Montero makes his Triple-A debut today. Picture courtesy of MMO contributor Gordon Donovan.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas was washed out in Iowa.
• Binghamton dropped New Britain, 6-3.
• St. Lucie lost to Dunedin, 4-3.
• Savannah dropped to Charleston, 5-2. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Thanks to everyone who visited MetsMinors.net yesterday and made our launch a successful one. If you are interested in the Mets’ prospects, then MMN is for you. Check us out today!
• Rafael Montero‘s Triple-A debut was rained out yesterday. He takes the hill in Iowa today at 1:05 PM.
• Cesar Puello is one of the hottest hitters in the Mets organization right now. He added another three hits last night, two of them were doubles.Over the past ten games, Puello is hitting .395, and got his season average up to .320, good for the team lead. Check out MetsMinors.net for a Prospect Pulse on Puello.
• Logan Verrett continues to pitch solid. He filled in Rafael Montero’s spot in the rotation yesterday, and the stat line was pretty similar to that what we would get from Montero — 3 ER, 0 BB, and 10 K. Verrett gave up nine hits, one of them a home run, but he is the type of pitcher that is going to allow some hits. You can read my analysis on Verrett in yesterday’s Prospect Pulse feature on MetsMinors.net.
• After a couple of shaky starts, Gabriel Ynoa bounced back with a solid performance last night. The righty held the opposing hitters in check, scattering two hits and two walks while striking out seven.
• Matthew Bowman had another solid outing last night. He scattered six hits, but struck out eleven batters, while only walking one, over six innings of work.
• Two Mets prospects were honored by their respective leagues, as Cory Vaughn took home player of the week honors in the Eastern League, and Rainy Lara took home the pitcher of the week award in the South Atlantic League.

Stat Lines of the Day

Cesar Puello: 3-for-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R

Transactions

Ryan Fraser assigned to St. Lucie Mets from Binghamton Mets.

Carlos Vazquez assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

Tweet of the Day 

So sorry to hear about the devastation in Oklahoma.Our prayers are with you.God bless.

— Frank J. Viola, Jr. (@FrankViola16) May 21, 2013

Jack Leathersich is mowing down hitters this year. Photo courtesy of MMO contributor Gordon Donovan

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Omaha 4-3.
• Binghamton dropped Portland, 8-5.
• St. Lucie lost to Bradenton, 8-1.
• Savannah topped Augusta, 12-10. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• If you haven’t heard the news, Rafael Montero was brought up to Triple-A, and will be making a spot start with Las Vegas this week. With Zack Wheeler on the seven day DL, and Collin McHugh joining the Mets in Queens, they were short on arms. This is said to be a spot start, but we’ll see. Everyone will be watching to see how Montero does.
• Cesar Puello continues to hammer the ball. After three more hits in last night’s game, he has brought his season average up to .305. He also ranks second on Binghamton, with nine stolen bases this season (Alonzo Harris, 13).
• Jack Leathersich only had one strikeout last night in one inning (sarcasm). He now has 34 strikeouts on the year, which is more than a couple of starters, and only one less than Logan Verrett on the year. He has accumulated those 34 strikeouts in 18.2 innings pitched…ridiculous.
• Joe Bonfe was ripping last night. He went 4-for-4 at the plate and brought his season average up to .320.
• Playing in only his third game this season, Savannah catcher Nelfi Zapata homered and drove in five runs…wow.
• Andrew Brown, who appeared to be heading back to Flushing to play first base, had to leave yesterday’s game with an apparent oblique injury.
• Wilmer Flores homered last night for Las Vegas, and now has hit three out of his four home runs over the past ten games. Looks like the young infileder is starting to heat up a little bit.

Stat Lines of the Day

Cesar Puello: 3-for-5, 2 R, 1 SB

Joe Bonfe: 4-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 SB

Nelfi Zapata: 2-for-3, 1 HR, 2 BB, 5 RBI, 2 R

Jeff Reynolds: 4-for-4, 1 2B, 1 BB, 2 RBI, 1 R

Transactions

Rafael Montero to Las Vegas.

Tweet of the Day 

First rehab appearance of the season today! Been a long road. So glad to finally be back in a game today and get the season underway

— John Mincone (@Jmincone) May 20, 2013

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)

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas had the night off.
• Binghamton dropped Akron, 9-4.
• St. Lucie shot themselves in the foot against Brevard County, 4-3.
• Savannah lost to Charleston, 6-3. 
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler‘s MRI didn’t show any structural damage, but one has to wonder what could have cause so much inflammation in his throwing shoulder, that he would need a cortisone shot. Hopefully this isn’t a situation where the cortisone masks the pain and inflammation while the root cause of the inflammation does not get addressed. I don’t know if we should breathe a sigh of relief, or continue to hold our breath.
• Jacob deGrom pitched his best game since being called up to Binghamton. He pitched seven solid innings last night, striking out six and walking one.
• Cesar Puello has really exploded offensively the past ten games. Four out of his five home runs have come during that span, and almost half of his RBI (10 out of his 22). He now has his season average up to .288 and is showing why he is one of the Mets top twenty prospects.
• Jayce Boyd continues to impress. He had two doubles in yesterday’s and raised his average to .356 on the year. An even more impressive stat is his 23 walks on the year to his 15 strikeouts. The kid is a professional hitter and will be manning first base at Citi Field within the next couple of years. While there has been a lot of buzz about Kevin Plawecki in Savannah this season, Boyd has been just as good.
• Alex Panteliodis has been solid since coming off the disabled list, and his start was ruined by five St. Lucie errors last night. Since joining St. Lucie, he has pitched 16 innings, striking out 13 hitters and only walking two.
• Noah Syndergaard takes the hill for St. Lucie tonight at 6:35 PM. I will be tweeting and have a recap of his performance up on MMO immediately following the game. You can follow me on Twitter here.

Stat Line of the Day

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

Transactions

None.

Quote of the Day

Terry Collins after hearing the news about Zack Wheeler:

“I’m very happy and relieved. We’ve got to protect ourselves sometimes. When we get bad news, you can’t have an air of ‘woe-is-us’ kind of an attitude. I was certainly very worried. Anytime you have a kid with that kind of talent, when they talk about arm stuff, especially when they talk about the shoulder area, it scares you to death. So it’s great news.”

Tweet of the Day

Gnat Stat of the Day: Over 50% of Catcher @kplawecki26‘s 49 hits have gone for extra bases! That includes 5 HR & a league-leading 19 doubles

— Savannah Sand Gnats(@gnatsbaseball) May 15, 2013

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)

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)

Binghamton 9, Harrisburg 3

An ominous gray sky and a persistent drizzle dampened my spirits as I started an excursion to Binghamton’s NYSEG Stadium for the second consecutive day.  Saturday’s sojourn was for naught, nearly four hours driving in the car and no baseball.  The prospects of a double washout loomed.

