B-Mets Game Notes - 4/19 - 6pm - B-Mets at Portland

LAST GAME: New Hampshire starter Luis Perez was practically


unhittable Sunday afternoon at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium

in the Fisher Cats 3-1 triumph over the B-Mets. Perez surrendered

just one hit, a sixth-inning solo homer to Luis Hernandez,

which cut the deficit to two. Binghamton starter Eric Niesen

lasted just four innings and allowed two runs, one

earned, on three hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

Zach Lutz had his eight-game hitting streak end with an 0-1

day with three walks. Roy Merritt pitched well in relief going

2.2 innings with five strikeouts.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP:

RHP Dylan Owen will make

his third start for the B-Mets in place of righty Brad Holt who is

on the shelf with a right wrist injury. Last time out, Owen went

six innings and allowed three runs, one earned, in a nodecision

versus Erie April 14. He is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA in 11

innings this season. Owen made 23 starts for Binghamton last

season, chewing up a team-best 123 innings with a 4-10

record and 5.93 ERA. He was the Mets 20th round selection

in the 2007 draft out of Francis Marion University in Florence,

SC.


LHP Felix Doubront will take the ball for the Sea Dogs in the

series opener. The lefty went just four innings in his last start

April 13 at New Britain and allowed just three hits while striking

out six in a no-decision. He is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA in nine

innings thus far. Last year, Doubront went 8-6 with a 3.35 ERA

in 121 innings for the Sea Dogs.

LUTZ LEAVES IN THREE STRAIGHT: B-Mets third baseman

Zach Lutz homered for the third straight game Saturday, a two

-run shot off Bobby Bell in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old

leads the Eastern League with four homers and is third in onbase

percentage (.500).


OPPRESSIVE OFFENSE: A year ago, the B-Mets led the EL in

batting average with a .268 clip, but finished dead last in runs

scored, 550, which averages to 3.9 runs per game. This season

Binghamton is back at the top of the league in hitting with

a team average of .278 through 11 games, but leads the

league in runs per game (6.1). The team is tops in the league

in homers (15), RBI (64), doubles (26) and walks (53), which

makes up for the team ERA (5.36), which is last in the EL.

EASTERN LEAGUE HITTER OF THE WEEK: B-Mets first baseman

Nick Evans was named as the Eastern League’s Hitter of

the Week for the first week of the season today. On the year,

he is fourth in the league with a .372 (16-43) average and

leads the league in hits (16), runs scored (11) and total bases

(29).