Behind a dominant performance by Collin McHugh, the Bisons squeaked by the Pawtucket Red Sox last night by a score of 2-0.
This game was a pitching duel all around. Playing at Fenway Park, each team sent two up-and-comers to the mound to start. And it was quite a duel. Buffalo got their first run of the game in the top of the second, when Brad Emaus drove in a run with a groundout, scoring Josh Satin on the play. That’s really all Collin McHugh and the Buffalo pitching staff would need.
McHugh shut down Pawtucket, scattering just five hits on the night over seven innings. He was throwing with great control, tossing 66% of his pitches for strikes. On top of that, he didn’t walk a single battle all night.
McHugh was solid all night long, but got an insurance run in the sixth when Josh Rodriguez homered, making it 2-0 Buffalo. But playing in a hitter-friendly ballpark like Fenway, even teams with dominant bullpens would be worried. Luckily for the Bisons, when Collin McHugh handed the ball over to the bullpen, they put in a stellar performance stellar.
Robert Carson entered to start the eighth. He walked a batter, but didn’t allow a hit. After he got two outs, Elvin Ramirez was called upon to record the final out of the inning. Then in the ninth, it was left up to closer Fernando Cabrera to seal it for the Bisons. He did just that, earning his 21st save of the season.
Herd Rumblings: Collin McHugh had a few bad starts when he first came up to Triple-A earlier this season, but has since been excellent. Over his last ten starts, he has a 2.59 ERA. In his last 12.2 innings, he has allowed just one earned run. On offense, it was a very unspectacular night for Buffalo, getting only six hits. Lucas Duda went 1-for-4. Matt den Dekker went 1-for-4. Josh Satin was 0-for-2, but walked twice and scored a run. Jeurys Familia will get the start this afternoon at 1:05 against Pawtucket, looking to build on his great performance on Tuesday, when he tossed seven shutout frames.
