Mack Ade - The Morning Report - 5-19-13

Ryan Nodes asked –

Hey Mack, I was taking a look a look at minorleagueblog.com and reviewing Matt Garrioch’s draft board to see where some of our draft picks are to see what type of players maybe around beyond just our #11 pick, which so much focus is on. Based on this draft board, I was doing a shadow mock for the Mets and here's what I put together.

#11 -  Austin Wilson - (JR) - OF (passing on Austin Meadows due to ETA & price tag)

#48 -  Matt Krook (HS) - P or Jonah Wesley (HS) - P (overslot)

#76 -  Matt McPhearson (HS) - OF or Kevin Ziomek (JR) - P

#84 -  Rowdy Tellez (HS) - 1B or William Abreu (HS) - OF

#116 - Ivan Wilson (HS) - OF or Keegan Thompson (HS) - P

#146 -  Stephen Gonzalves (HS) - P or Christian Arroyo (HS) - SS

#176 -  Anfernee Grier (HS) - OF

#206 - Mitchell Garver (SR) - C (underslot)

#236 - Buck Farmer (SR) - P (underslot)

#266 - Kayden Porter (Juco) - P

#296 - Kacy Clemens (HS) - P

#326 - Eric Garza (HS) - SS

#356 - Torii Hunter (HS) - OF (overslot)

#386 - Matt Boyd (SR) - P (underslot)

I had a hard time choosing between a few of these guys in the top few rounds, so I left options for now. I think Wilson would sign for slot money, but a few of these guys would be considered over slots likely, so I sprinkled in a few college seniors to save some money for these HS kids.

It's always fun to speculate and based on Matt's big board to guess who we could possibly draft at those slots, but I would be very surprised if I even got one of these selections correct just based on seeing how they've drafted in the past few years.

I was going for some upside players that might be a few years away, but mostly Of's and pitchers, since we don't have OF's and Pitchers make the world go round and round.

It would be interesting to do a mock shadow draft of your own and challenge the readers to do their shadow mock drafts as well.

What are your thoughts?

Regards,

Ryan (The Closer)

                Well, first of all, thank you for the hard work.

                I LOVE your draft and I’d take it in a New York minute. My thoughts:

                #11 – I’m sort of stuck of Wilson so I’m not moving off that pick unless either Appel, Gray, Bryant, Manaea, or Moran were still on the board.

                #48 – Remember now, all this is on who you have picked… I would go college with the first three picks regardless of who’s on the board. That being said, Krook projects as a big-time pitcher.

                #76 – You know I’m going to say Ziomek here. Even better, I would pick Rice’s Austin Kubitska.

                #84 – You have chosen two big-time high school bats here, though Abreu has fallen down this mock season. Still, I think he projects better than the one-dimensional Tellez.

                #116 – God, you love these high school kids. I’ll go Thompson.

                #146 – Gonsalves is a steal at this low of a pick.

                #176 and beyond –this draft doesn’t go this deep. Anyone beyond 150 is a fill-in roster pick at best, or a lucky pick by a scout that thinks he saw something everyone else missed (Robert Gssellman).

                

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METS CRUISE PAST BRADENTON 10-0

METS CRUISE PAST BRADENTON 10-0

BRADENTON, FLA. — Angel Cuan pitched seven scoreless innings and Aderlin Rodriguez had four hits and two RBIs as the Mets pounded out 16 hits to cruise past the Bradenton Marauders 10-0 on Saturday.

The Mets snapped a three-game losing streak and improved to 24-16.

Rodriguez had an RBI double to left in the first to open the scoring. Rylan Sandoval added an RBI single to extend the lead to 2-0.

T.J. Rivera's RBI double to right in the second gave the Mets a 3-0 lead. 

Dustin Lawley and Rodriguez hit back-to-back home runs in the third inning to help the Mets pull away.

Matt Reynolds and Charley Thurber each had two hits and drove in a run apiece.

The Mets had all nine starters record at least one hit.

Cuan limited the Marauders to three hits in seven innings while recording six strikeouts and walking one.

