Binghamton Mets 2013 Game Notes

Binghamton Mets (23-18) at Portland Sea Dogs (23-16) (Double-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox)

LHP Mark Cohoon (3-1, 3.15) vs. RHP Anthony Ranaudo (5-1, 1.38)

Saturday, May 18, 2013 • Game #43 • Away Game #22

Hadlock Field • Portland, ME • 1:00 PM

LAST GAME: The B-Mets cashed in on three Portland errors and caught a few breaks in a three-run ninth en route to a 6-3 win Friday night. Cesar Puello drove in Danny Muno with an RBI single to put Binghamton up 1-0 in the first. Portland responded by tying it at 1 in the third with an RBI double by Tony Thomas. Binghamton broke the tie in the sixth with an RBI double by Puello, Allan Dykstra scored him with an RBI double over first base. The B-Met lead did not last long, as Michael Almanzar hit a two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning. Binghamton scored the final three runs in the ninth to take the lead for good. Erik Goeddel settled for the no-decision after allowing three runs on six hits over six innings, and John Church earned the win in relief.

BINGHAMTON STARTING PITCHER: LHP Mark Cohoon pitches in his eighth game of the season for the B-Mets, and his fourth as a starter. This will be his first game against the Sea Dogs in 2013. In his last start, Cohoon was tagged with his first loss of the season. On 5/12 v HAR (G1), he allowed two runs on four hits over 4.2 innings of work. Binghamton eventually lost that game 3-1, and it was the last game the B-Mets have lost. In three starts this season he is 1-1, and has allowed only two earned runs in 13.2 innings. He was 2-0 in four bullpen appearances to start the year. Cohoon is in his fourth season as a B-Met, and was part of the starting rotation in each of those seasons.

PORTLAND STARTING PITCHER: RHP Anthony Ranaudo makes his eighth start of the season for Portland, and his second against the B-Mets. His ERA has never gone above 1.80, and he has won five of his first six decisions in 2013. On 4/15 against Binghamton, he earned the win after throwing five hitless frames. He also won his last start; he beat NB on 5/12 when he threw six innings of shutout, three-hit baseball. For the year, opponents are hitting .172 against the righty. He has struck out 41 batters in 39.0 innings of work.

CASHING IN ON MISTAKES: With the game tied 3-3 heading into the ninth inning, Binghamton scored three runs on four base hits, and had the help of three Portland errors. The Portland defensive woes started early in the ninth. Richard Lucas reached on an infield hit, and then immediately moved to second on the play due to a throwing error. Alonzo Harris then bunted, but Travis Shaw fell to the ground before he could throw the ball. Next, Danny Muno hit a chopper to third base that couldn’t be handled by Michael Almanzar at third. That play scored the leading run, and the B-Mets never looked back. Darrell Ceciliani added with an RBI single to left and Muno scored the final run on a throwing error by Xander Bogaertsat short. Jeff Walters struck out the side in a scoreless bottom of the ninth to seal the win. He leads the league with 11 saves.

FIVE-GAME WINNING STREAK: The B-Mets are currently on a season-high five-game winning streak. This is the longest streak under managerPedro Lopez, and is their longest since they won seven straight from 8/26 - 9/1/11.

BULLPEN NUMBERS:  John Church and Jeff Walters threw 3.0 scoreless innings Saturday after relieving Erik Goeddel. Over their last 34.0 innings, the B-Met bullpen has allowed six earned runs. Walters is also a perfect 11-for-11 in save chances this season, leading the league in that category. Binghamton’s bullpen currently posts a 3.24 ERA, whereas the starting rotation has a 4.11 ERA.

DURING THE STREAK: During the current five-game winning streak, the B-Mets have collected 10 or more hits four times. Overall, the team has won seven of their last nine games. This streak has allowed the B-Mets to pull within 1.0 games of first-place Portland in the Eastern Division Standings.

NEXT GAME PREVIEW: The B-Mets finish up their three-game series against Portland Sunday afternoon. Cory Mazzoni will pitch for Binghamton against Portland’s Drake Britton. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 PM.