Collin Cowgill did just that; he hit .303/.378/.591 in 66 spring training at-bats, and earned the honor of being the starting center fielder on opening day. Kirk Nieuwenhuis struggled to an awful .086/.220/.086 spring line, but his defense helped him to earn a roster spot. The organization hoped he’d find the magic in his bat from the first half of 2012. So far, neither one of them have performed well, and their slumps have followed them from the majors back down to Triple-A Las Vegas.

Cory Vaughn and Cesar Puello are having strong starts to 2013 for the Binghamton Mets. Since they’re still in Double-A, Mets fans probably won’t see them until at least September. For right now, Cowgill and Nieuwenhuis are the two best options the organization has when it comes to trying to find production in the outfield (along with Andrew Brown).

Cowgill carried his success from Port St. Lucie up north to Flushing for opening day against the San Diego Padres, going 2-for-5 with a grand slam, double, and four RBIs. From there, it went downhill, and found himself hitting .157/.173/.294 through 51 at-bats before getting demoted to Triple-A.

It didn’t take as long for Nieuwenhuis to get sent packing to fix his swing; he was demoted in favor of rookie Juan Lagares after hitting .125/.176/.188 in 13 games (16 ABs).

With both of them getting sent to Las Vegas to get back on track, 51s manager Wally Backman said they would each get significant playing time, and share duties in center field. Mets fans were hoping their bats would show some form of life in order to help the big league team, but it hasn’t happened yet. Here’s the results so far since getting sent down:

• Collin Cowgill - .219/.306/.406, 3 HR, 10 RBI in 64 AB
• kirk Nieuwenhuis - .198/.303/.349, 3 HR, 6 RBI in 86 AB

Needless to say, what they’ve done upon arriving to Vegas won’t help them to get a call back up to the Show anytime soon. It’s very discouraging to watch them continue struggling because they take one step forward and two steps back. In watching them play recently, they’ll put together a nice at-bat, ending in a hard-hit ball. Just when I think they turned the corner on offense, their following at-bat says the opposite.

Soon, Matt den Dekker will return to action after breaking his wrist in spring training. While he didn’t show much at the plate in spring training either, he’s someone the Mets haven’t tried yet in the outfield. If Cowgill and Nieuwenhuis continue their current lack of production, den Dekker will eventually leapfrog them on his way to the majors.

I’m a fan of both Cowgill and Nieuwenhuis, and it’s frustrating to watch them have such a tough time getting into a groove at the plate. They each play the game the way it should be played: hard. There is still time for them to turn things around and get their careers back on track. The opportunity to get back to the majors and play well enough to find a role on the team (whether it’s in the starting lineup or on the bench) is still available.

However, with players Vaughn, Puello, and den Dekker getting closer to being ready for their chance in the spotlight, time is running out. At the end of the day, the Mets are trying to figure out who has a future with the organization. The above three prospects still have one with New York, but if the two incumbent Vegas outfielders don’t show consistent signs of life soon, they will be on the outside looking in.

For the best coverage of the Mets Minors, there’s only one place to go…

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Las Vegas defeated Iowa 9-4.
• Binghamton beat New Britain, 8-3.
• St. Lucie dropped Dunedin, 5-3.
• Savannah lost to Charleston, 4-2.
  

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler was back in action after missing a start due to inflammation of the AC Joint in his throwing shoulder. Wheeler looked a tad rusty from the get-go. He didn’t have great command over his pitches, and in fact, he missed the strike zone wildly a couple of times. He got hit hard throughout his five innings of work, and ended up giving up two home runs and a triple that narrowly missed being a third home run. You can see a full recap of his start at MetsMinors.net.
• Rafael Montero got sent back to Double-A Binghamton after his fantastic start on Monday with Las Vegas. Montero impressed against Iowa yesterday, going 6.2 innings and allowing two runs on four hits, one walk, and five strikeouts. While it was labeled as a “spot start”, I had a feeling that if he proved himself worthy, he would be staying with Las Vegas. Sandy Alderson squashed those thoughts on SNY, saying that Montero would be heading back to Double-A. he GM did mention he would likely return to the 51s mid-season, and went as far as saying he wouldn’t be surprised if he was in the big leagues by the end of the year.
• In his first start since earning his second SAL Player of the Week honors, Rainy Lara only lasted 4.2 innings against Charleston last night. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, one walk, and four strikeouts.
• Josh Rodriguez led the B-Mets offense with a 3-for-4 day, including a walk, double, and two RBIs to help Binghamton defeat New Britain.
• Noah Syndergaard faced his former organization for the first time since the Blue Jays traded him last winter. He took the loss against Dunedin, throwing 5.2 innings and allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, two walks, and four strikeouts.
• Francisco Pena hit a two-run homer against Iowa yesterday, and Adam Rubin tweeted that we shouldn’t be surprised if he makes his way to Flushing sometime this season.
• Cory Vaughn continues his strong start to 2013, raising his season average to .302 with another two-hit game last night in New Britain. With the mess that is the current New York Mets outfield, Vaughn could also be making his big league debut sometime this year.
• XtreemIcon covered the B-Mets in Great Britain on Monday and Tuesday and was able to spend some time with pitching prospect Logan Verrett. He wrote a must-read article about him that includes quotes from Blake Forsythe, Jack Leathersich, pitching coach Glenn Abbott and manager Pedro Lopez.
• Curious as to how the Mets’ top prospects are performing? Catch up with this week’s Top-10 Tracker.

Stat Line of the Day

Francisco Pena: 2-for-4, two-run HR, 3 RBI, 1 R

Transactions

Rafael Montero was transferred from Triple-A Las Vegas back to Double-A Binghamton.

