Make time to binge-watch the Benge highlight reel. Carson Benge homered in the first inning, hit another in the second, singled in a run in the third, and (my personal favorite), cut down a runner at home from center field. The first round pick in last year’s draft helped Double-A Binghamton eke out a 17-3 win over Reading.
Benge went 4-for-6 with a walk, three RBIs and four runs scored. He is slashing .350/.458/.588 with five homers, 15 RBIs, 15 walks and three steals in 21 games since being promoted to Binghamton.
Triple-A
Omaha Storm Chasers (38-63) 1, Syracuse Mets (52-50) 2
- 2B Luis De Los Santos, 1-for-4, HR (5), 2 RBI (32), 2 K (.619 OPS)
- CF Drew Gilbert, 1-for-4, 2 K (.790 OPS)
- RF Omar De Los Santos, 2-for-3, 3B, SB (1) (1.333 OPS)
Luis De Los Santos hit a two-run, walk-off homer to center off Michael Fulmer to lift Triple-A Syracuse to its seventh-straight win. He tossed his helmet skyward between third and home and was doused with three buckets of Gatorade at the plate. The Syracuse Mets posted wonderful photos of the scene.
Fulmer was a Mets first-round pick in 2011, but never played for New York. He was traded with pitcher Luis Cessa at the 2015 deadline to the Tigers for Yoenis Cespedes. Who, if anyone, might be traded this week? The deadline is Thursday.
- RHP Paul Blackburn (2.30 ERA) 6 1/3 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 6 K
- RHP Justin Hagenman (5.40 ERA) 2 IP, 2 K, W
Blackburn was sharp in what is expected to be his last rehab start, with him reportedly set to join the Mets this weekend. He went on the injured list on July 3 with a right shoulder impingement.
Double-A
Binghamton Rumble Ponies (64-30) 17, Reading Fightin Phils (36-58) 3
- CF Carson Benge, 4-for-6, 2 HR (5), 3 RBI (15), 4 R, BB (1.046 OPS)
- LF Ryan Clifford, 3-for-4, HR (21), 2B, RBI (67), 5 R, 3 BB, K (.864 OPS)
- RF D’Andre Smith, 3-for-4, 2 2B, 3 RBI (26), R, 2 BB (.766 OPS)
- 1B JT Schwartz, 2-for-6, 2 2B, RBI (22), R (.581 OPS)
- SS Jett Williams, 2-for-5, 2B, R, 2 BB, K (.891 OPS)
- DH Chris Suero, 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI (5), R, 2 BB (.710 OPS)
Benge wasn’t the only standout on offense. Clifford leads the Eastern League in home runs and RBIs and is third in OPS. Williams leads the league in runs (64), doubles (28) and OPS.
- RHP Jack Wenninger (3.02 ERA) 4 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, K, HR
Wenninger, 23, is second in the Eastern League in strikeouts (110) and ERA, trailing only his teammate Jonah Tong.
High-A
Brooklyn Cyclones (59-37) 3, Greensboro Grasshoppers (67-28) 2
- SS Boston Baro, 4-for-4, HR (4), 3 RBI (31), SB (18) (.615 OPS)
- 2B Marco Vargas, 2-for-4, 2B, R, BB (.602 OPS)
- CF A.J. Ewing, 1-for-4, R (.800 OPS)
Baro put on a show. The 20-year-old’s two-run homer in the sixth put the Cyclones in front. He added a tiebreaking single in the eighth that proved to be the game winner.
- RHP Noah Hall (2.32 ERA) 3 IP, 3 H, ER, 4 BB, K
- RHP Hoss Brewer (3.65 ERA) IP
- LHP Ryan Ammons (2.89 ERA) IP
- RHP Josh Blum (0.90 ERA) IP, SV
Hall, who is having his first fully healthy season since the Mets drafted him in the seventh round in 2023 out of the University of South Carolina, entered Sunday ranked third in the South Atlantic League in ERA and batting average against. He has 87 strikeouts in 85 1/3 innings pitched.
Low-A
St. Lucie Mets (54-40) 6, Jupiter Hammerheads (39-55) 1
- 3B Trey Snyder, 3-for-5, RBI (35), 2 SB (30), R, K (.658 OPS)
- SS Yonatan Henriquez, 2-for-4, HR (6), RBI (41), BB, 2 K (.682 OPS)
- 2B Nick Roselli, 2-for-5, HR (7), 2 RBI (31) (.726 OPS)
- CF Simon Juan, 2-for-5, 2B, 2 SB (5), R, K (.634 OPS)
Roselli’s blast was his second in three games and he’s 9-for-16 in his last four games with the two homers, a double, seven RBIs and a stolen base. The 22-year-old born in Levittown was taken in the 11th round of last year’s draft from SUNY Binghamton.
- RHP Irving Cota (4.29 ERA) 5 IP, 4 H, 5 K
- RHP Cristofer Gomez (3.86 ERA) IP, H, 3 K
Gomez, a 22-year-old from the Dominican Republic, has 60 strikeouts in 41 2/3 innings pitched for St. Lucie. Cota 21, of Mexico, has struck out 56 in 65 innings for St. Lucie, including one here.
