Mejia looked sharp last night, hitting 96 MPH.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas got blanked by Iowa, 4-0.
• Binghamton was shutout by New Britain, 1-0.
• Savannah slid by Augusta, 3-1.
• St. Lucie defeated Dunedin, 8-5.

Prospect Pipeline

• Jenrry Mejia made his second rehab start last night in St. Lucie and impressed with eight strikeouts over five innings. We were all curious as to how he would come back in terms of velocity, command, and the break on his pitches. Six of his eight strikeouts were swinging, he walked merely one batter, and he touched 96 MPH in the first inning when he struck out two batters. I think it’s safe to say he’s definitely on his way back. He’s expected to get a chance to start either in AA or AAA later this season.
• Speaking of getting a chance to start, Rainy Lara found himself promoted to St. Lucie yesterday. The right-hander posted a glistening 1.42 ERA over 50.2 innings (eight starts) with the Sand Gnats. He also continued to showcase sterling command, recording 51 strikeouts to just six walks, and now owns a 0.97 WHIP during his brief professional career. The Mets have yet to determine when he makes his first start with them. (Bill P.)
  
• A high-ranking team official told the NY Post on Thursday that barring a setback, Zack Wheeler is expected to make 2-3 more starts for Triple-A Las Vegas and then join the Mets. If Wheeler remains on normal rest, that would put his Mets debut somewhere in the June 6-11 range. (Joe D.)
• Domingo Tapia returns from the DL after his hand burning incident to make a start for St. Lucie today. Cory Mazzoni
• Mark Cohoon pitched brilliantly in defeat yesterday – going eight innings and allowing just one earned run. Robert Gsellman had a stellar performance in victory – where he allowed just one earned run over seven innings.
• Kevin Plawecki hit double # 20 last night for Savannah. #Promotethismannow
• Baseball America’s most recent mock has the Mets taking Ryne Stanek after they suggested D.J. Peterson in the first one. I’ll have a post up on MetsMinors.Net in a little while about that.

Stat Line of the Day

Mark Cohoon: 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

Transactions

RHP Rainy Lara was promoted to St. Lucie from Savannah.

RHP Hansel Robles was placed on the 7-Day DL.

RHP Marcos Camarena was demoted to Savannah from St. Lucie.

John Bernhardt, one of our esteemed writers at MetsMinors.Net, co-hosts a radio show called “Tip Off” every Friday morning at 8:00 AM. John comments on the site under the moniker “B-Mets Fan” and always provides great insight – and you might also know him for his excellent work charting some of our pitching prospects in AA.

His guest this week is none other than myself! That’s right, I’m jumping on the show to talk about the world of blogging, my own life, and most importantly – Mets Minors! You can tune in through many avenues to check out what looks to be a fun exchange between John, his co-host Dawg, and myself. I’ll be on from 8:15 – 9:00 AM for you early birds out there who want to give it a listen.

• You can stream the show live by going here or here. John recommends the second link.
• For those of you who want to catch it later on in the day, you can use a free service on this website to have it recorded and sent to your email for your listening convenience.
• And for those of you in the Binghamton area, you can tune in to 91.3 FM WIOX Radio.

I can’t wait!

For a while, it looked like Terry Collin’s weird lineup choice going into the evening would actually work when Marlon Byrd ripped a three-run home run in the bottom of third. Perhaps unsurprisingly, however, the Mets would fail to score again the rest of the night and could not stage a comeback after Jay Bruce hit a go-ahead home run off Shaun Marcum in the sixth. To be fair to Marcum, he handled the Reds lineup pretty decently considering all things. His tough inning was in the first, where he allowed three runs off RBI hits from Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. He did strike out seven over six innings, and did retire ten straight at one point in the ball game.

The issues of the night were compounded, however, by some bad work on the field from Ike Davis – who was really struggling in every aspect of the game tonight. Davis was called for an interference error in the first that moved Votto up a base into scoring position. In addition to that, he grounded out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first when he had a chance to redeem himself. Davis entered the game in a 1-for-30 slump and finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. He was actually double switched out in the sixth inning.

The Mets never really showed much life after the three-run home run, allowing opposing starter Johnny Cueto to retire the last eight batters he faced. Latroy Hawkins did some dancing out of trouble in the seventh and shared some words with HP Umpire Tom Hallion, who incorrectly awarded a HBP to Brandon Phillips. Terry Collins left the dugout to argue three times over the game, and was ejected alongside Hawkins.

