Courtesy of Sun-Sentinel.com
Sacramento 3, Las Vegas (6-8) 1
The 51s offense continues to sputter as they have lost three out of four games to a team that had only two wins entering the series. Las Vegas took a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning thanks to a RBI single from Dilson Herrera (1 for 4) but the 51s failed to get a man on base in the final three innings.
First baseman for the night, Ty Kelly was the only Vegas hitting to reach base twice going 1 for 2 with a walk, double and scored the lone run. Matt Reynolds, Rene Rivera and the starting pitcher Sean Gilmartin each had a single. It was a rough night for Gavin Cecchini who went 0 for 3 dropping his average down to .182 and committed his second error of the season.
Gilmartin was the tough luck loser allowing two runs in the outing with them coming in the bottom of the sixth. He walked two and struck out eight for the second straight start. He allowed only five hits, though two of them were solo homeruns.
Zack Thornton pitched a perfect eight inning lowering his season ERA to 5.40. Paul Sewald struck out two in the ninth but allowed a solo homer to Mac Williamson, it was his second of the night. Box Score
Injury Note: T.J. Rivera missed his second straight game after being hit by a pitch on the leg Wednesday.
Erie 4, Binghamton (5-8) 2
It has been a rough week for the B-Mets who have now lost five straight games and six of seven after starting the season at 4-2. The pitching staff was hurt by it’s inability to command their pitches last night, walking six batters and throwing two wild pitches.
Tyler Pill took the loss despite having his best outing of the season, he went six innings giving up two runs on six hits and three walks. He is now 0-2 with a 6.32 ERA and 1.53 WHIP in three starts for Binghamton. Lefty reliever David Roseboom struck out two in his 1.1 innings of work but gave up a two-run homer to Dean Green in the 8th inning.
Dominic Smith had his first three-hit game in Double-A and knocked in a run for his team leading 8th RBI. He also hit his fourth double of the year (off the right field wall) in the first inning and raised his slugging percentage up to .400 despite his average being .236 in 55 at bats.
Matt Oberste went 2 for 4 with his sixth RBI of the year, he is hitting .26/.362/.366 on the year as primarily the number five hitter behind Smith. Derrik Gibson played shortstop and was 1 for 3, scoring both of the B-Mets runs and picked up his team leading 9th walk. Box Score
Injury Note: Before the game Jeff McNeil was placed on the 7-day disable list. St. Lucie Mets infielder Phillip Evans was promoted to take his spot on the roster.
St. Lucie (10-6) 4, Bradenton 1
After allowing a run in the first inning, St. Lucie starter Ricky Knapp settled in to throw six solid innings and picked up his third win of the season. He did allow nine hits and two walks while striking out two. He lowered his season ERA to 1.65, albeit with the league hitting .328 against him.
Before this season Kevin McGowan has never had year in which he struck out more than one per inning. After pitching three scoreless innings last night with four strikeouts he has 17 K’s on the year in just 11.1 innings. He also picked up his second save of the year and lowered his WHIP to a minuscule 0.53.
Leadoff hitter Champ Stuart was the offensive star las night going 2 for 3 with a double, walk, run scored, two RBI and his seventh steal of the season. He didn’t strike out and his on-base is now sitting at .356. Amed Rosario had another good game with two hits and knocked in his fifth run of the year. He had a ground-rule double that would have been his league leading fifth triple if it didn’t bounce out of play.
Wuilmer Becerra extended his hitting streak to six games with a 2 for 4 night. He hit his second double of the season and scored a run. Over the last six games he is 9 for 22 and he is hitting .313 for the season. Not be be overshadowed is catcher Tomas Nido who went 2 for 4 with his fifth run driven in, he is now hitting .356 which is the fourth highest average in the Florida State League. Box Score
Injury Note: Infielder Jonathan Johnson was activated from the disabled list to take the roster spot of Evans who was promoted.
Columbia (9-7) 5, Greenville 3
The biggest story of the night and of the season show far has been the offensive performance from the Fireflies third baseman David Thompson. Columbia was being held scoreless until the sixth inning when Thompson came to the plate with two out and the bases loaded. He did what he has done all year, getting the big hit, a tw0-run double off the baby green monster that would have been a grand slam in most parks.
The Mets 4th round pick last year now leads the South Atlantic League with 18 RBI and is now 10 for 19 with runners in scoring position. His table setter all year has been second baseman Vinny Siena, who was 1 for 3 with a run scored and his league leading 16th walk last night.