Halfway to Binghamton, the clouds almost evaporated in the sky giving way to sunshine, blue skies and baseball.  I couldn’t help but think that this sudden weather transformation might signal an omen, an abrupt change of fortunes for the better for our New York Mets as their young minor league pitching arms begin to find their way to the big squad.

This spring, Cory Mazzoni raised some eyebrows in Florida when he threw 8 innings in spring training raking up a 3.38 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.  After a bout with elbow inflammation temporarily put Mazzoni on the sidelines, the power throwing righthander is back in the rotation at Binghamton. On Sunday afternoon, Mazzoni turned some heads logging an impressive outing as the B-Mets topped Harrisburg, 9-3, to earn a split in a doubleheader. On a strict pitch count, Mazzoni worked 5 2/3 innings and appeared headed for a shutout before Binghamton manager Pedro Lopez signaled that 80 total pitches was enough. Josh Edgin replaced Mazzoni with a runner on first and two outs but surrendered a two-run homerun to Josh Johnson on his second pitch.

Here are Mazzoni’s pitching numbers: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K

• Batter’s Faced:  19
• First Pitch Strikes: 11 of 19  58%
• Ahead After Three Pitches:  7 of 14  50%
• Total Pitches:   80       Strikes:  52 – 65%     Balls:  28 – 35%
• Strike Breakdown:   Called:  14-27%   Fouled:  16-31%    Miss:  8-15%   In Play  14-27%
• Full Windup:  Total Pitches – 66     Strikes: 42 – 64%    Balls: 14 – 36%
• FW Fastballs  Total Pitches -   52     Strikes: 34 -  65%   Balls:  18 – 35%
• FW Curveballs Total Pitches -    4       Strikes:   3 – 75%    Balls:   1 – 25%
• FW Sliders  Total Pitches -    5      Strikes:   2 – 40%    Balls:    3 – 60%
• FW Change-ups  Total Pitches –   5      Strikes:   3 – 60%    Balls:   2 – 40% 
• Stretch:  Total Pitches -  14       Strikes:   10 – 71%  Balls:  4 – 29%
• St. Fastballs: Total Pitches -  10       Strikes:   6 – 60%    Balls:  4 – 40%
• St. Curveballs: Total Pitches -    1       Strikes:  1 – 100%. 
• St. Sliders:  Total Pitches -    3       Strikes:  3 – 100%
• Fastball Range:  88-96 mph

Of Mazzoni’s 44 fastballs, all but 5 were 90+ mph and Mazzoni’s next to last pitch reached 96 mph. Mazzoni is a big guy with the good sized hips and the backside of many power pitchers.  His delivery is smooth and appears flawless. He works quickly and efficiently and had everything working well today. A huge early lead might have been comfort food for the B-Met starter. The B-Mets scored all 9 runs in the first two innings, plating 6 runners in the opening frame.

Wilfredo Tovar and Josh Rodriguez walked to open the Binghamton first. Tovar scored the games first run when Richard Lucas lined a single to left field that Senator outfielder Jose Lozado rushed and bobbled allowing the B-Met shortstop to score. After Alan Dykstra’s infield ground out advanced the B-Met runners to second and third, before the Senator’s shortstop misplayed Cory Vaughn‘s infield ground ball with Rodriguez scoring.

After Vaughn stole second, Blake Forsythe drew a base-on-balls to load the bases. Cesar Puello‘s ground single up the middle drove in Lucas and Vaughn putting the B-Mets in front 4-0.

Joe Bonfe‘s single to right held in the air just enough to slow down the B-Met baserunners loading the bases for Mazzoni. Mazzoni slammed an 0-1 fastball for what appeared to be a grand slam homerun. With Mazzoni in a homerun trot, the ball hit the top of the fence ending in a long, two-run single. Lopez argued that the ball had cleared the orange line striking an advertisement above the fence, the umpires huddled, but the long ball single stood.

Binghamton added three more runs in their second at bat, the big hits a pair of doubles by Forsythe and Bonfe with Bonfe’s blast knocking home two runs.

Bonfe, Forsythe and Mazzoni all had two hit games. Puello went 1-2, drew a walk, was hit by a pitch and scored 2 runs.

Josh Edgin struggled in relief pitching 1 1/3 innings and surrendering two earned runs on three hits and two base-on-balls.  Edgin closed the game leaving the bases loaded.

Key Stats

Cory Mazzoni: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 5 K (2-for-3, 2 RBI)

Josh Edgin: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 2 ER, 1 K

Joe Bonfe: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Cesar Puello: 1-for-2, 2 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Blake Forsythe: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

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

Keep it up, kid….We’ll see you in Bingo very soon…

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas toppled Round Rock, 6-5. 
• Binghamton was no-hit by and dropped to Harrisburg, 6-1. 
• St. Lucie destroyed Palm Beach, 17-1. 
• Savannah topped Rome, 3-1. 

Prospect Pipeline

• Word on the street is that Zack Wheeler could be making his major league debut very soon…like in two more weeks. “Personally, I think if he has a couple of more starts like his last start he’ll be headed to the big leagues, and rightfully so,” Backman told Las Vegas’ ESPN radio affiliate. It starting to look like the Mets are looking for any excuse to promote Wheeler at this point. I recently stated that if Wheeler were called up, he would instantly be better than 80 percent of major league pitchers based on his stuff alone. The question was never about whether or not Wheeler’s pitches needed more development, but whether or not he can control the strike zone.
• Here’s my prediction for what is going to go down with player movement based on the recent talk of Wheeler’s promotion. This is all dependent on Wheeler being promoted by the end of May. Up to fill Wheeler’s spot in Triple-A will be Rafael Montero, who has looked absolutely phenomenal all season aside from one bad start. Filling in for Montero with Binghamton will be Noah Syndergaard, who continues to dominate lower level hitters.
• Speaking of Syndergaard, he keeps getting better with every start. This guy is clearly going to be the Mets’ No. 1 prospect sooner rather than later. When Wheeler gets promoted, Syndergaard will jump over Travis d’Arnaud as the team’s top prospect.
• Binghamton getting no-hit last night also snapped Cesar Puello‘s 15 game hitting streak. It had been the longest in the minor leagues this year.
• Matt Reynolds is quietly having a solid season. Another polished college hitter in the Mets organization, drafted out of the University of Arkansas, he skipped right past short-season A-ball and started his professional career with Savannah. The native of Tulsa, Okla. hit .259/.335/.367 in 42 games for the Sand Gnats after batting .323 with a .427 on-base percentage in his junior season with the Razorbacks. Reynolds was again rapidly advanced this off-season to the Florida State League, where after Thursday’s output, he now sports a .277/.356/.412 line in 31 games for St. Lucie. “I was recognizing pitches a lot better, my swing felt a lot shorter and quicker and more compact. Those are the things I’ve been working on,” he said. “I feel like that was one of my most complete games. I pulled a ball down the left-field line, hit a ball into left center, hit the triple to right center and lined out another time to right field, so I was using all the parts of the field. My swing felt great.”

