B-Mets Game Notes

LAST GAME:

New Britain starter Jeff Manship had his A-game
Sunday night at NYSEG Stadium, throwing eight innings of one
-run ball to keep the B-Mets in check and allow his offense to
thrive in the Rock Cats’ 10-1 rout of Binghamton. Dylan Owen
was pitching stride for stride with Manship through four innings
having given up only three hits through four frames, but
it all came tumbling down in the fifth inning. New Britain
brought 10 men to the plate in the ominous inning scoring six
runs on five hits to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Danny Lehmann led of the scoring for the Rock Cats in the
frame with an RBI double and it snowballed from there. New
Britain went on to score three runs in the seventh off reliever
Stephen Clyne, who was erratic, allowing four free passes in
an inning plus of work, which led to four runs scoring. The BMets
got their only run in the seventh on a RBI groundout
from Shawn Bowman that drove home Josh Thole, who was
the only Binghamton hitter to tally a multi-hit night, going 2-4
with a double.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP:

RHP Jose Sanchez will make
his ninth start of the 2009 campaign this afternoon. Sanchez
tough season continued in his last start at Connecticut May
20 as he gave up six earned runs in five innings to take his
fifth loss. The five losses are tied for second most in the Eastern
League entering play today. Sanchez’ body of work this
year includes a 1-5 record and a 6.59 ERA in 41 innings.
Opponents are hitting .320 against Sanchez, who hasn’t won
since the third game of the season, April 10 at Trenton. The BMets
are 1-7 in games that he starts.

RHP Jay Rainville will get the call for the Rock Cats, who are
seeking their ninth straight win and a series sweep of the BMets.
Rainville is coming off his best start statistically speaking,
throwing six innings at Reading May 20 giving up two runs
on five hits with five strikeouts. For the year, he is 1-2 with a
5.60 ERA in 35.1 innings. Right-handed hitters are batting an
astounding .357 (25-70) against the righty. Rainville was one
of two first-round sandwich picks in the 2004 draft along with
Matt Fox, who started Saturday’s game. He was taken 39th
overall out of Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island,
where he played with former B-Mets’ second baseman Matt
Bouchard.

BEWARE THE IDES OF THE FIFTH INNING!:

In the first three
games of this series, New Britain and Binghamton have combined
to score one run in the first four innings of each game,
respectively (Nick Evans solo HR in the fourth inning Friday).
However, the fifth inning has been a different story altogether.
New Britain has outscored the B-Mets 11-0 in the fifth inning
so far, which has been the difference in each of the games