RHP Dylan Owen transferred from Las Vegas (AAA) to Binghamton (AA)

Quote of the Day 

Cory Vaughn on his improved hitting approach:

“I think I’m just not panicking as much. I’m just going out there and having fun. Up here, if it’s 3-1, 2-0, they’re not just going to be throwing a ‘cookie’ every time. If they throw me a slider 3-1 and I’m not looking for it, or looking wherever they throw it, I’m going to take it as opposed to just swinging and getting a rollover groundout.”

(Photo credit: Michael G. Baron)

Despite a major league pedigree and respect for his tools (Baseball America Top 15 organizational prospect three years running), Binghamton Mets outfielder Cory Vaughn had yet to put all his tools together. His power and speed didn’t show up until 2012, but he hit .243. In St. Lucie in 2011, Vaughn hit .286 before his promotion, but only four home runs. After the promotion, he more than doubled his home run total, but the batting average dipped to .219.

That’s all changed, however. Vaughn’s tearing it up to the tune of .307/.392/.500 with five home runs in 130 plate appearances and is fresh off an Eastern League Player of the Week award. He’s got five stolen bases in six chances, and this is all in his first season at AA Binghamton. One would expect an adjustment period after the jump from High A, and even though you couldn’t tell by the numbers, Vaughn has had a lot to adjust to.

“There’s been a lot of adjustments going on, from the weather to this past off season to working with our hitting coach Luis [Natera],” explained Vaughn. “Basically just go out there and play the game hard and never stop working and never stop grinding, you know? So it’s been paying off, but you still have to work hard no matter what.”

Binghamton Manager Pedro Lopez agrees. “I would say that he’s been making adjustments as he goes along. I think he’s got the right mindset right now in order for him to get better. You’re looking at somebody who’s on a mission right now. Every chance that he gets, he’s making the best out of it. The thing is, especially when you get to this level, is to make sure that you got your ears open for any suggestions.”

Vaughn also made an adjustment to his batting stance. He attributes a mechanical adjustment he made to the placement of his hands to his success. The bat used to stand straight up with his hands by his ear, but keeping the bat flatter and lower has helped him stay through the ball.

“I really just kind of sit the bat on my shoulder so my hands would be more in the slot. You know, A to B,” explains Vaughn. “The quickest way to one point is a straight line. So I just try to “A to B” it and it’s been working out pretty well.”

Hitting Coach Luis Natera explains that with the longer swing, he was in an out of the zone too quickly and tended to hook everything. “Now he’s working to stay through the zone a little longer and his lower half is working much better. He was landing with his front foot on his heel. It made him pull off everything. Now he made that transition to landing on his toes and it leaves the front heel up that keeps him through the zone a little longer. Now those balls that he hooked foul are in the left-center gap.”

Both Lopez and Natera also commend his approach at the plate. “One thing he’s doing well to this point is trying to get a good pitch to hit and when he gets it, he’s not missing many,” said Lopez. “That goes with our whole hitting philosophy. Try to get a good pitch to hit and right now he’s doing a good job at it.”

Coach Natera has also been impressed with his new student. “He’s got a lot of confidence. What I hear from other coaches is that he was afraid to hit with two strikes. Now he’s not afraid to take a borderline strike to get to his pitch.”

When asked directly if looking to take borderline strikes detract from Vaughn’s natural aggressiveness, Natera refutes the idea. “Any hitter, if he’s afraid of hitting with two strikes, is going to swing at a pitcher’s pitch [early in the count] and that’s tough to hit. And now he’s not afraid to take those pitches on the corner and wait for that pitcher to make a mistake.”

And despite the fact that Vaughn has improved his slugging percentage steadily over the last three seasons, Coach Natera is still being patient on that front. “Power in young hitters is the last to come,” he explains. “Now he has to work on being a hitter. The power is there. He just has to work the strike zone like he’s been working and keep his hands back through the zone. He’ll hit for power on pitcher’s mistakes and I think everything now is coming together.”

Lopez agrees. “It’s paying off for him to this point and I hope he continues to do what he’s doing.”

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

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 7, Akron 3

Many times you can gauge a pitcher’s demeanor, their grit and persistence, when they don’t have their best stuff.  That was the case at Binghamton’s NYSEG Stadium for B-Met starter Logan Verrett in the early going of last nights 7-3 victory over Akron.

Verrett has been a mainstay of the Binghamton staff so far this spring starting 8 games with a 5-1 record and a 3:15 ERA.  A pinpoint command of the strike zone has helped Verrett log an impressive 0.99 WHIP in the young season.

Verrett struggled commanding his fastball in the first two innings of Tuesday’s contest.  The usually accurate right hander walked three batters and delivered 40 pitches during the first two innings.  In fact, only double play balls to end each frame prevented Verrett from disaster.

You can learn a lot about a pitcher when they labor on the hill.  Such moments are gut checks that speak to the character of a pitcher.  Will they remain poised and centered?  Will they alter their mechanics?  Will they begin to work too fast or too slow?  Will they continue to challenge batters with their signature pitch even if when they can’t locate that pitch as they would like?   Will they show grit and resolve in working through their troubles.

The character side of Verrett’s pitching report card was glowing last night.