Estarlin Morel pitched two scoreless innings to close the game

The Mets will visit the Marauders in the series finale on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. Hansel Robles is the scheduled starter for the Mets.

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Mets Minor League Report – May 18

Savannah (23-17) tops Augusta (24-17) 3-1.

Sand Gnat’s starter Matthew Koch (W, 2-2) pitched a strong 6 innings, allowing only 1 unearned run on 4 H, 1 BB with 5 K.

Reliever Jake Keubler went 2.0 scoreless innings, 2 H, 0 BB, 2 K, followed by Bret Mitchell, (S, 7) who allowed 2 H, 0 BB and 2K in a scoreless 9^th inning.

Jayce Boyd: 2-4, 2B, R.

Kevin Plawecki: 2-2, RBI, 2 R.

St Lucie (24-16) bombs Bradenton (16-26) 10-0.

It was Angel Cuan’s (W, 4-1) turn to pitch a gem for St. Lucie this time. Cuan allowed only 3 hits and a walk, with 6 strikeouts in 7.0 shutout innings.

Releiver Estarlin Morel gave the Marauders absolutely nothing for the final 2 innings.

T.J. Rivera: 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R.

Aderlin Rodriguez (1-4) had another home run, his 8^th of the season, going 4-5, adding a 2B with 4 RBI and 2 R. 

Dustin Lawley: also had another home run (his 10^th) with a RBI and 2 R.

Rylan Sandoval: 2-4, RBI

Binghamton (23-19) stung by Portland (24-16) 10-7.

B-Mets’ closer Jeff Walters (BS, 1) (L, 0-1) entered the 9^th inning in a save situation with a 3 run lead. He allowed 4 ER on 3 H, (HR) 1 BB to take the loss.

Starter Mark Cohoon was not sharp, allowing 4 ERon 8 H and 2 BB in his 5.0 IP.

Reliever Chase Hutchingson was not much better, giving up 2 ER on 2 H in 2.0 IP. He did  strike out 3 batters.

Only Shawn Teufel looked better, allowing only 1 BB in his 1.0 inning.

While scoring 7 runs, the B-Mets did not have an XBH, and no one player had more than 1 RBI or 1 run scored.

Cory Vaughn: 2-4, RBI, R.

Wilfredo Tovar: 3-4, RBI, R, with 2 SB.

Las Vegas (20-20) bops Omaha (20-20) 9-4.

 Starter Carlos Torres (W, 2-3) pitched 6.0 innings allowing 4 ER, 6 H, (2 HR) 2 BB, 5 K, for the win.

Two 51’s relievers held the Storm Chasers scoreless the rest of the way. Greg Peavey pitched a perfect 2.0 innings, followed by Sean Henn, who came in to pitch the 9^th, and allowed only a walk.

Josh Satin: 3-5, 2 R.

Andrew Brown: 2-3, HR, 3B, 2 BB, 4 RBI, 3 R. Big night for Andrew.

Zach Lutz: 2-5, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI.

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Walk-Off Slam Burns B-Mets, 10-7

Walk-Off Slam Burns B-Mets, 10-7

PORTLAND, ME – Portland Sea Dogs catcher Matt Spring blasted a walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning to hand the Binghamton Mets a heartbreaking 10-7 loss at Hadlock Field on Saturday afternoon. Closer Jeff Walters suffered his first blown save of the season and Binghamton watched their season-long five game winning streak come to an end.

After a back-and-forth battle for eight innings, the B-Mets marched into the bottom of the ninth owning a 7-6 lead. Bidding for his twelfth save, Walters fell into trouble immediately, surrendering consecutive singles to Xander Bogaerts and Tony Thomas. The righty bounced back with two strikeouts, but walked Shannon Wilkerson on a border-line pitch to load the bases.

Having homered in the fourth inning, Spring took a 1-0 offering from Walters and went deep again, banging the walk-off round-tripper off the Citgo sign above the Maine Monster in left field.

In a game that saw 22 combined hits, the offense started early. Danny Muno led off the contest with his team-leading 27^th walk of the season, stole second and scored when Cory Vaughn punched a two-out single to right.

