Terry Collins:
Thats a lot to deal with for any manager, but Terry Collins has maintained the team's course and they continue to win in spite of these difficulties. Plugging in different players, moving them around and basically putting them in positions where they can succeed, Collins has managed to extract every last ounce of effort from a variety of players who were never expected to sniff the Major League level this season. Collins has also excelled in preemptive strikes against his ball club. As recently as this week, Collins informed his players that should they feel sorry for themselves and struggle as a result of Carlos Beltran's departure, they will not be here. Earlier this year when the team was struggling, he took the media and threatened to basically blow up the roster in order to find more wins out of his team - http://www.metsfever.com/2011/07/collins-continues-to-push-right-buttons.html
Zack Wheeler:
7-29-11: - http://bullpenbanter.com/ - Wheeler's stuff is top notch. His final pitching line was ugly: 5 1/3 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K's, but the takeaway was that Wheeler has the stuff to pitch at the front of a major league rotation. The videos above will show that he can make pretty drastic adjustment to his delivery and I expect him to continue to make progress which will lead to improved command/control. The development of the change will be the main thing to keep an eye on in his development as he looks for a pitch to neutralize left handed hitters. Keep in mind that he has only logged 146 2/3 professional innings. There aren't a lot of minor league pitchers that have his type of upside. I was very surprised that Wheeler was traded for a playoff run "rental". These types of prospects aren't often traded.
Robert Carson:
7-26-11: - http://www.amazinavenue.com/2011/7/26/2287253/mets-mid-term-farm-system-review-2011-binghamton#storyjump - LHP Robert Carson - STOCK DOWN - Look, he's definitely been better in Double-A in 2011 than in 2010. His K/9, BB/9 and HR/9 are all better. He's improved, just not as much as you'd like from a top pitching prospect. At 22, he's no longer that young and the Eastern League is having no poblem hitting him as he's allowed a .292 average against thus far. Even worse, one of the hallmarks of his game, an excellent GB%, has deteriorated since the promotion to Bingo. It's never wise to \ disregard a 20-something, 6'3" lefty that can consistently hit 93mph but I must say that I expect a better results from someone with that profile. He still shows reasons to hope -- see, last night's performance -- but I continue to envision Carson's realistic major league ceiling as a late-inning lefty a la Antonio Bastardo.
Ryan Fraser:
7-29-11: - https://mail.google.com/mail/?shva=1#inbox/131778f24f2bdfef - RHP Ryan Fraser, who is tied for ninth in the SAL with 107.2 innings pitched, is scheduled to make his 17th Savannah start today. Fraser gave up a personal season-high 10 hits and six runs in his last start versus Lexington. He has walked nine batters in his last 10.2 innings. Last year with short-season Brooklyn, Fraser struck out 39 batters in 31.1 innings pitched, a rate of 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. This year, he’s fanned 66 in 107.2 innings, a rate of 5.5 K/9. With the Cyclones last year, working exclusively out of the bullpen, he was 3-3 with a 1.44 ERA and 12 saves in 31.1 IP. He struck out 39, walked 20 and yielded just 16 hits. The Mets drafted Fraser in the 16th round of the 2010 draft out of Memphis. The Rays originally drafted Fraser out of Walker Valley HS in the 49th round in 2006, but he chose to attend Gulf Coast Community College and then Memphis. At Memphis, he led the Tigers with 93 strikeouts and 92 IP in 2010 on his way to three C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors and a Second Team All C-USA selection. In the classroom, he was a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team in 2010 and ran a 4.0 grade point average in high school. The Gnats are 8-8 when Fraser starts, and have supported him with 3.00 runs per game (48 runs/16 games), the lowest mark of any Savannah starter.
BaBip:
BaBIP - “Batting Average on Balls in Play”. Whereas batting average takes into account the percentage of at bats which become hits, BaBIP takes this a step further to determine the percentage of balls hit into play which become hits. By removing strikeouts from the equation, BaBIP can be a good indicator of how “lucky” either a pitcher or hitter has been, based upon the number of balls the opposing defense was able to handle (or mishandle as the case may be). Since baseball is comprised of a long season where statistics often regress to the mean, BaBIP can often be used to predict a player’s future statistics. For a hitter with a BaBIP much higher than the league average, it may indicate a dip in batting average is due. Conversely, a pitcher with a low BaBIP rate may be predicted to see an increase in hits allowed in upcoming games. - http://baseballreflections.com/2011/07/28/sabermetrics-101-gaining-the-fantasy-baseball-edge/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sabermetrics-101-gaining-the-fantasy-baseball-edge
Jean Luc Blaquiere smacked three hits and drove in four runs to help Binghamton recover from a 5-0 deficit and win 8-7 over Harrisburg Friday night at Metro Bank Park. Brad Holt earned the win for the B-Mets with two, hitless innings of relief.
The Senators took command in the third inning against Brandon Moore. Josh Johnson drew a one-out walk. A two-out single from Chris Rahl moved him to third and he scored on Tyler Moore’s hot shot through the left side to give Harrisburg a 1-0 lead.
Moore allowed two more in the fourth inning. Tim Pahuta drew a leadoff walk and was joined on base when Devin Ivany singled. Moore came back to get the next two men, but uncorked a wild pitch to score Pahuta and move Ivany to third. Johnson plated the runner from third with a bunt single, which advanced the lead to 3-0.
Harrisburg (60-47) kept its foot on the accelerator in the fifth with two more runs on back-to-back RBI singles from Ivany and Chris McConnell.
Binghamton (43-64) finally broke through against Senators’ starter Shairon Martis in the sixth. Juan Lagares led off with a single to right, Reese Havens moved him to second with a single to center and Brahiam Maldonado plated Lagares with a single to center to get the B-Mets on the board. Allan Dykstra made it four straight hits with a blooper to center, which loaded the bases. Michael Fisher made good on the situation with a sac fly to left, scoring Havens. Martis settled down to strike out Raul Reyes, but Blaquiere got the better of him with a two-run double to left, which cleared the bases and drew Binghamton within a run.
Martis exited after permitting the double in favor of Hassan Pena. The reliever induced a comebacker to the mound from pinch-hitter Eric Campbell, but misfired on his throw to first. Tyler Moore picked the one-hop throw, but his left foot came off the bag allowing Campbell to reach and Blaquiere to score the tying run.
Moore exited to a no-decision courtesy of the five-run sixth. He allowed five runs on nine hits and walked three. Martis also took a no-decision. He fired 5 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on eight hits with eight strikeouts.
The B-Mets struck the game-winning blow in the eighth inning against Pena. Fisher stroked a one-out single to center and was joined on base when Reyes lined a single to left. Once again, Blaquiere struck the decisive blow with a two-run double off the centerfield wall to give Binghamton a 7-5 lead. Pinch-hitter Matt den Dekker extended the lead to three with a single to right off reliever Pat McCoy, which chased Blaquiere home. Pena was charged with the loss.
The Senators managed a pair of runs off Edgar Ramirez in the bottom of the eighth helped by a pair of doubles and a B-Mets error. However, Erik Turgeon retired the side in order in the ninth to preserve the one-run margin and nail down his sixth save.
Lagares went 2-for-5 for Binghamton and has now hit in all seven games he has played in Double-A.
The B-Mets look to take the upper hand in their four-game series with Harrisburg Saturday at 7 PM. LHP Robert Carson (3-8, 4.40) will start opposite RHP Tanner Roark (5-7, 5.58). The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pre-Game Show begins at 6:45 PM on Newsradio 1290 WNBF
from team press release
The Brooklyn Cyclones (23-17) shut out the Connecticut Tigers (17-22) by a score of 2-0 on Friday night to take the rubber game of the three-game set. Brian Harrison’s two-out, two-RBI double in the eighth inning provided all of the scoring as Cyclones hurlers limited the Tigers to five hits this evening, and only one run over the last two games.
The only thing that could slow down Marco Camarena on Friday night was the rain that delayed the start of the game by an hour. Once the 20-year-old took the mound he was nearly unhittable for the Cyclones, striking out seven over his 6.0 shutout innings of work. But Connecticut’s starter Brennan Smith was just as impressive, matching Camarena pitch for pitch over his 6.0 innings as neither team mounted a threat until the seventh inning.
After Steven Winnick pitched a scoreless top of the frame, it was the Cyclones who looked like they would break the scoreless tie in their turn at bat. Brian Harrison and Travis Taijeron started the rally with back-to-back singles and after Chase Greene walked with two outs, the Cyclones had the bases loaded for Danny Muno. Muno hit a sharp ground ball up the middle that looked like it would score a pair of Cyclones, but Connecticut’s second baseman Colin Kaline – the grandson of Hall of Famer Al Kaline – made a diving grab and was able to retire Greene at second base to end the threat.
In the eighth inning, with the Coney Island Fireworks lighting up the sky, it was Brian Harrison’s double that finally lit up the scoreboard. With two outs in the bottom of the frame, Richard Lucas walked and Cole Frenzel singled to put a pair of runners on and set the stage for Harrison’s heroics. Brian connected on a 0-1 offering from Melvin Mercedes (3-1), driving a line drive into the right centerfield gap, allowing the pair of Cyclones to score the first runs of the game.
Eric Beaulac (1-0), who pitched a scoreless eighth, retired the Tigers in order in the ninth to close out the win for the Cyclones to move the team to six games above .500 for the first time this season.
from team press release
The Greensboro Grasshoppers shutout the Savannah Sand Gnats in a 5-0 victory Friday night at NewBridge Bank Park in Greensboro, NC Friday night. The Gnats (21-13/60-43) have dropped the first two games of their four-game series in Greensboro.
The Grasshoppers (17-17/57-47) used solo home runs in three of the first four innings against Savannah starter Ryan Fraser, to take a 3-0 lead. RF Marcel Ozuna went deep in the first to put Greensboro in front, CF Christian Yelich made it 2-0 in the third and LF James Wooster put Greensboro ahead 3-0 in the fourth. Fraser fell to 6-7 with a 3.59 ERA with the loss.
The Grasshoppers added two runs against reliever Michael Hebert in the seventh.
Greensboro out-hit Savannah 11-5. DH Blake Forsythe was 1-4 for a double, Savannah’s only extra-base hit of the night.
Grasshoppers starter Robert Morey tossed a complete game shutout, fanning nine without walking a batter to earn his sixth win of the year.
The Gnats send RHP Taylor Whitenton (4-2, 2.71) to the mound against Greensboro RHP Rett Varner (5-4, 5.91) Saturday in game three of the four-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 pm. The game broadcast on News/Talk 630 WBMQ and sandgnats.com will begin at 7 pm.
from team press release
70. SP John Church
6-19-10: - it figures it would be a pitcher if we are talking about a Sand Gnat player. Church is one of many young arms that is leading the SAL in just about every pitching stat that’s kept. The 23rd round 2009 pick has been in 21 games so far this season, pitched 35.1 innings and has posted stats of 3-0, 1.53, 1.13, 34-K, 12-BB. John turns 24 in November, so it’s time for him to get on to higher levels in the organization. The Mets have an interesting decision to make regarding the 2010 Savannah pitching staff. Firstly, there are 6-7 guys who have already mastered this level. Secondly, most are ex-college juniors and are getting a little long in the tooth, pitching at the A-level. Thirdly, not many pitcher are burning up the Lucie squad, fourthly, there is some pressure to keep most of these guys down in Savannah to keep up what seems like the only chance the team will have to create a minor league pennant winner this year. And lastly, no one has idea who to promote to Savannah of all these moves are made because the lion share of the effort right now is to staff the short season teams. Interesting couple of weeks ahead.
7-1-10: - Church is another of those interesting 2010 Sand Gnat pitchers, but this is a much different story than the rest. He was drafted in 2009 in the 23rd round, out of the University of West Florida. He signed right away and started the season as a reliever for Savannah. Twenty-one unspectacular outings later (1-4, 5.28, 34-H, 34-K, 29.0-IP), plus one appearance in Brooklyn and I didn’t even have him as a projected returnee this year. So what happens? He reports back to Savannah this April where he has aced the pen
10-8-10: - 2011 Forecast: Church found himself back starting by the end of the 2010 season and I bet he'll go back to Savannah again in the spring of 2011 to anchor the rotation. There's a lot of low level talent clogging him up, but he looks like he has the talent to fight himself through it.
7-27-11: - I always thought John Church would be better off as a starter. He was last year for a few months in Savannah and I thought he did fine. Then 2011 brings a promotion to Lucy and back to the pen. Well, for reasons undefined, he started tonight and turned in a great outing: 5.0-IP, 1-ER, 5-H, 0-K (?)… not sure what the rotation is going to be here for the rest of the year now that Zack Wheeler is heading their way.
17. SP Chris Schwinden
Selected by New York Mets in 22nd Round (674th overall) of 2008 amateur entry draft.
In 2008, Schwinden went 4-1, 2.01, 14 games, 8 starts, 70Ks, 62.2 IP, only 12 BBs, for Brooklyn.
In 2009, Schwinden became one of the “Savannah 5”, posting a 9-6, 3.28, 1.22 record in 21 games, 17 starts. He also went 1-0, 3.97 for Lucy in the last week of the season.
Forecast written in Jan 2010:: Everybody spent the entire 2009 season bragging on Jeurys Familia and Robert Carson, while Schwinden stayed under the radar. Hey, this is a guy with a lifetime 1.17 WHIP! So far, in two seasons, he’s 14-7, 2.90, 1.17. I’ll take that at any level. We may have ourselves another pitching prospect here.
7-3-10: - Schwinden has had a hard time solidifying himself within the Binghamton rotation, but that might be all in the past after last night’s first game of the doubleheader. Schwinden had a no-hitter after six innings and finished up the 7-inning game with a two hitter. He also struck out five and did not give up a walk.
10-2-10 interview:
Mack: – Hey folks. We’re here this morning with the 22nd round pick in the 2008 draft, starting pitcher Chris Schwinden. Hey Chris, thanks for spending a few minutes with us. First up, are you home or down in Ft. Myers in Instruction Camp? .
Schwinden: – Thanks for having me. I’m back home here in Visalia, CA.
Mack: – I have to ask you the same question I ask all of you… take us back to that classic day you found out you were drafted… what was that all about? .
Schwinden: – I was just sitting at home watching TV, Fish-eyeing my computer every round. Then I saw my name popped up under the Mets. I kind of double-taked for a second and I knew it was for real. and I was really excited.
Mack: – Chris, you signed and went straight to Brooklyn, where you went 4-1, 2.01, in 14 games, eight starts. Nore importantly, you had 70-Ks in only 62.2-IP, with only 12-BB. The new grind of rotating every five days didn’t seem to affect you at all….
Schwinden: – Well…Its the same game where ever you go.You have to throw the ball over for strikes and try and get guys out. I was fortunate enough to have a season like Brooklyn. Pitching every five days was some getting use to, but it’s what you do with those extra days to try and get yourself better for the next outing.
Mack: – You said it perfectly. I can’t tell you how many times I have been asked “how do I get to the majors”… if they’re a pitcher, I tell them “well, you first have to throw strikes…”
Anyway, it was on to Savannah in 2009 (9-6, 3.28) and then finishing up with St. Lucie (1-0, 3.97), where you continued to shine in 2010 at (3-0, 1.83)… had you added anything new to your repertoire during this period?
Schwinden: – This past off-season I really wanted to work on my curve. It wasn’t that great in 09. So I really wanted to bring that back into play. This year mark brewer taught me how to throw a cutter and had lots of success with it. So I have another pitch that is going to be fun throwing.
Mack: – Last question… Chris, you’re at that place I call “the point of no return”. Minor league players really have two steps they must take to get to the Bigs…. one, they have to get to the AA level… and two, they have to get past it.
A coach told me once that there are no bad baseball players in AA. You’ve already had a taste of that this past season. Is it true and what are your off-season plans to get ready for your next step? .
Schwinden: – Well… I would say that there are guys that have experience where they have found success in what they have learned and there are some that haven’t found it yet. But they have done something great to get themselves where they are. I’m going to work on the cutter and try to establish that to the best I can get it. Also work on little mechanical problems that I endured over the season and go from there.
Mack: – Great ideas. The cutter turned out to be the difference for Mike Pelfrey. It’s a killer pitch with no predictable outcome. I always called it a fast-knuckler…
5-14-11: - No one seems to be able to give any explanation for what SP Chris Schwinden is doing different at the AAA level. His fastball remains in the 90-92 range, but it especially has good tail motion down and in to right-handed hitters. The changup did raise up last year to the 80-84 range, and he has an average slider (84-86) at best. His last and least used pitch is his overhand curve, in the high-70s. Anyone that has followed Chris’s game knows that the key here is command, and the ability to mix his pitches to his liking. I have to assume at this point that he is currently, as we say, in command.
6-9-11: - http://www.metstoday.com/6564/mets-minors/mets-minor-league-update-buffalo-bisons-starting-pitcher-chris-schwinden - Although he has been in a mini-slump lately in the International League, Schwinden looks like the next Mets pitcher to break the aforementioned rule. On the season, Chris has compiled a record of 3-3 with an era of 3.20. The record may not look very promising but considering the Bisons’ poor 26-34 record on the year, it is very respectable. In addition, Schwinden doesn’t allow many base runners — witnessed by his 1.08 WHIP on the season. (For those of you who don’t know, WHIP is a stat that counts the amount of walks and hits a pitcher averages each inning. It is calculated simply by dividing the total amount of walks and hits the pitcher has allowed in one season by the amount of innings the pitched in the same season. Generally speaking, a really good WHIP is anything below 1.10 and Schwinden’s falls into that category).
6-26-11: - It’s going to be very interesting to see what the Mets do with this guy if he keeps this up. He pitched his 14th start for Buffalo yesterday, going 7.0-IP, 7-K, 2-BB, 3-ER, 3.12. Seasonally, he has only struck out 67 in 80.2-IP and has walked 30 batters. We assume Johan Santana comes back next season and we’re still trying to figure out if Dillon Gee survives a needed rotational cut, so what about Schwinden? Long relief?
6-30-11: - press release - The International League today announced that Buffalo Bisons RHP CHRIS SCHWDINEN has been selected to the IL’s 2011 All-Star Team. Schwinden and the IL’s best will face the Pacific Coast League All-Star Team at the 24th Annual Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday, July 13 at Spring Mobile Ballpark in Salt Lake City, UT. Next season’s 25th annual Triple-A All-Star Game will be played in Buffalo, NY at the home of the Buffalo Bisons, Coca-Cola Field. Schwinden, 25, is having a breakout season with the Bisons, his first career time at the Triple-A level. He leads the Bisons’ staff in all pitching triple crown categories with five wins, a 3.12ERA and 67 strikeouts. His ERA also ranks 10th-best in the International League Overall, Schwinden is 5-3 in 14 games with 63 hits allowed in a team-high 80.2 innings of work. Schwinden began the 2011 season in the bullpen for Double-A Binghamton. He was promoted to the Herd on April 16 and struck out a season-high nine batters that night in his Triple-A debut in Pawtucket. He picked up his first Triple-A win in his third start with 5.2 shutout innings on April 26 in Rochester. He has also won his last two starts, which included retiring 17 consecutive batters on Sunday in a victory over Norfolk. Schwinden has pitched five innings or more in 13 of his 14 starts and allowed three of fewer runs in 11 of his appearances
7-2-11: - Schwinden continues to impress with Buffalo, going 7.0-IP Friday night: 0-R, 5-H, 8-K, 0-BB. His AAA ERA is now 2.87 and he has definitely earned his all-star status. Even more important is his increased K/IP ratio over the last few games.
7-3-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/07/best-mets-minor-league-surprises-mid-season-edition.html - Chris Schwinden – Buffalo, after two relief appearances with Bingo to start the season, the 6’3″ righty was quickly called up to Buffalo and placed in the starting rotation. He is the only prospect to show positive development at AAA this year while at the same time staying healthy. In 15 game starts, he is 5-3 with a 2.87 ERA. In 87.2 IP, he has given up a paltry 67 hits, with 75 K and 30 BB. His AAA opponents are hitting only .211 against him, and his WHIP is 1.11.
7-4-11: - http://mets360.com/?p=7171&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mets360%2Ffeed+%28Mets360+Feed%29 - In his last start, Schwinden threw seven shutout innings against Lehigh Valley, and allowed four hits and no walks. He struck out eight batters and ran his scoreless innings streak to 15.2 IP. Schwinden got a no-decision in the game, as Buffalo lost 2-0. But even though he did not get rewarded with the win, there’s no doubting how well he has pitched this season. In his last four games, Schwinden has allowed 5 ER in 25.2 IP (1.75 ERA) and has allowed 6 BB and notched 25 Ks. In Friday’s game against the Iron Pigs, Schwinden retired the first 10 batters he faced and ended his outing by setting down his final eight hitters
7-5-11: - http://www.minorleagueball.com/2011/7/4/2258798/prospect-spotlight-chris-schwinden-mets - While Schwinden isn’t the most overpowering pitcher on the planet, I do not like when people refer to him as not having enough "stuff" to get Major League hitters out. He is much like Gee, in that the overall command of his fastball and good off-speed pitch should be enough to keep hitters honest at the next level. In Gee’s case the pitch is a changeup, but for Schwinden it will be good old Uncle Charlie and being a guy who gets a lot of flyballs he could benefit greatly from pitching in Citi Field. He is still just a C prospect, but I don’t think it is out of the realm of possibility for him to have a Gee type of impact at some point this season or next."
7-27-11: - Schwinny pitched a gem Wednesday afternoon, with stats of 7.0-IP, 2-R, 6-K, 1-BB. He now has 101 strikeouts for the Bisons and has become the 16th pitcher in modern-era with 100+ strikeouts for the Bisons (Dillon Gee holds the record with 165, set last year).
Savannah Sand Gnats @ Greensboro Grasshoppers
RHP Ryan Fraser (6-6, 3.51) vs. RHP Robert Morey (5-7, 6.67)
Tonight: The first-half champion Gnats play game two of their four-game series against the Greensboro Grasshoppers, SAL affiliate of the Florida Marlins. The Gnats return home to host the Augusta GreenJackets Monday through Thursday, August 1-4.
Last Night: The Grasshoppers scored six times against starter Yohan Almonte and hung on to survive two home runs and four Gnats’ runs in the final four innings to beat the Gnats 7-6.
Now Pitching: RHP Ryan Fraser, who is tied for ninth in the SAL with 107.2 innings pitched, is scheduled to make his 17th Savannah start today. Fraser gave up a personal season-high 10 hits and six runs in his last start versus Lexington. He has walked nine batters in his last 10.2 innings. Last year with short-season Brooklyn, Fraser struck out 39 batters in 31.1 innings pitched, a rate of 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings. This year, he’s fanned 66 in 107.2 innings, a rate of 5.5 K/9. With the Cyclones last year, working exclusively out of the bullpen, he was 3-3 with a 1.44 ERA and 12 saves in 31.1 IP. He struck out 39, walked 20 and yielded just 16 hits. The Mets drafted Fraser in the 16th round of the 2010 draft out of Memphis. The Rays originally drafted Fraser out of Walker Valley HS in the 49th round in 2006, but he chose to attend Gulf Coast Community College and then Memphis. At Memphis, he led the Tigers with 93 strikeouts and 92 IP in 2010 on his way to three C-USA Pitcher of the Week honors and a Second Team All C-USA selection. In the classroom, he was a member of the C-USA All-Academic Team in 2010 and ran a 4.0 grade point average in high school. The Gnats are 8-8 when Fraser starts, and have supported him with 3.00 runs per game (48 runs/16 games), the lowest mark of any Savannah starter.
Cordero Cuts: After going 2-for-4 with a homerun last night, Albert Cordero has hit as many home runs (2) in 26 games in the second half as he did in 45 games in the first half. He hit .219/.248/.297 in the first half and is now up to .323/.352/.434 in the second half. His isolated slugging percentage, a measure of a batter’s raw power, which is calculated by subtracting batting average from slugging percentage was .078 in the first half, but is up to .101 in the second half.
Go Zo: Alonzo Harris leads all current Gnats with a .277 batting average. He has three triples in his last four games and has hit safely in 11 of his last 12 games raising his batting average 18 points in that span from .259 to its current .277. His five extra-base hits in July are his most in any month in 2011.
Close Calls: The Gnats have played nine straight games which have been decided by one or two runs.
from team press release
Buffalo Bisons vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees
RHP Dylan Owen (4-5, 4.44) vs. RHP Andrew Brackman (2-6, 7.22)
Radio: WWKB AM 1520, WGR Sportsradio 550 AM, bisons.com
TODAY’S GAME: Tonight, the Bisons host the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees in the final game of a four-game series from Coca-Cola Field (7:35 p.m.). The Herd needs a win tonight to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Yankees. Buffalo is just 1-6 on an eight-game homestand that ends tonight. Tomorrow, the Bisons will begin a season-long 10-game roadtrip with stops in Lehigh Valley, Rochester, Pawtucket and Syracuse.
VS. THE YANKS: The Bisons have lost five straight games against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and are now just 4-8 against the Yankees this season. The last time the Yankees completed a four-game sweep of the Herd at Coca-Cola Field was August 13-16, 2009.
DEALIN’ DYLAN: RHP DYLAN OWEN will make his 14th start of the season for the Herd. Owen allowed three runs in five innings on Sunday in a loss to Pawtucket and has allowed four earned runs or less in his last 13 starts. He gave up four runs in three innings in his last outing against the Yankees, a loss on April 14 at PNC Field (0BB, 4K). ROSTER MOVE: OF NICK EVANS has rejoined the Bisons from New York and INF MICHAEL FISHER has been sent to Double-A Binghamton. Evans was with the Mets since July 7 and hit .267 (4-15) with three runs, a triple, a home run, three RBI and three walks in nine games. The slugger has 28 multi-hit performances with the Bisons this season, six more than any other player.
Mr. VP: INF VALENTINO PASCUCCI leads the International League with 71RBI on the season, three more than Gwinnett’s Stefan Gartrell and Scranton/Wilkes Barre’s Jorge Vazquez. The slugger also shares the IL lead in walks (57) with Pawtucket’s Lars Anderson and is 2nd with a .513 slugging percentage and 4th with a .388 on-base percentage. Pascucci holds the Bisons top active hit streak have hit in nine straight games since July 20 (.364, 12-33).
BISONS BITS: INF LUIS FIGUEROA is batting .300, which puts him 16th in the IL...Since joining the Bisons on July 22, INF JOSH SATIN is batting a .346 and currently riding a five-game hit streak (8-18, .444)...The Bisons are 5-3 in eight fridaynightbash! games at Coca-Cola Field this season.
LAST GAME: The B-Mets and Harrisburg Senators waited through an hour and fifty-four minute rain delay and battled through 14 innings before Harrisburg triumphed 2-1 at 1:08am on Friday morning at Metro Bank Park. The four-hour, fourteen minute game was Binghamton’s longest since they played a four-hour, twenty-three minute, 12-inning contest against the Altoona Curve on 8/20/10. Matt Harvey started for Bingham-ton and turned in his finest Double-A performance to date. He struck out a season-high ten while allowing one run over seven innings. Harrisburg starter Erik Arnesen one-upped Harvey by allowing one run over eight innings. The bullpens matched zeroes for five innings before Harrisburg got to Rhiner Cruz in the 14th. With two outs, Chris Rahl tripled to right field, the first extra-base hit of the game for the home team. Tim Pahuta finally ended the marathon game with a single to left. Carlos Martinez earned the win with two scoreless innings of relief.
STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Brandon Moore makes his team-leading 20th start of the season and second against the Senators. Moore has gone six innings and allowed a run or less in each of his last two starts. He held the Reading Phillies to just two hits in a win on July 24. Moore has won three games in a row and has allowed two runs or fewer in eleven of his starts this year.
RHP Shairon Martis will make his 17th start of the season and second against Binghamton. Martis lost his most recent start to the Richmond Flying Squirrels in the second game of a double-header. He allowed four runs on five hits over five innings. Martis defeated the B-Mets and Brandon Moore on June 9 at NYSEG Stadium. Martis was traded to the Nationals from the Giants for LHP Mike Stanton on 7/28/06. Martis made his Big League debut with the Nats in 2008.
LENGTHY AFFAIR: Last night’s game was Binghamton’s longest game by time and innings in 2011. The last time Binghamton played a 14-inning game came on 4/9/09 when they lost to the Trenton Thunder 5-4 at Waterfront Park.
INTO THE RECORD BOOKS: Led by Matt Harvey’s 10 strike outs, the B-Mets combined to fan 19 Senators last night. It was the second-highest total for K’s in one game in franchise history. Binghamton set the record by striking out 20 against the Erie SeaWolves in another 14-inning game on April 20, 2006.
SOMETHING ABOUT HARRISBURG: The B-Mets combined to go 6-for-47 with 16 strike outs last night. The performance dropped their team batting average to .180 against Harrisburg in seven games this season.
