B-Mets Notes - Stoner Returns

LAST GAME: The B-Mets were swept for the first time in 2009
yesterday thanks to a walk-off solo home run from Trenton’s
Jose Gil off Binghamton closer Roy Merritt to give the Thunder
a 4-3 win. Ryan Coultas tallied his second consecutive quality
start, tossing six innings giving up two runs on seven hits.
Shawn Bowman put the B-Mets in front with a solo homer
seventh innings of Michael Dunn, making the score 3-2. The
lead was short-lived however, as Jorge Vazquez laced a home
run just inside the left field line to tie the game in the eighth
off of recent addition Stephen Clyne. In the top half of that
eighth inning, Binghamton loaded the bases with no one out,
but failed to tally. The B-Mets are a season-low two games
under .500.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Tobi Stoner will make his
first start of the season tonight, returning from a month on the
disabled list to open the season due to a right-shoulder injury.
In 2008, Stoner began the season with St. Lucie (High-A)
making nine starts with a 1-5 record and 2.60 ERA in 52 innings.
He debuted with Binghamton June 13, 2008 and finished
out the season in the rotation going 4-6 with a 4.33 ERA
in 79 innings. In the offseason, he pitched for the Peoria Saguaros
(Arizona Fall League) and Los Indio de Mayaguez
(Puerto Rico Winter League). He was the Mets’ 16th-round
pick in 2006 out of Davis and Elkins College in West Virginia.
RHP Rei Gonzalez will make his seventh start of the season
tonight for New Hampshire. He is 1-0 and ranks fifth in the
Eastern League with a 1.70 ERA in 37 innings, the thirdhighest
total in the league. He is coming off his shortest outing
of the season, throwing 4.2 innings in the second game of
a doubleheader at New Britain May 6, where he gave up two
runs. He has recorded no-decisions in his last five starts despite
three quality starts. The Cuban-born righty finished tied
with B-Mets’ starter Dylan Owen for the Florida State Leaguelead
in wins with 12. He recorded an ERA of 3.14 with a record
of 12-4 in 137.2 innings with Dunedin (High-A) last season.

THE HITS KEEP COMING: Lucas Duda kept his hitting streak
alive yesterday with a 2-3 day at the plate. He has now his in
10 straight games, a Binghamton season high. During the
streak, he is hitting .359 (14-39) with six RBI.

ON-BASE ALL THE TIME: Shortstop Ruben Tejada has reached
base in an Eastern League-best 20 straight games. He went 1-
3 with a single and a walk to keep it going. The streak is tied
for the longest on-base streak this season with Quintin Berry,
who equaled the feat April 9-May 5 this season. Tejada has an
on-base percentage of .438 during the streak.