With the Mets’ bullpen in need of reinforcements for the postseason, it was a welcome sight on Saturday to see Drew Smith on a mound for the first time since late July. He struck out two batters and gave up one hit during his scoreless inning of work in Binghamton.

AAA: Syracuse Mets (56-78) 5, Rochester Red Wings (58-76) 4  Box Score

  • Dominic Smith 1B: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, K, .268/.361/.429
  • Nick Dini C: 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, .242/.330/.460
  • Khalil Lee RF: 1-for-3, BB, K, .214/.332/.374

Smith’s big game lead the Mets to their victory over Rochester. The biggest hit of the game was Smith’s two-run homer to left field in the fifth inning off of former-Met Logan Verrett. This gave the Mets a lead that they would not relinquish. His two-hit performance snapped an 0-for-12 skid. Dini has had just eight at-bats in September, but he has four hits, including two home runs, in that small sample.

Yamamoto has alternated between starting and coming out of the bullpen, and he has generally had more success in the latter role. Three of his four most recent relief outings have been scoreless. It is still a very small sample size, but it looks like Otanez has gotten his walks under control a bit in September. After walking an average of two batters per inning in August, Otanez has given up just one walk over his first three September appearances.

AA: Portland Sea Dogs (70-61) 4, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (51-78) 3  Box Score

Cortes got the Rumble Ponies on the board right away with a two-run homer in the first inning, but the offense would be limited to just one more run for the remainder of the game.

Mauricio went hitless in this game, but did draw a walk, which is a feat that even rarer for him than hitting a home run (he has 25 home runs this season and just 22 walks). Overall, Mauricio has had a tough start to September, slashing just .162/.225/.270 for the month.

Young continues to be incredible at getting on base, and his .420 OBP over the last 15 days is top ten in the Eastern League.

Dibrell was the hard-luck loser on Saturday evening, as an error on a ground ball that would have ended the inning was immediately followed by a three-run home run that would prove decisive in the final outcome of the game. Overall, Dibrell’s strikeouts have been way up during his rehab from Tommy John surgery (12.76 K/9), but his walks have climbed by a similar amount (5.64 BB/9).

Smith pitched a scoreless inning in his first rehab appearance since he landed on the injured list in late July. Núñez’s 12.76 K/9 is by far his career high.

A+: Brooklyn Cyclones (70-60) vs. Winston-Salem Dash (56-74)

After clinching a playoff berth, the Cyclones were given an extra day to celebrate, as their game against the Dash was rained out on Saturday. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Sunday, September 11.

A (Game 1): St. Lucie Mets (72-55) 5, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (68-58) 2  Box Score

The Mets only had seven hits in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader – six of which were singles – but they bunched them together at the right times and were able to push across five runs in the third inning alone. They were 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and all four of those hits came in that five-run inning.

Tilien has impressed this season, but he has been slumping recently. This was his first multi-hit game since August 9. Parada’s first six hits with St. Lucie have all been singles.

Ovalles struggled mightily with his control, throwing just half of his pitches (38 of 76) for strikes. His curveball was by far his best pitch of the game. It had an 80% whiff rate and topped out at a 2814 spin rate. Gervase topped out at 94.3 MPH and averaged a solid 2400 RPM on his fastball.

Averaging 94.5 MPH on his fastball, De La Cruz was the hardest thrower in this game, but he was also the most untouchable in general. He had an outstanding 71% whiff rate on all three of his pitches and 59% of his pitches were either called strikes or whiffs. Since his promotion to St. Lucie, De La Cruz has struck out nine batters without walking anyone.

A (Game 2): St. Lucie Mets (73-55) 3, Fort Myers Mighty Muscles (68-59) 1  Box Score

Beracierta got the Mets on the board with a 105.1 MPH solo home run in the second inning and then would tie the game with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning. He is slashing .455/.538/.636 during the month of September. Six of Smith’s first eleven professional hits have gone for extra bases.

Geber had the best start of his young career, as he kept the opponent completely off the board for the first time. Rodriguez’s fastball sat between 90-95 MPH, while his curveball averaged a nearly 2800 RPM spin rate.