Minors Recap

AAA: Rochester wins rain-drizzled series finale, 7-2

The Syracuse Mets had their three-game winning streak snapped on Sunday as the Rochester Red Wings scored early and often on their way to a 7-2 win on a Sunday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium. A slow and steady rain fell throughout the nine-inning game. The two teams split the six-game series this past week, and Rochester won 15 of the 24 games overall they played against Syracuse this season.  

After the first two innings of the game were scoreless, Rochester (59-76) started to bring out the big bats with a pair of runs in the top of the third. After the first batters in the inning went down in order, Wilmer Perez singled to extend the inning. That was followed by an RBI double from Andrew Stevenson that scored Perez for a 1-0 lead. Then, an RBI single from Lucius Fox scored Stevenson for a 2-0 Red Wings advantage. Both Fox and Stevenson played the role of Mets killer throughout the week-long series. Fox had a hit in each game and drove in nine total runs while Stevenson completed an excellent season against the Mets. On the campaign, the former LSU Tiger batted .294 (25-for-85) with 14 runs driven in.  

In the fourth, the Red Wings scored three more times to make it a 5-0 game and put themselves firmly in the driver’s seat for a victory. First, leading off the inning, Jake Alu hit a home run over the fence in right-center field to make it a 3-0 game. Nick Banks then reached on an error and scored on an RBI triple from D.J. Peters for a 4-0 edge. Later in the frame, Peters trotted home when Jecksson Flores lofted a fly into center field deep enough to score Peters on sacrifice fly and make it 5-0. Just one of the runs in the inning was earned against Syracuse (56-79) pitcher, Stephen Nogosek, due to the error committed earlier on in the inning.  

In the sixth and eighth innings, Rochester tacked on single runs in each frame to make it a 7-0 game. In the sixth, Banks reached base when he was hit by a pitch with one out. That was followed by singles from Peters and Flores that brought Banks home and made it 6-0 at the time.  

Then, in the eighth, Alu led off the inning with a double and later scored on an RBI double from Adrian Sanchez that extended the Rochester lead to 7-0. Alu had a truly phenomenal week at the plate against the Mets. He went a combined 10-for-23 with three doubles, four home runs, and 10 runs driven in. 

The Mets got their runs in the bottom of the eighth when Jake Mangum lofted a two-run home run over the right-field fence, his first Triple-A big fly. Mangum finished the game 2-for-4 with a double in addition to the home run. It was his third multi-hit game of the series.   

Syracuse plays its final six-game home series of the season against the Buffalo Bisons beginning Tuesday.

AA: Ponies Fall to Sea Dogs in Final Road Game of Season

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies fell to the Portland Sea Dogs 8-5 in a back-and-forth contest in the Rumble Ponies final road game of the season Sunday at Hadlock Field. The Sea Dogs took the last five games of the six-game series.

With the game tied at five in the seventh, Stephen Scott hit the go-ahead RBI single that scored pinch-runner Christian Koss from third to put Portland up 6-5. Two batters later, Tyler Dearden added an RBI single against Grant Hartwig (0-2) to make it 7-5.

The Rumble Ponies scored two in the first, getting on the board first for the fifth time in the series. Each team would score two runs apiece in each of the first two-innings as the game was tied at four heading into the third.

After Portland (41-22, 71-61) took a 5-4 lead in the third, the Ponies tied the game in the fourth on a two out RBI single from Wyatt Young.

Binghamton (23-38, 51-79) had a runner on second with two out in the eighth, but second baseman Christian Koss made a diving play to rob Rowdey Jordan of a base hit and end the frame. The Sea Dogs would tack on a run in the bottom of the inning on a Ceddanne Rafaela sacrifice fly to take a three-run lead. Rafaela finished with four RBI and David Hamilton had his second consecutive three-hit game for Portland.

Michael Gettys retired the side in order in the ninth for his sixth save of the season. Jacob Wallace (7-2) picked up the win with an inning and two thirds of scoreless relief with no walks and three strikeouts.

