Buffalo Bisons Post-Game Wrap: Interview with Manager Bobby Meacham

Bobby Meacham

I headed down to Buffalo on a rainy Monday night in April to see a scheduled double header against the Red Sox’ top farm club, the Pawtucket Red Sox. Rain put the kaibosh on the double header but the Bisons did get a 10-5 win over the Paw Sox. Anthony Alford was scratched a few minutes before the game so I asked manager Bobby Meacham about it, and other things, following the game.

 


 

About Anthony Alford: “They said he was a little bit dehydrated. It was a long road trip and the bus trip back home was late after a day game in Lehigh. It was just a case of he felt a little light headed and lack of sleep and lack of liquid so we just took him out as a precaution.”

 

 

On starter Sean Reid-Foley, who allowed four runs in four innings (two earned runs) with five walks and five strikeouts: “Well, in the first couple of innings, we were liking what we were seeing compared to what he had done in the past: he looked like he was making some progress, he worked on it. I know I watched his side [session] a few days ago and it looked really good. He’s obviously making some progress there, so he was starting to get some things right and make some progress. I don’t know what happened. We talked to our pitching coach, Doug [Mathis], and he basically said it was a timing thing . . we think that his timing is just a little bit off after those first couple of innings so hopefully they can work on it again between starts and get it right.”

On William Ouellette, called up to pitch for the Bisons in his first Triple-A game, getting the win and pitching three innings with just one hit, a solo home run, on the first pitch he threw: “That’s pretty cool, to come up here and pitch three really sound innings, especially after the first guy hits a homer. That always can shake a kid up, that can shake anyone up. And he went right out back after it, didn’t phase him, commanded the strike zone, just like Doug has talked about all the time to our pitching staff, we want to put quality pitches in the strike zone and that’s what he did. It was fun to see him pitch really well tonight for us.”

On Lourdes Gurriel Jr. on what he needs to do to get back to Toronto: “That’s not my decision, when he goes back. I’m just looking for him to continue to work on his entire game. His swing looked really good, I know he struggled a little bit up there as far as getting hits, I don’t know how his swing was. Since he’s been here, his swing has been great. Obviously, [he’s] producing a lot for us. Defensively, he’s working like crazy to stay strong playing second base, put him at short some but we really want him to work on his defense at second and he’s been great. Nobody works harder than Gurri, so anything that was missing that he wasn’t doing correctly up there I’m sure he’ll iron it out while he’s here. I’m hoping he’ll get back soon but that’s not up to me.”

On Jonathan Davis who hit a double, a single and then another double . . . was there a chance he’d go to third base to try for a triple? “That’s up to him. As coaches, we only do a few things out there . . . that’s up to him, he’s got his eye on it and it’s in front of him. It never entered my mind because I just don’t think that way. He probably thought about it later, I’m sure, but I think he made the right decision.”

 


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