Andrew Percoco - St. Lucie Mets June Recap

 

     June has come and gone and there’s lots of news and updates about how the St. Lucie Mets have fared this past month.  Here is a recap of how they have fared throughout the last 3 weeks of June and where they should head going into July.

     On June 8, the Mets won 12-6, with Warren Saunders gathering 4 hits with his first HR of the season. Branden Fryman got 3 hits and Alex Ramirez, Joe Suozzi and Jaylen Palmer got 2 hits each.

     The Mets won their 4^th straight game, 5-3 on June 9, beating the Palm Beach Cardinals.  Jose Peroza hit a 2-run HR in the 3^rd inning and also walked twice and hit a double.  J.T. Ginn made his second start after returning from Tommy John surgery and pitched 4 innings, only allowing a solo home run.

     The Palm Beach Cardinals scored 9 runs in the 1^st inning and beat the Mets by a score of 14-8 on June 10.  Mets starter Austin Faith wasn’t able to record an out before being lifted.

     Brandon McIlwain blasted 2 home runs and Junior Santos pitched his best game of the season as the Mets beat the Cards 5-3 on June 11.  Warren Saunders got 3 hits in the win, bringing the Mets' record to 20-14.

     The Mets were ahead 6-4 going into the 9^th inning, when Cardinals slugger Tommy Jew hit a grand slam to stun and beat the Mets, 8-6 on June 12^th.

     The next day saw the Mets lose 10-3, splitting their 6 game set with Cards with 3 wins each.  Dellin Betances pitched a scoreless inning in his first appearance of his rehab.

     After J.T. Ginn pitched 4 scoreless innings in another stellar outing returning from surgery, the Mets took a 5-2 lead into the 8^th inning. The Mets wound up losing 6-5 for a walk-off win for the  Jupiter Hammerheads on June 15^th.  The Mets relievers walked seven, but the Hammerheads committed 5 errors, yet the Mets went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.

     Dellin Betances got lit up for 5 runs as the Hammerheads beat the Mets again, 8-4 on June 16^th.  This loss brought the Mets losing streak to 4 games.

     On June 17^th the Mets broke their losing streak and beat the Hammerheads 7-3.  Junior Santos pitched the longest outing of his career, surrendering 2 runs over 6 innings.  The win also had the Mets reclaim first place by a game in the division.

     After a day off, Matt Dyer went 3-for-3 with 2 home runs as the Mets beat the Hammerheads 8-5 on June 19^th.  Dellin Betances pitched a scoreless inning in his third rehab outing of the season.

     On June 20^th, Matt Dyer hit another home run and Brandon McIlwain hit a 3 run shot as the Mets defeated the Hammerheads 6-4.  J.T. Ginn pitched 5 innings of 3 run ball.

     After having an off-day on June 21^st, the Mets were rained out on Tuesday and a doubleheader was scheduled for the next day, June 23^rd. The rain continued over the next couple of days, forcing postponements until June 24^th.

      Thursday found the Mets getting crushed by a score of 16-7.  Junior Santos and Brendan Hardy got hit the hardest, allowing 12 runs between the two.

     On Friday, June 25^th, the Mets completed their suspended game against the Blue Jays, losing by a score of 13-12.  Jose Peroza hit a grand slam in the loss, as the Mets blew their lead in the 7^th.

     The Mets swept the doubleheader against the Blue Jays on Saturday by scores of 5-0 and 3-2.  Oscar Rojas threw a complete game shutout in Game 1, and Mets reliever Luis Montas pitched the last 3 innings of Game 2, allowing no runs for the win. 

     Brandon McIlwain hit his fifth home run of the season, but the Mets lost to the Blue Jays 7-5 on June 26^th.  Joe Suozzi continued his hot hitting, collecting 2 hits, and J.T. Ginn pitched to a no-decision.

     On June 27^th, the Mets came from behind and won in walk-off fashion, 5-4, against the Blue Jays.  In the bottom of the 9^th inning, Warren Saunders reached on an error, which brought home the tying and winning runs.  Joe Suozzi got another hit, raising his batting average to .316.

     More rain resulted in another postponement on Tuesday, June 29^th after an off-day on Monday, but the Mets finished the month beating the Clearwater Threshers by a score of 13-4.  Warren Saunders hit a 3-run home run and Joe Suozzi knocked in 3 runs.

     After rehabbing throughout the minors, Dellin Betances had to shut down his rehab and opted for shoulder surgery, which will keep him out of action for the remainder of the season.  The St. Lucie Mets finish the month with a 27-23 record with a 4 ½ game lead in first place.