B-Mets Game Notes

LAST GAME: Emmanuel Garcia had a career day going 3-4
with a home runs, two RBI, three runs and three stolen bases
leading the way to an 8-3 B-Met victory over Portland in the
finale of the three-game series yesterday. Ryan Coultas
earned his first win with five innings giving up one run. Josh
Thole, Shawn Bowman and Mark Kiger all had two-hit days
leading an 11-hit parade for Binghamton. Roy Merritt came on
in the eighth and got himself out of a bases-loaded one out
jam with two strikeouts and then threw a scoreless ninth to
notch his Eastern League-leading ninth save.

STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP: RHP Fernando Nieve will
make his second start of the season for Binghamton tonight.
Nieve threw three innings in his other start April 16 against
Portland giving up two runs. His last appearance came in
relief at Portland giving up two runs in an 1.1 innings. He has
seen time in the Major Leagues in two of the last three seasons.
In 2006, Nieve appeared in 40 games for Houston with
a 4.20 ERA over 96.1 IP. He split last season between Round
Rock (AAA) and Houston (MLB), appearing in only 11 games
last year with big league club with an 8.44 ERA.

LHP Luis Perez will make his second start of the season
against Binghamton tonight. Last time out, Perez went five
innings at MerchantsAuto.com Stadium against the B-Mets
giving up a run on three hits with five strikeouts April 26. For
the season, Perez is 2-1 with a 2.45 ERA in four starts spanning
22 innings. Perez spent 2008 with the Lansing Lugnuts
(Low-A), tallying a 5-12 record in 28 appearances, 23 starts,
with an ERA of 3.60 in 137.1 innings, striking out only 137
men. The Dominican-born lefty was singed as an international
free agent in July of 2003 by Toronto.

BACK ON TRACK: After blowing his first save of the year in
Tuesday’s 9-8 loss at Portland, closer Roy Merritt rebounded
throwing the final 1.2 innings striking out four Sea Dogs en
route to his Eastern League best ninth save. This is Merritt’s
first season at AA after seeing just six outings above Brooklyn
(SS-A) prior to 2009.

TIRELESS THOLE: B-Mets catcher Josh Thole strung together
three consecutive multi-hit games in the three-game series at
Portland, going 6-13 in the series with three doubles and an
RBI. Thole has eight multi-hit games this season and has hits
in all but two of his 14 starts.

SPEEDY GARCIA: Centerfielder Emmanuel Garcia climbed up
the Eastern League charts in stolen bases with his three stolen
bases in Thursday’s game at Portland. Garcia is 7 for 10 in
the stolen base department, good for third in the league.