Andrew Percoco - St. Lucie Mets June 1-7 Recap

                June brought some new faces to the St. Lucie Mets.  Joe Suozzi, who is the son of a Queens congressman, was added to the team on June 1 and went 2 for 4 with a double in his debut.  Oscar Rojas, who was assigned to St. Lucie from Brooklyn, also made his debut as the starting pitcher.  He pitched very well, giving up two singles and struck out four while allowing no runs in a 1-0 defeat.

                The Mets lost again on June 2 by a score of 8-4.  They were ahead 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, but the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels broke through.  AlexanderRamirez, who is the Mets No. 9 prospect, got his first hit in the minor leagues with an infield single.  Ranfy Adon also went 2 for 3 with a double and a RBI.

                J.T.Ginn, the Mets No. 6 prospect, made his debut for the Mets on June 3.  He pitched three scoreless innings.  The game was called after eight innings due to heavy rain, but the Mets lost 7-0 also to the Mussels for the third straight game.  Ginn underwent Tommy John surgery in March 2020 and it was a great sign that he pitched effectively, giving up no walks and threw 44 pitches.

                The Mussels beat the Mets for the 4^th game in a row with a 3-2 defeat on June 4^th.  Branden Fryman, son of former major leaguer Travis Fryman, beat out an infield hit, stole a base, and even forced the pitcher to balk when he attempted to steal home.  Fryman then walked again, stole another base, and scored on a single by Joe Suozzi.  Suozzi went 2 for 3 with a walk and is continuing to impress. Luis Montas pitched three scoreless innings, while facing the minimum, walking a batter but was erased due to a double play.

                On June 5, the Mets lost their 5^th game in a row to the Mighty Mussels, 9-4.  The Mets made seven errors in the game.  Mets starting pitcher Junior Santos surrendered 5 runs, but only 1 was earned, over 4 innings.  The Mets, who started June with a record of 16-8, now have a record of 16-13. 

                In the sixth and final game of the series, the Mets snapped their five-game losing streak, beating the Mussels 2-0 in 5 innings plus.  Rain started during the top of the sixth inning and could not resume.  SP Oscar Rojas pitched 5 scoreless innings, allowing only 1 hit, while walking none.

                The Mets were off on Monday, June 7^th, but Oscar Rojas was named the Low-A Southeast Pitchers of the Week.  Rojas started twice in the 6-game series against the Mighty Mussels and pitched 10 scoreless innings combined.  He only allowed three hits, and his WHIP was 0.50.  Rojas is 22 years old and has missed the last 2 seasons, 2019 due to injury and 2020 due to the pandemic.  He is the first player of the St. Lucie Mets to earn a Player or Pitcher of the Week award in 2021.