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Elmer Dessens, a 38-year old journeyman with 360 games of major league experience, notched a save for the second straight day as the Herd scored a 4-1 win over the Norfolk Tides.

Buffalo’s record is still an unsightly 6-20, but the club is at least starting to provide some semblance of normalcy. The Bisons have actually won four of their last seven games, and Dessens appears to be one step in the comeback process.

“He’s pitched well,” Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell said. “You go with the hot hand when you get one. Right now he’s pretty hot.”

“I just try to do my best every time they give me the ball,” added Dessens, who retired the Tides in order in the ninth after Buffalo scored three runs in the eighth inning to break a 1-1 deadlock. “For now, they’re giving it to me at the end of the game.”

Dessens has not historically been a stopper. His save on Thursday at Lehigh Valley was his 11th as a professional and first since 2006 with the Kansas City Royals. With one move save, he will match his pro single-season high of three, set in the Mexican League in 1994.

“I’ve been a starter most of my career,” Dessens said. “Right now, I’m relieving and doing what they tell me. I’m happy to help the team and change the course of my workouts to stay fresh every day and keep my arm loose.”

The results seem to be working. For Friday’s final out, Dessens struck out Nolan Reimold, who came into the game with a .393 average, second-highest in the International League. Dessens was placed into a position to finish things off after the Bisons posted an uncharacteristic two-out rally in the eighth.

Cory Sullivan walked and advanced to second on an errant pickoff throw. Argenis Reyes also walked, and both runners moved up on a passed ball. Fernando Martinez looped a single to left, scoring Sullivan with the go-ahead run. Michel Abreu capped the scoring with a two-run double off the right-field wall.

“It’s a good feeling,” Oberkfell said. “It was nice to get some two-out hits with men in scoring position.”

The rally made a winner of starting pitcher Brandon Knight (2-2), whose eight innings were a season-high for a Bisons starter. He allowed only four hits, two apiece in the second and fifth innings. The sole run put up by Norfolk came in the fifth.

“It was starting to get to that point where (we ask if) it can get any worse,” Knight said. “We knew from the beginning that we weren’t that bad. We’re actually figuring out that we’re pretty good. We just have to have a few things go our way.”

………

All four Bison runs were scored by the top three batters in the order. Martinez and Abreu, hitting out of the three and four holes, had two RBI each.

The 7-through-9 positions, however, still can’t seem to get on track. Mike Lamb, signed on April 25 for veteran stability, is just 3-for-34 (.088) with Buffalo. Nick Evans, the highly touted prospect, has a grotesque batting average of .097 (7-for-72). And Jose Coronado is marginally better at .133. Friday, the three combined to go 0-for-9 with only one ball hit out of the infield.

………

Jonathon Niese made his first start for the New York Mets on Friday against Pittsburgh. He allowed two runs on seven hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked none.

It was a decent enough start to warrant at least one more outing for the parent club. Niese made five starts with the Bisons and was winless in two decisions with a 6.55 earned run average before getting the call-up.