As of 9:00am EST today, here are today’s Mets minor league starting pitchers:
Sacramento River Cats @ Las Vegas 51s, 10:05pm EST
Arnold Leon (1-1, 4.88 ERA) vs. Carlos Alvarado (4-0, 1.03 ERA)
Alvarado continues to pitch well for the 51s since joining the organization about a month ago. His last start came on July 22nd against Reno; the right-hander earned his second straight win, allowing one run on six hits, two walks, and four strikeouts in six innings pitched. He’s thrown at least six innings in four of his five appearances. The one time he didn’t, he exited after 1.2 innings with a hamstring injury. In 8.2 innings pitched against left-handed hitters, the opposition is hitting .343, compared to .226 from right-handers in 17.2 innings pitched.
Trenton Thunder @ Binghamton Mets, 5:35pm EST
Fred Lewis (0-4, 2.17 ERA) vs. Logan Verrett (9-5, 4.26 ERA)
Verrett lost for the third time in his last four decisions on July 22nd against Reading. The right-hander allowed five runs (four earned) on nine hits (three homers), one walk, and five strikeouts in five innings pitched. The 2013 EAS All-Star has been experiencing some rough patches in his performance since going 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA in 32.2 April innings. His monthly ERA has climbed to the high-4.00s since then; it’s gone from a 4.99 mark in May, to 4.61 in June, and currently 5.40 in July.
St. Lucie Mets @ Lakeland Flying Tigers, 5:00pm EST
Alex Panteliodis (5-3, 3.72 ERA) vs. Thomas Collier (1-2, 4.66 ERA)
Panteliodis has won his last three decisions, and has turned in two straight seven-plus inning shutout performances. The most recent one came on July 19th; he four-hit Brevard County over seven innings, allowing two walks and seven strikeouts in the victory. He’s bounced back from a tough month of June to put his season back on track. After going 0-2 with a 7.09 ERA in 26.2 innings pitched last month, he’s 3-0 with a 1.40 ERA in 19.1 innings in July.
Augusta Green Jackets @ Savannah Sand Gnats, 5:05pm EST
Chris Stratton (7-3, 3.66 ERA) vs. Marcos Camarena (4-1, 1.75 ERA)
Augusta Green Jackets @ Savannah Sand Gnats, immediately after
Matthew Lujuan (4-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. Matt Koch (5-4, 5.09 ERA)
Camarena suffered his first loss with the Gnats on July 18th against the West Virginia Power. He allowed four runs (two earned) on seven hits, no walks, and two strikeouts in six innings pitched. While his home/road ERA is almost identical (1.75 to 1.74), Camarena has won all four of his games in front of the home crowd, while his only loss came on the road. So, I would assume he’s excited to take the mound at Grayson Stadium.
Koch got hit very hard in his last start on July 20th. He allowed six runs on 11 hits, no walks, and no strikeouts in just three innings pitched. He only last 1.2 innings in his start before that, and also didn’t walk or strike anyone out. After first experiencing success when getting moved into the starting rotation, he’s seen his ERA balloon to 4.59 and the opponent batting average increase to .305.
Brooklyn Cyclones @ Staten Island Yankees, 7:00pm EST
Miller Diaz (2-1, 2.37 ERA) vs. Rookie Davis (2-2, 2.89 ERA)
Diaz takes the mound after his most complete start of the season. On July 20th against Batavia, he allowed two hits, one walk, and nine strikeouts in five shutout innings. That effort earned him his second win in last three starts. Through 30.1 innings of NYPL action, Diaz has struck out 39 hitters, while allowing 13 walks.
Kingsport Mets @ Bristol White Sox, 7:00pm EST
Chris Flexen (3-1, 1.93 ERA) vs. Thaddius Lowry (1-3, 8.10 ERA)
Flexen takes the mound for the first time after being named APP Pitcher of the Week for his recent dominant performances on the mound. He’s won three straight starts, and over those 20 innings pitched, Flexen has allowed just one run on 11 hits (one homer), five walks, and 22 strikeouts.
GCL Mets @ GCL Nationals, 10:00am EST
The Mets are playing their first of two straight games against the Nationals today. The probable starters haven’t been announced yet.