Gwinett (40-33) 2, Syracuse (36-38) 0   Box Score

The Mets had at least one baserunner reach base in eight of the nine innings, but they failed to record an extra-base hit and went 0-7 with runners in scoring position as they were shut out. Blanco, who is 7 for his last 18, reached base three times in the loss. Herrera continued his hot stretch, extending his hitting streak to ten games, a span in which he’s batting .417/.475/1.056.

  • RHP Ervin Santana (L, 0-1, 3.27 ERA): 6.0 IP, 5 H, R, 0 BB, 4 K
  • RHP Casey Coleman (1-7, 5.72 ERA): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Ryley Gilliam (1-0, 13.50 ERA): 0.1 IP, H, R, 2 BB, K
  • RHP Eric Hanhold (2-3, 5.45 ERA): 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Santana provided a solid start, an improvement over his first outing with Syracuse. He got through six innings on only 63 pitches, throwing 45 strikes and allowing no walks. It’s been a struggle for Coleman, who made his second relief appearance with Syracuse and worked around a single and a double with two outs to pitch a scoreless frame. Gilliam struggled with his control, as his early results since his promotion to Syracuse have not been positive. The lone bright spot is that he does have six strikeouts in 4.2 innings. Hanhold only had to throw one pitch, inducing a line drive into an unassisted double play fielded by third baseman Arismendy Alcantara.

Richmond (26-45) 4, Binghamton (36-31) 2   Box Score

The Rumble Ponies scored their only runs in the sixth inning from a two-run homer by Mazeika, who was getting the start at first base. Gimenez’s struggles continued, as despite being one of the Mets’ top prospects, he’s yet to really get it going this season. Sanchez, in addition to his defensive prowess, has also had a solid season with the bat and extended his hitting streak to 12 games with two more hits on Saturday.

  • RHP Andrew Church (L, 0-1, 4.32 ERA): 7.0 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 3 ER, BB, 6 K
  • RHP Adonis Uceta (3-2, 2.23 ERA): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 2 K
  • RHP Stephen Villines (0-0, 0.00 ERA): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, K

Church made his first outing since June 11, and his first start with Binghamton since returning from retirement. He pitched a very solid game, as this start went much better than his June 6 start for Syracuse. Uceta continued his solid pitching, getting into a bases loaded, one out jam but escaping it unscathed. Villines struggled in Syracuse, but has come back to Binghamton and picked up right where he had left off, with two scoreless outings now since his demotion. He still has a 0.00 ERA in Double-A this year in 16.1 innings.

St. Lucie (37-35) 6, Florida (27-45) 4   Box Score

The Mets were quiet offensively for the first six innings, before breaking out with a four-run seventh inning. They drew four walks in the inning, and eight overall while only striking out three times. Fermin got on base three times, and is 8 for his first 21 in six games with St. Lucie.

  • RHP Kyle Wilson (4-7, 3.88 ERA): 2.1 IP, 2 H, R, 4 BB, 2 K
  • RHP Marcel Renteria (0-2, 6.55 ERA): 2.2 IP, 2 H, R, 2 BB, 2 K
  • LHP Luis Avilan (W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K
  • LHP Jake Simon (0-0, 5.40 ERA): 0.2 IP, 0 H, R, 2 BB, 0 K
  • RHP Joe Cavallaro (2-2, 5.11 ERA): 2.1 IP, 2 H, R, 0 BB, K

Wilson labored, taking 60 pitches to get seven outs and walking four, but he was lucky to escape his shortened outing with just one run allowed. Renteria’s struggled this season, although he’s been a bit better lately with a 1.80 ERA in five June appearances. Avilan’s first rehab outing was a success, as he pitched a hitless inning. Simon issued two walks in the seventh inning, with one run coming in on a wild pitch. Cavallaro has quietly pitched very well in May and June, although his ERA is still inflated from three rough games in April.

