Erie 5, Binghamton 2

Only the Erie Seawolves long ball spoiled an otherwise brilliant NYSEG Stadium pitching outing by Binghamton ace Logan Verrett.  Verrett surrendered only 6 hits over 7 2/3 innings, but four of those hits were of the extra base variety as the Seawolves downed the B-Mets, 5-2.

With a nearly two-hour ride home from Binghamton to process the game, I’m still having trouble wrapping my head around Verrett’s performance.  The B-Met ace always works briskly and efficiently on the hill and every time I watch him pitch I’m more impressed.  But, tonight, his pinpoint control was simply jawdropping.

Through five innings Verrett threw 45 strikes and only 7 balls.  The crafty right-hander finished that stretch putting 19 consecutive pitches in the strike zone without a ball.  Verrett recored a rare ‘perfect inning’ throwing the minimum nine pitches in the Erie fifth while striking out Tyler Collins, Luis Castillo and James Robbins.  The B-Mets led 2-1 after five.

But, it may have been the Erie sixth, when the Seawolves scored two times that impressed me the most.  Verrett opened the sixth throwing his first two pitchers, a slider and a fastball, out of the strike zone to end his incredible streak.  The Seawolves third baseman Marcus Lemon drilled Verrett’s third pitch into the gap in left-center for a lead-off double.

Zack Haggard, a catcher and the last batter in the batting order, followed Lemon’s double with a bunt that Verrett played quickly then elected to throw to third attempting to nail the lead runner.  Safe – runners on the corners with nobody out.

Pitching is the art of self-control.  It’s one thing to maintain your composure when a teammate errs.  It’s an entirely different animal when a pitcher’s own decision making, or a pitcher’s failure to execute puts them in trouble.  That’s often when pitchers, especially young maturing pitchers, reach their breaking point.

I believed Verrett was there when Erie centerfielder Jamie Johnson followed the bunt with a blast toward the wall in left center.  B-Met left-fielder Darrell Ceciliani and centerfielder Alonso Harris were in quick pursuit.  The outfielders launched themselves in the air attempting to catch the ball at the exact same moment.  It appeared as if Ceciliani might have caught the ball, but reminiscent of the horrifying, violent midair collision between Carlos Beltran and Mike Cameron in 2005, Ceciliani and Harris collided in midair with both outfielders going down in a heap and the ball loose in the outfield.

Ceciliani had the presence of mind to somehow almost crawl to the ball and return it to the cutoff man before Johnson legged and inside the park homerun.  But, both runners scored, and Erie led 3-2 with Johnson on third and nobody out.

As everything was collapsing around him Verrett dug in deep.  With the infield in to try and choke off the critical run at the plate, the B-Met ace went to his slider throwing five in a row, getting Eugenio Suarez to ground out to short then striking out Heman Perez with three straight sliders.  When Daniel Fields grounded out second to first, Verrett had escaped without further damage.  Impressive.

Verrett breezed through the sixth but was noticeably tired in the eighth.  With one out, Verrett issued his only walk of the game to Johnson.  One out later, Perez took an inside fastball that stayed up too high in the strike zone as Perez launched the ball out of the park ending Verrett’s night.

Verrett struck out 11 Seawolves and threw 78% of his pitches for strikes.  17 times the B-Met righthander had Erie batters missing bats.  His slider had a nasty bite, a major league bite, and Verrett placed it where he wanted throwing 20 sliders for strikes and only 6 out of the strike zone.  8 times Verrett sliders missed Erie bats with Seawolves flailing.

Although Verrett lacks the high 90’s heat of other Met minor league pitching prospects, his fastball does reach 93 mph.  And, Verrett may have something even more important, an insatiable hunger to win.  “I view wins as pride,” Verrett told Binghamton Pressconnects.com yesterday.  “I’ve always been a competitor – my whole life I’ve always been a huge competitor.  That’s something I don’t think will ever change in me.  I’m out here – even if it’s Double-A baseball or a college summer league game – I’m out here to win.

True to his word, Verrett is tied for the Eastern League lead in wins with 8.  Winning has been a part of Verrett’s DNA wherever he’s pitched.  He went 7-1 at Baylor University as a freshman and compiled a 19-10 record over three college seasons.  During his senior year in high school, Verrett was 18-0 winning more games than any other high school pitcher in the country.  Verrett logged a 0.67 senior year ERA, struck out 167, and threw 12 complete games. Verrett is the workhorse of the B-Met rotation pitching five or more innings in every start this season and completing at least 7 inning seven times.  That’s another advantage in Verrett’s uncanny ability to throw strikes.

Other Notes:

• A single and double boosted Alan Dykstra’s batting average to .324. The B-Met first baseman has blasted 12 home runs and is tied with Cesar Puello with a team high 48 RBI’s.
• Daniel Muno‘s double was his 17th of the season, one behind Dykstra for the team lead.
• Consecutive B-Mets singles by Richard Lucas, Darrell Ceciliani and Alonzo Harris plated the two B-Met runs. Harris also had a bunt single.
• Erie shortstop Eugenio Suarez appears to be the real deal flashing impressive leather and batting over .330 on the year.
• Erie’s lefthanded ace Kyle Lobstein turned in an workman like effort competing 8 innings, allowing 6 hits, striking out 5 and walking 0.