With the Binghamton Mets in the thick of a pennant race for the third straight season, B-Met skipper Pedro Lopez is taking a page from the Kansas City Royals in utilizing a bullpen rich in talent as a major asset. Lopez’s goal is for his starters to take each game through at least six innings of quality work then turn each game over to a deep bullpen that provides multiple mix and match options.
Tuesday night was indicative of the value of Binghamton’s bullpen. Michael Fulmer worked 6 complete innings of shutout work turning a 1-0 lead to the B-Met pen. Lopez first went with Jeff Walters, the B-Mets all-time franchise leader in saves. Walters racked up 38 saves in a remarkable 2013 regular season championship season before needing Tommy John surgery the following spring. The hard throwing right hander is on the road to recovery and threw his second scoreless inning for the B-Mets on Tuesday. Walters is using more off-speed pitches than he did in 2013 but still used a fastball that reached 94 miles per hour. After New Britain’s Jordan Patterson grounded out to first base, Walters fanned both Pat Valaika and Joey Wong for a 1-2-3 outing.
Lopez next called on Jon Velasquez to pitch the 8th. 54.2 innings of quality work last year out of the Binghamton pen, leaves Lopez confident and comfortable calling on Velaaquez who has successfully closed 15 games so far this season. Velasquez allowed a one out double to Abel Baker but recovered to entice a weak ground ball to second and a swinging third strike in his inning on the hill on Tuesday. The right-hander has a sparkling 1.99 ERA and has walked only one batter in just 22.2 innings out of the pen, part of a magnificent 0.71 WHIP against Double-A hitters.
Finally, Lopez brought on Paul Sewald to close the contest on Tuesday. Sewald, just back from the Pan Am Games, picked up where he had left off throwing an impressive ninth. A location pitcher who did touch 94 miles per hour against New Britain, Sewald consistently keeps the ball low and moves his pitches in and out to both sides of the plate. After yielding a lead-off single, Sewald retired Noel Cuevas on a fly ball to right field then got Jordan Patterson and Pat Valaika looking to end the game. The scoreless frame lowered Sewald’s ERA to 1.51 in 35.2 innings of work. Sewald has walked only 6 batters while striking out 35, part of a sterling 0.83 WHIP.
With starting pitcher Michael Fulmer’s 9 strikeouts, Binghamton pitchers struck out 14 Fischer Cats without walking a batter.
Lopez has other impressive bullpen weapons including two left-handers Adam Kolarek and newcomer Josh Smoker. After a shaky beginning to the 2015 campaign, Kolarek has settled in allowing only one earned run in his last 10 appearances covering 11.2 innings. Smoker brings near 100 mile per hour heat and had B-Met fans buzzing over his blazing two innings on the hill Monday night. In 9.1 innings so far Smoker has surrendered only 1 earned run while fanning 13 and walking only 2.
Lopez can also call on two right-handers Beck Wheeler and Akeel Morris. Wheeler has been a good luck charm of sorts compiling a 5-1 record out of the pen. When he’s on, Wheeler has a dirty curveball that’s almost impossible to hit. Controlling that pitch has been the issue. Morris, a recent addition, strikes out a batter an inning but has been spotty in just 11.1 innings of work so far.