St. Lucie 3, Dunedin 0
After combining for 16 runs in the previous two games — both wins — the St. Lucie offense managed only a fraction of that total in its series opener against Dunedin on Friday night. Fortunately, the sparse total was enough as starter Alex Panteliodis finally turned in a notable performance in the Mets’ 3-0 victory at Tradition Field.
Facing a lineup that included rehabbing Blue Jays outfielder Melky Cabrera, Panteliodis (4-3) worked into the eighth inning for the first time this season and permitted just six hits over 7.1 shutout innings. Five of his six hits allowed went for singles as the left-hander finished with three strikeouts and no walks. He had surrendered at least three runs in each of his past three starts for a 9.20 ERA during that span.
But Panteliodis was sharp throughout Friday’s contest, retiring the side in order in three separate innings to help shave his ERA to 4.11 on the year. It was just the second time in 12 starts he did not issue a walk as his heavy slider resulted in 10 groundouts.
Once again, Kevin Plawecki paced the St. Lucie offense, finishing 2-for-3 with an RBI single in the seventh inning and a run scored. He has recorded a hit in five straight games, including multiple hits in his past three outings to raise his batting average to .371. Plawecki earned the start at first base as Cam Maron served behind the plate.
Outfielder Dustin Lawley extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his 25th double of the season in the seventh inning. Already tops in the Florida State League with 19 home runs, Lawley is now just two doubles shy of the league lead for doubles held by Clearwater’s Aaron Altherr (27).
The Mets (48-40), who pulled into third place in the FSL South Division with the win, will attempt to post their fourth consecutive victory Saturday. Michael Fulmer (0-1, 5.40 ERA) is slated to make his second start with St. Lucie, while Aaron Sanchez (2-3, 3.23) takes the hill for Dunedin.
Key Stats
Kyle Johnson: 1-for-4, 1 SB
T.J. Rivera: 2-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI
Dustin Lawley: 1-for-4, 1 2B
Kevin Plawecki: 2-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI
Cam Maron: 0-for-2, 2 BB
Matt Reynolds: 1-for-3, 1 BB
Gilbert Gomez: 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 R
Alex Panteliodis: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 3 K
Randy Fontanez: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 ER, 2K