The Mets continue their series at 7:10 tomorrow when Jon Niese takes the mound for the Amazins’ against Mike Leake.

Rafael Montero Is Heading To AAA (Photo by MMO Contributor Gordon Donovan)

The Mets have promoted RHP Rafael Montero to Triple-A Las Vegas, according Adam Rubin of ESPN New York.

Lynn Worthy of Press and Sun Bulletin, later reported that this was likely just a spot-start situation, as the B-Mets expect to have Montero back in their rotation for the end of next week. He did note, in a later tweet however, that nothing is set in stone – and referenced Collin McHugh’s performance in AA in the past when he was only supposed to be up for one start.

Well, we’ve been calling for some movement in the field of Rafael Montero for a little while now as he has dominated in Binghamton for the most part. The Mets organization has responded to Montero’s excellent performance so far this year with a promotion to AAA, where he will join the Las Vegas rotation as he perhaps progresses to an MLB call-up later this year.

Montero was one of my favorite prospects to cover last year because he had such amazing command and what I described as a bulldog mentality on the mound. He is intimidating when he pitches with great stuff, mixing in a slider, change-up, and occasional curve in with his fastball that has exceptional late movement.

I am part of the camp that believes Montero should have had some work in AA and then skipped Las Vegas, but regardless, he will get some time to fine tune himself before making a major league appearance. He’s knocking on the door…

So far in 2013, Montero is 4-3 with a 3.47 ERA through 46.2 innings, where he has allowed 40 hits – and only two home runs. He has walked just six batters, in contrast to his 54 punchouts. Those Las Vegas fans are lucky – Zack Wheeler and Rafael Montero in the same rotation!

Las Vegas 9, Omaha 4 (Box)

Josh Satin: 3-for-5, 2 R

Andrew Brown: 2-for-3, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 RBI, 3 R

Jamie Hoffmann: 1-for-5, 2 RBI, 1 R

Zach Lutz: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI

Carlos Torres: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 2 HR, 2 BB, 4 ER, 5 K

Greg Peavey: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Sean Henn: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Portland 10, Binghamton 7 (Box)

Cory Vaughn: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R

Wilfredo Tovar: 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 SB

Mark Cohoon: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 4 ER, 5 K

Chase Huchingson: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 2 ER, 3 K

Shawn Teufel: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Jeff Walters: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 4 ER, 2 K

St. Lucie 10, Bradenton 0 (Box)

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-5, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 4-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

Matt Reynolds: 2-for-6, 1 RBI

Rylan Sandoval: 2-for-4, 1 RBI

Charley Thurber: 2-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R

Angel Cuan: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 6 K

Estarlin Morel: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Savannah 3, Augusta 1 (Box)

Jayce Boyd: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Kevin Plawecki: 2-for-2, 1 RBI, 2 R, 2 HBP

Cole Frenzel: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Matthew Koch: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 K

Jake Kuebler: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Bret Mitchell: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K

(Don’t worry, readers…this is not the norm going ahead – but rather a one-time occurrence. Stay locked in to MetsMerized on Monday morning… we’ve got some big news on the horizon.)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas defeated Omaha, 7-3.
• Binghamton took down Portland, 6-3.
• St. Lucie was edged by Bradenton, 5-4.
• Savannah was one-hit by Augusta, 11-0.
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Jenrry Mejia made his first “real” rehab start in St. Lucie last night where he lasted three innings. He threw only 61 pitches, and threw 41 of them for strikes, which was a good sign. He allowed five hits and three walks, which led to two earned runs, and struck out six batters. Striking out six batters over three innings is encouraging, although the three walks over the same span is not. I’m very much on the fence with how I think the organization should proceed with Mejia. I get the feeling he will end up being a bullpen arm – and a good one at that, but since we have the time, we might as well work him back as a starter. I’d like to see him rehab and work his way into the starting rotation at Binghamton.
• It might be old news by today, but Zack Wheeler hit the 7-Day DL and should only miss one start – which would have been today. Matt Fox, recently claimed on waivers, was added to the team to bolster the rotation in his absence, and did his job last night. He allowed two home runs over five innings, but held the opposition down to only three earned runs. Josh Edgin looked very impressive in his inning of work, lighting up the radar gun and striking out three batters in his inning of work.
• Cesar Puello has tried to turn it up an extra gear recently and is batting .306 over his last ten games, with three multi-hit games in his last four starts – including one last night. Puello is in the midst of a solid campaign, batting .294 over 109 ABs with five home runs, seven steals, and 24 runs driven in.
• Fellow B-Mets outfielder, Alonzo Harris, managed to put together a nice game as well with two steals. He now has 13 on the year. He has been batting eighth in the lineup recently as opposed to leadoff because of a heavy slump, but it looks like the move down has sparked the Sterling Award winner once again.
• I highlighted Dustin Lawley for his streaky work earlier in the year – and right now, he’s on a torrid hot streak. His last ten games have seen him bat .349 and go deep four times. Lawley is actually second in the FSL with nine home runs, behind only Miguel Sano‘s 11. Aderlin Rodriguez is fifth in the league with seven home runs after he hit another home run last night.
• Jeff Walters struck out the side for his 11th save last night in Binghamton and lowered his ERA to 0.57. We may actually have some potential future depth in this young man.
• On an unhappier note, Phillip Evans is really struggling in the field, as he made his 12th error of the year last night.

