Mets Minor League Press Releases - Thursday's Games

 Allentown, PA – The Syracuse Mets rallied back from an early deficit but did not close it out late as the Lehigh Valley IronPigs won, 7-6, in ten innings on a warm, humid, and sometimes rainy night at Coca-Cola Park. The Mets have had a disappointing start to the week at Lehigh Valley, dropping the first three games of the six-game series.   

Early on, it looked like Lehigh Valley (57-45) would roll to a victory as the IronPigs roared out to a 3-0 lead after the bottom of the first. Dalton Guthrie and Nick Maton walked to start the inning, and after Justin Williams was hit by a pitch with one out, the bases were loaded with the home team poised to strike. They did just that as Rafael Marchan lofted a single into shallow center field to plate Guthrie and Maton and make it 2-0. The next batter, Jorge Bonifacio, lined out deep enough into left field to score Williams and complete the early three-run assault in the first inning for Lehigh Valley. The IronPigs have scored a combined nine runs in the first inning so far this week.   

From there, Syracuse (45-57) would settle in and start to rally its way back into the ballgame. The comeback began in the top of the fourth with two outs. Nick Plummer doubled to extend the inning off the top of the right-field wall, followed by a Gosuke Katoh RBI single that plated Plummer and made it a 3-1 game.   

In the fifth, the Mets roared in front with three runs via another late two-out rally. Deven Marrero led off the inning with a triple, but he was in danger of staying there after Michael Perez struck out and Tzu-Wei Lin grounded out. Then, the IronPigs starting pitcher lost the zone, Christopher Sanchez walked the next three batters he faced (Francisco Álvarez, Dominic Smith, and Travis Blankenhorn) to score Marrero, make it a 3-2 game and keep the bases loaded. A new pitcher, Jonathan Hennigan, entered the game trying to settle the situation down and keep the IronPigs in front. He couldn’t do it as Nick Plummer grounded a single into center field to score Álvarez and Smith, propelling Syracuse to a 4-3 lead in the process.   

It stayed a 4-3 game all the way until the top of the ninth inning, as the Mets found a bit of insurance on one powerful swing. Michael Perez pounded a pitch over the right-field wall, a laser-beam solo shot that made it a 5-3 game and a two-run cushion for Syracuse. It was the first hit for Perez as a Syracuse Met in three games. He was acquired by the New York Mets via a trade on July 23rd from the Pittsburgh Pirates.   

It remained a 5-3 game entering the bottom of the ninth with Mets closer Bryce Montes de Oca entering the game hoping to earn his seventh save of the season. On this night, the normally über-reliable closer just didn’t have his best stuff. The IronPigs scored twice to tie the game and send it into extras. The inning started when Jorge Bonifacio was plunked by a pitch, and Will Toffey walked, putting runners on first and second with nobody out. Josh Ockimey came on as a pinch-hitter and nearly ended the game, pounding a pitch off the wall in right-center field for a double. The two-bagger scored one run and advanced Toffey to third with nobody out. Scott Kingery walked to load the bases, followed by a groundball to shortstop from Dalton Guthrie that scored Toffey, advanced Ockimey to third, put Guthrie on first and knotted the game up, 5-5, with one out. To the credit of Montes de Oca, he battled back to strike out the next two batters and ensure the game would enter extra innings.   

In the top of the tenth, Syracuse plated a run to take the lead back at 6-5. Terrance Gore began the inning as the free runner at second base with nobody out, advancing to third on a Travis Blankenhorn flyout. Plummer then came to the plate and chopped a single into center field, scoring Gore to give the Mets a 6-5 edge and putting the capper on a great day for Plummer. The Michigan native finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate with two singles, a double, a run scored, and three runs driven in. 

It was still 6-5 entering the bottom of the tenth, as reliever Phillip Diehl entered the game with the chance to earn a victory for the Mets. Yet, it wasn’t to be. Johan Camargo started the inning as the free runner at second base with nobody out, promptly moving up to third on a single from Justin Williams. Donny Sands, a pinch-hitter, then looped a ball into shallow center field that scored Camargo, tying the game, 6-6, and putting two runners on base with nobody out. Chris Sharpe then came to the plate and attempted to drop down a sacrifice bunt. He popped up the bunt, but it tipped off of Diehl’s glove, landed fair on the grass on the third-base side, and now meant the bases were loaded with nobody out in a tied game in the tenth inning. Toffey strode to the plate with the chance to be a hero and did so in unusual fashion. The former Vanderbilt Commodore drew a bases-loaded walk to end the game and hand Lehigh Valley a 7-6 win.