Trouble presented itself almost immediately.  Akron’s speedy centerfielder Tyler Holt, the second batter in the game, laced a line drive toward the gap in right-center field.  B-Met right fielder Cesar Puello elected to attempt a diving catch but couldn’t complete the play with the ball going all the way to the wall, and Holt racing to third with a one out triple.  Verrett walked Carlos Moncrief who stole second to set the table for Chun-Hsiu Chen.  Chen, batting a sparkling .331, ripped a single up the middle scoring both runners and giving Akron a 2-0 lead.  Quincy Lattimore sent a wicked line drive to the mound that Verrett played in the air, then doubled up Chen to end the inning.

Verrett’s troubles continued in the Akron second.  The B-Met ace opened the frame by walking Roberto Perez and yielding a single to Giovanny Urshela.  After striking out Kyle Bellas, Verrett walked the number nine batter Justin Toole to load the bases.  Verrett was clearly struggling.

A hard grounder ripped to short was played perfectly, Wilfredo Tovar to Josh Rodriguez to Allan Dykstra for a 6-4-3 double play to get Verrett out of the jam.

The second B-Met DP was a turning point for their young pitcher.  Verrett settled in finding his customary command of the strike zone and dominated for the remainder of his outting.  The DP started a string of 8 consecutive outs for Verrett.

The string was broken in the sixth when Bellas led off by slamming a Verrett curveball over the left field wall for a home run extending Akron’s advantage to 3-0.  Verrett was unfazed putting the next 8 batters down in order before allowing an Ursela single with two down in the seventh.  A look at Verrett’s pitching statistics show just how effectively he pitched after the first two innings. . All 3 Verrett walks and 3 of the 5 hits he allowed were surrendered during the first two innings.

Here was Verrett’s line on the evening: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 ER, 5 K

Total Batters Faced: 27

First Pitch Strikes: 19 – 70%

Ahead After Three Pitches:  8 – 30%

Total Pitches: 97  Strikes:  61 – 63%  Balls:  36 – 37%

Strike Breakdown: Called: 26 – 43%   Fouled:  7 – 11%   Missed:  9 – 15%  In Play:  19 – 31%

Full Windup:  Total Pitches: 66  Strikes:  44 – 67%     Balls:  22 – 33%

Stretch: Total Pitches:  31  Strikes: 17 – 55%  Balls:  14 – 45%

Verrett’s fastball ranged from 86 to 94 mph.  Only two pitches touched 94 both thrown in the first inning.  It appeared as if Verrett was attempting more curve balls than the previous time I had watched him pitch.  The triple and home run both came on curveballs.

The B-Met hitters struggled with Akron starting pitcher Paolo Espino‘s slow breaking curve ball in the early innings.  Espino carried a shutout into the fifth inning when Binghamton scored three times to knot the score at 3-3.  Cory Vaughn saw his first fastball on the fourth pitch and grounded a single to left to lead off the inning.  Vaughn drew several pick off attempts with Espino finally throwing the ball past the first baseman and allowing the B-Met leftfielder to advance to second.  After two infield pop-ups, Alonzo Harris worked a walk.  Wilfredo Tovar laced a single to left field plating Vaughn and moved into scoring position when the leftfielders throw to third base attempting to get Harris sailed off line.

That brought the B-Met second baseman Danny Muno to the plate.  Muno has been a clutch hitter for Binghamton this year, and he came through once again, lining a shot over off the centerfield wall to plate Harris and Tovar.  Muno is batting just .228 but has knocked in a team high 21 RBI’s.

Binghamton caught some huge breaks in busting the game open in the home eighth.  Tovar greeted relief pitcher Trey Haley with a ground single over the third base bag but was thrown out trying to leg it into a double.  Haley, a fire throwing righthander, lost the plate throwing 11 consecutive balls, walking Muno and Josh Rodriguez and going 3-0 on Cesar Puello.  Puello took two strikes before ball four loaded the bases.

With the infield in, Allan Dykstra tapped a soft ground ball to first baseman Chun-Hsiu Chen.  Chen played the ball but double clutched without looking to throw home, changing his mind and attempting to get Dykstra at first.  His throw was late  with the B-Mets scoring the game winner.  Vaughn followed with a broken bat flare that got past Haley for another infield hit and a second run.  Two wild pitches completed the 4 run rally.

I finally got to see Jack Leathersich work the mound in relief and the lefty didn’t disappoint.  Leathersich worked a scoreless eighth and ninth allowing a single hit while striking out 4 and walking only 1.  He has a nasty breaking ball that freezes lefthanded hitters, a deceptive delivery, and fires some 90+ heat.  Leathersich has struck out 33 batters in 17.2 innings.

Key Stats

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

Josh Rodriguez: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 R

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-4, 1 RBI

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

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

Logan Verrett: 7.0 IP, 5 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 3 ER, 5 K

Jack Leathersich: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 4 K

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

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.

@nymets945 Pill will likely not make next start because of discomfort. Need to find out more about that. He is not on the DL.

— Lynn Worthy (@PSBLynn) April 29, 2013

Vaughn said he felt a sensation in his arm after throwing out runner at plate. Called coming out “precautionary.” #BMets #Mets

— Lynn Worthy (@PSBLynn) April 30, 2013

Hat tip for Lynn Worthy here for updating us on two minor league players, Cory Vaughn and Tyler Pill.

Cory Vaughn left tonight’s game with an undisclosed injury, and Worthy later found out and reported that he may have hurt himself while throwing out a runner from left field. Considering that it is reported as precautionary, we should have nothing to worry about. Vaughn was in the midst of a hot streak, batting .306 over his last three games with three home runs and eight RBIs.

Tyler Pill, on the other hand, was scheduled to pitch tomorrow evening. Worthy went on to note that Pill missing his start did not sound like a big issue up in Binghamton – but rather that they wanted to give him some time off. Pill has been struggling this season, with opposing hitters batting .349 against him and he currently holds an ERA of 7.58 (16 earned runs) in 19.0 innings pitched.