Stat Line of the Day

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Transactions/Updates

• Zack Wheeler and Kai Gronauer were both placed on the 7-Day DL in Las Vegas.
• Brandon Hicks and Matt Fox were added to the 51s team roster in corresponding moves.

Photo of the Day

Yes, Matt Harvey is truly becoming the new King of Queens… (Photo credit goes to Gordon Donovan)

Bradenton 5, St. Lucie 4

Willy Garcia drilled a bases loaded walk-off single to right off of reliever T.J. Chism as the host Bradenton Marauders defeated the Mets 5-4 on Friday.

Jenrry Mejia allowed two runs and five hits over three innings with three walks and six strikeouts in his first start on a major league rehab assignment with St. Lucie. Mejia had originally been scheduled to make an earlier rehab start, and he did – where he pitched two innings, but it was rained out so the stats were a wash…no pun intended. Mejia threw 61 pitches, 41 for strikes.

Chism allowed a leadoff single to Benji Gonzalez in the ninth and then served up a double by Gregory Polanco. After an intentional walk to Jose Osuna, Chism struck out Dan Gamache. Garcia followed with a line-drive single to score Gonzalez with the winning run.

The Mets trailed 3-1 entering the eighth inning, but rallied for three runs with two outs. Matt Reynolds drew a four-pitch walk. Dustin Lawley ripped an RBI triple to center and scored the tying run on an errant throw into the dugout by shortstop Alen Hanson. Aderlin Rodriguez launched his seventh homer of the season, a go-ahead solo shot to right-center to give the Mets a 4-3 lead.

Garcia hit a game-tying home run to right off of Mets reliever Chasen Bradford in the eighth.

Jim Fuller allowed one run over three innings in relief and Bradford allowed one run over two innings.

Lawley had two hits and two RBIs, including a solo homer in the sixth.

Key Stats

Jenrry Mejia: 3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

Jim Fuller: 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 2 K

Chasen Bradford: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 3 K

T.J. Chism : 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Dustin Lawley: 2-for-4, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

(Team Report)

Binghamton 6, Portland 3

The Binghamton Mets cashed in on three Portland errors and caught a few fortuitous breaks in a three-run ninth inning en route to a 6-3 win over the Sea Dogs Friday night at Hadlock Field. The B-Mets stretched their season-best winning streak to five games and moved within one game of the first-place Portland Sea Dogs in the Eastern Division.

Portland’s defensive woes started early in the ninth. Richard Lucas led off the inning against reliever Keith Couch with a slow roller to third. Michael Almanzar barehanded the grounder and fired an errant throw to first, allowing Lucas to move to second.

With Lucas representing the go-ahead run, Alonzo Harris pushed a bunt to the mound. Travis Shaw charged from first and fielded cleanly, but fell to the ground before getting a throw off. Danny Muno followed with a chopper to third. Alamanzar attempted to nab Lucas at the plate, but lost his grip in the process and the B-Mets took the lead for good.

Darrell Ceciliani added with an RBI single to left and Muno scored the final run of the inning by scampering home after a throwing error by Xander Bogaerts at short.