 

BINGHAMTON, NY – Thursday’s Binghamton Rumble Ponies game against the Somerset Patriots at TD Bank Ballpark has been suspended due to inclement weather with the Rumble Ponies ahead 10-1 in the top of the third inning with one out. 

The game will be continued on Friday at 4:00 PM as part of a doubleheader. The seven-inning second game will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game. 

In Thursday night’s game, the Rumble Ponies had already hit five home runs, including a pair of two-run homers from Brett Baty over the first two innings, his 17th and 18th of the year. Binghamton scored seven runs in the second inning, with Matt O’Neill also hitting a three-run homer and Brandon McIlwain belting a two-run shot to left. Luke Ritter added a solo home run to center to begin the third.

 Brooklyn, NY (August 4, 2022) – The Cyclones defeated the Winston-Salem Dash on Thursday night by the score of 5-1 in a rain-shortened affair. Dominic Hamel (3-0) tossed 5.0 shutout frames while Alex Ramirez and Jose Peroza each had a pair of hits and RBI to pace the Brooklyn bats.

 After trading zeroes in the first two frames, Brooklyn opened the scoring in the bottom of the third. Jaylen Palmer, Matt Rudick, and Rowdey Jordan all walked to load the bases for the Cyclones with one out and Alex Ramirez coming to the plate. As has been the norm of late, the 19-year-old phenom roped a single into left field to score a pair and give the Cyclones a 2-0 edge. 

The lead would expand in the bottom of the fifth thanks to a two-out rally. Alex Ramirez doubled to start the threat and Nic Gaddis chased him home with a double of his own that made it 3-0. Stanley Consuegra then worked a walk before Jose Peroza ripped yet another double to score a pair and push Brooklyn’s lead to 5-0. 

Dominic Hamel cruised through his 5.0 shutout innings of work, scattering just one hit and a pair of walks while striking out seven. He turned the ball over to Nolan Clenney, who allowed just a solo blast to Havin Mendoza over his 2.0 innings. 

Then, in the bottom of the seventh with two outs play was paused due to rain and lightning in the area. After a :30-minute delay, the game was called with Brooklyn winning by the score of 5-1.

 

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (August 4, 2022) – Despite being outhit 14-4, the Daytona Tortugas defeated the St. Lucie Mets 5-3 at Clover Park on Thursday. 

The victory for the Tortugas snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Mets in Port St. Lucie. 

Edwin Arroyo, acquired by the Reds in the trade the sent Luis Castillo to Seattle, made his Tortugas debut at shortstop and had a monster game. He went 1 for 3 with a double, two walks, two RBI and two runs scored. Arroyo mashed a go-ahead two-out, two-run double in the seventh inning off of Raimon Gomez that broke a 2-2 tie. 

Jay Allen followed with another RBI double to make the Tortugas lead 5-2. 

The Mets loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth inning but Arroyo was able to knock down a 109 mph ground ball from Raul Beracierta and retire Beracierta to end the threat. 

The Mets scored a run in the ninth on a two-out single by Justin Guerrera. That brought up Omar De Los Santos as the winning run, but Juan Abril struck out De Los Santos out to end the game. 

The Mets collected 14 hits but after William Lugo’s double in the first inning, the next 13 hits were all singles. The Mets struck out 13 time and went just 3 for 16 with runners in scoring position. They stranded 16 base runners. 

Carlos Dominguez went 2 for 4 with a run-scoring single in the third inning that gave the Mets a 2-1 lead. 

The Tortugas tied the game without a hit in the sixth inning. Jay Allen worked a walk from Franklin Sanchez, stole second base, went to third on a ground out and scored on a two-out, two-strike wild pitch from Sanchez to make it 2-2. 

Sanchez pitched four hitless innings of relief. He walked one, struck out five and gave up one run. 

Josh Walker, on MiLB rehab assignment, started the game for St. Lucie. He allowed one run over two innings while striking out five. 

Daytona starter Sam Benschoter struck out nine Mets over four innings. He was charged with two runs but only one earned. 

Reliever Shane Gustafson pitched 3.2 scoreless innings of relief for the Tortugas in his team debut to get the win. 

Abril pitched the final 1.1 to earn his second save for the Tortugas. 

Lugo and Tilien each went 3 for 4 in the loss.