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

Efficient. The term popped up in my brain with the regularity Logan Verrett pounds the strike zone as I watched Verrett confuse and befuddle Akron Saturday in Binghamton.

Verrett managed his pitching workload with laser life efficiency throwing two-hit ball over eight innings as the B-Mets toppled Akron, 7-2.

If making good first impressions is a valued introductory tactic, Verrett hit a home run with me. The B-Met righthander was terrific. In fact, about now Verrett might be wondering what all the fuss is about the legendary daunting jump from A to AA ball. The B-Met win leaves Verrett 4-0 on the young campaign with a 2.52 ERA.

I treated my good friend Glen Reynolds, my fantasy baseball partner, to the game. He’s a huge Cleveland Indian fan and was anxious to catch up with the progress of the Tribe’s prospects. Instead, like me, Glen came away singing Verrett’s praises.

Verrett is all business on the hill and works quickly. It would be hard to lose your focus playing behind Verrett with the crisp, down-to-business attitude he takes to the mound. Verrett showcases fluid, repeated mechanics in a compact pitching delivery.

Over eight innings, Verrett pitched to just three batters beyond the minimum. I charted his performance and his statistics are eye-popping. Take a look.

8 Innings Pitched, 2 Runs, 2 Earned Runs, 2  Hits, 1 BB, 7 K

Total Pitches: 93 – Strikes: 67 (63%) - Balls: 26 (37%)

Full Windup
Fastball: Strikes 34 (67%) – Balls 17 (33%)
Slider: Strikes 10 (100%)
Change: Strikes 15 (62%) – Balls 9 (38%)

Stretch
Fastball: Strikes 5 (100%)
Slider: Strikes 2 (100%)
Change: Strikes 1 (100%)

First Pitch Strikes
16 of 27 (59%)
Verrett threw first pitch off-speed pitches 9 of 27 times, 8 of 19 after the first two innings.

Velocity
Fastball: 87 – 92
Sliders: 83 – 86
Change: 80 – 83

Admittedly, I struggle delineating the break on the slider, old eyes I guess. It really doesn’t matter. The critical point is Verrett uses his off-speed pitches effectively to disrupt opposing hitter’s timing and from behind the plate all Verrett’s pitches appear to be delivered from the same arm slot with a similar delivery. Throughout the first two innings, Verrett established his fastball mastery of the strike zone. As the game wore on, especially when he pitched to Aeros power hitters in the middle of the line-up, the B-Met ace threw more and more off-speed stuff.

Akron’s only runs came via the long ball. Catcher Chris Wallace opened the second inning with a line drive that just cleared the wall in left field. A Ronny Rodriguez triple with one out in the fifth set up the Aeros second run. Rodriquez scored on Giovanny Urshela‘s sacrifice fly.

Pitch selection to Urshela was my only confusion throughout the game. In his first at bat, Verrett made Urshela look bad, striking out waving feebly at three straight sliders. With a runner on third and one out I expected Verrett to milk the same pitch, but he served up two fastballs, the second the sac fly to center.

The B-Mets scored single runs in each of the first four innings then busted the game open with three runs in the sixth. After far to many strikeouts on Friday night, the B-Mets fanned only three times and pounded out 13 hits.

Binghamton centerfielder, Alonzo Harris, got off to a sizzling start blasting a leadoff homerun and never stopped cooking. Harris delivered a quality at bat almost every time he stepped to the plate. In his second plate appearance, Harris sent a screaming line drive up the middle that was slowed down when it glanced off pitcher Matt Packer‘s shoulder just enough for Areos second baseman Jose Ramirez to backhand the ball and catch Harris at first by a whisker. Harris walked the third time he batted then the speedy outfielder legged out and infield single on the tenth pitch of his fourth plate appearance. Harris hit into a first pitch fielders choice in his final at bat.

Harris’s contributions weren’t limited only to his bat. He made six fly ball putouts in centerfield, tracking down one blast to make a running grab in left-center. A B-Met note; Harris is hitting .287 with 10 stolen bases at the top of the B-Met batting order.

Darrell Ceciliani, the Binghamton rightfielder who bats second, went 3 for 5 with a double, stolen base and an RBI. The stolen base was Ceciliani’s 7th, giving the B-Mets promising base running speed to set the table for the power guys.

Richard Lucas had two hits, stole a base, and made a slick bare handed pick-up on a well placed Tyler Holt bunt down the third base line.

B-Met catcher Blake Forsythe stayed hot going 2 for 4 with a double and sacrifice fly.

Binghamton showed great plate discipline at times. Cory Vaughn showed patience when Aeros pitchers nibbled. Vaughn walked three times. Daniel Kuno walked twice, one free pass at the end of a ten pitch at bat.

Wilfredo Tovar probably should have used a bit more patience when he came to the plate with the bases loaded, no outs and the game tied 1-1 in the second. Packer was struggling allowing back-to-back singles to Forsythe and Francisco Pena then walked Daniel Muro. The Aeros starter entered the game with a 1.70 WHIP putting the pressure squarely on Packer’s back. Tovar hit a hard first pitch ground ball into a 6-4-3 double play plating a run but killing the chance for a big rally. Tovar later redeemed himself with a hard double to the gap in left-center and made a sterling diving defensive stop, springing to his feet to just get a speedy Tyler Holt at first.

