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The 33-year old righthander from Oxnard, California became the first Herd pitcher this season to turn in a second “quality start,” an outing of at least six innings with three or fewer earned runs.

Six days after allowing three runs in a six-inning stint at Syracuse, Knight allowed three runs in seven innings in another losing effort, as the Bisons mustered only three hits in a 4-0 loss to the Syracuse Chiefs. Buffalo is now 2-12 on the young season.

“I have to believe that something’s going to change, that we’re going to start hitting,” said Knight, who threw 60 of his 105 pitches for strikes and reduced his earned run average this season to 5.50. “Then we can go out there, get guys out, give up three or four runs and be able to win.”

Knight struggled early, allowing two runs in the second inning on a two-run double by Seth Bynum. The veteran was also dinged for a run in the third, as Lastings Milledge was able to score on a fielding error.

On the second-inning runs, Knight recapped: “Those guys shouldn’t have been on, because I walked them. With the pitcher on deck and Bynum hitting with a base open, to throw that pitch was ridiculous. It was really stupid on my part.”

From the fourth inning on, however, he faced only one batter over the minimum and did not have any runner advance past first base.

“I felt horrible actually,” Knight said. “My mechanics weren’t quite right. It’s hard in the heat of a game to make those on-the-fly changes.”

Knight is looking to 2009 as another possible breakthrough season. He pitched the entire 2007 season with Somerset of the Independent League, and started there again last year when the Mets signed him to a free-agent deal with the Triple-A New Orleans Zephyrs.

He was called up for a spot start for the big-league team in late July and again after his minor league season ended.

“I’m happy to go through spring training and be somewhere where I feel comfortable, knowing I can pitch, compete, and do well,” Knight said.

His major league appearances last year were his first since 2002, when he was a prospect for the New York Yankees. He is one of 104 players who have played for both the Yankees and Mets.

“Last year was a whirlwind,” Knight explained. “It defied my expectations. With the Yankees, I was young and it almost felt like it should happen. Last year was more special. Not in my wildest dreams did I think it would happen.”

This year, Knight says, “I just want to pitch as well as possible. With some things going on at the big-league level right now, maybe some good things could happen.”

………

Knight tried to help his own cause, leading off the third inning with a double, the Bisons’ only extra-base hit of the game.

“I used to be able to hit in college,” Knight said. “When you get a chance on a fastball, you want to jump on it. I wished it could have helped us a little more. It’s fun running the bases; I got dirty today.”

It was the first extra-base hit by a Bisons pitcher since John Hope homered at home against Indianapolis on August 6, 1994. That was the last season the Bisons were affiliated with Pittsburgh, a National League parent, where pitchers routinely batted in games.

………

The shutout was already the third suffered this season by the Bisons. All have come at home; they were also blanked in back-to-back games by Pawtucket in the season’s opening series.

The Herd was shutout five times at home during the entire 2008 campaign.

Buffalo is now batting .196 overall and .191 at Coca-Cola Field. Manager Ken Oberkfell is starting to get very frustrated.

“I’m open for any suggestions,” the skipper said. “We (complain) to the umpires more than we swing at pitches. These guys need to make an adjustment. If they’re not embarrassed, they should be. I’m embarrassed for the fans who have to watch this every night. This is Triple-A baseball, not rookie leagues. Make adjustments, get the job done. If you don’t, we’ll find players who can.”

………

Third baseman Andy Green, in his third game since being activated from the disabled list, left the game after making retiring the game’s first batter.

Green made a nice catch near the third-base camera bay, but stepped awkwardly into the pit afterwards.

Oberkfell explained that Green was OK, but at the time felt he may have tweaked the oblique injury which sidelined him for the season’s first 11 games.