Buffalo 7, Columbus 1 By Andrew O’Brien Days after Buffalo Bisons manager Wally Backman had a heart-to-heart with Jordany Valdepsin, the 24-year-old responded. Valdespin launched a three-run homer Monday afternoon, leading the Bisons to a 7-1 win over the Columbus Clippers on Memorial Day. Dylan Owen (3-2) made the spot start for the Bisons and allowed just two hits and one run over six innings while striking out four and walking one. His Triple-A ERA [...]

Things have been extremely quiet on the Brandon Nimmo front this spring. Not much has been written or said about the Mets first-round draft pick from 2011, except for the occasional question regarding whether he’ll begin his season at Kingsport or Brooklyn. Well I spoke to someone last night who has seen Nimmo play everyday this spring. During the course of an interview with Mets 2011 sixth-round pick, outfielder Joe Tuschak, I asked Joe what [...]

On Sunday, R.A. Dickey pitched 7⅓ innings of shutout ball against the Padres, allowing three hits, walking one and striking out ten batters.  The 10-K performance gave Dickey 29 strikeouts over his last three starts (20⅓ IP).  It also helped in lowering his ERA to 3.06, a number Dickey had not seen since his sole bad start of the year in rain-soaked Atlanta on April 18.  On that day, a day in which Dickey admitted [...]

Collin McHugh continues his incredible season with another solid start on Monday as he allowed just two runs on five hits and a walk while racking up a season-high eight strikeouts. McHugh’s 2.17 ERA ranks fifth in the Eastern League as does his 1.08 WHIP. But what really impresses me is his 53 strikeouts which is the second most in the league. Always known for his tremendous work ethic and his colorful personality, McHugh has made some [...]

Following Monday’s 8-4 loss to Philadelphia, the Mets made several roster moves: After leaving the game with an apparent ankle injury, Justin Turner will be placed on the 15-day DL with a sprained ankle. To replace the replacement to the replacement for Ruben Tejada, the Mets have promoted infielder Omar Quintanilla from Triple-A Buffalo to presumably be the everyday shortstop until Ronny Cedeno or Tejada recover. Bisons manager Wally Backman called Quintanilla their MVP so [...]

The Mets three-game winning streak came to an end as the Phillies came to Citi Field and beat them 8-4 on a beautiful Memorial Day. Jon Niese, the $25MM man, cannot make it past the sixth inning. He gets pulled after five innings, plus two batters in the sixth. Four runs on two hits, a homerun, five walks, and striking out seven on 115 pitches. Those are Oliver Perez numbers he’s throwing out there. A [...]

Three weeks ago things were tenuous for Mets left-handed pitching prospect Steven Matz. The Mets top draft pick (second round, 72nd overall) in the 2009 Amateur Draft, injured his elbow before pitching in any professional games, and underwent Tommy John Surgery on May 18th, 2010. He was expected back by the middle of last season, but that never materialized as a series of minor setbacks forced the Mets to shut him down for 2011. I [...]

The 2012 New York Mets season has already seen its share of injuries, tough luck losses  and just outright poor, frustrating play. However, the positives in defeat, losses and watching players fail is you can determine what are your weaknesses as a team, and how can it be improved. So far, some hitting flaws have been exposed, some hitters have adapted better to new roles under the tutelage of Dave Hudgens while others have struggled [...]

SWB 1, Buffalo 0 By Sean Kenny The Bisons pitching today was phenomenal, but the bats were stifled by the SWB Yankees staff, and the Bisons took a hard-luck loss to lose the series after their 1-0 defeat Chris Schwinden was effective, but couldn’t pitch himself deeper into the game due to some poor control, Schwinden went five and two-third innings, giving up one run on four hits while walking three and striking out six. Schwinden [...]