The defensive players of the game though were Jose Ramirez and Holt of Akron. Ramirez flashed some awesome leather that even left B-Met fans amazed. He robbed Harris of the second inning screamer up the middle, turned a potential run scoring Allan Dykstra ground single to a 4-1 putout, then in Binghamton’s last at bat used a backhand stab to take a hit away from Lucas near the second base bag.

Holt made a stunning running grab on Forsythe’s sacrifice gapper, killing a big B-Met rally when he doubled Lucas off second base in the third inning. The following inning, Holt snared Tovar’s smash in the opposite gap with a bare hand denying the Binghamton shortstop a triple.

But, the day belonged to Verrett as he continues to prove that great pitching isn’t all about velocity.

Binghamton 8, Portland 6

The Binghamton Mets packed all their offense into the first two innings and held on to defeat the Portland Sea Dogs, 8-6, on Wednesday night at Hadlock Field. The victory helped the B-Mets avoid a three-game sweep and secured a winning record on their week-long roadtrip.

For the second straight night, the B-Mets put up a three-spot in the first inning, with Allan Dykstra posting all the offense with one swing of the bat. The B-Mets designated hitter blasted an 0-1 offering from Kyle Kaminska over the right field wall for his first round-tripper of the year.

Binghamton’s offense continued to roll in the second as the first five batters reached safely to start the frame. With the bases loaded on two singles and an outfielder error, Darrell Ceciliani stroked a three-run double to the left field alley. Josh Rodriguez and Cory Vaughn both added to Binghamton’s lead with RBI doubles later in the frame.

Portland cut into the B-Mets’ eight-run advantage with a three-run third. The first five batters reached against starter Erik Goeddel. JC Linares drove in one with a double to left center, Michael Almanzar added another with a single up the middle and Alberto Rosario beat out a potential double play with the bases loaded to trim the lead to five.

Goeddel labored through four innings in the no-decision. He exited after allowing three runs on six hits, while walking two and fanning three. He threw 97 pitches, including 35 in the first and 29 in the third.

Portland continued to chip away against the B-Mets bullpen. Southpaw Shawn Teufel took the reins from Goeddel and allowed three runs on three hits over 1-2/3 innings of work. Almanzar supplied an RBI groundout in the fifth and Xander Bogaerts punched a two-run triple to right in the sixth.

John Church entered with two outs in the sixth and retired Tony Thomas to end Portland’s threat. Making his league-leading tenth appearance of the season, Church worked around a leadoff double in the seventh, but struck out two to post a scoreless frame.

Jeff Walters worked around a single and a walk in a shutout eighth and collected his league-leading sixth save of the season with a perfect ninth. Church (1-3) was awarded his first Double-A win, while Kaminska (0-3) dropped his third straight decision.

Binghamton’s middle infield defense shined down the stretch. Tovar made a sliding play up the middle to rob Alberto Rosario of a hit and an RBI in the seventh. Tovar and second baseman Danny Muno teamed up for a double play to ease the pressure for Walters in the eighth.

The B-Mets (11-9) enjoy a day off on Thursday before welcoming in the Akron Aeros on Friday night at 7:05 PM. RHP Rafael Montero (3-0, 1.59) takes on RHP Danny Salazar (0-3, 4.58).

Key Stats

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

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4, 1 2B, 3 RBI

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

Allan Dykstra: 1-for-4, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

Cory Vaughn: 2-for-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 SB

Erik Goeddel: 4.0 IP, 6 H, 2 BB, 3 ER, 3 K

John Church: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

Jeffrey Walters: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K

(Team Report)

Quick Hops

• RHP Jacob deGrom makes his second career Double-A start for Binghamton. After being promoted from St. Lucie, he was stellar in his debut on 4/17 against Portland. Unfortunately he was tagged with the loss, although he only gave up one run on eight innings in an eventual 1-0 shutout loss to Portland. He surrendered just three hits, struck out eight, and only walked one. Before being promoted, DeGrom was 1-0 in two starts with St. Lucie. In 12.0 innings with the St. Lucie Mets, he allowed four runs  and struck out 13. He was drafted in the ninth round of the 2010 draft by the Mets out of Stetson University.
• Juan Lagares continues to produce. He had a lead off home run for Las Vegas in last night’s loss to Colorado Springs. Andrew Brown and Lagares are making strong bids to be called up to Flushing. Lagares is batting .346 with three home runs in the lead off spot this season, while Brown is batting .343 with nine doubles and fifteen RBI. The only knock on Brown this season is his strikeouts — fifteen so far.
• Hansel Robles pitched another gem last night. In six innings of work he didn’t allow any runs, struck out six and only walked two batters. He is holding opposing hitters to a .215 batting average this season.
• The Binghamton Mets pounded out 13 hits and took advantage of a season-high eleven walks to defeat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, 15-2, at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium on Sunday afternoon. Allan Dykstra and Danny Muno each drove in three runs as the B-Mets matched a season-high with fifteen runs scored. Alonzo Harris led the offensive day with four singles, becoming the first B-Met in 2013 to compile a four-hit day. Vaughn also chipped into the multiple-hit effort with three of his own. Josh Rodriguez scored three times as the B-Mets had eight different players touch home.
•  Right fielder Cory Vaughn is on another one of his tears at the plate. After a slow start to the season he is batting .395 in his last ten games with three homers and 13 RBI. Entering tonight’s action and is batting .298/.365/.526 for the season.
• So I write an article espousing all the virtues of Collin McHugh yesterday and why he should get called up. If only I had glanced at the schedule and saw he’d be pitching in the notorious Colorado Springs. And as most pitchers do, especially control artists who pound the strike zone. On Sunday, average infield outs went beyond the reach of infielders and dropped in for base hits. McQ got tagged for 13 hits and 12 of them were singles. But get this… zero walks. On Saturday, Collins said referring to Wheeler and the PCL, “I don’t care how many hits he gives up in the PCL, but six walks is unacceptable. He’s better than that.” So I give McHugh a pass.
• It looks like center fielder Brandon Nimmo is human after all. Last night, he went 0-for-3, but still managed to walk twice and even stole a base. His slash line is still at a jaw-dropping .424/.513/.576. The budding star leads the league in Batting, OBP and Triples. He spoke to Adam Rubin last night, “It’s baseball, so we’re going to go through cold streaks and hot streaks,” Nimmo said. “This is a hot streak right now. I’m going to go through a period where I’m not doing very well. We’re just going to try to keep this going as long as possible, just be consistent. But, yeah, there’s a reason people don’t hit .400 in baseball.”
• LHP Adam Kolarek was transferred from Las Vegas (AAA) to Binghamton (AA) where he proceeded to toss two scoreless innings for the B-Mets upon his arrival.
• Mets announced they have signed RHP D.J. Mitchell. He made four relief appearances for Yankees last season before being traded to the Seattle Mariners for Ichiro Suzuki. He’s only made one start for Tacoma (AAA) this year. The right-hander allowed three runs in four innings in the outing on April 8.
• Shaun Marcum threw in a simulated game this morning in St. Lucie and it looks like he is still on target to start for the Mets on Saturday. The right-hander threw 52 pitches over five scoreless innings in an extended spring training game in Port St. Lucie, Fla., the team announced today.

