Cullen Large went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs and the Bisons’ bullpen held Rochester to one hit over the final six innings as Buffalo beat the Red Wings 7-5 on Monday in the opener of their six-game series.
The Herd (30-18) pulled to within a 1/2 game of the Red Wings (31-18) in the International League East standings. The two teams will take today off then resume the series Wednesday in Rochester at 7:05 p.m.
The Bisons took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Samad Taylor’s RBI single, and went up 2-0 in the second on Large’s solo home run to center.
Buffalo scored five runs in the top of the third to make it 7-0. Taylor started the spree with a sacrifice fly before Otto Lopez singled in two runs. Chavez Young tripled home Lopez then scored on Large’s RBI single.
The Red Wings answered with a run in the bottom of the third and four in the fourth, chasing starter Nick Allgeyer. But reliever Eric Yardley (1-0) came on to settle things down, twirling two innings of no-hit ball. Derek Holland allowed one hit over two innings and Adrian Hernandez allowed no hits over two innings to pick up his fifth save of the season.