Owning a three-run lead, Jeff Walters struck out three in a scoreless ninth to collect his league-leading eleventh save.

For the first time in the four games, the B-Mets struck first. Muno led off the game by pulling a double down the first base line against Portland starter Matt Barnes. Ceciliani pushed Muno to third with a sac bunt and Cesar Puello brought him home with a bloop single to center.

Portland erased the lead in the third against B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel. Peter Hissey‘s chopper up the middle glanced off Goeddel’s glove and rolled into right field for a single. The Sea Dogs cashed in on the lucky bounce when Tony Thomas sent a two-out, RBI double down the left field line.

After fighting off a B-Mets threat in the second, Barnes settled down and retired 11 consecutive B-Mets. His streak came to a halt in the sixth when he walked Ceciliani. Puello made him pay and helped the B-Mets retake the lead, by bouncing an RBI double off the centerfield wall. Allan Dykstra added to the advantage by pulling a run-scoring double down the rightfield line.

Binghamton’s two-run lead did not last long. After Travis Shaw beat out a bunt single, Michael Almanzar blasted Goeddel’s 1-0 offering over the left-centerfield wall to tie the game at three.

Goeddel settled for the no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits over six innings of work. Barnes also did not factor into the decision after six innings on the hill.

B-Mets reliever John Church (2-3) took the reins in the seventh and posted two scoreless innings of relief. The righty earned his second victory of the season after Binghamton’s three-run ninth inning. Couch (1-1) took the loss in relief

The B-Mets (23-18) continue their three-game series against the Sea Dogs (23-16) Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Anthony Ranaudo.

Key Stats

Daniel Muno: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 2 R

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R

Cesar Puello: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R

Allan Dykstra: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI

Alonzo Harris: 2-for-3, 1 BB, 1 R, 2 SB

Erik Goeddel: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 ER, 6 K

John Church: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER

Jeff Walters: 1.0 IP, 3 K

(Team Report)

Las Vegas 7, Omaha 3

Behind a staunch performance from the bullpen, the Las Vegas 51s snapped a three-game losing streak Friday night in Omaha, Neb.

The 51s defeated the Storm Chasers 7-3 to even their four-game series at one win apiece.

The game was tied 3-3 after five innings, when Las Vegas manager Wally Backman pulled starter Matt Fox and began to use his relievers. Omaha would only get one base runner the rest of the night.

Armando Rodriguez struck out three batters over the next two innings before giving way to Gonzalez Germen and, ultimately, Josh Edgin, who struck out the side in the ninth.

The 51s offense also ignited in the sixth and seventh innings. Third baseman Eric Campbell notched a two-out single to drive in designated hitter Josh Satin and make the score 4-3 in the sixth.

Catcher Landon Powell added to the lead with his second home run of the year, a solo shot, in the seventh. Second baseman Wilmer Flores registered his 26th RBI of the season a few at-bats later with a line drive to left field.

The 51s road trip continues with games at Werner Park Saturday and Sunday. They don’t return to Las Vegas until Friday, May 24, against the Salt Lake Bees.

Key Stats

Collin Cowgill: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 2 R

Josh Satin: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

Wilmer Flores: 2-for-4, 1 RBI

Eric Campbell: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Landon Powell: 1-for-3, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 R

Matt Fox: 5.0 IP, 6 H, 2 HR, 3 ER, 6 K

Armando Rodriguez: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Gonzalez Germen: 1.0 IP, 1 K

Josh Edgin: 1.0 IP, 1 BB, 3 K

(Team Report)

Augusta 11, Savannah 0

To sum this one up quickly, the Sand Gnats allowed 11 runs to cross the plate for Augusta, but only six of them were earned. Savannah only mustered one hit and three walks as a team on offense against that offensive onslaught, so it was a really tough game all around.

Robert Gsellman made the start and lasted four-and-two-thirds innings, and was on the hook for the first seven runs. Only two of them were earned, however, as his work in the fifth inning was ruined by an Phillip Evans error with two outs. A run scored on the error, and Mitchell Delfino, the next batter, proceeded to rip a grand slam against Gsellman to effectively make the score 7-0. Two-out runs seemed to be the theme of the evening against Gsellman, as he allowed his first run in the second off a two-out RBI double.