Binghamton 3, New Hampshire 0

Rafael Montero fired six scoreless innings to the lead the Binghamton Mets to a 3-0 victory over the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Saturday afternoon at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. The bullpen provided three blank innings of relief for Binghamton’s first shutout victory of the season.

Double plays kept the Binghamton Mets from getting on the board early in the game against Fisher Cats starter Marcus Walden. Josh Rodriguez rolled into an inning-ending twin-killing in the first and ended a bases-loaded threat with another in the third. The trend continued in the fourth when Francisco Pena grounded into a frame-ending double play with two men aboard.

Facing the Fisher Cats for his second straight game, Rafael Montero breezed through his fourth Double-A appearance. The righty surrendered just four hits and struck out six. Montero allowed just one runner to reach second and prevented any Fisher Cat from reaching third, never facing more than four batters in any inning.

Wilfredo Tovar helped Binghamton avoid another double play in the fifth by shooting a one-out double down the third base line. Darrell Ceciliani brought him home two batters later with an RBI single to left, giving the B-Mets a one-run lead.

Given the advantage, Montero added two more shutout innings, working around a single in the fifth and a fielding error in the sixth to end his day.

Jack Leathersich took over in the seventh and pitched himself into trouble by issuing two walks. The southpaw pitched his way out of the jam with three strikeouts, fanning Amadeo Zazueta to end the threat. He returned for the eighth and posted a perfect frame.

Cory Vaughn added some much-needed insurance for Binghamton in the eighth against reliever Matt Wright. With a runner on the third, the outfielder blasted a 3-2 offering over the left field wall for his second home run in as many games.

Jeffrey Walters entered in the ninth and allowed the tying run to reach the plate after surrendering a single and a walk, but induced Jack Murphy to fly out to left to end the game.

Montero (3-0) collected his third straight win, allowing just four hits over six innings of work. Walden (0-3) was tagged for nine hits and struck out one in the losing effort. Walters racked up his league-leading fifth save.

The B-Mets (9-7) complete their four-game series in Manchester on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 PM. RHP Logan Verrett (2-0, 2.75) gets the nod for the B-Mets against RHP Deck McGuire (1-1, 3.06).

Key Stats

Alonzo Harris: 1-for-4, 1 SB

Darrell Ceciliani: 2-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 SB

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

Wilfredo Tovar: 2-for-4, 2 2B

Rafael Montero: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 6 K

Jack Leathersich: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 4 K

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

(Team Report)

New Hampshire 5, Binghamton 2

The Binghamton Mets were kept in check by three New Hampshire Fisher Cats pitchers in a 5-2 loss on Friday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

The teams traded runs early. With two outs in the first, Ryan Schimpf laced a 1-1 pitch from Erik Goeddel over the right field wall, giving the Fisher Cats an one-run lead. Binghamton answered back in the top of the second on an RBI groundout from Blake Forsythe knotting the game at one.

New Hampshire broke the tie with a pair of scores in the second. After the first two reached against Goeddel, Adam Loewen stroked an RBI single up the middle and John Tolisano produced a sac fly to center field. Kevin Pillar stretched the lead to three in the third by banging an inside-the-park home run off the center field wall.

The B-Mets struggled to find their offensive groove against New Hampshire starter Austin Bibens-Dirkx. After allowing a single to Richard Lucas in the second, the righty retired 12 of the next 13 B-Mets he faced, including five strikeouts.

Goeddel’s night came to an end in the fifth inning after the Fisher Cats loaded the bases on three singles. Shawn Teufel entered and walked Clint Robinson, forcing in a run. The southpaw escaped further damage by inducing Kevin Nolan to bounce into an inning-ending double play. Goeddel finished with five runs allowed on eight hits over 4-1/3 innings of work.

The B-Mets finally broke through against Bibens-Dirkx in the seventh, his final inning. Cory Vaughn smoked a 2-2 pitch over the left field wall for his second homer of the season. The Oregon native completed the inning and capped his night without any further damage.

