On the Bump

[Edgy MD]

Opening Day starters for the Mets minor league teams:

Las Vegas: Wheeler? No, sir. Then Flexie? Unh-uh. On the mound for the 51s for opening day is Corey Oswalt, your 16-ish-ranked Mets prospect.

Binghamton: They got some starters. Marcos Molina, Andrew Church ... and so Luis Rojas and Frank Viola are going to hand the ball to Drew Gagnon. Gagnon, a former Brewers prospect, was brought in on a minor league deal this offseason, and has been alternating between starting and relieving in recent years.

St. Lucie: Here, we're actually with the program, as big shot prospect Justin Dunn is getting the call. Unfortunately, he's a big shot coming off of a pretty lost year, filled with injuries and inconsistency. What little success he did have last season came in a handful of relief appearances, so he's probably pitching for his starting life at this point.

Columbia: 2016 first-rounder Anthony Kay is the obvious choice here, so Pedro Lopez is going with Tony Dibrell. Dibrell, last season's fourth rounder, mostly stunk last season while pitching out of the bullpen, but he was much better over the last several weeks. I'm guessing they are writing off last season to the fatigue of turning pro and continuing to pitch after finishing his college season, so this year he's a starter.

Not like a few years ago when opening day meant Syndegaard and Matz and stuff, but we got those guys in the big league rotation now. Go Mets!

[Edgy MD]

Binghamton wins 6-0 as they plate five in the first, another in the second, and never look back. All the scoring on homers from Pete Alonso (two runs), Tim Tebow (three runs), and Jeff McNiel (a solo shot in the second to close the scoring). Drew Gagnon gave up but two hits and a walk over six, and Austin McGeorge, Adonis Uceta, and Gerson Bautista each helped finish up with an inning.

St. Lucie took a 4-0 lead into the ninth, ultimately walking away with a 4-1 win. Justin Dunn spread six hits across his five shutout innings, striking out seven and walking none. Leadoff batter Jacob Zanon led the way with a walk, a single, and a double, and Dash Winningham had the game's only homer.

Finally, Columbia also enjoyed shutout work from their starting pitcher, with Tony Dibrell going four innings in their 4-2 victory over Augusta, yielding only one hit, but walking four, while striking out six. Conner O'Neil was awarded the win after following with two perfect innings and three strikeouts. Blake Tiberi was an offensive monster, totaling seven total bases on a single, double, and homer.

If Las Vegas, currently down 3-2 in the fifth, can complete their comeback, the Mets will have enjoyed their first organizational sweep of the year (not counting the days this week when the Mets won while none of the minor league squads had yet taken the field). Kyle Regnault has come on for Corey Oswalt in the fourth, while Luis Guillorme and David Thompson have each doubled. L.J. Mazzilli drove in the third run with a pinch-hit double of his own.

[MFS62]

Las Vegas ended up losing 4-2, collecting five hits along the way.


Later

[Edgy MD]

Prospect of the Day

Gold: Drew Gagnon
=#C0C0C0]Silver: Blake Tiberi
=#BF8000]Bronze: Justin Dunn

[Edgy MD]

Zack Wheeler Posts:

•Tonight in Vegas•
Hitting:
2 for 2
1 RBI
1 R

Pitching (85 pitch count):
Win
80 pitches
5 IP
3 H’s
6 K’s
1 BB
1 ER

[Guest Rockin' Doc]

2-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Who does he think he is, Ohtani? Nice outing on the mound. Hopefully he can keep it up.