Blake Forysthe followed in Muno’s footsteps in the second. The B-Mets catcher walked to start the frame, stole second, took third on a passed ball and came home on Wilfredo Tovar’s bloop single to left.

Portland countered with four straight runs off B-Met starter Mark Cohoon. Heiker Meneses put the Sea Dogs on the board in the second with a two-out RBI triple and came home when Cohoon uncorked his first wild pitch of the season. Spring launched a two-run homer over the Maine Monster in the fourth to give Portland a 4-2 advantage.

Binghamton fought back and converted two singles, a pair of stolen bases, a walk and a throwing error into two runs to tie the game in the fifth. Josh Rodriguez cut the deficit to one with an RBI single and scored later in the frame on a throwing error by Spring on an attempted steal.

Portland re-took the lead in the sixth against reliever Chase Huchingson. The southpaw paid for hitting Derrik Gibson with an 0-2 pitch immediately as Peter Hissey ripped a go-ahead triple to right. Tony Thomas added to the lead with a solo homer in the seventh.

Trailing by two, Binghamton came to life in the eighth against Brock Huntzinger. The visitors started the inning with three consecutive singles and scored a run on a wild pitch. Huntzinger bounced back to get two outs and nearly escaped the jam.

With runners at second and third, Tovar sent a roller to short. Gibson booted the grounder, allowing the tying and go-ahead runs to score.

Shawn Teufel preserved the lead with a scoreless eighth, but Walters (0-1) could not keep a lid on it in the ninth. Huntzinger (3-0) suffered his first blown save, but collected the victory after Spring’s late magic.

The B-Mets (23-19) complete their series in Portland in the rubber match on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM. RHP Cory Mazzoni takes the hill against LHP Drake Britton. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show begins at 12:45 PM on Newsradio 1290 WNBF.

POSTGAME NOTES: Binghamton’s last walk-off loss on a homer came against the Sea Dogs on July 20, 2011 (Mitch Dening off John Lujan)…Binghamton stole a season-high five bases…Both of Binghamton’s walk-off losses in 2013 have occurred at Hadlock Field

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Draft 13 – Nick Buckner, Ian Clarkin, Jacob Heyward, Clinton Hollon, Braden Shipley

Nick Buckner, OF, North Shore HS (TX) - A toolsy outfielder with good power from the left side, the 6’-1”, 200-pound Buckner is a great athlete who has been clocked at 6.7 in the 60. He has a very strong arm and has struck out 50 batters over 29 innings as a starter for North Shore. At the plate, he is hitting .347 over 25 games with eight home runs, 10 stolen bases and has drawn 22 walks for a .510 OBP/.787 SLG. He has a solid approach at the plate although his swing can lead to a lot of swing-and-miss. Good speed, defense and power from the left side make him a very intriguing prospect and he could be available at 77. Committed to Houston. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2013-mlb-draft-25-high-upside-targets-for-chicago-cubs/32522/#MvYdf3hwz57dhWIe.99  

 

Ian Clarkin, LHP, Madison HS (CA) - One of the best southpaws in the draft, the 6’-2” Clarkin tossed seven shutout innings on Friday, striking out 10 to two walks. Over his last three starts, he has 35 K/5 BB over 19 innings and, for the season, now has 97 K/19 BB over 51.2 innings, allowing just 26 hits. He features a plus curveball and a low-90s fastball with a lot of deception in his delivery. Committed to San Diego. http://throughthefencebaseball.com/2013-mlb-draft-15-players/32713/#Flyk8TXiMYT8Hlfw.99

 

Dan Kirby ‏ @DanMKirby  - Jacob Heyward has been destroying the ball lately for Eagles Landing HS. Last 15: .450 w/ 6 2B, 5 HR, 26 RBI, 9 BB, 6 HBP, 5 SB

 

Prep Baseball Report ‏@prepbaseball  - KY: Pitching matchup of the night,Micah Miniard allows 0 hits with 6 K's and Clinton Hollon 1 hit with 12 K's in Woodford 1-0 win over Boyle

 

In three decades at Nevada, Gary Powers has coached 24 future big leaguers, including six pitchers. Four of those players became second-round picks, but he had never coached a first-rounder -- until now. Nevada junior right-hander Braden Shipley is a first-round lock, with a real chance to be drafted inside the top 10 overall picks. http://web.usabaseball.com/article.jsp?ymd=20130507&content_id=46842832&vkey=news_gsa

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Roster Moves

Please note the following transactions involving the Binghamton Mets.