Stat Lines of the Day

Noah Syndergaard: 7.0 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 7 K

Matt Reynolds: 3-for-5, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 2 R

Transactions

Maikis De La Cruz assigned to Savannah Sand Gnats from Brooklyn Cyclones as a result of Brandon Nimmo hitting the DL, which happened on Tuesday May 7th as we reported and not Thursday May 9th as was misreported.

Quote of the Day

Kevin Plawecki regarding his hot start:

“I’ve felt great since reporting to Spring Training after working out all offseason at Purdue,” Plawecki said. “I think the consistency has helped me as much as anything, just doing things over and over. I’ve been focusing on hitting balls in the zone and being consistent at the plate with my approach while making sure my hands and my feet are all working together.”

“Sometimes my hands can get a little too quick and I end up using my shoulders more than I should,” Plawecki said. “I’ve worked hard to make sure everything is working in synch. I’ve definitely been hitting the ball a lot better than I did last year, and it all gets back to being consistent.”

Photo of the Day

Happy Birthday to my daughter and assistant Alina, who turns two today!

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Round Rock, 9-5. 
• Binghamton topped Trenton, 3-1. 
• St. Lucie defeated Daytona in extras, 6-5. 
• Savannah had the day off. 

Injury and Health News

After being called a hand contusion and nothing serious, it seems that Brandon Nimmo will be headed to the disabled list after all.

We have our Savannah Beat Writer Wally Murphy at the game right now and he will give us the official report later this evening with his game recap.

Yesterday, Joe D. posted the following in our Mets Minors Report:

Brandon Nimmo still has not returned to the lineup since April 29 because of a hand contusion. The Mets now consider it more serious than initially thought and will have him seen by team doctors with a possible MRI as well. DL stint looming.

According to freelance journalist Robert Brender, Mets catching prospect Travis d’Arnaud is due to be examined in New York on May 17 and currently remains in a walking boot.

“I’m in a boot that I’ve been wearing all the time, except when I sleep,” d’Arnaud said.

“It’s really frustrating. I just want to be out there playing and some freak injury happens and I can’t do anything about it. It just takes away time from playing and being on the field. I was feeling really good and was having fun playing (before the injury). I think just not being able to play is the worst part about it.”

“I already had the last half of last year not playing and now this happens. I just want to get back on the field playing again.”

Baseball’s top ranked catching prospect suffered a fractured first metatarsal in his left foot with Triple-A Las Vegas last month. Depending on how the examination goes, he may be able to begin an injury rehab at the Mets complex in Port St. Lucie sometime this month. He was originally expected to return to games around mid-June.

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler, Noah Syndergaard, Rafael Montero, Luis Mateo, and Domingo Tapia are all in the Mets farm system, yet Logan Verrett has pitched the game of the year for the Mets minor leagues, just coming off of one of the more impressive starts I’ve seen in a long time from Montero. As Satish Ram said in the Binghamton Game recap, “Verrett went ahead on Wednesday and tossed perhaps the best game of his career – as he nearly finished the game with a complete game victory. He was taken out of the game after 99 pitches, which perhaps was pitch count related, before he could achieve the final out. At that point, he had allowed just the one earned run in the bottom of the fourth, and was utterly dominant throughout the entire game. His nine strikeouts were demonstrative of that fact.”
• Verrett is flying under the radar this season, but he has been pitching very well. He now has five wins on the year, which is good for tops in the Mets organization, and also tops the Eastern League. He also leads the EL in innings pitched (47.1). Verret is also ranked third in the organization in opposing hitter’s batting average (,207), and fourth in the organization, fifth in the EL, in WHIP (0.97). Pretty impressive. After last night’s performance, it’s safe to say that Verrett is no longer flying under the radar.
• Cesar Puello: All he does is hit home runs? He extended his hit streak to 15 games in grand fashion again by crushing another two home runs last night, one of which was an absolute bomb. His last three hits are now home runs. He’s showing off that power we all have heard so much about and is now batting.296/.360/.531 in 24 games.
• Aderlin Rodriguez has been smoking the ball over the past three games. In that span, he is 7-for-14 with four doubles, two home runs, and eight RBIs. He now leads the Mets organization with six home runs on the year, and he had the walk-off hit to plate T.J. Rivera in the tenth inning of last night’s victory.
• Here is what the Trenton Thunder pitching coach, Tommy Phelps, had to say about Montero after his start on Tuesday night: “Our guys were talking about facing Montero last year in the Florida State League and were very impressed with him…He’s got real good stuff.”
• I’m not sure how many caught this in the transactions section yesterday, but the Mets promoted catcher Xorge Carrillo from Brooklyn, to St. Lucie. This was a major head scratcher here. Kevin Plawecki has earned a promotion at this point, absolutely dominating and overpowering the Low-A pitching in the SAL. What would prompt the Mets to promote a player in Carrillo, who has had 26 hits in 39 professional games? Plawecki has 44 hits alone this season, and showing no signs of slowing down. It’s either the snub of the year, or like I predicted, there serves no point in skipping Plawecki to High-A ball, because the level of competition is not much different. When Plawecki is ready, he will be in Binghamton.
• Adam Rubin reported yesterday that Collin Cowgill and Kirk Nieuwenhuis would both be seeing time in centerfield with Las Vegas this year. Things are going to get real crowded out there once Matt den Dekker returns from his wrist injury.
• Juan Lagares and Andrew Brown were dominating at the Triple-A level, but have looked lost against big league pitchers. The question I raised when I heard they were promoting the two outfielders, was why the Mets would promote offensive players, coming from a “hitter’s league,” when their numbers were inflated, and seemingly ignore the pitchers, because their numbers are deflated due to the same reason. When looking at the PCL players, you have to take the offensive and pitching statistics with a grain of salt, and rely more on good old fashioned scouting when judging whether a player is ready or not.
• I have but one thing to add to this report. Remember back in February when I said that signing Carlos Torres was a useless move that will only create a logjam and keep pitchers at lower levels because of the trickle down effect? Pitchers like Jacob deGrom and Rainy Lara paid the price because they were squeezed into lower levels that would present no challenge to them and that’s exactly what happened. Torres has allowed 23 earned runs in 27.0 innings for a 7.39 ERA. The other two have proven that they should have started at higher levels and one (deGrom) already has been promoted. Lara will be promoted soon as well. Carlos Torres? A 30-year-old flop who was released twice by teams desperately starving for starting pitching? Are you freaking kidding me? (Joe D.)

