Binghamton Game Notes

LAST GAME: A five-run second inning put the B-Mets down
early to Portland and the lead would increase for the Sea
Dogs leading them to a 12-4 win. Binghamton starter Jose
Sanchez was roughed up for nine runs in three innings and
Portland starter Felix Doubront went the five innings needed
to pick up the win, giving up two runs. The bright spots for the
B-Mets came from Josh Thole and Shawn Bowman. Thole
went 3-4 to raise his average to .407 and Bowman drove in
three of Binghamton’s three runs with a 2-4 day at the plate.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Ryan Coultas will make
his second professional start. Coultas acquitted himself well
in his first start Monday at Reading, throwing 4.1 innings
giving up two earned runs in a 4-1 loss. Last season, Coultas
made 47 relief appearances with St. Lucie (High-A) tallying a 1
-5 mark and a 4.17 ERA. He converted from the infield to the
pitcher’s mound last season. Coultas was a sixth round pick of
the Mets in the 2004 draft out of UC-Davis.

RHP Junichi Tazawa will go for Portland, sporting a 1-1 record
an a 1.64 ERA in two starts this year. Tazawa was a free agent
pick-up in the offseason, signing a three-year, $3.3 million
with Boston in December. He comes to the United States after
playing in a Japanese industrial league, foregoing Japanese
pro ball. In his last start, Tazawa impressed, beating New
Britain with six innings of one-run ball. He is considered Boston’s
seventh-best prospect by Baseball America.

FOR WHO THE BELL “THOLES”: In his first season at the AA
level, Josh Thole has been a menace to opposing pitchers. He
has recorded a hit in each of his six games behind the plate,
including four multi-hit days. Entering play today, Thole is third
in the Eastern League with a .407 average and also third in on
-base percentage thanks to this four walks (.500).