Daily Mets Minors Report – 8-16-12

Date: 8-16-12

 MLB –

SFG - Placed RHP Brad Penny on the 15 day DL

MLB - Mets:

LHP Darin Gorski (7-6, 4.03) makes his 21st start of the season and fourth against the Fisher Cats. Gorski earned the win in his last start against the New Britain Rock on August 8. He allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. Seven of Gorski’s last ten starts have been quality ones. He has gone exactly six innings in eight of his last nine starts. In three starts versus the Fisher Cats, Gorski has gone 0-2 with an 11.68 ERA. In 12.1 innings, he has struck out 12, walked eight and allowed a .386 batting average.

RHP Deck McGuire (5-13, 6.17) takes the hill for the 25th time this season and fifth time against the B-Mets. McGuire allowed a season-high 12 hits in his last start against the Erie SeaWolves on August 9. The righty allowed six runs over five innings in the loss. McGuire has allowed eight hits or more seven times this season. In four starts versus Binghamton he has gone 1-3 with a 9.39 ERA. In 15.1 innings he has struck out seven, walked six and allowed a .283 batting average. McGuire was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1st round as the 11th overall pick in the 2010 draft out of Georgia Tech.

Brandon Phillips on Jordany Valdespin - “He got to the ball better than I expected. I like going first-to-third and was going to do that,” said Phillips. “For him to cut the ball off like that it was very impressive. I had to give him a thumbs-up. I had to clap and tell him good job. When a guy does something positive like that all you can do is give him a nod, tell him 'great job.'

AAA – Buffalo:

RHP Chris Schwinden makes his 16th start with the Herd and his 21st of the season tonight. Schwinden has had three consecutive quality starts, going 3-0 with 0.95ERA striking out 14 in 19.0 innings of work. The righty is 2-0 with a 1.38ERA against Lehigh Valley this season, striking out four in 13.0 innings as a member of the Buffalo pitching staff.

OF Matt den Dekker hit his second grand-slam in nine days, going 2-3 with a run scored and four RBI as well. He is the first Bisons player with multiple grand slams since 2004 when OF Chris Clapinski hit four slams. den Dekker has hit .306 (11-36) in his last 10 games with seven runs scored and 12 runs batted in. He is now hitting .444 (4-9) with the bases loaded this season, with five runs scored and 12 runs batted in.

Time and again throughout the season, the big inning has doomed the Herd in its quest to rack up wins. When an opponent finds a way to score more than just a few runs in an inning, it can turn the tide of the game quickly and abruptly - making a potential comeback seem daunting.

 Wednesday night, the Bisons were yet again on the wrong end of an opponent's one-inning outburst. Trailing 1-0 entering the 4th, Lehigh Valley used a four-run inning as a spark, despite the Herd's best efforts at keeping the IronPigs offensive attack at bay for most of the night. Lehigh Valley was not able to push a run across in any other inning, but the big inning was all it took for the IronPigs to notch a 4-1 victory. With the win, Lehigh Valley evens the four-game set at a game apiece.

"It (the big inning) has been a problem all year," Bisons manager Wally Backman said. "The one inning. (Bisons starting pitcher Chris) Schwinden pitched good...I thought all the pitchers pitched pretty well. Just that one inning."

For Lehigh Valley, the big 4th started right away, with Pete Orr ripping an 0-2 pitch into center field for a leadoff single. Orr is a speedster - coming into the night with 15 stolen bases on the year - and wasted no time heading home when Jake Fox blasted a double to the left-field wall on a hop. Fox's RBI tied the game at 1.

The IronPigs weren't done, by any stretch. Two batters later, Cesar Hernandez sent a grounder toward Bisons 1B Adam Loewen that squirted into the outfield, sending Fox home. Lehigh Valley starting pitcher Jonathan Pettibone even got in on the action later in the frame, lifting a 2-2 offering off to shallow left field off Schwinden - bringing another run home to give the IronPigs a 3-1 edge.

When it was all said and done, Lehigh Valley sent ten batters to the plate in the pivotal 4th - including two at-bats by Orr, who grounded out to first with the bases loaded to finally end the inning. The IronPigs wouldn't score again, but didn't need to.

That's because Lehigh Valley pitchers were able to avoid trouble the rest of the way, despite the Herd's ability to get runners on base throughout the game (Buffalo had seven hits on the night). Catcher Mike Nickeas did his part to provide an offensive spark - singling with one out in the 5th, and then doubling with two outs in the 7th - but his teammates stranded him on both occasions.

Nickeas has performed well in Buffalo this year, and Wednesday night proved no exception.

"He brings some leadership," Backman said. "He's a real good catch-and-throw guy, he's got some big-league experience...Since he's been here, he's made some adjustments, he's changed just a few things with (hitting coach) George (Greer). Knock on wood, he's swung the bat well."

The Herd was given another promising opportunity late in the game, with IronPigs reliever Jake Diekman issuing consecutive two-out walks in the 8th to give Buffalo some life. But it was not meant to be, and Loewen grounded out to short to retire the side.

IronPigs closer Phillippe Aumont closed the deal in the 9th, retiring the Bisons side in order to end the game.