Stat Lines of the Day

Logan Verrett: 8.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 9 K

Cesar Puello: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Aderlin Rodriguez: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R (game winning, walk-off hit)

Organizational Leaders

Sounding Off

B-Mets pitching coach Glenn Abbott talks about Rafael Montero’s last start and sheds light on the rest of his dominating pitching staff.

Quote of the Day

Today’s quote of the day comes from the Star-Ledger regarding if Jeremy Hefner is hearing Zack Wheeler‘s footsteps:

“If it was right now, if he came up today, then yeah I would probably be the one that gets sent down,” Hefner, 27, said Tuesday. “I’m realistic enough to know that, but I can’t control that.”

“I came up early and then it was all the talk about, ‘When’s Matt coming up?”’ Hefner said. “And much like Zack, they deserve all that press because they’re that good. What it comes down to is I can only control what I can control. If the effort I give every fifth day is good enough to stick, then it’s good enough to stick. And if it’s not, I have stuff I need to work on. If Zack comes up for me, that’s not going to make me hate Zack Wheeler.”

Photo of the Day

After a long hot day on the farm, I like to chill out with my MMO Mets Minors Report.

Binghamton 3, Trenton 1

With all the talk in Binghamton circling around Rafael Montero, the incredible season that Logan Verrett is having has almost gone by the boards. Verrett went ahead on Wednesday and tossed perhaps the best game of his career – as he nearly finished the game with a complete game victory.  He was taken out of the game after 99 pitches, which perhaps was pitch count related, before he could achieve the final out. At that point, he had allowed just the one earned run in the bottom of the fourth, and was utterly dominant throughout the entire game. His nine strikeouts were demonstrative of that fact.

His final line was eight-and-a-third innings pitched, where he gave up five hits and just one walk, while striking out nine batters. His one earned run came on an RBI single he gave up to JR Murphy in the fourth, but that was basically his only blemish. He threw 71 of his 99 pitches for strikes, and was removed from the game in favor of Jeff Walters, who stranded the two inherited runners to save the game for Binghamton and the win for Verrett, his fifth.

It may look like the B-Mets struggled offensively a little – and they did, outside of Cesar Puello and Wilfredo Tovar. Tovar had a three-hit game, and is beginning to show me some offensive talent, as per my request, and was only outclassed by Puello. Puello had a monster game in support of Verrett, with two home runs that drove home all three runs for Binghamton.

Cesar Puello has been on fire during his recent hit streak – and Logan Verrett has been on fire this entire season. Great evening for Binghamton.

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 0-for-2, 2 BB

Cory Vaughn: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 BB

Cesar Puello: 2-for-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R

Wilfredo Tovar: 3-for-3

Logan Verrett: 8.2 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 ER, 9 K

Jeff Walters: 0.1 IP, 0-2 inherited runners scored.

Trenton 5, Binghamton 1

Binghamton Mets starter Rafael Montero cruised through six innings, but faltered late as the Trenton Thunder scored four runs in the seventh to beat the B-Mets, 5-1, in comeback fashion on Tuesday night at Arm & Hammer Park. The B-Mets collected three hits in the first two innings, but were held hitless for the final seven frames in their second straight loss.

The B-Mets packed all their offense into the first two innings against Trenton starter Jose Ramirez. Cesar Puello emphatically got the B-Mets on the board in the second inning by blasting an 0-2 pitch to left field for his second homer of the season. Puello’s blast extended his hitting streak to 14 games, the longest active hitting streak throughout Double-A.

It proved to be Binghamton’s only run of the game. Ramirez settled down to retire the final seven batters he faced before exiting after four innings of work. The righty allowed one run on three hits, walked two and hit a batter in his second start of the season.

Montero dominated the Thunder through his first six innings. The righty matched a season-high with eight strikeouts and allowed just two base runners on a walk and single.

His fortunes changed in the seventh. Jose Pirela started the inning by walking on nine pitches. J.R. Murphy followed by lining a single to left. With runners on second and third, Slade Heathcott bounced a two-run, go-ahead single up the middle and ended Montero’s night.

Josh Edgin came out of the bullpen and issued a two-out walk to Neil Medchill. The southpaw paid for prolonging the inning when Ali Castillo pulled a two-run triple down the first base line. Trenton added another run off Edgin on an RBI single from Heathcott in the eighth.

The Thunder bullpen picked up where Ramirez left off and silenced the B-Mets offense. Josh Romanski (2-0) struck out four over three perfect innings and Danny Burawa allowed only one runner in two scoreless frames to collect his first save. At one point, the three Trenton pitchers combined to retire 20 consecutive B-Mets.

Montero (3-3) allowed three runs on three hits in his third straight loss. He struck out eight and walked two.

The B-Mets (16-16) conclude their series against the Thunder Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Logan Verrett gets the ball for Binghamton against LHP Nik Turley.

Key Stats

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

Daniel Muno: 1-for-3

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-3, 1 BB

Rafael Montero: 6.1 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 8 K

Josh Edgin: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 3 K

(Team Report)

Trenton 5, Binghamton 0

The Binghamton Mets were held to two hits and Cory Mazzoni was tagged for five runs in a 5-0 loss to the Trenton Thunder Monday night at Arm & Hammer Park. The B-Mets suffered their third shutout loss of the year and matched a season-low in hits.

Mazzoni made his first start in more than a month after missing 24 games due to right elbow neuritis. Trenton wasted little time to welcome him back. In the first inning they sent eight men to the plate, collected three hits and took advantage of an error to hang a crooked number.

After the Thunder started the frame with two hits, Tyler Austin supplied a sac fly. With a runner on third, J.R. Murphy sent a chopper back to the mound. Mazzoni fielded cleanly and threw to third, but Josh Rodriguez muffed the throw, allowing Jose Pirela to dive back safely. The misplay led to three unearned runs on Mazzoni’s tab when Slade Heathcott chipped in with an RBI groundout and Reegie Corona laced a two-run single to centerfield.

Trenton added to their lead in the third. Murphy led off with a double, one of three extra-base hits allowed by Mazzoni in the game, and scored on a single up the middle by Heathcott.

Binghamton could not solve Trenton starter Matt Tracy (3-2). The southpaw baffled the B-Mets and took a no-hitter into the sixth inning. Darrell Ceciliani finally broke up the no-hit bid with a one-out single. The hit snapped a stretch of 12 straight B-Mets retired by Tracy.

He exited with one out in the seventh after collecting a season-high nine strikeouts. Aaron Dott retired the final two batters in the seventh and Branden Pinder struck out four over two scoreless innings to close out the game.

