DJ Stewart. Photo by Richard Nelson
Triple-A
Syracuse Mets (24-38) 13, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (32-29) 8
- RF DJ Stewart: 3-for-3, 3 R, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, .230/.368/.547
- LF Carlos Cortes: 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, .255/.341/.441
- 3B Nick Meyer: 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, K, .204/.301/.286
The Mets had a huge game offensively on Sunday afternoon: eight of their 13 hits went for extra bases, including four home runs, and they went an impressive 6-for-16 with runners in scoring position. Stewart reached base five times in this game and is hitting an incredible .375/.484/.958 for the month of June. He has six home runs in his last 11 games, and his 1.459 OPS over the last 15 days ranks second in the International League during that span. Cortes has also seen major improvements in his offensive performance so far in June: he is hitting .320/.419/.680 so far this month. Meyer had only the second start of his career at third base after starting one game there last season.
- RHP Alex Valverde (2-2, 6.17 ERA) 3.0 IP, 9 H, 8 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
- RHP Eric Orze (1-2, 7.11 ERA) 2.0 IP, 2 H, BB, 5 K
- RHP Hunter Parsons (W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 K
Valverde gave up a career-high eight runs on Sunday. His 6.17 ERA would be the worst of his career if the season ended today. After finishing May with an ERA of 9.00 over 12.0 innings and then having a two-week layoff, Orze started off June with one of his best appearances of the season. He struck out a season-high five batters and did not give up a run for the first time since May 10. Parsons has not given up an earned run or walked a batter over his first four Triple-A appearances.
Luke Ritter. Photo by Rick Nelson
Double-A
Binghamton Rumble Ponies (28-28) 8, Reading Fightin Phils (21-35) 6
- DH Luke Ritter: 3-for-4, 4 R, 3 HR, 4 RBI, BB, K, .240/.389/.568
- 2B Rowdey Jordan: 2-for-5, 3 R, 2 HR, 2 RBI, .230/.356/.418
- 3B José Peroza: 1-for-5, R, 2B, K, .297/.383/.551
Ritter and Jordan both had incredible games on Sunday afternoon, as both hit multiple home runs. It was Ritter’s third multiple-homer game in the last two weeks, and he has a 1.411 OPS over that span. For the season, he is third in the Eastern League in home runs and fourth in OPS. Jordan is hitting .310/.459/.586 so far in June.
- RHP Junior Santos (3-4, 5.83 ERA) 3.0 IP, 2 H, 3 K
- LHP Tyler Thomas (W, 1-0, 0.00 ERA) 2.0 IP, H, 3 K
- RHP Nolan Clenney (0-0, 4.76 ERA) 1.1 IP, 2 K
Santos had a strong abbreviated start, needing just 37 pitches to get through three innings. After struggling with walks earlier in the season, he has walked just two batters over his last 17.0 innings pitched. Thomas was very impressive in his organizational debut, striking out three batters and allowing only one batter to reach base over two innings. Clenney has not given up a run in three straight appearances.
High-A
Brooklyn Cyclones (24-32) 5, Greenville Drive (32-25) 4
- C Kevin Parada: 3-for-4, R, RBI, .255/.342/.401
- SS William Lugo: 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBI, .195/.283/.305
- CF Alex Ramírez: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K, .250/.341/.378
The Cyclones were held to just a single run for the first six innings of Sunday’s game and entered the seventh inning trailing 4-1. They came closer with a two-run homer by César Berbesi and eventually took the lead on Lugo’s eighth-inning home run. Parada had his second three-hit performance in his last four games. Ramírez is hitting .233/.343/.467 so far in June.
- RHP Blade Tidwell (2-3, 4.89 ERA) 4.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 10 K
- RHP Robert Colina (1-2, 4.50 ERA) 2.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, BB
- RHP Wilkin Ramos (W, 3-1, 1.88 ERA) 3.0 IP, H, 3 K
It was a very typical start for Tidwell: he walked a batter per inning, struck out over twice that number, and got through only four innings because he threw 91 pitches. Tidwell’s 14 K/9 shows how electric he can be, but he has also walked 33 batters in 38 2/3 innings pitched, which has led to a high ERA and fewer than four innings per start. Ramos has given up just one earned run in seven innings pitched so far in June.
Felipe De La Cruz, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Low-A
Daytona Tortugas (24-33) 8, St. Lucie Mets (19-37) 5
- CF Wilfredo Lara: 2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, BB, K, CS, .244/.299/.463
- DH Vincent Perozo: 2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, .252/.331/.409
- RF Yeral Martinez: 1-for-3, 2 RBI, BB, K, .214/.288/.393
The Mets were held without a run for the first four innings of Sunday’s game before they scored their first run on a José Hernández groundout in the fifth inning. Lara then added another run with a home run in the sixth inning. The homer left his bat at 100.8 MPH and traveled 369 feet. After hitting just three home runs total over the last two seasons, Lara has already hit seven in just 34 games this season. Perozo is 6-for-16 with two home runs and a double over his last four games.
- LHP Felipe De La Cruz (2-4, 4.41 ERA) 1.0 IP, K
- RHP Jawilme Ramirez (L, 2-3, 4.31 ERA) 4.2 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
- RHP Bailey Reid (0-0, 0.00 ERA) 1.0 IP, 2 K
De La Cruz served as an opener in this game and tossed a perfect inning. He averaged 94 MPH on his fastball and had a 60% whiff rate on the pitch. Ramirez struggled mightily for a second straight start; he has a 10.80 ERA in June and has seen his ERA balloon from 2.95 to 4.31 over that span. Reid was strong in his St. Lucie debut and displayed very high spin rates on all of his pitches. His one curveball had a spin rate of 3084 RPM.