First baseman Jeffrey Diehl went 1 for 3 with a walk, two runs scored and his first homerun of the year, a solo blast in the seventh inning. The Fireflies entered the final inning in a 3-3 tie before they scored two runs on an error and RBI single by Milton Ramos. Dash Winningham started the rally off with a single, he has now hit safely in 8 of 9 games. Tucker Tharp got a chance to leadoff and went 1 for 5 with a run scored while making another great catch in the outfield.
Start Kevin Canelon gave up two runs on four hits and one walk while striking out six and lowering his ERA to 4.20. Reliever Johnny Magliozzi pitched two innings allowing one run and picking up his first win of the season.
The pitching highlight of the night was Tyler Bashlor though, he picked up his second save of the year and struck out two batters. He has a 1.13 ERA and has given up only four hits in eight innings. He has ten strikeouts and showed off an electric fastball last night. No gun readings but I would guess in the mid-90’s where he has been clocked in previous outings. Box Score
Injury Note: Outfielder Kevin Kaczmarski was placed on the 7-day DL, Vicente Lupo was activated to take him place.
It is a shame that baseball does not invest fully into all the technology available for fan experience.
I really don’t know why it’s that hard to have every minor league game televised? Or at the very least the full season games.
I know the knock on Thompson’s arm doesn’t have the zip. With an eye at 1B eventually, his arm does seem suitable for LF, where his athleticism will play, and offers a RH corner option as he progresses
Agree completely. And there is a radar gun behind home plate for every game.
Yet somehow none of them are ever working or seems like the facility doesn’t care if they are. It’s very strange, aren’t we in the age of the fastball sells tickets now? Why not have MPH available for fans to get excited over power arms.
Exactly
Not much of a future for him in left field. I guess if they eventually see him as a utility guy with a bat, some outfield versatility wouldn’t be a bad idea. We are very thin at 3rd, so despite being labeled with a weak arm, I wouldn’t be surprised if they keep him there for the foreseeable future. Whatever they do with him, good to see his bat producing and driving in runs
that drove me nuts all spring training as I traveled around to all the spring parks. Why they have a gun but don’t post velocity is beyond me.
Garcia and Urena in front of him not to mention Guerrero behind. If his bat is going to play the RH corner option is the way for them to all progress together.
Maybe the teams don´t want pitchers focusing on the gun readings, and would rather have the focus on mechanics, sequences, off-speed development, and results.
Guerrero is a SS, not a 3rd baseman. His body, as it grows, may one day force him to 3rd, but as 16 years old kid, nobody knows that. As for Urena, you are talking about a guy who hasn’t done much and is coming off 2 broken hands and a down year in the GCL (where he was older than most players). As for Garcia, you are talking about a guy who hasn’t played higher than low A ball and is currently suspended for steroid use.
So we don’t have any true high end 3rd base prospects in our system currently. My bet is the Mets go 3rd base and pitching early in the draft to restock those positions.
Urena is young for the level, (still is) thought of enough to skip Low A, so offensive struggles should have been expected if not anticipated. I agree the talent at the position has questions, but the position is not bereft of talent.
I expect the Mets do as they should and take the best available player regardless of position
we will see. Just glad Thompson is off to a hot start
That we agree on
Urena was majorly in the FSL, and has the best upside. Two Hamate Bones have hampered him, but the guy can still hit pretty well. I wouldn’t stick a fork in the guy just yet.
As well for Guerrero, his foot speed is a worry at the SS position
I know he was your pick for break out season, and by no means am I giving up on the guy, he just hasn’t shown much to this point. 2 years ago he had a decent season, last year I know he was hampered by the hamate injuries, but the jury is still out.
As for Guerrero, I think he is just shy of 6 ft and 175lbs, so at that size and only 16, I would assume he will out grow the position, but who knows. The point I was making, the Mets at this point don’t have any really highly rated 3rd base prospects. No Rosario’s, , or Smith’s, or Lindsay’s, or Herrera’s, or Beverra’s, etc…..at 3rd. So it was nice to see a 2nd year prospect come out of the gate hot and show a knack for driving in runs (D. Thompson). Seeing as how nobody is a true standout as of now, hopefully he or one of the other guys we mentioned can eventually distinguish themselves as the future at 3rd for the franchise.
He’s heating up a bit. He’ll get better. There’s a TON of 3B prospects in the draft this year, i’m guessing they’ll grab one or two in the first round. Possibly Nolan Jones, Drew Mendoza, Kieboom, etc (hopefully not Dalbec)