Mazzoni (0-1) exited after allowing a leadoff single in the fourth. He allowed five runs (two earned) on seven hits in the losing effort. Shawn Teufel kept the Thunder off the board and chewed up three innings, while Adam Kolarek closed Binghamton’s pitching tab with two scoreless frames.

The B-Mets (16-15) continue their series against the Thunder Tuesday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Rafael Montero gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Jose Ramirez.

Key Stats

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4

Daniel Muno: 0-for-2, 2 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-2, 1 SB

Cory Mazzoni: 3.0 IP, 7 H, 1 BB, 5 R, 2 ER, 2 K

Shawn Teufel: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Adam Kolarek: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2 K

(Team Report)

Binghamton 8, Harrisburg 2

The Binghamton Mets broke a tie game with a three-run fourth inning and four pitchers retired the final 19 Harrisburg Senators hitters in an 8-2 win on Saturday night at Metro Bank Park. Binghamton’s victory, their first in May, snapped their season-long three-game losing streak.

Darrell Ceciliani led the offensive charge with a three-hit performance. He drove in three runs and scored three of his own, while Richard Lucas chipped in with two RBI on a double and two singles.

Binghamton wasted little time getting the offense going against Harrisburg starter Paul Demny. Alonzo Harris led off the game with a double to left center and scored when Lucas chopped a single back up the middle. Binghamton doubled their lead on a run-scoring groundout by Allan Dykstra in the third.

B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel sailed through his first two innings, but labored through the third. The righty allowed two hits, walked two and surrendered a pair of runs in the 39-pitch frame. Anthony Rendon‘s 11-pitch plate appearance ended with a walk and set the stage for Jerad Head‘s game-tying two-run single.

After Demny walked Goeddel with two outs in the fourth and Anthony Rendon misplayed Alonzo Harris’ chopper up the line, Ceciliani pushed a two-run single to center to give Binghamton the lead for good. Lucas tacked on with an RBI double to left.

Head’s hit in the third proved to be Harrisburg’s final basrunner. Goeddel (2-2) made the lead stand, retiring the final ten batters he faced to earn the win. The righty allowed two runs on three hits and fanned four over six innings to end his four-game winless streak.

The B-Mets added to their lead with three more runs against the Senators bullpen. Joe Bonfe delivered a pinch-hit run-scoring single in the eighth and Ceciliani crushed his first home run of the season, a solo shot, in the ninth. Cesar Puello added a run-producing fielder’s choice to cap the scoring.

Binghamton’s bullpen continued their perfect ways to wrap up the victory. Adam Kolarek posted a quiet seventh, Josh Edgin racked up one strikeout in a shutout eighth and Jeff Walters shut the door in the ninth.

The B-Mets (15-14) conclude their three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators (14-15) Sunday afternoon at 2:00 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon (2-0, 4.35) makes his second start of the season against RHP Caleb Clay (3-0, 2.17).

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 1-for-5, 1 2B, 1 R

Darrell Ceciliani: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 1 SB

Richard Lucas: 3-for-5, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

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

Erik Goeddel: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Adam Kolarek: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

Josh Edgin: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 1 K

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

(Team Report)

Harrisburg 3, Binghamton 1

The Binghamton Mets stranded the tying run on base in the ninth inning in a 3-1 loss to the Harrisburg Senators on Friday night at Metro Bank Park. Binghamton left eight aboard in the game and went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position in the final two innings.

One out shy of suffering their third shutout loss of the season, the B-Mets cracked the scoreboard when Cesar Puello blasted a 1-1 offering from Ian Krol over the left field wall for his first homer of the year. Krol failed to bounce back, walking Francisco Pena and hitting Wilfredo Tovar with an 0-2 pitch to put the tying run on.

Aaron Barrett entered from the bullpen and put out the flames. He struck out pinch hitter Joe Bonfe to end the game and earn his fifth save.

The B-Mets offense had a difficult time breaking through against Harrisburg starter Blake Treinen (3-3). The righty caged Binghamton for seven shutout innings before being lifted for a pinch hitter in the seventh. He allowed five hits and only one B-Met reached third base en route to his third win.

Harrisburg rode a three-run first inning to their fifth win in seven games. They greeted B-Mets starter Jacob deGrom rudely with four consecutive hits to start the first inning. Brian Goodwin started by pulling his league-leading fifth triple to right. Josh Johnson quickly brought him home with an infield single. Jerad Head followed with another single and Justin Bloxom gave Harrisburg a 3-0 lead with a two-run double to right.

deGrom (0-3) settled in after his bumpy first inning and capped his fourth start as a B-Met five shutout frames. He exited after allowing three runs on seven hits over six innings of work. The righty walked two and struck out one in the losing effort.

After Treinen’s departure, the B-Mets nearly got on the board in the eighth against reliever Neil Holland. Danny Muno led off the inning by shooting a pinch-hit double down the right field line. He was left hanging at second when Holland retired the next three B-Mets hitters.

The Binghamton bullpen supplied two strong innings of relief. Chase Huchingson fanned two in a perfect eighth and Jack Leathersich struck out the side in order in the eighth.

The B-Mets (14-14) continue their three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators (14-14) Saturday night at 7:00 PM. RHP Erik Goeddel (1-2, 5.70) gets the ball against RHP Paul Demny (1-3, 6.12).

Key Stats

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

Wilfredo Tovar: 2-for-3

Francisco Pena: 1-for-2, 2 BB

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

Jacob deGrom: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 1 K

Chase Huchingson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

Jack Leathersich: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 3 K

(Team Report)

Erie 9, Binghamton 1

Erie starter Kyle Lobstein took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and led the SeaWolves past the Binghamton Mets by a 9-1 score on Thursday night at NYSEG Stadium. The B-Mets were held to a season-low two hits in their second straight loss.

The SeaWolves grabbed an early lead, plating the first run of the game three batters in against B-Mets starter Logan Verrett. Daniel Fields led off the game with a single, stole second and scored on a double from Ramon Cabrera.

Erie put the game out of reach with five runs in the fifth. The first four batters reached safely on singles. Marcus Lemon doubled the lead with an RBI single and two runs came home when Cabrera beat out a potential inning-ending double play with the bases loaded. Tyler Collins put an emphatic cap on the inning with a two-run homer to left.

Verrett (4-1) was tagged for six runs on eight hits in his first Double-A loss. The righty tossed six innings without walking any SeaWolves. He struck out just one, the fewest strikeouts he has collected in any of his pro starts.

Erie kept the offense going against reliever Josh Edgin in the seventh. Hernan Perez looped a triple down the right field line and Cabrera walked to set the table for Collins. The left fielder blasted a payoff pitch to right for his second homer of the game and fourth of the series. The round-tripper gave Erie a 9-0 lead.