Bisons Notes: Nickeas and Fred Lewis each recorded a multi-hit game for the Herd. Each player went 2-for-4 on the night...Schwinden lasted five innings, allowing the four runs on seven hits. Schwinden issued two walks, and struck out three...The Bisons went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men on base.

AA-Binghamton:

Raul Reyes drove in four runs and Darin Gorski fired seven gutsy innings to lead the Binghamton Mets past the New Hampshire Fisher Cats in a 6-2 win Wednesday night at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. Reyes highlighted Binghamton’s 11-hit attack with a two-run homer and Gorski allowed just one earned run to collect his team-leading eighth win.

Reyes got the B-Mets on the board in the fourth against starter Deck McGuire. With a runner aboard, Reyes blasted the first pitch he saw off the batter’s eye in center field to give Binghamton a two-run edge. The B-Mets added two runs in the inning on three more hits, capped by an RBI double by Juan Lagares.

The Fisher Cats took advantage of an error to scratch out their first run in the fourth. With a man on first, Wilfredo Tovar bobbled a possible double play ball, allowing all runners to reach safely. Following a walk to load the bases, Brian Van Kirk got the Fisher Cats on the board with a sac fly. Gorski limited the damage by inducing Sean Ochinko to bounce into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

The B-Mets had a quick response for the Fisher Cats in the fifth, plating two runs off reliever Matt Daly. With runners at second and third, Reyes delivered again, driving in a pair with a single to right field. Both of Reyes’run-scoring hits came with two outs.

Given a five-run lead, Gorski held off a strong attack by the Fisher Cats in the sixth. New Hampshire loaded the bases with one out on two singles and a walk. Gorski fought back and got Ochinko to roll into a double play, abruptly ending the Fisher Cats finally threat.

Gorski allowed his only earned run in the seventh. With two outs, Ryan Schimp flaunched a solo homer over the right field fence to cut Binghamton’s lead tofour. Gorski ended his night by getting Jake Marisnick to ground out to end the inning. The southpaw allowed two runs (one earned) on eight hits over seven innings, his second-longest appearance as a B-Met.

After the B-Mets failed to add to their lead against three relievers over the final four innings, Brad Holt and Drew Carpenter took the contest to the finish line for Binghamton, combining for two scoreless innings.

Gorski (8-6) threw more than six innings for the first time since his longest outing, an eight-inning effort against the Altoona Curve on June 16. McGuire (5-14) extended his league lead in losses, suffering his fourth against the B-Mets.

A+ - St. Lucie:

Erik Goeddel tossed seven shutout innings and struck out eight as the Mets cruised past the Palm Beach Cardinals 6-0 at Digital Domain Park on Wednesday. Goeddel allowed just two hits and walked two over seven innings for his fourth victory. Cory Vaughn drilled a two-run home run in the fourth to give the Mets a 2-0 lead. In the fifth, Travis Taijeron ripped a two-run shot to extend the Mets lead to 4-0. Blake Forsythe hit a solo home run in the sixth to left-center to give the Mets a 5-0 advantage.  Cesar Puello’s RBI double capped the scoring in the sixth. Hamilton Bennett tossed two scoreless innings in relief and struck out two – from team PR

A – Savannah:

Brian Harrison helped power the Savannah Sand Gnats offense in an 8-2 win over the Lexington Legends Wednesday night at Historic Grayson Stadium. The Gnats took two of three from Lexington and finished their six-game home stand at 5-1. Harrison was 3-for-4 with a two-run double, a solo homerun, and three runs scored. The Gnats scored three runs in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. With two aboard, Harrison laced a two-run double up the left-center field gap to put the Savannah in front, 2-0. Harrison scored later in the inning on LF Greg Pron’s RBI groundout for a 3-0 advantage. Harrison blasted a solo homerun down the leftfield line to leadoff the third inning to give the Gnats a 4-0 lead.

Savannah starter Marcos Camarena worked around base runners in the first three innings but after a1-2-3 fourth, the Legends broke through for two unearned runs in the fifth inning thanks to a Harrison fielding error on a groundball to his right. Camarena departed after five innings, yielding to reliever Randy Fontanez who kept the Legends at bay for three scoreless innings.

The Gnats pulled away with four runs in the bottom of the eighth to establish the final 8-2 margin. In the eighth, with two outs and the bases empty, Harrison singled to start the four-run rally. 3B Dustin Lawley doubled home Harrison. C Albert Cordero singled home Lawley and then RF Charley Thurber completed the scoring with a two-run double down the right field line- team PR

A-Low – Brooklyn:

The difference in this game was one relief appearance by Tim Peterson (7.20)… CF Brandon Nimmo had a particularly good game, not for his one hit, but his three walks. OBP is everything in this game. SS Phillip Evans (.234) continues to disappoint going hitless again… a Craig Hansen (9.00) siting in the 8^th inning.

Rookie – Kingsport:

Wow… Kingsport wins 14-4…

Four hit games by RF Jorge Rivero (.351) and CF Maikis De La Cruz (.278).

SP John Gant continues to impress (6.0-IP, 0-ER, 5-K, 2-BB) and making a good case in bypassing Brooklyn next year and opening up for a full year in his home town of Savannah.

Rookie – DSL Mets –

Vicente Lupo has the 2nd best OPS (1.121) in history of the DSL. Jose Costanza had a 1.135 OPS in '04, but was 2 yrs older than Lupo