Vaughn’s blast would be Binghamton’s final gasp on offense. Fernando Hernandez tossed a perfect eighth inning and Chad Beck shut the door with a scoreless ninth.

Bibens-Dirkx (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits over seven innings in the winning effort, while Goeddel (1-2) suffered his second-straight loss. Beck collected his fourth save.

The B-Mets (8-7) continue their four-game set against the Fisher Cats (8-8) Saturday afternoon at 1:35 PM. RHP Rafael Montero (2-0, 2.16) gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Marcus Walden (0-2, 5.27).

Key Stats

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

Blake Forsythe: 1-for-3, 1 RBI

Darrell Ceciliani: 1-for-4, 1 SB

Erik Goeddel: 4.1 IP, 8 H, 2 HR, 1 BB, 5 ER, 4 K

Shawn Teufel: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

Adrian Rosario: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 0 ER, 3 K

(Team Report)

Binghamton 4, New Hampshire 3

The Binghamton Mets stroked a season-high five doubles to defeat the New Hampshire Cats, 4-3, Thursday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Danny Muno led the offensive charge with two hits and three RBIs.

Binghamton had to play catch-up after Tyler Pill‘s smooth start ran into a bumpy patch in the third. Ricardo Nanita started by stroking a double to center and scored two batters later on Amadeo Zazueta‘s RBI single to left. Kevin Pillar doubled New Hampshire’s lead later in the inning by scorching an RBI hit under Wilfredo Tovar‘s glove at short. Pill escaped any further damage by striking out Brad Glenn and Adam Loewen to strand the bases loaded.

Binghamton struck back in the fourth against Fisher Cats starter Ryan Tepera. Cesar Puello roped his second triple of the season over left fielder Kevin Pillar’s head to start the inning. Daniel Muno drove him home with a single to left and collected his fifth RBI of the season.

After Ricardo Nanita extended the lead with a solo homer in the fourth, the B-Mets used three doubles to take the lead in the sixth. Cory Vaughn jump-started the two-bagger parade by shooting his second of the year to center. Tepera hit pinch-hitter Allan Dykstra with a 2-2 offering and exited after Francisco Pena‘s sac bunt.

Chorye Spoone inherited both runners and fell behind Danny Muno 2-0. In the driver’s seat, Muno laced a game-tying two-run double to right. Alonzo Harris followed quickly by dumping an RBI double into center, giving Binghamton a one-run advantage.

Pill preserved the lead and capped his night with a perfect sixth inning. The righty allowed three runs on seven hits over six frames. He struck out six, walked one and retired the final seven Fisher Cats he faced.

John Church took over in the seventh, making his second appearance in as many nights, and worked a perfect inning. Chase Huchingson worked around a two-out single in a scoreless eighth and Jeff Walters shut the door with a shutout ninth to earn his fourth save.

The B-Mets three-run sixth made a winner of Pill (1-1) for the first time at Double-A. Spoone (0-1) suffered the loss and blown save.

The B-Mets (8-6) continue their four-game set against the Fisher Cats (7-8) Friday night at 6:35 PM. RHP Erik Goeddel (1-1, 3.48) gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx (1-2, 3.57).

Key Stats

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

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

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

Tyler Pill: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 ER, 6 K

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

Chase Huchingson: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB

Jeffrey Walters: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 BB

The B-Mets scored seven unanswered runs and battled through a 37-minute rain delay en route to a 7-3 victory over the Portland Sea Dogs Tuesday night at NYSEG Stadium.

Portland took an early lead against B-Met starter Logan Verrett. An RBI double from Tony Thomas in the first, and an inside-the-park home run by Heiker Meneses in the second put the Sea Dogs up 2-0. Verrett settled down after the first two frames however, and allowed just one hit over his final four innings. He began the seventh inning, but was relieved by Jack Leathersich after surrendering a two-out walk to Peter Hissey.

Binghamton’s offense began in the fourth inning against Portland starter Drake Britton. After the first two batters had been retired, Cory Vaughn got the rally started with a line drive single up the middle. Cesar Puello then tripled down the right field line to put Binghamton on the board. After Danny Muno walked, Britton threw a wild pitch, allowing Puello to score and tie the game. Francisco Pena then gave the B-Mets the lead with an RBI double to left field.

The game moved along quickly until the bottom of the seventh, where it was halted for 37 minutes due to a rain delay. After the break, the B-Mets tacked on four more runs in the eighth to boost the lead up to 7-2. Jeff Walters gave up one run in the top of the ninth, but finished the game to earn his third save of the season.

The B-Mets (7-5) will play their first rubber match of the season Wednesday night against Portland at NYSEG Stadium. First pitch is slated for 6:35 PM. RHP Jacob DeGrom (0-0, 0.00) will make his Double-A debut for the B-Mets against RHP Brandon Workman (2-0, 4.91).

Key Stats

Francisco Pena: 2-for-3, 1 2B, 2 RBI

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

Cory Vaughn: 3-for-4, 1 RBI, 2 R

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

Logan Verrett: 6.2 IP, 4 H, 1 HR, 3 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

Jack Leathersich: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 K

Jeffrey Walters: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K

(Team Report)

Phil Evans is heating up after making some adjustments to his approach.