Meanwhile, Lobstein easily handled the B-Mets lineup through the first six innings. Binghamton managed just two baserunners on an error and a walk. At one point, the southpaw retired 18 of 19 B-Mets.

Binghamton finally ended the no-hit bid in the seventh. After a throwing error and a walk put two aboard, Cesar Puello dumped a two-out RBI single into right field. The hit, which extended Puello’s hitting streak to nine games, plated Josh Rodriguez with Binghamton’s only run of the game.

Lobstein (3-2) finished the inning and earned his third win of the season. He allowed just one unearned run on one hit. The lefty walked two and struck out six. Will Startup and Justin Souza each posted shutout innings to secure the win.

The B-Mets (14-13) start a three-game series against the Harrisburg Senators at Metro Bank Park on Friday night at 7:00 PM. RHP Jacob deGrom (0-2, 4.91) opposes RHP Blake Treinen (2-3, 4.76).

Key Stats

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4

Josh Rodriguez: 0-for-2, 1 R, 2 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

Logan Verrett: 6.0 IP, 8 H, 1 HR, 0 BB, 6 ER, 1 K

Josh Edgin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 ER, 2 K

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

(Team Report)

The upstate New York weather was unreal, mid 70′s, our nicest day of the spring. But, it was the B-Met probable starter that had be antsy with anticipation all day long. Binghamton ace Rafael Montero was scheduled to climb the hill for the B-Mets. I had never seen Montero pitch live, and I couldn’t wait.

A ‘pitch to contact’ philosophy seems prevalent in major league baseball. I’m not sure what former pitchers like Nolan Ryan, Bob Gibson, and Tom Seaver would say about that, but ‘pitching to contact’ seems to be the name of the game in today’s major league game.

When pitchers pitch to contact they attempt to get batters to get the bat on the ball and put the ball in play. At it’s best the ball is intended to be hit on the ground preferably within the first three pitches to the batter. Pitchers don’t think contact, Instead they direct their best pitch to the batter’s hittable zone.

Pitching to contact is a byproduct of the emphasis on pitch counts in the modern game. Don’t try to be too fine, pitch to contact, and pound the zone are all part of the ‘pitch to contact’ philosophy.

That seemed to be the approach Montero took to the mound last night. I entered NYSEG Stadium aware of Montero’s other world ability to throw strikes. In that area the young Met prospect didn’t disappoint.

Total Pitches: 95 – Strikes: 65 (72%) – Balls: 25 (28%)

Montero commanded the strike zone regardless of his pitch choice or whether he was throwing from the full wind-up or the stretch.

• Full Wind-up Fastball: Strikes 25 – 71%,  Balls 10 – 29%
• Curves: Strikes 10 – 83%, Balls 2 – 17%
• Sliders: Strikes 3 – 75%, Balls 1 – 25%
• Stretch Fastball: Strikes 17 – 74%, Balls 6 – 26%
• Curves: Strikes 4 – 44%, Balls 5 – 56%
• Sliders: Strikes 6 – 86%,  Balls 1 – 14%

As is my habit, I struggle determining the difference between the curve and slider. Montero’s curve in not of the 12 o’clock to 6′ o’clock variety. The speed differential between the two pitches in minimal. Combining those points could mean my numbers on Montero’s off speed stuff are slightly askew.

As you can see, Montero commands the strike zone. He struck out five and walked 1 meaning his season totals are now 40 K’s and 4 BB’s. That’s a 10:1 K/BB ratio.

The reason I believe Montero had a ‘pitch to contact’ approach in his head was the number of batters who put the ball in play in less than 3 pitches. Montero faced 32 hitters and exactly half, 16, put the ball in play on the first or second pitch thrown to the plate.

Montero threw first pitch strikes at a 69% clip or 22 times of the 32 batters. 10 times batters put the ball in play on the first pitch. The problem: those batters racked up 6 of the 10 hits Montero surrendered. He eased through the first three innings retiring 9 of the 10 batters he faced, allowing one hit, and only throwing 28 pitches. You do the math, that’s an average of only 2.5 pitches per batter.

Things unraveled in the fourth. Here’s the sequence that was Montero’s undoing:

- Leadoff double down the left field line on a first pitch fastball.
- Single to right field on a first pitch fastball.
- Double down the line on a first pitch curveball.
- Infield single on a first pitch fastball
- A second infield single on a first pitch fastball.
- Three pitch strikeout for the first out.
- Five pitch strikeout for the second out.
- First pitch triple on a curveball and a 4-3 groundout on the 4th pitch. You get the picture.

There is a lot to like about this kid. Strike zone command is a positive, a solid foundation to make pitching progress. His fastball is sneaky fast and sometimes touched 94 mph. There was no visible reaction when he was getting hit hard. And, to be fair, the two infield hits in the sequence I described could have been ruled errors.

Shortstop Danny Muno made a diving stop on one, sprang to his feet and made a low throw to first. Had the third baseman communicated with Muno, the B-Met shortstop could have nailed the runner on second base who had started to third, stopped and froze when Muno fielded the ball on his stomach.

The next batter hit a hard grounder up the middle, I thought might end as a double play. Josh Rodriguez showed great range backhanding the ball behind the second base bag, but as he lifted his mitt to make the toss to second, the ball dropped out of his glove.

Later, in the SeaWolves three-run seventh, Cesar Puello misplayed a ball in right field that cost at least one and possibly two runs. Through it all Montero seemed unflappable.

Perhaps it’s the traditionalist in me. Perhaps it’s the fact I was raised a pitcher during a different era. Perhaps it’s because I still coach high school baseball at a Class D level where sometimes every batted ball can be an adventure. Whatever the case, I’m suspicious of the “pitch to contact’ philosophy as a rule. It fires me up to see Matt Harvey throw a two-strike pitch intending to punch a batter out, especially when he finds himself in a jam.

In my opinion, Montero was simply too fine in this outing. Extending his pitch count a bit in an attempt to miss a few more bats or at least miss the sweet spot on the barrel of the bat may have been beneficial even if Montero was forced to shorten his outing by an inning. Five consecutive hits on the first pitch is avoidable. Especially when you have this kids stuff.

Last night’s final totals weren’t pretty: 10 runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings. Even so, I’m excited about Montero and see real upside here. He is definitely in the mix of young arms Met fans could see pitching in Citi Field.

