By MIKE ROSE
BUFFALO, N.Y.– The Buffalo Bisons picked up their fourth consecutive victory Sunday defeating the Rochester Red Wings 5-1. As has been the case all season for Buffalo, Rochester native Ernie Clement led the way going 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Clement extended his hitting streak to 14 games as well as recording a hit in 27 of his last 28 games in Triple-A.
“My goal is to be as consistent as possible not just at the plate but on defense and in the base-running game,” Clement said. “Emotionally it’s a long season so to stay consistent and even-keeled throughout the whole thing and through the ups and downs of baseball it’s really hard. It’s really hard to come to the field every single day for 150 games and be the same guy every day but I take a lot of pride in my consistency and having a positive attitude every day, and I think that’s definitely helped.”
It was Addison Barger who got the scoring started for Buffalo with an RBI single in the first. Then in the third, Clement hit his 11th home run of the season.
The Rochester pitching staff did enough to keep the game close until the lead was cut in half in the fourth. Travis Blakenhorn hit a fly ball that evaded a diving Cam Eden and resulted in a triple. Jake Noll‘s sacrifice fly would score the first Red Wing run but that is all the offense they would muster. Rochester failed to record a hit the rest of the day and finished with just five base runners overall. Meanwhile, Buffalo added some insurance.
An RBI double from Jamie Ritchie followed by an RBI single from Eden extended the lead to 4-1. Lastly, it was Clement once again who delivered a two-out RBI single to put the game away.
Clement, who was drafted by Cleveland in 2017, has seen his career revitalized this season. After being designated for assignment by the Guardians last September he finished the season with the Oakland Athletics. However, on March 12 of this year, Oakland released Clement and he signed with Toronto two days later. He says those moments have fueled him this year.
“Both of those events lit a fire under me and motivated me. They’ve played a big role in my career. When you’re let go and told you’re not good enough that should motivate you. I’ve busted my tail and worked really hard to be where I’m at right now. I’m just really glad Toronto has given me a shot to play. It all happens for a reason so I’m just trusting everything and I’m just going to keep working and getting better every day.”
Clement has played at a level that has likely left some regrets in the minds of Oakland and Cleveland. In 63 games with Buffalo, he has hit .361 with 11 home runs and 51 RBI. Clement has also only struck out 12 times compared to 25 walks. The production has carried over in his limited reps with Toronto where he has gone 4-for-8 with a pair of RBI and three runs.
#14’s 14 game hit streak continues, this time with a HOME RUN!!! 1⃣4⃣@Ernieclem | #bisons pic.twitter.com/MD78DD9sYJ
— Buffalo Bisons (@BuffaloBisons) August 20, 2023
Red Wings Manager Matthew LeCroy, whose Wings also faced Clement when he was a member of the Columbus Clippers, believes he has matured as a player.
“He’s understanding the balls he can hit, the balls that he can drive, balls that he can shoot over to right field and he’s a really good athlete. When you get good athletes that know how to play they usually take advantage of times when people are bad and that’s what he’s done. Any mistake we’ve made he’s hammered it,” LeCroy said.
Clement and the Bisons (24-19, 58-60) will look to continue their momentum when they head on the road Tuesday to take on the Syracuse Mets. Rochester (20-24,54-63) meanwhile will look for a bounce-back effort when they return home Tuesday to begin a series with the Worcester Red Sox.
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