B-Mets Game Notes

LAST GAME:

Erie’s bats woke up in the finale of the threegame
set Monday. The SeaWolves scored in all but two innings
en route to a 12-4 win over the B-Mets, who won just
one of their seven games on the homestand. Erie struck for a
run in the first off Eric Brown when Deik Scram tripled off the
wall in right to open the game. He would later score on a sacrifice
fly. Scram made it 2-0 with a solo homer to right in the
third. Then with a 3-0 lead after four innings, Cale Iorg
knocked a home run of his own to left off Brown in the fifth
inning, a three-run shot to double the lead to 6-0. Binghamton
got on the board in the bottom of the fifth on an RBI single
from Josh Petersen. Petersen went 3-4 with a double and an
RBI in the contest. Stephen Clyne was roughed up for the
second straight outing. In the seventh, Clyne allowed four runs
to score on four hits and three walks to make it 10-1. Binghamton
put up a three-spot in the eighth, but it was too little
too late. Brown allowed six runs in six innings to take his fifth
straight loss and Erie starter Jon Kibler threw seven-plus innings
allowing three runs on four hits for the win.

GAME 1 STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP:

RHP Brad Holt will
make his fourth start of the year for Binghamton tonight at
Hadlock Field in Game 1. Last time out, July 2 against New
Hampshire, he allowed four runs in 3.1 innings on four hits
with six strikeouts to take the loss. For the year he is 0-2 with
a 9.90 ERA in 10 innings. Holt is considered the fourth-best
prospect in the Mets’ organization by Baseball America and is
considered the top starting pitching prospect among righthanders.
He opened the season with St. Lucie (High-A) and
went 4-1 with a 3.05 ERA in 41.1 innings in eight starts. Holt
was the Mets’ first-round supplemental pick in 2008, 33rd
overall, out of UNC-Wilmington.

RHP Junichi Tazawa will get the call for the Sea Dogs tonight
in his 16th start. He has not won a start since June 7 against
Trenton. Last time out, he took the loss July 1 versus New
Britain by allowed three runs, one earned, in five innings on
six hits with six strikeouts. He is 7-5 with a 2.85 ERA in 82
innings thus far in 2009. His ERA ranks sixth best in the Eastern
League. Opponents bat just .163 against the Japaneseborn
righty with runners in scoring position. On an odd note,
he carries a 1.94 ERA in 10 starts at night, but in afternoon
contests, his ERA ratchets up to 4.78 over five starts. Tazawa
is 2-0 with a 2.55 ERA against Binghamton in three starts
spanning 17.2 innings. The 22-year old righty hails from Yokohama,
Japan where he was found by the Red Sox and signed
to a three-year, $3.3 million contract, including a $1.8 million
signing bonus. He is considered the seventh best prospect in
the Boston organization by Baseball America.

GAME 2 STARTING PITCHING MATCHUP:

RHP Jake
Ruckle will make his first start of the year for the BMets.
In his last appearance, he picked up a save with
2.1 scoreless innings of relief July 4 against Erie. In
three relief outings, Ruckle is has yet to allow a run over
10 innings, while holding opponents to just 7 hits. Last
season, he made six starts for Binghamton with a 7.36
ERA in 29.1 innings before missing the remainder of the
year with right shoulder surgery. He was drafted in the
41st round of the 2004 draft out of Chandler-Gilbert JC.

RHP Adam Mills will make his 15th start of the year for
Portland in Game 2 of the twin bill. He has won two
straight starts, including his last on July 3 over New
Britain when he allowed four runs over five innings. On
the year, he is 4-5 with a 5.85 ERA in 72.1 innings.
Opponents are hitting .315 against him this year. This
will be his third start against the B-Mets. He last faced
Binghamton June 4 at Hadlock Field and went six innings
allowing just a run on three hits in a no-decision. It
was the same game that Eric Brown threw seven, no-hit
innings. He made 26 starts last season between Lancaster
(High-A) and Portland (AA) going 7-9 in 144.1
innings. Mills was Boston’s ninth round pick in 2007 out
of UNC-Charlotte.