Points of interest:

• Alonzo Harris hit a solo homerun in the seventh, his third of the year leaving him one behind team leader Corey Vaughn.
• Darrell Ceciliani laced a triple to right-center field. This kid can fly. B-Met manager Pedro Lopez moved Ceciliani from left field to center field and shifted Harris from center to left last night.
• Blake Forsythe continues to swing the bat well registering another multiple hit game. Forsythe was the DH last night going 2-for-4 with a double.
• Cesar Puello went 2-for-4. The big guy has surprising speed, but struggled making plays in right field. Like many power hitter, that’s an area the B-Mets will look to improve.
• Francisco Pena had a great night at the plate going 3-for-4 with two doubles, both just inside the left field line. Pena flied out to deep left field in his other at bat.
• John Church recorded a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Church has fanned 16 batters in 13.1 innings and lowered his ERA to 2.77.

Binghamton 4, Erie 3

Cesar Puello‘s two-run double down the first base line capped a four-run eighth inning in the Binghamton Mets 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Erie SeaWolves on Monday night at NYSEG Stadium. The B-Mets used three hits and two Erie errors in the decisive inning in the series-opening win.

After getting handcuffed for seven innings by Erie starter Warwick Saupold, the B-Mets broke through against the Erie bullpen. Facing reliever Michael Morrison and trailing 3-0, Alonzo Harris started the comeback by reaching on Corey Jones‘ fielding error at third. Darrell Ceciliani followed with a single and Josh Rodriguez walked to load the bases.

With Allan Dykstra at the plate, catcher James McCann fired to third in attempt to nab Harris, but his throw skipped into left field, allowing Harris to score. Dykstra followed by hammering an RBI double to left, cutting Erie’s lead to one. Puello capped the comeback by bouncing a two-run, go-ahead double down the first baseline, plating Rodriguez and Dykstra.

The SeaWolves had jumped out to an early lead by tagging B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel for three runs in the first four innings. Daniel Field homered in the first, James McCann collected an RBI single in the third and Luis Castillo added a run-scoring double in the fourth.

Erie’s run in the fourth proved to be their last. Goeddel battled to complete five innings and handed the reins to Josh Edgin in the sixth. The lefty allowed two hits, but no runs thanks to Cory Vaughn‘s strong throw to the plate, retiring Castillo to end the inning. Edgin returned for the seventh and posted a perfect frame.

Chase Huchingson (1-0) retired all three batters he faced in the eighth and became the winner after Binghamton’s four-run eighth inning. Jeff Walters racked up his league-leading seventh save with a shutout ninth. Morrison (1-1) suffered the loss.

Saupold settled for the no-decision after tossing seven shutout innings. The righty surrendered just four hits and allowed only one runner to reach third base. Goeddel was taken off the hook thanks to Binghamton’s comeback after giving up three runs on eight hits.

The B-Mets (13-11) continue their four-game set against the SeaWolves (12-10) Tuesday night at 6:35 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon (2-0, 7.11) fills in for Binghamton against LHP Matt Crouse (2-1, 3.68).

(Take note that Vaughn left with a potential injury – and Tyler Pill will miss tomorrow’s start, which you can read about here…)

Key Stats

Allan Dykstra: 2-for-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Cesar Puello: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI

Francisco Pena: 2-for-4, 1 2B

Erik Goeddel: 5.0 IP, 8 H,1 HR, 3 BB, 3 ER, 6 K

Josh Edgin: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Chase Huchingson: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K

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

(Team Report)

Akron 7, Binghamton 5

A promising pitching duel turned into a home run derby at Binghamton’s NYSEG Stadium, as Akron flexed more muscle than the B-Mets in a 7-5 Aeros victory.

B-Met starter Jacob deGrom and Paolo Espino traded zeroes through three scoreless inning to start the contest. DeGrom cruised in the early going allowing only a lead-off single to Jesus Aguilar in the second. The lanky B-Met starter pounded the strike zone throwing 72 percent of his 39 pitches for strikes during the opening three frames.

Espino too, was impressive, changing speeds effectively and allowing only a one out base-on-balls to Cory Vaughn through the first two innings. Vaughn continues to show patience in the batter’s box as Akron pitchers tempt the B-Met slugger with pitches off the plate. The walk was one of two for Vaughn in the game and his fifth base-on-balls in the last two contests.

Careless baserunning cost the B-Mets a chance to score in the third. Danny Muro led off with a hard double grounded inches inside the left field line and running into the corner. B-Met skipper Pedro Lopez asked Wilfredo Tovar to bunt. The bunt attempt hit home plate an appeared to this casual observer to glance off Tovar’s elbow falling in front of home plate. In any case, the umpire never called “Foul Ball” and Tovar never took off out of the box. Muro who had a good jump and would easily have had third, saw Tovar standing motionless and stopped. Aeros catcher Roberto Perez quickly pounced on the ball and fired to third where Jesus Aguilar tagged Muno out then rifled a throw to first to double up Tovar. Alonso Harris then worked a base-on-balls but was picked off first by Espino. Ouch!

DeGrom’s changeup got him into trouble in the fourth. Tyler Holt drilled an 80 mph change on the eighth pitch of the at bat for a single. Chun-Hsiu Chen lined another 80 mph change down the left field line in the next at bat. Darrell Ceciliani played the ball in the corner but his throw to second skipped past Tovar and Muno was not backing up allowing Holt to race home. A Carlos Moncrief sacrifice fly to Harris in centerfield plated Akron’s second run.
The B-Mets got one back in the bottom of the fifth when Cesar Puello raked a sharp line drive single to center. Danny Muno followed with a sizzling shot into the right field corner for the B-Mets first tally.

The wheels came off the bus for deGrom in the sixth. Once again, his off-speed pitch was the culprit. Tyler Holt led-off the inning stroking a change into left field for a hit. One out later, Jesus Aguilar blasted another change for a two-run shot. Carlos Moncrief smashed the next pitch for a back-to-back four bagger. DeGrom called it a day one batter later after walking Quincy Latimore.

The B-Mets matched Akron’s longball heroics with two blasts of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Darrell Ceciliani opened the inning with a double followed by Josh Rodriquez’s second home run of the year. The pattern repeated when Alan Dykstra doubled and Corey Vaughn followed suit with a two-run blast, his fourth of the year, to tie the score at 5-5.

The B-Mets squandered a chance to take the lead after Vaughn’s dinger. With one out, Puello singled, stole his 6th base of the year and advanced to third when the catcher’s throw went into centerfield. Akron reliever Kyle Landis then struck out Muno and Tovar to end the inning.

Longballs would continue to fly but only off Akron bats. Adam Kolarek, who replaced deGrom in the sixth, surrendered the game winner to Jose Ramirez with one out in the seventh. Quincy Latimore added a topper to the home run parade lacing a four-bagger against Shawn Teufel in the eighth.