Yucary De La Cruz was the only Sand Gnat to get a hit in this one. Julian Hilario and Paul Sewald combined to finish the game for Savannah, but had little luck of their own, allowing four more runs to cross the plate.

A not-so-fun fact, the error by Phillip Evans was number 12 this season to date. Yeesh.

Key Stats

Robert Gsellman: 4.2 IP, 9 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 7 R, 2 ER, 1 K

Julian Hilario: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

Paul Sewald: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K, 2-2 inherited runners scored.

Yucary De La Cruz: 1-for-4

Maikis De La Cruz: 0-for-3, 1 BB

Kevin Plawecki: 0-for-3, 1 BB

Jeff Reynolds: 0-for-2, 1 BB

Savannah 6, Augusta 0

If you like a good pitcher’s duel, you might have found yourself in heaven if you could have watched this Savannah game. Rainy Lara was absolutely incredible in his performance over eight innings where he allowed no runs, two hits, and a walk. He struck out nine in perhaps the best pitching performance of his career. Currently, his ERA stands at 1.17, his opposing average is .192, and his BB:K ratio is 5:47 in 46.0 innings pitched.

I would assume he makes the jump to Binghamton extremely soon because he is absolutely dominating the SAL league right now. The Sand Gnats were unable to score a run until the 11th inning of this game, where they dropped a six-spot to confuse everyone watching. Two walks, two hits, and two errors in the wild inning combined for six runs, which was too much for Augusta to surmount in one frame, leading to their defeat.

Bret Mitchell and Beck Wheeler combined to finish the game for Savannah, with Mitchell vulturing the win from Lara after tossing two scoreless frames.

Key Stats

Eudy Pina: 1-for-5, 1 3B, 1 R

Jayce Boyd: 2-for-4, 1 BB, 1 R

Maikis De La Cruz: 1-for-1, 2 RBI, 1 R

Jeff Reynolds: 1-for-5, 1 RBI, 1 R

Rainy Lara: 8.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 9 K

Bret Mitchell: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K

Beck Wheeler: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Omaha 5, Las Vegas 4

D.J. Mitchell struggled and allowed ten of of Omaha’s 11 hits over his five innings of work, which led to four earned runs crossing the plate. At the time of his departure from the ballgame, Las Vegas had scored three runs.

Eric Campbell was responsible for all of them with an RBI single in the second and a two-run single in the third. Gonzalez Germen came on to start the sixth and recorded the next six outs without any problems, picking up two punchouts along the way.

Josh Edgin allowed a run in the eighth when Chad Tracy grounded out to score Anthony Seratelli. Seratelli doubled earlier in the frame.

Andrew Brown scored a run in the ninth after he lead-off the frame with a triple, but Kirk Niewenhuis struck out with the bases loaded to end the game.

Key Stats

Josh Satin: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 R

Andrew Brown: 2-for-4, 1 3B, 1 BB, 2 R

Zach Lutz: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB

Eric Campbell: 3-for-3, 2 RBI

D.J. Mitchell: 5.0 IP, 10 H, 1 BB, 4 ER, 3 K

Gonzalez Germen: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Josh Edgin: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K

Binghamton 9, Akron 4

Cory Vaughn highlighted a six-run fifth inning with a grand slam as the B-Mets came from behind to beat the Akron Aeros, 9-4 Wednesday night at NYSEG Stadium. The win gave Binghamton the series sweep, and their fourth consecutive victory overall.

For the third straight night, the Akron offense struck first against Binghamton pitching. In the fourth, Carlos Moncrief doubled down the right field line to score Chun Chen, and Bo Greenwell blooped a two-run single into centerfield to put the Aeros up 3-0 against Jacob deGrom.

Akron starter Jordan Cooper held the B-Met offense down through 4.2 innings, but suddenly the offense clicked. After the first two batters in the inning had been retired, Wilfredo Tovar got the rally started with a seeing-eye single up the middle. Danny Muno followed with a single, and Josh Rodriguez plated the first B-Met run of the game with an RBI single into right-centerfield. On the very next pitch Cesar Puello hit the fourth consecutive single, grounding a ball into right field which made it a 3-2 Akron lead.

Allan Dykstra then walked, and that brought up Vaughn with the bases loaded. With one swing of the bat, he put Binghamton up 6-3 as he sailed a line drive over the left field wall for the first B-Met grand slam of the season.

