Minors Stuff

The Herd:

For the last week, Argenis Reyes has done his part in the lineup. The leadoff batter for the Buffalo Bisons has a nine-game hitting streak going and has consistently gotten on base. The problem is, the middle of the lineup has struggled to move him around. Reyes went 1 for 3 and drew a walk on Thursday afternoon as the Herd dropped a 7-1 decision to the Lehigh Valley IronPigs in front of 5,684 at Coca-Cola Field. Reyes is averaging .343 since May 19 and has been filling his role well for the Bisons. "He's been a good leadoff hitter for us," Bisons manager Ken Oberkfell said. "He's been getting on base. His job isn't to drive in runs, it's to score runs. Guys in the middle of the order are supposed to be driving them in and he's doing his job getting on base. "He's been producing and doing a nice job. He plays hard. He's getting dirty. I can't say enough good things about him." Reyes, a 26-year-old from the Dominican Republic, says little himself. Signed by New York as a minor league free agent in 2007, he made his major league debut with the Mets last season, playing in 49 games and hitting .218. He played 81 games in Triple-A New Orleans, where he hit .283 with 22 RBIs

http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/bisons/story/685798.html


B-Mets:

After coming from behind to win their previous two games, the B-Mets were unable to do it again Thursday afternoon, falling to the Connecticut Defenders, 8-7, in front of a Baseball In Education Day crowd of 5,016 at NYSEG Stadium. Despite the loss, B-Mets manager Mako Oliveras believes his team is turning the corner. "I can see it coming, that we're going to be able to put everything together," Oliveras said. "I'm very positive. I can smell it. We're going to get into a winning streak here." What fuels Oliveras' optimism is the way the B-Mets (20-24) have battled of late. On Monday and Wednesday, the team rallied for 11th-inning victories. On Thursday, the B-Mets trailed by two runs in the seventh and eighth innings before making it a one-run game. After Josh Thole scored on a two-out wild pitch from Connecticut reliever Matt Yourkin in the eighth, the B-Mets had the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position, but Jose Coronado struck out. In the ninth, Ruben Tejada continued his hot hitting with a single. But after a Josh Petersen fielder's choice, pinch-runner Carl Loadenthal was caught stealing and Emmanuel Garcia struck out to end the game.

http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090529/SPORTS02/905290338/1118/sports/+The+fight++falls+short+for+B-Mets


Lucy:

Chris Errecart hit a solo home run in the top of the eighth inning to break a 3-3 tie as the Brevard County Manatees edged the St. Lucie Mets 4-3 on Thursday at Tradition Field. Carlos Guzman had a solid game for the Mets, going 3-for-4 with a double and three RBIs. The loss went to Nicholas Carr (1-2), who pitched four innings of relief for starter Scott Shaw.
http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/may/29/manatees-nip-mets-4-3/


Gnats:

SEEING STARS: After Savannah took a one-run lead in the first, Raul Reyes got the Gnats really rolling with his first home run of the season, a two-run shot in the fourth inning. Reyes ended the night with three hits to go along with his two RBs. Sean Ratliff had two RBIs on a pair of hits, and Rafael Fernandez and Joshua Satin also had two hits each.

DECISION MAKING: Gnats pitching was not untouchable, but close enough. The Tourists couldn't put any hits together to produce any runs. Christopher Schwinden pitched the final five innings, giving up only three hits and striking out six. His win makes him 3-2 on the season. Starter Robert Carson went three scoreless innings, and was touched for three walks and four hits, but also had three strikeouts. Rounding out the strong effort was a scoreless inning by Michael Powers.

GNATS GNOTES: First baseman Eric Campbell and outfielder Juan Lagares have been placed on the Gnats' disabled list. Campbell heads to the DL with left rotator cuff tendonitis while Lagares lands on the DL for a right wrist injury. Outfielder Daniel Stegall and infielder Matt Gaski have been added to the Savannah roster to fill the open spots.

http://www.savannahnow.com/node/730195


Queens:

Interestingly, it’s not in the way the sportswriters generally talk about. During his hitting streak, someone asked him about the value of Dunn hitting behind him. Zimmerman answered with his typical cliched answer, but expanded on it. He argued that it was Nick Johnson, who hits ahead of him, who helped just as much. He said that having the Walking Stick on base in front of him half the time helped him see better pitches. It isn’t that NJ was a threat to steal, but that with him on, the pitcher was already in a jam.

David Wright has been great for a number of years, but it looks like Zimmerman’s right there with him now. The bats are awfully close. And although the Gold Glove went to Wright, Zimmerman is the better defender to the eye and to most of the stats. The idea of Zimmerman matching David Wright seemed farcical three years ago, but not anymore. Zimmerman has caught up and — for this season, at least — passed the NY heartthrob.

http://perpetualpost.com/?p=1843


Nick Johnson earned his stripes in the Bronx and he suffered a broken leg in a horrific collision three years ago at Shea. But the ex-Yank isn't averse to returning to New York if the Mets seek to acquire him from Washington as a possible replacement for injured first baseman Carlos Delgado. "I can't worry about rumors or any of that stuff, I just have to go play. If it happens, it does; if I'm here, great," Johnson said before going 0-for-4 in the Mets' 6-1 victory last night. "I don't deal with anything until it happens.... But I enjoyed (New York). Fans are into it, they want to win. It's all about winning and that's what I want to play for, to get that ring on my finger. I definitely had a good time while I was here those three years." -- NY Daily News

http://msn.foxsports.com/rumors/mlb