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Alex Ramírez Continues Scorching Start to Season

By Tyler Antonelle

April 15, 2024 No comments

Photo by Ed Delany of Mets Minors

Despite a Binghamton Rumble Ponies loss on Sunday, outfielder Alex Ramírez continues to impress as he recorded a three-hit day. Other performances of note on Sunday were from Luke Ritter, who homered in both ends of Syracuse’s doubleheader, and Nick Lorusso, who recorded three hits and walked off Brooklyn’s win with a home run.

Overall, the Mets’ affiliates went 2-3 on Sunday, with Syracuse splitting their doubleheader.

Triple-A

Game 1: Worcester Red Sox (4-9) 5, Syracuse Mets (8-5) 10

BOX SCORE

Game one of Sunday’s doubleheader between the Mets and Red Sox was a resounding victory for Syracuse, with the offense leading the charge. In total, eight of the nine batters recorded a hit and five players recorded multi-hit games. There were also five home runs (Gamel, Thompson twice, Ritter, Nido) with just one strikeout all game amongst Syracuse hitters. Syracuse actually started the game down 5-0 leading into the bottom of the third inning, but the offense put up a crooked number in four straight innings after that to secure a victory for the Mets.

The start of the season has been a struggle for Mike Vasil, whose ERA through three starts is 11.42. He put the Mets in an early hole by allowing ten baserunners in 3 1/3 innings, allowing five to score. Fortunately, the bullpen was able to lock it down after the offense woke up, with Núñez, Lavender, and Ríos combining for 3 2/3 scoreless innings. It was the first appearance since his major league debut for Núñez, who figures to be one of the best relievers on this Syracuse squad until his name gets called by the major league team again.

Game 2: Worcester Red Sox (5-9) 8, Syracuse Mets (8-6) 4

BOX SCORE

  • 3B Mark Vientos: 1-for-2, 2 BB, R
  • 2B Rylan Bannon: 1-for-3, HR (3), 2 RBI (6), R
  • 1B Luke Ritter: 1-for-3, HR (3), RBI (5), RW

The second game of the doubleheader was not as successful as the first, as the Mets head to settle for a split of the doubleheader. They fell behind 8-0 quickly but did their best to make the game competitive, scoring four runs to cut the deficit in half. Luke Ritter hit a solo shot after hitting a home run in the first end of the doubleheader, giving him three total on the year. He’s a name to watch for Syracuse this season, as he hit 27 home runs last year between Double-A and Triple-A and has a .955 OPS through the first 14 games this year.

Like the first game of the doubleheader, the Mets went down early due to poor starting pitching. For Luis Moreno, it wasn’t the hits that did him in. Rather, it was the five walks he allowed in just 2 2/3 innings. That got him pulled from the game quickly, and Shintaro Fujinami didn’t do any better. He failed to record an out and allowed three walks and a hit. In total, that led to eight runs coming across in the first three innings. The rest of the bullpen did a solid job, with Jon Duplantier and Josh Walker putting together the best performances (2 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 5 K combined between the two). Walker is off to a fantastic start to the year, with a 1.23 ERA through his first five appearances.

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (3-5) 3, Erie SeaWolves (5-3) 5

BOX SCORE

Like Syracuse in both games of their doubleheader, Binghamton fell behind immediately by allowing two runs in the first inning. Their deficit eventually became 3-0, but they were able to tie it on a homer from JT Schwartz in the fourth and singles from Schwartz and Jeremiah Jackson in the fifth. The lead was immediately given up in the bottom of the fifth and was never recovered, handing the Rumble Ponies a loss to drop them to 3-5.

Alex Ramírez had yet another fantastic game, recording three hits including a double and scoring a run. Through the team’s first eight games of the season, Ramírez has a .367 batting average and a .994 OPS. This comes just a year after he recorded a .627 OPS in High-A Brooklyn, something the Mets are hoping was a fluke. The 21-year-old is showing this year he can still become a really good baseball player.

While the Rumble Ponies’ offense didn’t do enough to win the game, the Binghamton pitching staff was also shaky, as each of the four pitchers who made an appearance allowed at least one run. The staff walked nine batters and allowed five hits, three of which were home runs. Justin Jarvis recorded the loss in what was his first appearance of the 2024 season, though he did strike out four batters in 2 2/3 innings.

High-A

Asheville Tourists (4-5) 3, Brooklyn Cyclones (4-5), 4

BOX SCORE

  • 1B Ryan Clifford: 1-for-4, 1 K
  • DH Nolan McLean: 1-for-4, HR (2), 2 RBI (3), R, 3 K
  • 3B Nick Lorusso: 3-for-4, HR (2), 2B, 2 RBI (2), 2 R

There was very little offense from both teams in this game, but the Cyclones were able to come on top with impressive performances from Nolan McLean and Nick Lorusso. The two batted in all four of Brooklyn’s runs, with each recording a home run. Lorusso’s homer walked the game off in the bottom of the ninth after Asheville tied the game in the top of the inning. Lorusso also recorded a double and has a .905 OPS on the young season. McLean, the impressive two-way player, has a 1.182 OPS.

After a marvelous first start of the season, Calvin Ziegler pitched just two innings in Brooklyn’s game Sunday, and he allowed a run in the first inning which was unearned. He then struck out the side in the second before making way for some notable bullpen performances.

Jordany Ventura pitched for four innings and he also allowed a run which was unearned. Otherwise, he was brilliant, allowing just three baserunners and striking out seven. He’s off to a fantastic start to the season, as he has now thrown 7 1/3 scoreless innings.

Sean Reid-Foley struck out the side in his inning of work in what was a rehab assignment for him, and Justin Lawson followed him out of the pen with another perfect inning, striking out two. Ben Simon pitched the ninth inning with a one-run lead but gave it up on a homer. Despite the blown save, he recorded the win after Lorusso’s walk-off in the bottom of the inning.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (3-6) 1, Jupiter Hammerheads (5-4) 2

BOX SCORE

Just a day after defeating the Hammerheads 14-1, the St. Lucie bats went back to sleep as they recorded just one run and one hit in Sunday’s loss to Jupiter. Estarling Mercado recorded the lone hit, a double, which scored Nick Morabito who reached base via the walk. Morabito has been the Mets’ best bat in the early portion of the season, with Jesus Baez close behind him. Both players went hitless in what was an ugly day for the offense.

The pitching staff did not have the same day as the offense, as four pitchers combined to allow two runs, neither of which were earned, on five hits. Candido Cuevas started the game and struck out five in 3 1/3 innings, and Jawilme Ramirez followed him with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Ramirez has started the season with 6 2/3 scoreless innings after a year in 2023 in which his ERA eclipsed 5.00 in over 100 innings pitched.

Zach Thornton and Brett Banks also pitched well, though walks were a problem for Thornton. Ultimately, they led to a run and even though it was unearned, it gave him the loss.

 

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Written by Tyler Antonelle

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