Binghamton batted around in the fifth inning, and they kept their foot on the pedal in the sixth. Against Bryce Stowell the B-Mets tacked on three more runs, including a two-run double by Cesar Puello to bust the game open.

Meanwhile, deGrom enjoyed the six-run cushion. The nine runs scored was the most support he had received all season. deGrom’s night ended after 7.0 innings; the righty allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out six.

Adam Kolarek and John Church each threw a scoreless inning in relief, as they helped seal deGrom’s first career Double-A victory.

The B-Mets (22-18) will enjoy their second off day of the season on Thursday. They hit the road on Friday to start a three-game series against the Portland SeaDogs (22-15). RHP Erik Goeddel gets the ball for Binghamton against Portland’s RHP Matt Barnes. First pitch is set for 6:00 PM.

Key Stats

Cesar Puello: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 1 R

Cory Vaughn: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 R

Alonzo Harris: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Jacob deGrom: 7.0 IP, 8 H, 1 BB, 4 R, 3 ER, 6 K

Adam Kolarek: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

John Church: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

Charleston 6, Savannah 3

It was a battle for Steven Matz in this game, who never really found his groove. He was saddled with the loss after he allowed five runs, four of them earned, and was lifted before he could finish the fifth inning. Julian Hilario allowed an inherited runner to score, which closed the book on Matz, and left Savannah in a 5-1 hole. Gregory Pron had doubled home Cole Frenzel in the fourth to put Savannah on the board.

Matz gave up seven hits and three walks, including a three-run home run in the bottom of the first that really set him back. It was a so-so performance overall as he looks to navigate his way through the SAL. Paul Sewald tossed a scoreless inning in relief, while Tyler Vanderheiden allowed a run in the eighth.

The Sand Gnats made a last ditch effort to come back in the ninth, where Eudy Pina drove in two runs with a double, but that threat was neutralized.

Key Stats

Eudy Pina: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Jayce Boyd: 2-for-4, 2 2B, 1 BB

Gregory Pron: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Steven Matz: 4.1 IP, 7 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 5 R, 4 ER, 5 K

Julian Hilario: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 1-1 Inherited Runners Scored

Paul Sewald: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

Tyler Vanderheiden: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 ER, 1 K

Brevard County 4, St. Lucie 3

Brevard County held off a Mets rally in the ninth for a 4-3 victory on Wednesday at Space Coast Stadium.

The Mets trailed 4-2 entering the ninth. Aderlin Rodriguez and Travis Taijeron had back-to-back singles to open up the inning. After Charley Thurber‘s sacrifice bunt, Cam Maron had an RBI groundout to cut the deficit to 4-3. With Taijeron at third and two outs, Seth Harvey struck out Gilbert Gomez to end the game.

The Mets committed five costly errors in the field, leading to two runs for the Manatees.

Alex Panteliodis suffered the loss despite allowing two earned runs in six innings and scattered seven hits while striking out six.

T.J. Rivera‘s RBI single to center scored Charley Thurber in the third inning to tie the score. The Manatees had a two-run fourth inning and an added a run in the fifth. Rodriguez ripped an RBI double to right-center to score Matt Reynolds from first to cut the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth. Wanel Mesa pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings while Carlos Vazquez retired two batters in the eighth and was able to escape a bases loaded jam.

The Mets will visit the Manatees on Thursday at 6:35 p.m. Noah Syndergaard will make the start for the Mets.

Key Stats

Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R

Cam Maron: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 RBI

Charley Thurber: 1-for-3, 1 R

T.J. Rivera: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 RBI

Alex Panteliodis: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 0 BB, 4 R, 2 ER, 6 K

Wanel Vasquez: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Carlos Vazquez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

