Photo by Rick Nelson

The Syracuse Mets were the only minor league affiliate in action on Thursday, but there were still plenty of storylines to follow. Francisco Álvarez and Dominic Smith continued their respective hitting streaks, while Grant Hartwig continued his meteoric rise through the organization by earning the win in his Triple-A debut.

AAA: Buffalo Bisons (72-64) 12, Syracuse Mets (56-82) 7 Box Score

  • C Francisco Álvarez: 1-for-4, 2 SO, .226/.358/.452
  • DH Dominic Smith: 2-for-4, 2 RBI, .286/.365/.471
  • RF Carlos Rincón: 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, .216/.263/.344

It’s been a frustrating season for the Syracuse Mets, but they are finishing strong down the stretch, having won five of their last six games after emerging victorious on Thursday. The offense was led by Dominic Smith, who collected two hits and drove in two runs. Smith extended his hitting streak to eight games and is hitting .301 with an .890 OPS in the month of September.

Francisco Álvarez extended his hitting streak to six games with a 1-for-4 day, and he too is tearing the cover off the ball in September. In nine games since returning from injury, Álvarez has a .371/.421/.686 slash line with three homers. The top prospect in the Mets organization is rounding out a fantastic year in excellent form.

  • LHP Joey Lucchesi: 2.1 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, K, 1.80 ERA
  • RHP Grant Hartwig: (W, 1-0), 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 K, 0.00 ERA
  • RHP R.J. Alvarez: (S, 4), IP, 0 H, 0 ER, BB, K, 3.60 ERA

Joey Lucchesi made his second appearance for Syracuse, tossing 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball. He is up to 12 2/3 innings across his eight rehab assignments as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery. The bullpen combined to allow one run across 6 2/3 innings, with R.J. Alvarez earning his fourth save of the season.

Grant Hartwig started the season down in St. Lucie, but he has worked his way through four different levels of the organization during the 2022 season, and his debut with Syracuse could not have gone much better. He retired all four batters he faced, striking out the side in the seventh inning and earning the win when the Mets’ offense took the lead in the eighth. Hartwig is set to feature in the Arizona Fall League which begins in early October, and the second-year pro will have a legitimate chance to crack the major league roster at some point during the 2023 season.