The B-Mets made an attempt to get back the runs in the eighth when Vaughn drew a one out walk. Blake Forsythe followed with a hard single to left. After Puello went down swinging, Muro worked a base-on-balls to load the bases. Tovar brought the B-Met faithful to their feet when he ripped a hard drive to the warning track in left field that Latimore hauled down in full stride.

Akron reliever Bryce Stowell pitched his eighth inning in relief without allowing a run to earn his first save. Stowell mixed his pitches well with a mid 90′s fast ball and a curve touched the mid 70′s.

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 0-for-4, 1 BB (ended ten-game hitting streak)

Josh Rodriguez: 1-for-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Cory Vaughn: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB

Cesar Puello: 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 SB

Daniel Muno: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB

Jacob deGrom: 5.1 IP, 7 H, 2 HR, 1 BB, 5 ER, 2 K

Adam Kolarek: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 1 ER

Shawn Teufel: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 HR, 2 BB, 1 ER, 1 K

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas dropped to Tacoma, 5-3.
• Binghamton dropped to Akron, 7-5.
• St. Lucie blew topped Tampa, 9-2.
• Savannah edged out West Virginia, 3-2.

Prospect Pipeline

• Noah Syndergaard got his first win of the 2013 season against the Tampa Bay Yankees after a dominating performance. Since his implosion on April 18, he has pitched in 13 innings allowing eight hits, three walks, and had 13 strikeouts. He allowed two runs in those 13 innings, but neither of them were earned. On Sunday he easily delivered his best start of the year.
• Hamilton Bennett is quietly having a solid season coming out of the bullpen for St. Lucie. In 12 innings pitched, he has allowed three runs, and has 15 strikeouts on the year. He also has two saves.
• Alonzo Harris was 0-for-4 last night, snapping a ten game hit streak.
• Cory Vaughn has been on absolute fire the past ten games. Over that span, Vaughn has clobbered three home runs and is hitting  healthy .342, with eight RBI. He smacked his fourth home run of the year yesterday, tying him for second best in the organization (Dustin Lawley has five). Vaughn is now hitting .299 on the year.
• Brandon Nimmo has cooled off. He has been hitless in four straight games, dropping his average on the year to .337. Over the past ten games, he is hitting .205.

Stat Line of the Night

Noah Syndergaard: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 1 R, 0 ER, 7 K

Transactions/Injuries

• Big news for center fielder Matt den Dekker who tells us that his cast is being removed by team doctors today. He could be back by mid-May.
• Cesar Puello, who out with a sore left wrist was back in the lineup on Sunday and went 2-for-4 with a stolen base. He now has six swipes in 13 games and is sporting a .286/.375/.429 slash.
• Cory Mazzoni is still on the DL, but he could be throwing a bullpen session one day this week.
• Right-handed pitcher Luis Mateo, who made one start with the B-Mets in place of Mazzoni, is no longer with the team. He has returned to the Mets facility in Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Hat tip to Lynn Worthy). Mateo should resume throwing again in the next week or so, based on his elbow strength.
• Michael Fulmer tossed twelve pitches over the course of an inning in an extended spring training game. No reported issues.

Quote Of The Day

St. Lucie pitching coach had this to say about after Syndergaard’s dominating performance yesterday:

“Today, he really located his fastball really well over both sides of the plate. Kept the ball down and was pretty much in command of all his pitches,” St. Lucie pitching coach Phil Regan said. “He also had two strikeouts on curveballs and two on changeups, and these are the things we have been working on.

“And he went seven innings. It was an interesting thing, someone mentioned to him it was the first time he went seven innings this year. And he says, “Yeah, it’s the first time in three years, since high school.’”

Photo of the Day

You’ve got five seconds to hand over that MMO Minor League Report.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• The Las Vegas had a night off — Zack Wheeler takes the hill tonight.
• Binghamton topped Portland, 8-6.
• St. Lucie had the night off.
• Savannah dismantled Delmarva, 9-3.

Prospect Pipeline

• All eyes will be on Zack Wheeler as he is coming off his six walk performance from last Friday night. Wheeler is still seeking his first win at the Triple-A level, as his record is currently 0-1. Hopefully he gets his season back on track tonight.
• With two more hits last night, Jayce Boyd became the leading hitter on the Savannah Sand Gnats. He is now batting .411 on the season, good for tops in the organization and the South Atlantic League. Second on the list: Brandon Nimmo.
• The three top hitters in the organization are all on Savannah – Boyd, Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki. Brandon Nimmo’s average has dropped below .400 after another hit less night. His average is now sitting at .392 for the season, good for second in the SAL. Kevin Plawecki is batting .372, which is sixth-best in the SAL, and he keeps hitting doubles because he’s a doubles machine.
• Alonzo Harris stole another base in last night’s game, he now leads the Eastern League with nine on the year.
• Rafael Montero Watch: Jorge Castillo, of the Star Ledger, asked Terry Collins what he thought about Montero making the jump straight from Binghamton to Flushing this year. “I can envision it absolutely,” Collins said.
• Adam Rubin reports that Matt den Dekker’s cast is scheduled to be removed on Monday, and then he will undergo a two week rehab program before beginning baseball activities. He also reports that Michael Fulmer has completed the rehab process, coming off of surgery for a torn meniscus, and he was scheduled to throw one inning in an inter-squad game in St. Lucie yesterday.

Stat Line of the Night

Jeffrey Glenn: 3-for-5, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Transactions/Injuries

• Savannah Sand Gnats placed RHP Logan Taylor on the 7-day disabled list retroactive to April 22, 2013 with a strained oblique.
  
• Adam Rubin reports that Cesar Puello has been held out of games since the 18th with an apparent left wrist injury.

Quote Of The Day

Lefthander Steven Matz is hitting 95 mph on the radar gun. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, caught up to him, his manager, his pitching coach and his catcher who are all impressed:

Most importantly, Savannah pitching coach/fellow Long Island product Frank Viola noted, Matz has now thrown 81 pitches in each of his last two outings and is growing confident injury woes are behind him.

“It’s so important to know you can do it,” Viola said.

Said Savannah manager Luis Rojas: “He’s a smart kid, and he’s blessed. He still has a great arm. His fastball has got a late hop, and it’s really heavy. His breaking pitch, he’s really discovering now. He’s changing from a curveball to a slider. And he actually has a good feel for it.”

Matz believes the slider is more conducive to his natural arm slot.

“His fastball had a lot of movement, and he obviously was throwing pretty hard,” said Kevin Plawecki, who caught Matz’s most recent outing. “I think he’s still kind of in that phase where he’s getting a feel for his pitches again. That was a good step in the right direction. He’s got a good, live arm. It does jump at you a little bit, especially from the left side. I think it gives hitters a little bit of a struggle.”

Photo of the Day

These Mets Minors Reports always make me smile.