Keep your fingers crossed for good new on Zack  Wheeler.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped a game to Albuquerque, 8-5.
• Binghamton took down Akron, 7-3.
• St. Lucie one-hit Brevard County, 4-0.
• Savannah lost via walk-off, 4-3. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler‘s MRI is not worrying me as much as it should. Mitch detailed some concerns with the inverted W delivery that he employs yesterday and how it can weaken a shoulder – but I think I’m just hoping for the best here. Wheeler has been so impressive in his past few starts that I doubt it is anything serious. What I am worried about, however, is further changes to his mechanics that may throw him off his game.
• Logan Verrett continued to impress with another quality start yesterday, which was mapped out by our own John Bernhardt who went as far as to call it gritty in discussion with me. Verrett received a no-decision in yesterday’s start, but rocks a 3.15 ERA in eight starts with a 5-1 record. Opposing hitters are batting just .207 against him with 40 hits in 54 innings.
• Matthew Bowman, or Princeton’s Lincecum as Teddy K. calls him, was absolutely masterful last night when he tossed seven innings of one-hit ball. He combined with T.J. Chism for the one-hit shutout. Bowman is a polished pitcher with some college experience, so his domination of Savannah and potential future domination of St. Lucie can be taken with a grain of salt. It is still awesome to see, however. 
• Gabriel Ynoa continues to show some poise for his relatively young age, as he recorded a quality outing yesterday with six-and-a-third innings of two-run ball. This is a name you should really keep tabs on going forward.
• How about Jack Leathersich continuing to employ a ridiculous strikeout rate? He has 33 strikeouts in 17.2 innings, and if my math is correct, he stands at about a K/9 of 17…Wow. Opposing hitters have been held to a .190 average against him.
• Zach Lutz is on a six-game hitting streak and he has had multiple hits in three of those games, with a three-hit performance coming in last night’s game. He owns a .324 average over his last ten games and has also launched three home runs. Of course, there’s that PCL curve to worry about…
• Maikis De La Cruz has looked sharp in his time replacing Brandon Nimmo on the Savannah roster so far. He owns a .391 ( 9 – 23) average in the short sample size.
• Kevin Plawecki actually caused the universe to implode when he decided to hit a triple – not a double – during Tuesday’s Sand Gnats game.

Stat Line of the Day

Matthew Bowman: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 9 K

Transactions/Updates

• Collin McHugh was called up to the New York Mets yesterday. Brandon Hicks was optioned down to Single-A St. Lucie.
• Josh Edgin was promoted to Las Vegas.
• Matthew den Dekker is expected to resume baseball activities in early June.
• OF Jonathan Clark was called up to St. Lucie from the Brooklyn roster.
• Travis d’Arnaud will be examined tomorrow before rehabbing in the PSL.

Video of the Day

Everyone should take a minute out of their day to watch this touching video of Mets catcher Landon Powell and his family. Powell is currently playing for the Las Vegas 51s.

Photo of the Day

So how much longer are we keeping Plawecki in Savannah with me?

Charleston 3, Savannah 2

The Savannah Sand Gnats lost their third straight game, falling to the Charleston RiverDogs 3-2 on Tuesday night at Riley Park.

Kelvin De Leon’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning brought home Peter O’Brien with the winning run. O’Brien led off the inning with a single and went to third on Yeicok Calderon’s single. Savannah reliever Beck Wheeler intentionally walked Reymond Nunez to load the bases and set up a force play, but De Leon drove a fly ball deep enough to score O’Brien, a catcher.

It was tough loss for the Gnats, who battled back from a 2-0 first-inning deficit. They cut the Charleston lead in half when Cole Frenzel’s two-out single drove in Maikis De La Cruz, who had singled. In the sixth inning, Savannah evened the game when Kevin Plawecki led off with a triple and scored on Frenzel’s single. The Gnats had numerous opportunities to score, but left 11 on base. In the ninth, they loaded the bases with one out, but De La Cruz, who is hitting .391 since joining the team, bounced into a force out. Plawecki then fanned to end the inning.

Gabriel Ynoa got the call for the Sand Gnats to start the game and was relatively successful, pitching into the seventh inning, and allowing just two earned runs. He allowed just six hits and struck out six.

Savannah and Charleston finish their three-game series today at 7:05 p.m.

Key Stats

Maikis De La Cruz: 2-for-5

Kevin Plawecki: 1-for-4, 1 3B, 1 BB, 1 R

Cole Frenzel: 2-for-4, 2 RBI

Jeff Reynolds: 3-for-4, 1 2B

Gabriel Ynoa: 6.1 IP, 6 H, 1 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

Hunter Carnevale: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Beck Wheeler: 0.1 P, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 ER

(Partially compiled from Team Report)

St. Lucie 4, Brevard County 0

Matt Bowman and T.J. Chism combined for a one-hit shutout as the Mets cruised past the Brevard County Manatees 4-0 on Tuesday at Tradition Field.