The Rumble Ponies begin their final series of the season Tuesday at Mirabito Stadium against the Hartford Yard Goats. 

A+: Cyclones Drop Two in Winston-Salem to End Regular Season

On the final day of the regular season, the Brooklyn Cyclones, the High-A affiliate of the New York Mets, dropped a single-admission doubleheader to the Winston-Salem Dash, losing 5-4 in game one before a 4-3 loss in extra innings at Truist Stadium. Brooklyn won four of the six games on the trip.

Game 1 – Winston-Salem 5, Brooklyn 4

Win: Bradford (4-1) | Loss: Santos (8-13) | Save: Amaya (1)

Leading 4-3 in the bottom of the fourth, Winston-Salem extended its lead to 5-3 when James Beard scored on a double play ball against Brooklyn starter Junior Santos.

The Cyclones cut into an early 4-2 deficit with a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth. Brooklyn made it 4-3 when Juan Loyo singled against Dash starter Brooks Gosswein in the fourth. In the fifth trailing 5-3, the ‘Clones scored on Joe Suozzi’s run-scoring single to center field, bringing in Jose Peroza.

Winston-Salem relievers Skylar Arias and Luis Amaya combined to keep Brooklyn scoreless over the final two innings. In the seventh when Peroza singled and Carlos Rincon walked, Amaya struck out Stanley Consuegra and got William Lugo to roll into a game-ending double play.

KEY CYCLONES PERFORMERS

Jose Peroza: 3-4, RBI, run

Alex Ramirez: 2-4, RBI, run

Juan Loyo: 1-3, RBI, run

Benito Garcia: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Game 2 – Winston-Salem 4, Brooklyn 3 (F/8)

Win: Acevedo (1-0) | Loss: Sanchez (1-1)

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, Caberea Weaver singled on a sharp ground ball to Justin Guerrera who could not handle the potential double-play ball, bringing in Alsander Womack from third base to win the game 4-3 on a walk off.

Down 3-0, Brooklyn rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth inning against the Winston-Salem bullpen. JT Schwartz, Jose Peroza, and William Lugo hit three consecutive RBI singles to make it 3-3.

Winston-Salem took an early 2-0 lead against starter Mike Vasil who walked two to begin the bottom of the third inning. A wild pitch and a sacrifice fly from Womack accounted for the runs. In the next inning, Christian Scott allowed a single to Ivan Gonzalez who moved to second base on a passed ball and scored on Harvin Mendoza’s RBI single.

KEY CYCLONES PERFORMERS

Jose Peroza: 2-4, RBI, intentional walk

Alex Ramirez: 2-4, walk

William Lugo: 2-4, RBI

Daniel Juarez: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K

Brooklyn wrapped the 2022 season 72-60 and 40-26 in the second half, finishing the longest regular season in team history.

WHAT’S NEXT: 

Brooklyn vs. Aberdeen – Game One of the North Division Championship Series: Tuesday, September 13 – 6:30 p.m. at Maimonides Park

A: Mets drop regular season finale to Mussels, 9-1

The St. Lucie Mets ended the 2022 regular season with a 9-1 defeat against the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels at Hammond Stadium on Sunday.

The Mets finished the regular season 73-56 overall and 33-31 in the second half. The Mets had the best record in the Florida State League and were the only team to finish above .500 in both halves.

The Mets now set their sights on the postseason. Game 1 of the best-of-three FSL East Division championship series against the Palm Beach Cardinals is on Tuesday at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Game 2 will be Thursday at Clover Park at 6:10 p.m. If necessary game 3 will be Friday at Clover Park at 6:10 p.m.

On Sunday, Fort Myers jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the first inning. Ben Ross hit a two-run double off Mets starter Joander Suarez and Nate Baez hit a three-run homer off reliever Joshua Cornielly.

Baez hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning to make it a 7-0 lead.

The Mets scored their only run in the eighth inning when Kevin Parada hit a long home run to left field. It was the first professional homer for Parada, who was the Mets top draft pick this summer (11th overall, Georgia Tech).