Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets kept the good times rolling on Saturday afternoon, utilizing superb pitching and well-timed hitting all afternoon to win both halves of a doubleheader against the Rochester Red Wings (Triple-A Washington Nationals) on a sunny day in Syracuse. The Mets won game one, 2-1, and game two, 7-0. Syracuse has won four of the first five games in the series.
Game one of the doubleheader began a bit inauspiciously as Rochester (1-6) grabbed an early 1-0 lead via a Matt Adams solo home run in the top of the second inning. Adams has been on a tear as of late. The longtime Big Leaguer has hit four home runs this week in Syracuse.
From there, Syracuse (5-3) starting pitcher Joey Lucchesi was a puzzle that the Red Wings just could not solve. Lucchesi finished his five-inning start with just one run allowed, holding Rochester to four hits while striking out five. The California native did have to navigate some choppy waters at times, walking four batters in his outing.
Lucchesi kept the Mets in the game, and the offense finally helped him out in the bottom of the fifth inning. After consecutive strikeouts to start the frame, the bottom of the Mets lineup got to work. First, the eight hitter, Carlos Cortes, singled to center field to extend the inning. Then, the nine hitter, Lorenzo Cedrola, pounded a pitch over the left-field wall for a home run to make it a 2-1 Syracuse lead in the blink of an eye. It was Cedrola’s first home run of the season after he only hit four home runs all of last season while playing with Triple-A Louisville.
After the Mets took the late lead, the bullpen would not let it go. Grant Hartwig earned a six-out save, tossing a scoreless sixth and seventh innings to continue his stellar start to the 2023 season. In his first three outings, the Detroit Catholic Central alum has thrown a combined four and two-thirds scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Saturday’s performance marked the first-ever Triple-A save for Hartwig.
Game two of the doubleheader followed a similar pattern to the first half as a pitcher’s duel took hold in the game’s initial innings. Starting pitcher Alex Valverde was superb for Syracuse, holding Rochester off the board in his five-inning start. The Red Wings mustered just three hits off Valverde, who didn’t walk anybody and struck out three. Valverde has tossed eight combined scoreless innings between two appearances this week, his first ever appearances in Triple-A.
Jake Irvin began his start on the mound solidly as well for Rochester, tossing four scoreless and hitless innings to begin the game. Then, in the fifth, it started to unravel for the former Oklahoma Sooner. First, José Peraza bounced a single into center field to break up the no-hitter with one out in the inning. After a Nick Meyer flyout, Cedrola hit a double down the right-field line to put runners on second and third with two outs. Carlos Cortes then came to the plate and would not be denied, looping a single into left field that scored Peraza and Cedrola to make it a 2-0 game.
After Josh Walker tossed a scoreless top of the sixth to keep it a 2-0 score, the Mets blew the doors off the contest in the bottom of the sixth. Syracuse scored five runs on six hits while sending nine men to the plate in the fateful frame, turning it into a 7-0 game and all but securing the doubleheader sweep for Syracuse. Highlights from the sixth inning included an RBI single from Tanner Murphy and a three-run home run from Cedrola. Cedrola finished the doubleheader a combined 3-for-4 at the plate with a double, two home runs, three runs scored, and five runs driven in.
Mets reliever Eric Orze finished the game with a clean seventh inning, punctuating a brilliant afternoon for the Syracuse Mets pitching staff. Five pitchers combined to toss 14 innings of one-run ball, allowing just nine combined hits while striking out 11 batters and walking just four.
Syracuse wraps up its first homestand of the 2023 season on Sunday afternoon. The final game of the six-game series is set for a 1:05 p.m. first pitch. Right-hander José Butto is scheduled to start on the mound for the Mets, opposed by right-hander Paolo Espino for the Red Wings.
Orze's balloon is drifting onto the Mets' radar screen, as is Hatwig's.
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