Niese tosses shutout against Red Wings as Bisons split
ROCHESTER — It's been more than 12 years since a Buffalo Bisons pitcher threw as many pitches as Jon Niese did Sunday night.
Behind Niese's arm, the Bisons shut out the Rochester Red Wings in the nightcap of a day- night doubleheader, 5-0. Rochester won the first game, 9-5.
Niese's 126 pitches were the most by a Buffalo starter since Jaret Wright threw 128 in a 1-0 two-hit shutout of Iowa Cubs on June 8, 1997.
Erratic at times early in the season, Niese (4-6) has found a groove as of late. On Sunday night, the 6-foot-4 left-hander struck out 10 batters, walked two and allowed five hits in a complete-game shutout.
The last nine-inning complete game shutout by a Buffalo pitcher was a four-hitter by Scott Elarton in 10-0 win over Charlotte on June 7, 2004 in Dunn Tire Park.
Niese has now won four straight decisions and his ERA has dipped to 4.33. He hasn't lost since June 7. In his last six outings, Niese is 4-1 with a 1.04 earned-run average and 39 strikeouts.
The Bisons' offense gave Niese plenty of help, too.
Seven players had at least one hit for the Herd. Javier Castillo, Cory Sullivan and Luis Rivera had two hits apiece, while Rene Rivera provided the dagger. In the seventh inning, his solo home run put the Bisons up, 5-0. It was Rivera's third homer on the season. Emil Brown also had a double for Buffalo, which totaled 10 hits as a team.
In the first game, Buffalo had no answer for Rochester's Jason Pridie, who came into Sunday with only four hits in his last 28 at-bats. Pridie got out of his funk with three hits, including a three-run homer.
Tobi Stoner (1-2) took the loss for the Bisons. The righty struck out six batters in just over five innings but scattered eight hits and allowed a home run to Steven Tolleson in the third inning. His ERA rose to 5.75.
Offensively, Castillo and Robinson Cancel continued their hitting streaks. Castillo had two hits in each game to extend his streak to nine games and spike his batting average to .282. Meanwhile, Cancel's streak stretched to 10.
The last time Buffalo played in a day-night doubleheader was on July 10, 2004. The Bisons split with the Durham Bulls in two three-hour games.
Buffalo and Rochester will meet again at 7 tonight (Radio 1520 AM, TWC 13, SNY) at Frontier Field. Brandon Knight (4-8, 4.95 ERA) will pitch for the Herd, which plays only six home games over the next three weeks.
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