Bowman (2-0) pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed just one hit while striking out nine and walking one. Bowman retired the final 12 batters he faced and retired the side in order five times. He allowed just a two-out single to Manatees centerfielder Chadwin Stang into left in the third inning.

Chism retired all six batters in two scoreless innings and fanned three.

The Mets jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run single to left by shortstop Brandon Hicks, who played in his first game with St. Lucie. Dustin Lawley‘s two-run double off the glove of Manatees third baseman T.J. Mittelstaedt to left scored T.J. Rivera and Hicks in the third inning.

Rivera finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored while Hicks also went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs.

The Mets will visit the host Manatees on Wednesday at Space Coast Stadium at 6:35 p.m. Alex Panteliodis is the scheduled starter for the Mets.

Key Stats

T.J. Rivera: 2-for-4, 2 R

Matt Reynolds: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Brandon Hicks: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 R

Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Matthew Bowman: 7.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 9 K

T.J. Chism: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

(Team Report)

Albuquerque 8, Las Vegas 5

It was a tough night for Chris Schwinden, who was knocked around for four runs in the first inning, and this left the 51s in a defecit that they would never look back from. Schwinden would be on the hook for five earned runs in his five innings of action. Greg Peavey had no more luck than he did in his two innings of work, as he allowed two earned runs as well.

Vegas dropped a two-spot in the first inning – thanks to Eric Campbell, who drove in a run with an RBI Triple and then scored on a fielding error. Collin Cowgill drove home Brian Bixler in the bottom of the fifth to make it 5-3 at that point.

The 51s made a last ditch effort in the bottom of the ninth, with Wilmer Flores ripping an RBI double and scoring on a Zach Lutz RBI single, but Eric Campbell struck out to end the threat.

D.J. Mitchell is scheduled to start tomorrow for Las Vegas.

Key Stats

Wilmer Flores: 1-for-2, 1 2B, 1 R

Zach Lutz: 3-for-4, 1 BB, 1 RBI, 1 R

Eric Campbell: 2-for-5, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 R

Brian Bixler: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 R

Chris Schwinden: 5.0 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 ER, 4 K

Greg Peavey: 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 2 ER, 1 K

Armando Rodriguez: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER

Sean Henn: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER

Binghamton 5, Akron 2

The Binghamton Mets matched a season-high 14 hits in a 5-2 victory over the Akron Aeros Monday night at NYSEG Stadium.

Binghamton tallied at least one base hit every inning against Akron pitching. The scoring started in the third inning against Matt Packer, as the B-Mets scored three times on three hits. They also took advantage of two Akron errors in the frame. With runners at the corners, Josh Rodriguez hit a potential double-play ball that went through the legs of third baseman Giovanny Urshela for the first run.

Binghamton kept their foot on the pedal, as Allan Dykstra followed with an RBI single down the right field line. Cory Vaughn capped the scoring in the third with an RBI fielder’s choice, as he beat out a potential double play ball.

The scoring continued in the fifth against Packer. With two men on and two outs, Vaughn laced an RBI single into centerfield for his second RBI of the night. Cesar Puello rounded out the scoring in the sixth with a solo blast off of the batter’s eye in centerfield. He now leads the team with five home runs.

On the mound Rafael Montero settled down after falling behind early. A one-out, first inning double by Carlos Moncrief gave Akron a 1-0 lead. They tacked on their final run in the third inning when Justin Toole hit a seeing-eye single past a diving Wilfredo Tovar into centerfield.

From there however, Montero held Akron scoreless. He scattered eight hits over six innings on the mound, and picked up his fourth win of the season. Chase Huchingson replaced Montero and threw two scoreless innings of relief. Closer Jeff Walters then came in and finished the game to earn his tenth save of the season.

The B-Mets (20-18) continue their three-game series with the Akron Aeros (19-19) on Tuesday night. RHP Logan Verrett (5-1, 3.04) takes the ball for Binghamton against RHP Paolo Espino (1-0, 4.46) for Akron.

Key Stats

Daniel Muno: 3-for-4, 2 R

Josh Rodriguez: 2-for-4, 1 RBI, 1 R

Cory Vaughn: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB

Cesar Puello: 2-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R

Rafael Montero: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 6 K

Chase Huchingson: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

Jeff Walters: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 1 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)