Mark Vientos, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized

The Syracuse Mets’ continue to be an offensive juggernaut, scoring eight runs on 12 hits in a see-saw battle against the Durham Bulls that went into extra innings. Entering last night’s contest, the Mets lead the International League in home runs (26), batting average (.296), and slugging (.528) as a team. With Brett Baty and Francisco Álvarez now in the majors, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio continued to mash and lead the attack for the Mets.

Triple A: Durham Bulls (9-6) 9, Syracuse Mets (10-6) 8,  10 Inn  Box Score 

  • 2B Danny Mendick 2-for-4, 2 R, .906 OPS
  • 3B Mark Vientos 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 1.210 OPS
  • CF Jaylin Davis 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, .859 OPS
  • SS Ronny Mauricio 2-for-5, 2B, 1.193 OPS

Vientos opened the scoring last night by lacing a two-run double in the first inning, and then, later in the fourth, with two outs, drilled an opposite-field homer that traveled 415 feet for his sixth homer of the year that tied the game at seven apiece. With two hits and adding a pair of walks on the night, his OPS is up to 1.210. On Monday, Vientos was featured on MLB Pipeline’s Prospect Team of the Week, where in nine games from April 6-16, he went 13-for-33 with four home runs, two doubles, and ten RBIs.

 

The 28-year-old Davis hit a 417-foot two-run blast to put Syracuse up 4-0 in the opening frame, his second jack in three games.

Mauricio was one of four Mets to record a multi-hit game, with two more doubles to give him seven on the year. Unfortunately, he struck out three times.

Second baseman Jonathan Araúz extended his hit streak to seven games with an RBI base knock in the second. In those seven games, he is 12-for-27 with four extra-base hits and seven RBIs.

Dibrell faced off against a talented Bulls lineup, including top prospects Curtis Mead and Kyle Manzardo. He struggled mightily again, surrendering five runs on eight hits in three innings, raising his season ERA to 8.62.

Bubby Rossman entered the game in extras with the ghost runner on second base and took the loss, giving up the eventual winning run, an RBI double by Jonathan Aranda.

Double A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (4-6) 13, Hartford Yard Goats (5-5) 7  Box Score

Entering last night’s game, the Rumble Ponies were terribly near the bottom of the Eastern League in offensive team metrics with a combined .182/.315/.295, a .610 OPS, and striking out 97 times. The Rumble Ponies bats finally broke out and erupted for a season-high 13 runs on 12 hits. They busted the game open, scoring four in the second, three in the third, and five in the sixth.

Leadoff hitter Young was one of the culprits who struggled mightily early on, striking out 42.9% of his at-bats this season. He came through last night and delivered his first extra-base hit out of the year. Young finished the night 2-for-4 with a double, two walks and drove in three runs.

Senger entered the contest 3-f0r-18 with nine strikeouts. He laced an RBI double in the top of the second and added a sharp line-drive single in the sixth. He finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored.

First baseman Schwartz recorded RBI knocks in the second and third innings driving in three runs total. He is 6-for-21, with two doubles, a pair of walks, and seven RBIs in the last six games.

Praised for his glove, Fryman has continued to rake with the bat. He delivered two more hits and RBIs last night. The elite defender is batting .500 with two home runs, five RBIs, and three runs scored in his previous three games.

26-year-old Chacin was making his third appearance and second start for the Ponies. He has been susceptible to offering up the long ball early on, allowing five homers in eight innings pitched across two levels. He was taking on the Yard Goats’ and a lineup that included their highest-ranked prospects, outfielder Zac Veen and switch-hitting catcher Drew Romo. He tossed four innings and allowed three runs on five hits with two punch outs, and the most significant was that he kept them from going yard.

In relief, Colina made his Double-A debut and earned the win, tossing three innings, allowing one home run, and punching out four batters. He previously appeared in Low-A for St. Lucie, hurling 3 2/3 innings with three strikeouts and allowing one hit.

High A: Wilmington Blue Rocks (5-5) 4, Brooklyn Cyclones (3-7) 3  Box Score 

Early on, down 3-1 in the fourth, Kendall came up to bat and laced a single to drive in two runs and tie the game at three all. Kendall has reached base safely in all nine games. The Cyclones’ offense woefully went cold in the latter innings. Their last base runner would come from a two-out walk by Jaylen Palmer in the fifth inning.

 

Top prospect Ramirez collected his third double of the year. In his last five games, he is 8-for-20, with one homer, two doubles, and five runs batted in.

The Mets’ number three prospect, Parada, keeps displaying a keen eye at the plate. He drew his tenth walk of the season, placing him among the SAL leaders in that category.

Colon was on the mound and looking to rebound after a rough outing last week against Winston-Salem. ( six runs on seven hits and serving up three homers.) He labored over 3.2 innings throwing 83 pitches and committing a wild pitch and two of the three Cyclone errors on the night. He allowed three runs on four hits, two walks, one hit batter, and struck out five. One of those strikeouts was against Nationals’ highly touted prospect James Wood, who went 0-2 against Colon.

The Cyclones’ pen pitched strong in the losing effort. Relief pitchers Rodriguez and Ramos tossed a combined 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run on one hit (the night’s biggest hit). Jordy Barley took Rodriguez deep for a solo home run to break the tie and put the Blue Rocks up for good at 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

Low A: Lakeland Flying Tigers (5-5) 4, St. Lucie Mets (3-7) 0  Box Score 

The Mets bats were silent all game, recording just two hits, punching out ten times, and were shut out 4-0 at Clover Park. Jefrey De Los Santos delivered the first hit of the night in the fifth inning with a double. The other base knock was a single by Adrián Hernández in the eighth inning.

Williams and center fielder Rhylan Thomas were the only hitters to get on base multiple times. Williams drew his tenth walk and was plunked twice for the fourth time this season. He raised his season OBP to .465, amongst the Florida State league leaders. Thomas reached on a pair of walks.

Ovalles pitched well in the loss for the St. Lucie Mets last night. He went four-plus innings allowing just one run on three hits and punching out three Flying Tigers on 69 pitches. The 19-year-old hurler mixed all four of his pitches, averaging a 2515 spin rate and maxing out on the cutter at a 2802 RPM. Right fielder Dom Johnson manufactured the Flying Tigers’ lone run against Ovalles, striking a two-out single, swiping two bags, and scoring on a wild pitch.

The Flying Tigers scored the remainder of their runs against reliever Benito Garcia. Garcia was roughed up for three runs on four hits over 1 2/3 innings.

A 2022 draft selection in the 16th round, Loper pitched solid in his third scoreless appearance, recording two strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings.