The Herd:
An off day and a return home to Coca-Cola Field did nothing for the Buffalo Bisons but raise manager Ken Oberkfell’s blood pressure. The Herd’s April disaster continued with a lifeless 4-0 loss to the Syracuse Chiefs on Friday night before an announced crowd of 7,173. Buffalo managed just three hits— one was a double by pitcher Brandon Knight — and 20 of the final 21 Bisons batters were retired. Oberkfell’s club is 2-12, including 1-8 at home. The latest no-show dropped the team batting average to a International League-worst .196 and left the skipper disgusted. “It’s frustrating. We [complain to] the umpire more than we swing at pitches,” he said. “These guys need to make an adjustment and if they’re not embarrassed, they should be embarrassed because I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed for the fans who’ve got to watch this every night. “This is Triple-A baseball. This isn’t rookie leagues. Make adjustments. Get the job done. If you don’t, we’ll find players who can.” The parent New York Mets keep working on it. Slugging outfielder Wily Mo Pena is in Florida preparing to join the Herd and the Mets reportedly signed veteran infielder Mike Lamb to a minor league deal to come to Buffalo on Friday night although there’s been no official announcement. Lamb, 34, was released in the spring by Milwaukee. He has played 936 games in the big leagues and was a regular for Houston during its 2005 run to the World Series.
B-Mets:
An off day and a return home to Coca-Cola Field did nothing for the Buffalo Bisons but raise manager Ken Oberkfell’s blood pressure. The Herd’s April disaster continued with a lifeless 4-0 loss to the Syracuse Chiefs on Friday night before an announced crowd of 7,173. Buffalo managed just three hits— one was a double by pitcher Brandon Knight — and 20 of the final 21 Bisons batters were retired. Oberkfell’s club is 2-12, including 1-8 at home. The latest no-show dropped the team batting average to a International League-worst .196 and left the skipper disgusted. “It’s frustrating. We [complain to] the umpire more than we swing at pitches,” he said. “These guys need to make an adjustment and if they’re not embarrassed, they should be embarrassed because I’m embarrassed. I’m embarrassed for the fans who’ve got to watch this every night. “This is Triple-A baseball. This isn’t rookie leagues. Make adjustments. Get the job done. If you don’t, we’ll find players who can.” The parent New York Mets keep working on it. Slugging outfielder Wily Mo Pena is in Florida preparing to join the Herd and the Mets reportedly signed veteran infielder Mike Lamb to a minor league deal to come to Buffalo on Friday night although there’s been no official announcement. Lamb, 34, was released in the spring by Milwaukee. He has played 936 games in the big leagues and was a regular for Houston during its 2005 run to the World Series.
B-Mets:
In their second extra inning game of the season, the B-Mets notched a win 4-2 Friday night in 13 innings over New Hampshire at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium. Josh Thole scored the final run in the 13th inning after singling, part of a 4-6 night at the plate. Binghamton (8-5) got leadoff hits from Carl Loadenthal and Thole to open the 13th frame against LHP Edgar Estanga. B-Met Manager Mako Olivares then elected to pinch hit Josh Petersen for Caleb Stewart with two men on with the intent of bunting. However, Petersen fouled off two bunt attempts forcing him to swing the bat against new pitcher Zach Dials. It was then that he hit a slow roller to the left side that shortstop Luis Sanchez picked but threw away, allowing Loadenthal to score from second. Now leading 3-2, the B-Mets would add a final run in the frame on a bases-loaded walk issued by Dials to pinch-hitter Lucas Duda, handing Binghamton a 4-2 lead. B-Met starter Ryan Coultas worked a season-long six innings in a no-decision, giving up two runs on seven hits. New Hampshire (10-5) starter Rei Gonzalez went 6.2 innings giving up two runs with six strikeouts. Righty Nick Abel (1-1) was credited with the win after throwing a scoreless 12th inning and closer Roy Merritt recorded his league-leading seventh save in seven chances with a scoreless 13th inning. He has now thrown 9.1 innings scoreless to open up the season. Thole went 4-6 with singles in four straight at-bats culminating with his hit in the 13th. It was the first four-hit day for a B-Met player this season. Emmanuel Garcia also had a multi-hit showing going 2-6 with an RBI single in the sixth inning.
