BASEBALL
Another Closser home run hurts the Herd
MOOSIC, Pa. — J. D. Closser of the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Yankees was a journeyman catcher for three seasons with the Colorado Rockies until he was let go in 2006. Tuesday night he again was a huge pain for the Buffalo Bisons.
Closser, who hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning in the Yankees’ 5-4 win the night before, hit another three-run shot in the seventh inning Tuesday night to give his team a 5-2 victory over the Bisons.
It spoiled another strong pitching performance by 23-year-old left-hander David Huff of the Herd. Huff had the Yankees shut out on one-hit until Justin Christian tied the game with a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth. Christian started in left field for the Yankees over the weekend against the Mets in New York’s Subway Series before he was sent down.
With the game tied 2-2, Huff turned things over to Juan Rincon in the seventh. Rincon was greeted by Jason Lane’s double. After a walk to Cody Ransom and a fly-ball out, Closser homered over the right field fence. J. B. Cox and Scott Strickland kept the Herd off the board in the last two innings to nail down the Yanks’ second victory in a five-game home-and- home series with the Bisons.
Huff lowered his earned-run average to 3.32 in his six starts with the Bisons. He matched his season high with nine strikeouts. Overall, Huff has 38 strikeouts in 32 innings with Buffalo to go with the 62 he fashioned in 65c innings with Double-A Akron before his promotion.
Jason Tyner and Brad Snyder had RBI singles in the second and sixth innings respectively as Buffalo took a 2-0 lead.
The Herd will open a four-game home-and- home series against Rochester at Dunn Tire Park tonight (Radio 1520, 7:05 p. m.) with Dan Reichert (0-3), 4.64) due to get the start against ex Bison Danny Graves (3-3, 5.10) of the Red Wings. Matt Ginter (6-6, 4.13) will start Thursday against the Wings.
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The Bisons and Time Warner Cable have partnered to provide live coverage of 10 Bisons home games, starting with Thursday’s game against Rochester.
Time Warner Cable will air the games on SportsNet Channel 13 and also will make the games available at any time on the WNY On- Demand Channel 997.
The schedule:
July 3, Rochester; 6, Syracuse; 11, Louisville; 18, Richmond; 22, Norfolk.
Aug. 2, Syracuse; 15, Rochester; 19, Lehigh Valley; 26, Scranton/WB; 27, Scranton W/B.
