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MMN Recap: Biff’s Son Twirls a Gem For St. Lucie

By Joseph Hill

April 14, 2019 No comments

Photo by Ed Delany, MMN

Pawtucket (5-4) 7, Syracuse (6-4) 2   Box Score

It was a big day for Taijeron, who started off the season hot upon his return to the Mets organization. Nobody else in the lineup did much, as the only non-Taijeron hits were singles by Nido, Adeiny Hechavarria, and Tim Tebow. Thompson has started off slowly with a .532 OPS in eight games as he looks to bounce back from an injury-plagued 2018 season.

The offense has been limited in the early going for this Syracuse Mets team which features an influx of Major League veterans but a lack of high-end prospects. The outfield has struggled especially, with outfielders Gregor Blanco, Carlos Gomez, Rajai Davis, and Tebow all owning sub-.600 OPS’s.

  • RHP Chris Flexen (L, 1-1, 5.25 ERA): 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 2 BB, 10 K
  • RHP Paul Sewald (1-0, 0.00 ERA): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
  • RHP Corey Taylor (1-0, 3.68 ERA): 1.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 0 BB, K

Outside of a solo homer in the first inning, Flexen was in control early. He recorded seven strikeouts through the first four innings, permitting just the one run. In the fifth, however, he allowed a double and a run-scoring single to Nick Lovullo, son of the current Diamondbacks manager Torey. Flexen’s outing began to unravel when he walked the next batter and then gave up a three-run homer to Rusney Castillo. He was able to set back down though, recording a strikeout to end the inning and pitching a hitless sixth with two more strikeouts.

Down 5-2, Sewald pitched around a couple singles to hold the deficit at three. Sewald has been solid through four appearances since not making the Opening Day roster, allowing seven hits, one walk, and two strikeouts in 5.1 scoreless innings. Taylor got hit around a little following two solid appearances, but was helped out by Tebow and Thompson combining to throw a runner out at home.

Erie (4-3) @ Binghamton (3-2) was postponed due to rain.

Ryley Gilliam, Photo by Ed Delany of MMN

St. Lucie (6-4) 11, Florida (5-5) 1   Box Score

The St. Lucie Mets offense finally woke up on Saturday, exploding for an 11-run outburst. Vasquez, who is the second best first base prospect in the system behind only Alonso, blasted the team’s long overdue first home run of the season. Despite a solid .789 OPS last season, home run power is one thing that has been lacking for Vasquez as a first baseman. It was a very impressive and encouraging day for the 22-year-old. Lindsay, the Mets’ top outfield prospect who had been heating up after a slow start, cooled off again with a three-strikeout day. Despite the ups and downs, his OBP still sits at a strong .390 and he has played very good defense in center.

The Mets got contributions up and down the lineup, including the rehabbing Todd Frazier, who went 1-3 with an RBI. He’s batting just .207/.303/.207 in his eight-game stint down there. He came out after five innings for Manny Rodriguez, who proceeded to contribute two hits to the winning cause. Tiberi, who struggled badly to the tune of a .484 OPS in 31 games for St. Lucie last year, has looked much better and is off to a hot start with a seven-game hitting streak.

Wilson’s second start with St. Lucie went much better than his first in which he gave up four runs in five innings. He had command of all his pitches, staying in the strike zone while throwing 58 of his 75 pitches for strikes and not walking any hitters. He allowed just one unearned run in the sixth inning due to an error by Rodriguez, and would have been out of the inning unscathed if Rodriguez had made that play. It was very encouraging to see the improvement in this outing.

Hernandez, who had a 3.35 ERA in 31 games between Columbia and St. Lucie last year, is off to a great start this year. In seven innings over the span of four appearances, he has allowed just one hit while striking out eight. Gilliam, the right-hander out of Clemson who should probably be pitching at a higher level, also dominated on Saturday and is having just as good of a season as Hernandez if not better thus far. He also appeared in four games and pitched seven innings, while allowing two hits, no walks, and striking out eleven. After striking out a whopping 31 in 171. innings in Brooklyn last year, Gilliam should be on the fast track to Binghamton if he can keep this up.

Lexington (6-3) 3, Columbia (3-6) 1   Box Score

The Fireflies offense was very quiet on Saturday. Mauricio got a hit and is off to a decent start, but is yet to hit for any power this year. Of course, it’s still a tiny sample and big things are sure to come for the 18-year-old. Vientos is also off to a bit of a sluggish start, although his OBP is still healthy. He left in the fourth inning after fouling a ball off his foot and finishing the at-bat, but no further word on his removal was given. It’s likely nothing and he should be back tomorrow. Sharp was the biggest offensive contributor for the Fireflies, getting on base three times. He has a .789 OPS so far in his first taste of full-season ball.

James, who had a 1.90 ERA in 15 starts last year, had his second straight mediocre start to begin the year, although this one was a little better. He didn’t quite have the command that allowed him to be successful last season, but he still made it through five solid innings. Viall, who has been almost exclusively a starter in his minor league career, has been used as a reliever so far this year. He is off to a good start, albeit with three walks in 4.1 innings. After struggling to a 4.75 ERA in 15 starts for Columbia last year, it will be interesting to see if his stuff can play up better out of the bullpen.

Mitchell was dominant between Brooklyn and Kingsport last year, and his limited time in Columbia has been a success so far. He’s another name to watch to see if he can sustain this success over a longer period of time. Zabaleta’s been getting a lot of work in, and has pitched a scoreless inning in each of his five appearances so far.

 

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Written by JHill

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