michael O'Connor is on now.

Columbus is winning, so a lot is at stake. The elimination number is at seven.

[Guest Edgy DC]

A two-run double for Scranton-WB and the Buffs are down 3-1.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Buffalo gets a great meaningful start from Jenrry Mejia and nonethless loses a meaningful game.

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

Edgy DC wrote: Buffalo gets a great meaningful start from Jenrry Mejia and nonethless loses a meaningful game.

The job of the minor league affiliates is to prepare players for the parent team at the MLB level. The Bisons are apparently doing an excellent job of preparing Mejia for when he joins the Mets rotation in the future and suffers the heartbreak of a strong pitching performance wasted for lack of offensive support.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Buffalo closes out their home schedule weakly and all but defeated, four and a half games out with four to play on the road, they are technically still alive according to the standings table, as the Wild Card Leader has five to play, but I think it's impossible because the team in between them would move up first. Dillon Gee got a right drubbing yesterwind at the hands of Scranton-Wilkes Barre and Kei F. Igawa.

Lucas Duda was named their MVP and Pat Misch their Most Valuable Pitcher.

Season highlights:

• Dickey's near perfect game: box, story;
  
  
  
• Fernando Martinez's walkoff grand slam: box, story;
  
  
  
• Valentino Pacucci's three-homer game: box, story;
  
  
  
• Lucas Duda coming up in mid-June and helping pull the team out of a six-game losing streak, and then homering in five straight games, all wins: Box One, Box Two, Box Three, Box Four, Box Five, Story;
  
  
  
• Jesus Feliciano collecting 13-hits in one four game series: Box One, Box Two, Box Three, Box Four;
  
  
  
• The 22-hit attack, Box, Story.

In all, the story was a lot of offense, perhaps the best in the International League, not enough pitching, and pinched at key times in the season by having to feed the needs of the big club, as opposed to 2009 when they spent the whole season feeding the needs of the big club. Fernando Martinez getting hurt again was key also.

Still a few games left.