May 18:

• C Francisco Pena transferred from Binghamton (AA) to Las Vegas (AAA)
• C Xorge Carrillo transferred from St. Lucie (High-A) to Binghamton (AA)

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Mets Draft Target - OF Ryan Boldt

Okay, this could be an interesting situation.

Ryan Boldt is a high school senior outfielder, out of Red Wing, Minnesota, who has been projected all season as a late first round draft pick. Everybody loved him as either a sup-1 pick or a late one in the first and he probably was in that Mets dead zone...  not the best on the board at #11 and long gone at #48.

Well... that changed with this:  Senior outfielder Ryan Boldt of Red Wing, the state’s top baseball prospect, left the second game of a doubleheader at Farmington on Friday because of a knee injury. The Nebraska recruit has been projected as a possible first-round pick in the major league draft in June. The Wingers swept the doubleheader. Boldt was recently ranked No. 13 among the nation's top MLB prospects for June's draft by ESPN.com. The Rochester Post-Bulletin reported that Boldt "tweaked his right knee when he slid awkwardly into third base in the third inning of Game 1. After a brief conversation with the Red Wing coaches, he opted to stay in and completed the opener without further incident. link


Well, on 5-9, he had arthroscopic surgery to repair a small meniscus tear in his right knee and his season, and probably, his big bonus day is gone.






The MVP of the Perfect Game All-American Game, Boldt is an athletic outfielder with the potential to stay in centerfield at the next level. He’s a plus runner with 60 times around 6.6 second range and he shows good range, instincts and a strong throwing arm from the outfield. At the plate, he profiles as a leadoff hitter and has the swing and tools necessary to stay at the top of an order. His swing from the left side is simple, clean and loose and he makes consistent solid contact. He squares the ball up with regularity and he has shown that he can do so against good pitching throughout the recent run of showcases. There’s not a lot of power to speak of here and Boldt reminds us of a slightly less toolsy David Dahl. - Link

Players Name:  Ryan Boldt

Position: OF

Hometown: Red Wing, MN

HS Senior

HT: 6’1

WT: 190lbs

Bats/ Throws: L/R

Swing:  Boldt has a quick and sweet swing.  He uses the whole field and seems very comfortable going the other way. His approach in batting practice seemed to be working from the middle out.  His swing is a line drive swing at the moment but still generates power.  The only problem with his swing and it’s not a real problem, is it doesn’t have much loft in it.  But this could be fixed with minor adjustments.

Base running:  He has plus speed, running the 60 in under 6.5.  His base running skills are good but still very raw.  He could easily translate into to a threat on the base paths in the future.

Defense: Boldt should be able to stay in CF and could be, at the very least,  above average in CF.  He has a plus arm that shows he could handle RF defensively.   He takes excellent routes in the OF and has a possibility of being a Plus Ofer in the Future.

Summary:   I like Ryan Boldt a lot more then I think others do but I have seen him in 5 games over the summer and believe he has chance of being a 5 Tool player.  If his bat speed is any indication of what his power will develop into,  his power will come.  Given his body type, I don’t see him losing much or any speed as he gets older.  He a diamond in the rough and will shine in time.  -  link 

Mack Observation  -  First, this is not a major injury, but it will lower Boldt's draft status. 

Here's the problem now. This is a classic case of now healing and going to college. If so, you simply can't waste an early pick on someone that isn't going to sign.

The Mets, or any team, needs to determine the mindset here and act accordingly. Was he going pro before the injury? Does he still want that now? 

You walk away with yes to both those questions, you pick him at #48 and you may have the steal of the draft.

