Binghamton Mets 2014 Game Notes

Binghamton Mets (24-18) at

Portland Sea Dogs (28-15)

(Double-A Affiliate of the Boston Red Sox)

G1: RHP Luis Cessa (0-0, ---) vs. RHP Keith Couch (5-0, 2.56)

G2: RHP Matt Bowman (3-1, 3.48) vs. RHP Wilfredo Boscan (0-0, ---)

Wednesday, May 21, 2014 • Games #43 & #44 • Road Games #20 & #21

Hadlock Field • Portland, ME • 5:00 PM

LAST GAME: The Binghamton Mets went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded the tying run on third base in the ninth inning in a 2-1 loss to the Portland Sea Dogs on Tuesday night at Hadlock Field. Dustin Lawley put Binghamton on the board with a sac fly in the second.Blake Swihart tied the game with a solo homer off Darin Gorski in the fourth. With runners at the corners later in the frame, Henry Ramosraced home with the go-ahead run when Gorski tossed a pickoff throw to first. Matty Ott escaped a pair of jams in two scoreless innings and Noe Ramirez worked around an error in a shutout ninth to earn his fourth save. Brian Johnson went six innings in the win.

BINGHAMTON STARTER, GAME ONE: RHP Luis Cessa makes his Double-A debut. Promoted from St. Lucie (High-A) prior to today’s game, Cessa went 3-3 with a 3.40 ERA in seven starts in the Florida State League to open the season. He ended his time winning his final three starts, compiling a 1.42 ERA during the stretch. Cessa opened his career as an infielder before transitioning to the mound in the 2011 season. Signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Mexico in 2008, he has ranked in the top ten in league ERA in each of his last two seasons.

PORTLAND STARTER, GAME ONE: LHP Keith Couch makes his ninth start of the season and second against the B-Mets. The righty earned his fifth win of the season in his last start against the Trenton Thunder on Friday, May 16. He struck out five over seven shutout innings to lead Portland to a 2-0 victory. Couch took a no-decision versus Binghamton on April 24, allowing two runs on five hits while walking a season-high three over six innings. Couch was selected in the 13th round in 2010 by the Red Sox out of Adelphi University in Garden City, NY.

BINGHAMTON STARTER, GAME TWO: RHP Matt Bowman makes his seventh start of the season and second on the road trip. The righty struck out a career-high 12, but allowed six unearned runs in a no-decision in his last start against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats on Friday, May 16. Bowman has gone winless in his last three starts, including a loss to the Sea Dogs on May 3 when he allowed a career-high nine runs on ten hits. Bowman was selected by the Mets in the 12th round of the 2012 draft out of Princeton University.

A SOLID BOUNCE BACK: On May 6, the B-Mets were 14-14 after a 6-4 loss to the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. In the 14 games since, the B-Mets have gone 10-4, climbing into a tie for second in the Eastern Division with the Reading Fightin Phils. During the run, the B-Mets have hit .267 as a team and posted a 3.38 staff ERA.

IN THE BIG SPOT: In the first three games of this series the B-Mets have combined to hit .125 (4-for-32) with runners in scoring position, including Tuesday night’s 0-for-10 performance. They’ve stranded 26 runners on base.

THROWING STRIKES: Since walking a season-high 11 batters on Opening Night, the B-Mets pitching staff has issued just 98 walks, an average of 2.4 per game. Binghamton has issued the fewest walks out of any team in the league. In the last 22 games, only one B-Met starter has issued more than two walks.

BACK-TO-BACK LOSSES: The B-Mets have suffered consecutive losses for the first time since they dropped four in a row from May 3 to May 6.

DOUBLEHEADER TREND: The B-Mets have split each of their four doubleheaders in the same fashion. They are 4-0 in openers, out-scoring opponents 22-6, but 0-4 in nightcaps, getting out-scored 26-10.