Saturday, April 25 @ N. Hampshire 1:05 pm RHP Eric Brown (1-0, 3.12) vs. LHP Fabio Castro (1-0, 0.00)
Sunday, April 26 @ N. Hampshire 1:05 pm LHP Mike Antonini (2-0, 4.30) vs. TBA
Tuesday, April 28 @ Portland 6:00 pm RHP Dylan Owen (0-1, 7.24) vs. TBA
Wednesday, April 29 @ Portland 6:00 pm RHP Jose Sanchez (1-2, 9.88) vs. TBA
Thursday night game: “The B-Mets (7-5) got within 3-2 in the sixth inning when Carl Loadenthal scored on Caleb Stewart's RBI double, but the B-Mets couldn't muster the tying run despite loading the bases with one out in both the seventh and eighth innings in dropping the first game of their seven-game road trip. The seventh-inning bases-loaded threat ended when the B-Mets' Josh Thole grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. In the eighth inning, Matt Bouchard and Ruben Tejeda both struck out with the bases loaded as New Hampshire maintained its 3-2 lead.”
http://www.pressconnects.com/article/20090424/SPORTS02/904240399/1118/sports
NEXT GAME: RHP Eric Brown will make his first start of the season tomorrow. He began the year working as piggyback for RHP Fernando Nieve, but will move into the rotation with Nieve away from the team for family reasons. Brown has made four relief appearances in 2009 including a career-long relief outing of 4.2 innings 4/18 against Portland. He is 1-0 with a 3.12 ERA this season. Last year he opened the season as a starter for the B-Mets going 5-8 with a 5.46 ERA in 17 starts. New Hampshire counters with LHP Fabio Castro, who will be making his fourth start of the year. He has yet to allow a run in 16.2 innings. In his last start, Castro held Connecticut to one hit in five innings, striking out 10, 4/20.
Lucy:
St. Lucie Mets first baseman Ike Davis is off to the kind of start he wants in his first season in the Florida State League. Davis, a first-round selection by the Mets in last year's June draft (18th overall), is batting .283 after St. Lucie's 3-2 loss at Jupiter on Thursday night. The left-hander also boasts a team-best five doubles. Davis admits he is something of a slow starter, though he managed to hit in 15 straight games — 19-for-65 (.292) — to open his professional career last June with the short-season Brooklyn Cyclones of the New York-Penn League. "I was probably over .300 over the first five games, but I couldn't get past 1-for-4 every game, and I didn't walk in my first 100 at-bats. I'd rather mix in a walk and have two hits. But the key is to get a hit a game and a walk," said Davis, who hit just .236 before the All-Star break. The 22-year-old Davis buckled down and hit .310 in the second half. "I started hitting the ball better. I just got used to swinging wood, started getting a little stronger and figured it out. I started to pick things up toward the end of the season," he said
Gnats:
– The Rome Braves (8-7) jumped out to an early lead that they wouldn’t relinquish as the Gnats fell, 8-5, at Historic Grayson Stadium Friday night. Jordany Valdespin was 3-for-5 in a losing effort for Savannah. LHP Robert Carson (1-2) received an unfriendly greeting from Rome in the first as they scored six runs on six hits and one Sand Gnats error to open up a, 6-0, lead. Carson battled through the next six frames and stuck it out to go six full innings. He permitted seven runs (five earned) on 12 hits. After Rome increased its lead to 7-0, Savannah would start to make some noise in the bottom of the third. Jefry Marte hit a routine grounder to second that Joel Campusano couldn’t handle and it brought Juan Lagares around to score. Jordany Valdespin was thrown out at the plate trying to score behind Lagares but Savannah had its first run. With Carson settling in, Savannah drew closer in the fifth when Marte tripled home Rafael Fernandez and Lagares to pull Savannah within three at 7-4. The three-run inning chased returning SCAD pitcher Richard Sullivan (4-0) and the score would remain the same until the seventh. In the seventh, a two-out dropped fly ball by Chris Shehan allowed Marte to reach second base. Capitalizing on the Braves’ miscue, Sean Ratliff singled into center field to drive in Marte and pull the Gnats within two. With Ratliff on first, Eric Campbell hit a long fly ball to left-center field but it wasn’t deep enough as he was retired for the third out. Sullivan struck out nine Savannah hitters over his five innings of work. Since joining Rome last season, Sullivan is 3-0 against Savannah. Campbell, Lagares and Jean Luc Blaquiere all collected two hits for the Sand Gnats.
Clones:
Single Game Tickets for the Brooklyn Cyclones’ 2009 season will go on sale Sunday, April 26th at 9am. That day, fans can purchase the high-demand tickets online at brooklyncyclones.com, by phone at 718-507-TIXX, or in person at KeySpan Park or Citi Field. Former New York Mets star John Franco, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, will be at KeySpan Park on April 26th to greet fans, take pictures, and sign autographs. The 2009 season is the Cyclones’ ninth, and will once again feature 38 home games filled with outrageous entertainment, unique giveaway items, spectacular fireworks shows, and surprise special appearances. Cyclones games also give fans a chance to see baseball’s stars of tomorrow. Last summer, 11 of the Mets’ top 15 draft picks played in Brooklyn, including the team’s top three picks. “We are extremely excited about the 2009 season,” said Cyclones General Manager Steve Cohen. “The promotional schedule is shaping up to be one of our best ever, and there is something for everyone at each and every game this summer.” Advance Single Game Tickets range from $8 - $15. Discounted tickets with even more exclusive giveaways, benefits, and extras are available through Season Tickets, Mini Plans and Group Ticket purchases.
Mets Alumni:
The Newark Bears of the Atlantic League have signed Armando Benitez
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