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Binghamton Mets 2013 Game Notes

Binghamton Mets (23-18) at Portland Sea Dogs (23-16) (Double-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox)

LHP Mark Cohoon (3-1, 3.15) vs. RHP Anthony Ranaudo (5-1, 1.38)

Saturday, May 18, 2013 • Game #43 • Away Game #22

Hadlock Field • Portland, ME • 1:00 PM

LAST GAME: The B-Mets cashed in on three Portland errors and caught a few breaks in a three-run ninth en route to a 6-3 win Friday night. Cesar Puello drove in Danny Muno with an RBI single to put Binghamton up 1-0 in the first. Portland responded by tying it at 1 in the third with an RBI double by Tony Thomas. Binghamton broke the tie in the sixth with an RBI double by Puello, Allan Dykstra scored him with an RBI double over first base. The B-Met lead did not last long, as Michael Almanzar hit a two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning. Binghamton scored the final three runs in the ninth to take the lead for good. Erik Goeddel settled for the no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits over six innings, and John Church earned the win in relief.

BINGHAMTON STARTING PITCHER: LHP Mark Cohoon pitches in his eighth game of the season for the B-Mets, and his fourth as a starter. This will be his first game against the Sea Dogs in 2013. In his last start, Cohoon was tagged with his first loss of the season. On 5/12 v HAR (G1), he allowed two runs on four hits over 4.2 innings of work. Binghamton eventually lost that game 3-1, and it was the last game the B-Mets have lost. In three starts this season he is 1-1, and has allowed only two earned runs in 13.2 innings. He was 2-0 in four bullpen appearances to start the year. Cohoon is in his fourth season as a B-Met, and was part of the starting rotation in each of those seasons.

PORTLAND STARTING PITCHER: RHP Anthony Ranaudo makes his eighth start of the season for Portland, and his second against the B-Mets. His ERA has never gone above 1.80, and he has won five of his first six decisions in 2013. On 4/15 against Binghamton, he earned the win after throwing five hitless frames. He also won his last start; he beat NB on 5/12 when he threw six innings of shutout, three-hit baseball. For the year, opponents are hitting .172 against the righty. He has struck out 41 batters in 39.0 innings of work.

CASHING IN ON MISTAKES: With the game tied 3-3 heading into the ninth inning, Binghamton scored three runs on four base hits, and had the help of three Portland errors. The Portland defensive woes started early in the ninth. Richard Lucas reached on an infield hit, and then immediately moved to second on the play due to a throwing error. Alonzo Harris then bunted, but Travis Shaw fell to the ground before he could throw the ball. Next, Danny Muno hit a chopper to third base that couldn’t be handled by Michael Almanzar at third. That play scored the leading run, and the B-Mets never looked back. Darrell Ceciliani added with an RBI single to left and Muno scored the final run on a throwing error by Xander Bogaertsat short. Jeff Walters struck out the side in a scoreless bottom of the ninth to seal the win. He leads the league with 11 saves.

FIVE-GAME WINNING STREAK: The B-Mets are currently on a season-high five-game winning streak. This is the longest streak under managerPedro Lopez, and is their longest since they won seven straight from 8/26 - 9/1/11.

BULLPEN NUMBERS:  John Church and Jeff Walters threw 3.0 scoreless innings Saturday after relieving Erik Goeddel. Over their last 34.0 innings, the B-Met bullpen has allowed six earned runs. Walters is also a perfect 11-for-11 in save chances this season, leading the league in that category. Binghamton’s bullpen currently posts a 3.24 ERA, whereas the starting rotation has a 4.11 ERA.

DURING THE STREAK: During the current five-game winning streak, the B-Mets have collected 10 or more hits four times. Overall, the team has won seven of their last nine games. This streak has allowed the B-Mets to pull within 1.0 games of first-place Portland in the Eastern Division Standings.

NEXT GAME PREVIEW: The B-Mets finish up their three-game series against Portland Sunday afternoon. Cory Mazzoni will pitch for Binghamton against Portland’s Drake Britton. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.