Last Night’s Quick Scores

• Savannah (5-5) lost a close one to Rome, 2-1
• St. Lucie (7-3) toppled Bradenton, 8-2
• Binghamton (6-4) dropped New Hampshire, 6-3
• Las Vegas (6-5) beat Fresno in eleven innings, 5-4

Prospect Pipeline

• Zack Wheeler, who had walked six batters in his first 8.1 innings this season, did not walk any Fresno batters in Sunday’s matchup. He now has seventeen strikeouts and six walks this year, which is a solid ratio. At this point, Wheeler is just bored pitching in the minor leagues. We will see a different side of Wheeler once he is finally called up to the show.
• Rafael Montero continues to pump out quality starts. Through three starts in 2013, he has thoroughly dominated Double-A hitters, pitching in 16.2 innings, striking out 21 batters and only walking one. That is a ridiculous ratio. Montero has established himself as an early promotion candidate, and don’t be surprised to see him get the call up to Triple-A when Wheeler gets promoted. Montero is the youngest pitcher in the top two levels of the organization (AA/AAA).
• Montero also impressed Akron pitching coach, Greg Hibbard: “Once he got into a rhythm and found his arm slot, he just dominated us. Good command, good fastball — 94 mph high, 92 average. … From a developmental standpoint, the changeup — that’s probably the third-best pitch — needs a little work. For righties, that’s often the last thing to come along.”
• Brandon Nimmo looks to be on a mission to prove the doubters that he was worthy of a first round selection. He now ranks second in batting in the South Atlantic League, with a .405 batting average. He trails teammate Kevin Plawecki, who has a .410 average.
• Scouting expert Mike Newman is glowing about Travis d’Arnaud. “If not for D’Arnaud’s recent string of injuries, I’d prefer him over Mike Zunino. Back in 2009, I saw a .285 hitter with 18-25 home run potential and his surge in minor league production has made this a real possibility. I’d loved to see him get the nod on opening day, but John Buck is serviceable, so why push D’Arnaud’s arbitration clock? Sometimes being a pragmatic prospect guy really ruins the fun doesn’t it?” (Joe D.)
• Another scout on Wheeler yesterday: “Very good. 94-98 w// good life on all pitches. Pitched better than line indicates. No sign of finger bothering him” (Joe D.)
• Luis Mateo is getting called up from St. Lucie to make one spot start. Cory Mazzoni is going to miss one start with Binghamton because of arm soreness that for now is not considered serious. Mateo has nine strikeouts and two walks in 6.2 scoreless innings this season. Mateo will return to PSL after his start. (Joe D.)
• Cory Vaughn hit a three-run home run on Sunday. It was the first B-Met home run with runners on base. Vaughn finished the series with a robust seven RBI. (Joe D.)
• Mets left-hander Steven Matz delivered a solid performance this weekend which was great to see. Frank Viola has asked the young southpaw to scrap his curveball and go with his slider which seems to be making a positive and significant difference. In 5.0 innings, he allowed one unearned run on four hits while walking one and striking out seven. This is what a great pitching coach is supposed to do. (Joe D.)
• Shortstop Phillip Evans is heating up. On Sunday he went 3-for-4 with three singles and it’s great to seem him making adjustments on the fly as he has stopped pulling everything and is now going the other way while being more selective at the plate. Evans is a strong kid and will hit for power, but he needed to understand that contact is the name of the game and it seems like he gest that now. (Joe D.)

Stat Line of the Night

Brian Harrison: 3-for-4, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 R

Tweet Of The Day

Don’t measure success by how far you’ve gone. Measure success by how far you have come. #itsthelittlethings

— Michael Fulmer (@MFulmer12) April 15, 2013

Probable Starters

Las Vegas sends Chris Schwinden (1-1, 7.45 ERA) to the mound against Colorado Springs at 10:05 PM.

Luis Mateo (read above) is being borrowed from St. Lucie to make that start for Binghamton against the Portland Sea Dogs tonight at 6:35 PM.

St. Lucie sends (TBD) the mound this evening against the Charlotte Stone Crabs at 6:30 PM. .

Savannah sends  (TBD) to the mound this evening against Greensboro at 7:00 PM.

* We’ll fill in the rest of the probables once they are announced.

Something’s always happening down on the Mets farm.

Binghamton 6, New Hampshire 3

The B-Mets used the support of two home runs, including a three-run shot from Cory Vaughn, to beat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 6-3 at NYSEG Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Binghamton got the offense started right away against RHP Austin Bibens-Dirkx. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, Allan Dykstra hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield, scoring Darrell Ceciliani.

Blake Forsythe tallied another run the second as he hit a solo home run, his first of the year, over the right field wall. New Hampshire got into the scoring column in the top of the third with an RBI single by Kevin Pillar, but the Binghamton offense was back at it in the bottom half. Cory Vaughn‘s three-run blast to left field put the B-Mets up 5-1. Both teams picked up single runs in the fifth inning; Brad Glenn hit a solo home run for New Hampshire, but Cesar Puello got the run back with an RBI single.

Rafael Montero finished his day after five innings of two-run baseball. The right-hander gave up three hits and struck out six, before handing the ball to Mark Cohoon. Cohoon threw a scoreless sixth and seventh, but ran into trouble in the eighth inning. After giving up one run on two doubles, Jack Leathersich was called upon to end the threat. He retired the side without any further damage. In the ninth, Jeffrey Walters tossed a scoreless frame to record his second save of the season. Montero was awarded his second win in three starts.

The B-Mets (6-4) open up a three-game series against the Portland Sea Dogs at NYSEG Stadium on Monday. RHP Cory Mazzoni (0-0, 0.00) has the ball for Binghamton against RHP Anthony Ranaudo (0-0, 1.80) for Portland.

Key Stats

Rafael Montero: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 HR, 1 BB, 2 ER, 6 K

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

Rhyne Hughes: 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB

Blake Forsythe: 1-for-2, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 BB

(Team Report)