Mets Farm Report: Peavey Rocked, Mejia Shaky In Relief, Camarena Tosses Gem

Pawtucket 6, Buffalo 1

Sunday was the final game of the four-game set, and the end result was no different from the first three. The Bisons fell 6-1 to the PawSox, drifting eight games behind in the divisional race heading into an 8-game road trip to Norfolk and Durham.

Inefficient starting pitching doomed the Herd this weekend, and the case was no different Sunday. Garrett Olson got the start for Buffalo, and a 39-pitch first inning was a sign of things to come. Although Olson escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first, he would not have the same good fortune in later innings.

After Pawtucket drew first blood with a run in the 2nd, the PawSox broke the game open with a three-run 3rd. Mauro Gomez led off with a single to center field, and a walk put two men on base with one out.

With a nice RBI chance, Che-Hsuan Lin ripped a double to center field that scored Gomez. Next up, Mike Rivera knocked another ball into center field for a single that scored two more. Just like that, the PawSox had a 4-0 lead, and the Bisons were in rally mode.

After Tony Thomas followed with a single, Bisons manager Wally Backman pulled Olson from the game. The left-hander lasted only 2.1 innings. When the starting pitcher fails to eat up innings, the effect trickles down to the rest of the staff.

On a positive note for Buffalo, the Herd bounced back from Saturday’s sloppy fielding effort. After committing four errors Saturday, the Bisons committed none on Sunday.

The end result could have been much worse if not for the sound defensive outing, and Matt Den Dekker played a large role in the effort. With just one out in the 3rd – and Pawtucket having already scored three runs in the inning – the bases were loaded, and the PawSox looked ready to break the game open.

Cody Ross hit a high fly ball to center, and Den Dekker made the catch for the easy out. Mike Rivera tagged up at third and headed home, but Den Dekker had other plans. The center fielder made a perfect throw that needed only one hop to make it to catcher Lucas May, and May had plenty of time to tag Rivera out. The double play ended the inning, limiting the damage.

Den Dekker also made a resilient defensive play in the 5th, tracking down Tony Thomas’ fly ball to center and making a diving catch.

After a disappointing series, the Bisons look to take all the positives they can into the upcoming road trip. The bounce-back fielding performance Sunday is a start, but the Herd will need a wholesale all-around improvement in order to battle back in the standings.

Herd Rumblings: A rough relief stint for Jenrry Mejia who was only able to get one out. He hit a batter, threw a wild pitch, allowed two hits, walked one, and was lucky he only got charged with one run. RHP Collin McHugh has been called up from Double-A Binghamton and will start for the Herd Monday night in Norfolk. In 12 starts this year for the B-Mets, McHugh is 5-5 with a 2.41 ERA. Raul Reyes had a multi-hit game for the Herd Sunday, going 2-for-3 with a double and RBI. The Bisons concluded their 8-game homestand with a record of 2-6. Compiled from team report.

Altoona 15, Binghamton 6

By Tim Burns

The Binghamton Mets dropped the series finale against the Altoona Curve on Sunday afternoon at NYSEG Stadium, falling to the Altoona Curve by a score of 15-6. The B-Mets pitching staff allowed the Curve to belt out twenty hits in the game, while the defense committed four errors for the home team. It was the second most runs allowed by the B-Mets this season, eclipsed only by a 16-3 drubbing put on the team by the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in April.

Starter Greg Peavey took the loss in the game, giving up seven runs (four of which were earned) on eight hits in his five innings worth of work. Peavey struck out one Altoona batter, walked two, and surrendered two home runs, one of which was to the games leadoff batter Robbie Grossman. Peavey threw 102 pitches in the game, 62 of them for strikes.

Ryan Fraser relieved Peavey in the top of the sixth and cooled the Curve’s bats down a bit, if for only one inning. In his one inning on the mound, Fraser allowed one hit and no runs.

Adrian Rosario was brought in for the seventh, and for the third time in the last four games he has appeared in had a rough outing. Rosario threw two innings for the B-Mets, and gave up three runs on four hits, including a solo home run by Stefan Welch, while striking out three and walking one.

Robert Carson was brought in at the top of the ninth inning, and lasted only 1/3 of an inning in a very uncharacteristic outing in an otherwise strong season. In that 1/3 of an inning, Carson gave up five runs – all earned – on six hits. His lone out recorded in the game was a strikeout of the Curve’s Drew Maggi.

Edgar Ramirez was the final pitcher of the day for the Binghamton Mets. He worked the final 2/3 of the ninth inning for the home team, giving up only one hit and recording no strikeouts or walks.

At the plate, first baseman Travis Ozga contributed to half of the runs the B-Mets scored in the game with his second inning three run shot over the right field wall. Reese Havens was 1/3 on the afternoon, with a double and an RBI. Pedro Zapata was 2/4 with an RBI and run scored. Eric Campbell, who has now hit safely in his last five games, was 1/4 with an RBI and run scored as well.