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Michael Scannell - Buyers AND Sellers:Looking Ahead to the Trade Deadline Part One

Between now and the trade deadline, I'm going to periodically write about potential deals for the Mets to make.  I'm not going to focus on trades every week, I'll write about them as they seem relevant or make sense - baseball is fluid, as is the value of certain players and if I wrote about every trade idea I have I'd make myself dizzy.

This week I'm looking at a 3-team deal that moves Daniel Murphy out of town and brings in a new OF.  I see the trade breaking down as:

To Mets: Alex Gordon
To Dodgers: Daniel Murphy
To Royals: Joc Pederson, Cory Vaughn, P

This presumes that the Royals are out of it and the Dodgers are close enough to keep pushing - they've already spent too much money to admit a season is lost in June/July.

Why it works for the Dodgers:

The Dodgers have had interest in Murphy going back to December of 2011 - http://tinyurl.com/bb3w4cm.  They have had and still have the need of a solid, regular 3B.  Murphy could fill that need (his transition to 2B notwithstanding) as 3B is his original and natural position.  He would give the Dodgers a reliable and professional hitter and at a reasonable cost.  Moving Joc Pederson might seem like a lot given what he has done so far in his minor league career.  However, as I touched on in last week's post, he appears to have no future in LA due to Kemp, Crawford, Ethier, and Puig being on the depth chart ahead of him.  The Dodgers would be addressing a major hole in their lineup at the cost of a redundant player.

Why it works for the Royals:

Alex Gordon is an All-Star.  He hits well, gets on base, has some power, and is a Gold Glove OF.  He's the type of player that teams build around and would avoid trading at all costs.  However, the Royals are a small market team and keeping a player of Gordon's value long-term will likely be prohibitively expensive for them.  His extension runs through 2015 with a player option for 2016.  He's due $10M next year, $12.5M in 2015, ad $12.5M in 2016.  Given what he offers a team, I think it's likely that if he is still in Kansas City at the end of 2015 he will decline his option to hit the open market as it will be his one chance to get a huge payday.  

Trading him earlier rather than later should give the Royals a greater return as it gives the team trading for him more time of control and more time to work on an extension of their own.  Joc Pederson is tearing the cover off the ball at AA and should be ready by Opening Day 2014.  He has a similar skill set to Gordon and could take his place in LF.  Vaughn is an average OF prospect who could also be ready in 2014, taking over from Jeff Francouer after his contract expires.  Francouer is an offensive black hole who is currently OPS'ing under .600.  I'm sure Cory could easily be an improvement over Jeff and for 1/10th the cost.  As far as what pitcher is sent over, take your pick.  It would be any one of the Mets' young RH pitchers  not named Wheeler, Montero, or Syndergaard.  This young pitcher would help replenish the depth that was traded to Tampa Bay.  By replacing Gordon and Francouer with Pederson and Vaughn (as well as add a young pitching prospect), the Royals would free up almost $17M in payroll.  They need financial flexibility, as they will need to extend Moustakas, Hosmer, and Cain and they'll likely want to be able to afford some decent pitching.

Why it works for the Mets:

To put it bluntly, they'd essentially be trading Daniel Murphy for Alex Gordon, a big win for the Mets. Cory Vaughn is a nice player who has been hitting well at AA.  He may very well turn into a solid MLB regular but he likely won't be a star.  Also, I don't think he fits into the team's long-term plans anyway so he's not really of much consequence.  Ditto on the pitcher included - the Mets have a glut of Rh pitching prospects and we talk all the time how some of them will HAVE to be dealt as they will be redundant with no place on the Mets' big league roster.  We know some of them will be traded and likely for an OF - this is one of those deals.  The only player of consequence heading out of town is Murphy and Gordon is clearly superior to him.  He can hit anywhere btw 1-3 in the lineup and is an impact player to add to Wright.  Murphy is a nice complimentary player that could help a lineup that is already solid, but he's not an impact hitter.  With the Mets needing some some real talent in the order, they're going to have to trade some of the players they have now.  Murphy is expendable and finding another 2B to pick up his production shouldn't be impossible, especially given that this trade leaves almost all of the Mets' best trade chips still in the system.

