A Day of Labor: Chiefs endure a brutal 20 hit barrage at the hands of the Buffalo Bisons but remain optimistic as they prepare for the playoffs

By Anthony Castellano


Aaron Laffey's body language seemed to tell it all on this dry, humid Labor Day matinee matchup between the Syracuse Chiefs and Buffalo Bisons. The Chief's hurler continuously fell behind hitters throughout the contest which was marked by Laffey's constant pacing around the mound between pitches. An easy, habitual flow eluded the right hander from the onset as the playoff-bound Chiefs concluded their regular season with an uninspiring 8-2 loss at NBT Bank Stadium.
 

The Chiefs managed only six hits to the Bisons' 20

"It's a tough day to pitch for anybody because it's the last game to the season," Chiefs pitching coach Paul Menhart said. "They're ready to call it a day so they're swinging early and he (Laffey) didn't command the baseball down in the zone early on like we had expected him to. The balls were elevated and he had a tough time keeping them off the bases."

Laffey, who had given up his 13th hit in the fourth inning, was seemingly left out to dry and clean up his own mess. Yet, Chiefs' manager Billy Gardner stressed that he wasn't challenging Laffey, who exceeded 75 pitches in merely four innings of work. Rather, he was giving him the necessary work he needed in his final start before the playoffs.

The Chiefs mustered only six hits, which seemed especially minute when compared to the showcase that the Bison's offense put on. Gardner doesn't envision complacency becoming a problem for the playoff-bound Chiefs despite their lackluster performance.

"No not at all," Gardner said. "Not with this crew."

As for Laffey specifically, Menhart said he is confident that the veteran can pull it together for the first round. After all, Laffey is not short on experience.

"I don't think that's an issue to be honest with you," Menhart said. "He's a professional. He's been doing this an awful long time."

Bisons' starting pitcher Scott Copeland found a great rhythm from the start and sustained it for seven innings of one-run ball. Three Bisons' players, Dalton Pompei, Brett Wallace, and Darin Mastroianni had four hit days at the plate.   Wallace, who had three RBI's, commanded the hitting brigade.

Reflecting on the regular season in its entirety as the Pawtucket Red Sox await them in the first round, the Chiefs' coaching staff heaped considerable praise on the players for the 81-win season. Gardner and Menhart collectively took a great sense of pride in developing players that were sent up to the big leagues this year while also sustaining success on the field throughout the duration of the season.

"It was a situation where we could have our cake and eat it too," Gardner said. "We develop players and that's what we're in it for- to develop players and finish them off here and get them ready for the major leagues."

The 81-win Chiefs look ahead to the playoffs  

Menhart echoed the manager's sentiments and said the two go hand in hand.

"It's definitely a combination of both because you want to teach them how to win and be good teammates but ultimately on a selfish end, we're trying to get each and everyone of these guys to the big leagues," Menhart explained. "In doing so, you also have to teach them how to be good teammates."

Juggling the two key facets of developing players and winning can be a difficult task at the minor league level. However, Gardner said that the positive environment and leadership that pervaded the locker room helped make it work.

"We also really had a good environment where we won games and we had really good leadership in the clubhouse, Gardner said. "There's not a lot of seasons where you can say you developed players and also won. It's been a special year."