Asheville Tourists (31-42) 6, Columbia (25-44) 5   Box Score

It wasn’t a great day for two of the Mets’ top infield prospects, Mauricio and Newton, who combined to go 0-9 with five strikeouts. Despite the 0-5, Mauricio’s still been swinging a good bat recently, with a .782 OPS in June. Vientos is also starting to heat up again, going 5 for his last 10. Newton is the only one of that trio whose struggles are a bit more concerning, as he’s still striking out a lot and not hitting for much power. Catcher Hayden Senger homered for the Fireflies and reached base three times in the narrow loss.

  • RHP Christian James (2-5, 4.64 ERA): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 2 BB, 6 K
  • RHP Danny Hrbek (0-0, 0.00 ERA): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, 3 K
  • RHP Jose Moreno (L, 2-4, 2.88 ERA): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, ER, 2 BB, K

James’s stretch of mediocre but not terrible starts continued, as full-season ball has been a tougher challenge for him than the competition in Brooklyn. Hrbek had a nice full-season debut, pitching two hitless innings. While Moreno has pitched well overall, walks plagued his outing on Saturday, and he is now up to 15 walks in 25 innings this year.

Staten Island (4-4) 5, Brooklyn (4-4) 2   Box Score

The Cyclones collected just three hits in their loss, although one was a two-run homer by the recent sixth-round draftee Ashford, his first career home run and second career hit.

  • RHP Matt Cleveland (0-1, 6.14 ERA): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 3 BB, K
  • LHP Andrew Edwards (L, 0-1, 0.00 ERA): 2.0 IP, 0 H, R, 0 ER, BB, K
  • RHP Luis Silva (1-0, 6.23 ERA): 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 BB, K
  • RHP Matt Mullenbach (0-0, 0.00 ERA): 2.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 3 K

Cleveland’s second start of the season didn’t go great, and he has walked six compared to only one strikeout in 7.1 innings this year. Edwards has started his career with five innings with no earned runs allowed, while Mullenbach pitched very well in his professional debut.

Kingsport (4-1) 5, Elizabethton (2-3) 1   Box Score

  • Kennie Taylor CF: 3-for-5, K, .316/.316/.316
  • Matt O’Neill C: 2-for-2, RBI, 2 BB, .429/.556/.429
  • Gregory Guerrero 2B: 2-for-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K, .368/.455/.842

In his first game action since 2017, Guerrero has gotten off to a nice start through his first five games with Kingsport. He had a two-run double in the second that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. O’Neill and Andres Regnault also drove in runs with singles as the team collected 13 hits in total. 33rd-round pick Cole Kleszcz went 1-3 with a walk in the win.

Garcia pitched two games earlier this year for the DSL Mets1, pitching eight innings with eight strikeouts and no walks. He moved up to Kingsport with an okay outing, throwing 71 pitches (40 strikes) in 3.2 innings. Flores, De Jesus, and Dominguez all did a good job out of the bullpen to lock down the 5-1 win.

DSL Mets1 (9-7) 6, DSL Orioles2 (9-8) 5   Box Score

The Mets1 had four players record multiple hits, including 17-year-old international signee Valdez, whose first 15 professional games have been a success.

Valdez (despite walking three), Olivero, and Valerio were the top pitching performers. Olivero threw three innings of one-hit ball, earning the win and lowering his ERA to 0.73. Starter Yeremi Abad struggled, walking four and striking out none in 1.2 innings.

DSL Mets2 (10-9) 5, DSL Phillies White (12-7) 2   Box Score

The Mets2 collected seven hits as a team, all of which went for extra bases, including an RBI triple by Campos giving them a 3-2 lead in the top of the ninth. Coronoa proceeded to steal second and home as the running game helped the team secure a 5-2 victory.

After struggling for the DSL Mets2 last year, Almonte has posted a 1.69 ERA through four starts with the Mets1 this year. Villalba has also gotten off to a great start, striking out 19 in 15.2 scoreless innings, while Villegas has struck out 11 in 10.1 scoreless innings. Huizi nailed down his third save of the year in the win.