If the Mets were to make this trade (or one similar to it), they could then sign one of the top free agent OF (Choo, Ellsbury, etc.) as well as a veteran 1B (Loney? Morneau?) in the offseason.  Very quickly the lineup would go from having 1 position filled (Wright) to 6 (Choo, Wright, Gordon, Morneau, Tejada, and d'Arnaud) filled for OD next year very easily.  I left off Tejada for the current lineup and hesitantly included him for 2014 as I feel he's like Murphy - a great lineup 1-7 could live with Tejada hitting 8th and playing a solid SS.  With the lineup the way it is now, he's just another part of the problem.

2014

Ca: d'Arnaud
1B: FA
2B:
3B: Wright
SS: Tejada
LF: Gordon
CF: FA
RF:

SP1: Harvey
SP2: Niese
SP3: Wheeler
SP4:
SP5: Syndergaard (mid-season promotion)

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Binghamton 6 - Portland 3

Errors & Lucky Breaks Buoy B-Mets to 6-3 Win

PORTLAND, ME – The Binghamton Mets cashed in on three Portland errors and caught a few fortuitous breaks in a three-run ninth inning en route to a 6-3 win over the Sea Dogs Friday night at Hadlock Field. The B-Mets stretched their season-best winning streak to five games and moved within one game of the first-place Portland Sea Dogs in the Eastern Division.

Portland’s defensive woes started early in the ninth. Richard Lucas led off the inning against reliever Keith Couch with a slow roller to third. Michael Almanzar barehanded the grounder and fired an errant throw to first, allowing Lucas to move to second.

With Lucas representing the go-ahead run, Alonzo Harris pushed a bunt to the mound. Travis Shaw charged from first and fielded cleanly, but fell to the ground before getting a throw off. Danny Muno followed with a chopper to third. Alamanzar attempted to nab Lucas at the plate, but lost his grip in the process and the B-Mets took the lead for good.

Darrell Ceciliani added with an RBI single to left and Muno scored the final run of the inning by scampering home after a throwing error by Xander Bogaerts at short.

Owning a three-run lead, Jeff Walters struck out three in a scoreless ninth to collect his league-leading eleventh save.

For the first time in the four games, the B-Mets struck first. Muno led off the game by pulling a double down the first base line against Portland starter Matt Barnes. Ceciliani pushed Muno to third with a sac bunt and Cesar Puello brought him home with a bloop single to center.

Portland erased the lead in the third against B-Mets starter Erik Goeddel. Peter Hissey’s chopper up the middle glanced off Goeddel’s glove and rolled into right field for a single. The Sea Dogs cashed in on the lucky bounce when Tony Thomas sent a two-out, RBI double down the left field line.

After fighting off a B-Mets threat in the second, Barnes settled down and retired 11 consecutive B-Mets. His streak came to a halt in the sixth when he walked Ceciliani. Puello made him pay and helped the B-Mets retake the lead, by bouncing an RBI double off the centerfield wall. Allan Dykstra added to the advantage by pulling a run-scoring double down the rightfield line.

Binghamton’s two-run lead did not last long. After Travis Shaw beat out a bunt single, Michael Almanzar blasted Goeddel’s 1-0 offering over the left-centerfield wall to tie the game at three.

Goeddel settled for the no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits over six innings of work. Barnes also did not factor into the decision after six innings on the hill.

B-Mets reliever John Church (2-3) took the reins in the seventh and posted two scoreless innings of relief. The righty earned his second victory of the season after Binghamton’s three-run ninth inning. Couch (1-1) took the loss in relief

The B-Mets (23-18) continue their three-game series against the Sea Dogs (23-16) Saturday afternoon at1:00 PM. LHP Mark Cohoon gets the ball for Binghamton against RHP Anthony Ranaudo. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pregame Show begins at 12:45 PM on Newsradio 1290 WNBF.

POSTGAME NOTES: Binghamton’s five-game winning streak is their longest under manager Pedro Lopez…the B-Mets have collected eight hits or more in each game of the streak…both of John Church’s wins have come against the Sea Dogs

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