Bisons notebook
Martinez, Hafner to join Herd on rehab
There was big news before the game and good news on the field Saturday night in Dunn Tire Park.
Prior to the Buffalo Bisons’ 1-0 win over the Pawtucket Red Sox, the parent Cleveland Indians announced that star catcher Victor Martinez and designated hitter Travis Hafner will start injury rehabilitation assignments with the Herd here Tuesday night against Lehigh Valley.
Martinez is on the road back from June elbow surgery and Hafner has been battling chronic shoulder problems since May. Martinez has been used as the DH at Double-A Akron and is expected to DH there again today before catching here Tuesday. Hafner is slated to be Buffalo’s DH, which will be his first game action since May 25.
“The past two years we were playing to just about the final game of the year trying to make the playoffs,” said Herd manager Torey Lovullo. “It’s been a grind in August to this point [Buffalo is 7-7 this month] and we’re looking for a little bit of energy. Our guys have been trying, giving it all they’ve got and this will be nice to see these guys come in.”
Martinez had the best year of his career in 2007, batting .301 with 25 homers and 114 RBIs as the Indians got within one game of the World Series. He had 22 homers and 94 of his RBIs as a catcher to lead the major leagues in those categories.
But this year, Martinez is batting .278 with 21 RBIs — and has no home runs in 198 at-bats. Hafner hit only .217 with four homers and 22 RBIs in 46 games this year before being shut down when an examination revealed he had virtually zero strength in his right shoulder. A .290 career hitter, he had averaged 32 homers and 108 RBIs over the previous four seasons.
Second baseman Josh Barfield (finger surgery) will also join the Bisons, perhaps as soon as Monday. He hit .255 in 62 games earlier this season and was injured just three days after his June 9 promotion.
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The Bisons won Saturday’s game thanks largely to seven shutout innings by starter John Halama, who allowed just two hits and retired 13 of the final 14 men he faced.
Halama (8-4), the team’s victory leader, had been win-less in his last three starts. He combined with Tom Mastny, Rich Rundles and Bubbie Buzachero on a three-hitter. Buzachero pitched a perfect ninth for his sixth save.
Todd Linden’s two-out RBI double in the first scored Trevor Crowe for the game’s only run.
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The crowd of 15,182, certainly boosted from an appearance of the Famous Chicken, was the third-largest of the season. . . . Bisons third baseman Morgan Ensberg was scheduled to return to Buffalo on Saturday night after returning home to San Diego for the birth of a child. Lovullo said he’ll probably return to the lineup Monday against Lehigh Valley. . . . Bryan Bullington (4-7) pitches for Buffalo when the two-game set concludes at 1 p. m. today (TWC 13, Radio 1520 AM).