B-Mets manager Pedro Lopez was ejected from the game in bottom of the seventh by third base ump Shaun Lampe. Lampe called the B-Mets Reese Havens out at third as he tried to leg his double into a triple. Lopez felt Havens beat the tag and argued his case to no avail. It was only the second time in 2012 that Lopez has been ejected from a game, the last time being in early May.

B-Mets Buzz: The team has Monday off before heading out on the road for an eight game swing through Akron, Ohio and Erie, Pennsylvania. With the departure of Collin McHugh, Pedro Lopez will keep a six man starting rotation as it appears that RHP Cory Mazzoni will join the B-Mets from St. Lucie. Mazzoni, who is 5-1 with a 3.25 ERA in 12 starts for the StL-Mets this season, will get the nod for the B-Mets at some point in the Akron series.

 Savannah 5, Rome 2

By Fonzie13

Sunday afternoon the surging Sand Gnats defeated the struggling Rome Braves (ATL) by a score of 5-2 behind 6 outstanding innings by RHP Marcos Camarena, to complete a 4 game sweep and 7th straight win.

The Sand Gnats Scored 1st with 2 runs in the top of the 3rd. RF Gilbert Gomez (1-4) hit a 1 out single, and SS Ismeal Tijerina reached on an error by SS Elmer Reyes before DH TJ Rivera plated Gomez with a sharp line drive single to RF that was kicked around by RF Will Skinner allowing Tijerina to take 3rd. C Cam Maron (2-4, 1 RBI) drove home Tijerina with a single to CF to make the score 2-0 Savannah.

Gnats right hander Marcos Camarena 5-1, 1.30 took a perfect game into the 6th before Braves light hitting 3B Brandon Drury and his 187 batting average singled to CF and took 2nd as Travis Taijeron booted it allowing Drury to take 2nd. Drury would later get thrown out at 3rd on a ground ball by Braves SS Elmer Reyes to his counterpart Ismeal Tijerina. Drury stayed in a rundown long enough to allow Reyes the trail runner to take 2nd. CF Tony Mueller followed with a single to score the unearned run.

Savannah added 3 more in the top of the 8th as Cam maron worked out a walk to lead things off, Dustin Lawley (1-5, 1 RBI) followed with line drive double into the left center gap scoring Maron from 1B. CF Travis Taijeron (2-4, HR(12), 2 RBI) blasted a long 2 run HR over the LF wall to give the Gnats a comfortable 5-1 lead. Rome got 1 back in their half of the 8th to cut the lead to 5-2.

With the score 5-2 heading into the 9th, Savannah called on RHP Jeffrey Walters to shut the door. After a leadoff single, Walters would get the next 2 before yielding another hit and allowing Rome to bring the tying run to the plate in RF Will Skinner but Walters would induce a weak groundball to SS Tijerina who went the short way for the forceout at 2nd for the 3rd and final out and giving Walters his 4th save of the year.

Camarena finshed up with 6 IP allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits, both coming in the 6th inning, did not walk a batter and struckout 1. Marcos had his heavy sinker working as he got Rome hitters to pound the ball into the ground for 6 innings. 11 groundouts vs 5 in the air. Randy Fontanez pitched 2 innings following Camarena, letting up a run on 2 hits, striking out 3 before giving way to Walters in the 9th who gave up 2 hits in the 9th but nothing else.

Gnats Stats: Chasen Bradford 2-0, 2.18 ERA, 1.16 WHIP – Jeffrey Walters 3-2, 0.95 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, 4 SV – T.J. Chism 1-2, 3.38 ERA, 12 SV – Jack Leathersich 0.75 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, 37 K’s in 24 IP, he’s been promoted to Advanced-A St Lucie – Carlos Vazquez 4-1, 3.32 era, 1.03 WHIP.

Gnats Gnotes: Savannah storms into the Allstar Break in 2nd place with a 41-26 record 4.5 behind Asheville (COL) 47-23 after winning their final 7 games before the break. Asheville dropped the last 2 to Lexington to inch Savannah closer to 1st. The Gnats welcome Augusta in for 4 games starting Thursday after the break. Gnats pitching has been outstanding the 1st half of the season. The starters and the bullpen have been lights out thus far, particularly in the Bullpen. Marcos Camarena has been dazzling SAL hitters out of the pen all season with a 6-1 record, 1.30 ERA and 0.79 WHIP.

Brooklyn Cyclones

By Joe D.

The Brooklyn Cyclones open their season at 7:05 PM tonight at MCU Park in Coney Island against the Staten Island Yankees.

The roster includes 2011 first-round pick Brandon Nimmo and 2012 supplemental first-round pick, Purdue catcher Kevin Plawecki. Righthander Gabriel Ynoa, 19, will pitch tonight’s opener. Ynoa, who signed with the Mets as a minor-league free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2009, went 2-3 with a 3.21 ERA in 12 games in Rookie ball last year.