Syracuse 9 - Omaha 4
Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets roared ahead early and never looked back, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the second inning on their way to a 9-4 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers on an 80-degree sunny Friday night at NBT Bank Stadium. The Mets have now won the last two games in the series after dropping the first two.
After a scoreless first inning for each side, Syracuse (44-53) exploded for seven runs on six hits in the bottom of the second inning to blow the game open early. The Mets would send 12 batters to the plate by the time the frame was done, starting the inning with a Travis Blankenhorn double and a Gosuke Katoh triple for a 1-0 lead. After that, however, all the damage for the home team was done in slow drips. Four singles, two walks, a fielder’s choice, and an error would plate the other five runs as the Mets led 7-0 after two innings.
Other highlights from the second-inning scoring barrage included Francisco Álvarez, fresh off his walk-off home run on Thursday night, singling home a run. Mark Vientos brought home two more with a single of his own. Finally, Blankenhorn completed the scoring with an RBI single himself, his second hit of the momentous inning.
Omaha (48-48) got a run back in the top of the fourth to trim the Syracuse lead to six, 7-1, but the Mets immediately tacked on two more tallies later in the game via the long ball. In the bottom of the fourth, Katoh lined a no-doubt drive over the right-field wall to make it 8-1. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Blankenhorn pounded a drive beyond the wall in left-center field to make it 9-1 and complete the Mets’ scoring on the evening. It was the 13th home run of the season for Blankenhorn who finished Friday night’s game a triple shy of the cycle.
While Syracuse’s offense grabbed plenty of headlines on Friday night, the pitching staff also needs some shine in the spotlight. Nate Fisher, Locke St. John, Eric Orze, Yennsy Diaz, Thomas Szapucki, and Michel Otanez combined to allow just four runs on seven hits with 11 strikeouts. Fisher started the game strong, tossing two and two-thirds scoreless innings with just two hits allowed and four strikeouts.
Binghamton 12 - New Hampshire 8
BINGHAMTON, NY – Brett Baty’s magical month of July continued as he went 3-5 with two home runs and seven RBI as the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (7-17, 35-58) defeated the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 12-8 on Friday night at Mirabito Stadium. Baty is now hitting .375 with 33 hits, eight homers and 27 RBI in the month of July and extended his hit-streak to 12 games.
Baty drove in runs nine, 10, 11 and 12 with a grand slam in the eighth inning which put the Ponies ahead 12-5. He also added a mammoth solo home run in the first over the batter’s eye and a two-run single capping off a six-run fourth which put Binghamton ahead 7-4.
Matt Winaker registered the first RBI in the fourth on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch and Carlos Cortes scored on a wild pitch. Matt O’Neill tied the game at four with an RBI single and Nick Meyer’s RBI single gave the Ponies a 5-4 lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Meyer also walked in eighth with the bases loaded which brought home a run.
New Hampshire (11-14, 42-52) took a 4-1 lead in the second as Davis Schneider hit a two-run homer to left field going back-to-back with Zach Cook and Ryan Gold’s homer off Garrison Bryant (1-0) capped off the inning.
POSTGAME NOTES: Baty now has 11 RBI over his last two games… Meyer had two RBI… Bryant picked up his first win as a Rumble Pony… Grant Hartwig pitched a scoreless inning of relief.
Palm Beach 6 - St. Lucie 4
PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (July 29, 2022) – The Palm Beach Cardinals beat the St. Lucie Mets 6-4 on Friday at Clover Park.
The Mets hit four solo home runs in defeat. That gives the Mets a total of 100 home runs through 93 games this season. Justin Guerrera hit his eighth homer of the season, Junior Tilien smacked two homers and William Lugo hit his third home run of the series.
The two homers for Tilien was his second multi-homer game of the season. He hit a St. Lucie record three home runs on May 29th at Dunedin. Tilien now has 11 long balls on the year.
The Mets struggled on the mound despite the offensive power surge. Through the first six innings three Mets pitchers combined to walk eight batters and struck out just four. There were also two errant pickoff throws to first base.
The Cardinals scored three runs against Mets starter Franklin Sanchez in the third inning. Elijah Cabell hit a RBI single to start the scoring, a second run scored on a double play and Thomas Francisco knocked Sanchez out the game with a two-out RBI single that made it 3-1.
Tilien and Lugo hit consecutive homers in the fifth inning off Cardinals starter Trent Baker to tie the game 3-3.
The Cardinals scored twice in the sixth off reliever Raimon Gomez (3-3) to retake the lead. Leonard Bernal hit a RBI double and Jhon Torres registered a RBI ground out that made it 5-3.
A walk, error and a passed ball helped to score Nathan Church in the seventh inning to put the Cardinals up 6-3.
Tilien launched his second homer of the game in the bottom of the seventh to make it 6-4.
The game entered a 1 hour and 33 minute rain delay in the top of the ninth. When play resumed the Cardinals lined into a double play and the Mets went down in order vs. Andrew Marrero in the bottom of the ninth to finish the game.
Junior Tilien had cooled a bit, but those 2 HRs yesterday? Impressive for a 19 yr old.
ReplyDeleteBaty on fire, totally.
Do you think that Junior will be.moved before 6pm August 2nd?
ReplyDeletemaybe I've just missed it, but I've never noticed a Brooklyn Cyclone's recap. do they not put them out?
ReplyDeleteHey Jon
DeleteNo, they don't.
And they are always a day.late posting on their own site
I try to remember to go to the Cyclones site each morning to add what they wrote about the.last game played but it is always a day late.
DeleteWhy is the pitching soooo bad on the Rumble Ponies? They are dead last in the Eastern League (AA) in ERA (5.45), worst in WHIP (1.49), worst in Average Against (.268), and second to lasts in Ks. With guys like Baty and Mauricio hitting with power, you would think that 4.5 runs/game would be enough to win a few - but not when you are giving up 5.8 runs/game. At least the club doesn't have to spend a lot on fireworks because they are on the field every game.
ReplyDeleteThe Mets are still short of starter talent in both AA and AAA.
ReplyDeleteThe 2021 draft is paying off in both Brookyn and St. Lucie.
thanks, Mack!
ReplyDeleteJunior would warrant interest. Hector Rodriguez got dealt so Tilien could be fair game.
ReplyDelete