Bradenton 4, St. Lucie 2
With Noah Syndergaard moving to Double-A Binghamton, Matthew Bowman has an opportunity to become the ace of the St. Lucie pitching staff. The talented right-hander turned in another quality performance Sunday but suffered his first loss of the season in the Mets’ 4-2 defeat to Bradenton in the opener of a three-game series at Tradition Field.
Bowman worked six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and no walks with seven strikeouts, but hardly received any support from the offense. He is now 4-1 with St. Lucie after going 4-0 for Low-A Savannah earlier this season and is boasting an overall ERA of 2.58 to highlight his breakout — and somewhat surprising — 2013 campaign.
The 22-year-old, a two-time All-Ivy League selection at Princeton University, lacked his usual controlling form and didn’t generate his first strikeout until the third inning, against the ninth batter he faced. He also had his nine-inning scoreless streak halted in the second when he permitted his first run after giving up a leadoff double. In addition, he yielded a pair of solo homers in the fifth inning, including one to Alen Hanson, the Florida State League All-Star Game MVP.
Regardless, Bowman kept the Marauders hitters mostly guessing throughout the afternoon with a dizzying mix of his five-pitch arsenal, which includes a stellar change-up that helped him finish with multiple strikeouts in three separate innings. He has fanned at least six batters in six of his eight starts with the Mets.
After pounding out 18 runs in its previous series at Palm Beach, the St. Lucie offense fell silent against Bradenton starter Adrian Sampson and didn’t produce its first baserunner until the fourth inning. The Mets mustered just five hits total as they were held scoreless until first baseman Jayce Boyd‘s two-run homer in the seventh, his first blast since being promoted from Savannah last week.
In his first game at his new home park, catching prospect Kevin Plawecki went 0-for-4 — a rare hitless performance for the 22-year-old. Outfielder Dustin Lawley had his seven-game hitting streak halted but is still hitting .344 since the All-Star break. He finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts.
St. Lucie continues the series against Bradenton on Monday with Alex Panteliodis (2-2, 3.09 ERA) projected to make his second start of the second half. He is scheduled to be opposed by Zack Dodson (1-5, 5.32).
Key Stats
Matt den Dekker: 1-for-4
Matt Reynolds: 1-for-4, 1 SB
Jayce Boyd: 2-for-4, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI
Robbie Shields: 1-for-4
Matthew Bowman: 6 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 3 ER, 7 K