Tovar homers again, but Syracuse drops series opener to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, 8-3

 

Moosic, PA - Syracuse Mets infielder Wilfredo Tovar stayed hot, hitting his fourth home run in his last nine games while extending his hitting streak to seven games, but Syracuse dropped the series opener against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 8-3, on Tuesday night at PNC Field (Box Score).

Syracuse (15-38) struck first, courtesy of Tovar, with the shortstop hitting a solo home run in the top of the fourth inning to give the Mets a 1-0 lead. 

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (35-16) responded in the bottom of the fourth. After delivering three scoreless innings to begin the game, Syracuse starter Thomas Szapucki ran into some trouble in the fourth. Socrates Brito reached on a throwing error by Szapucki to start the frame. Armando Alvarez drew a walk, and then Scranton/Wilkes-Barre executed a double steal, and a throwing error by Mets catcher Chance Sisco got Brito home to make it 1-1. After Max McDowell popped out, Andrew Velazquez reached on a fielder's choice where Alvarez scored from third base ahead of a throw home to put the RailRiders in front, 2-1. Velazquez then stole second and then third and came home on a sacrifice fly by Estevan Florial to increase Scranton/Wilkes-Barre lead to two, 3-1. 

Mets reliever Marcel Rentería came in to pitch the fifth and allowed a leadoff single to Hoy Park and then issued a walk to Trey Amburgey. Ryan LaMarre followed and drove a ball to the wall in right-center field to score Park and Amburgey, and the throw to get the sliding LaMarre at third base was errant, and LaMarre came home to put Scranton/Wilkes-Barre up five, 6-1. Later, with two outs and Brito at second base, Velazquez hit an RBI single to make it 7-1. After Florial walked, A.J. Schugel came out of the bullpen to replace Rentería and allowed a run-producing single to Kyle Holder as the RailRiders increased their lead to 8-1 to cap off the five-run inning. 

In the top of the seventh, Cheslor Cuthbert led off the frame with his sixth home run of the season to make it 8-2 with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre still in front. After Orlando Calixte lined out, Mason Williams hit a single and advanced to second on a fielding error by RailRiders center fielder Florial. Next, Drew Jackson delivered with a single to center field to score Williams and trim the deficit to five, 8-3.

The Mets and RailRiders return to the field Wednesday night for a doubleheader.  First pitch of game one from Moosic, PA is at 5:05 p.m. Game two will be begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.