Mets Minor League Report: Ryan Clifford, Nick Morabito Power Syracuse To Win

Syracuse erupted for a four-run fourth and rode home runs from Nick Morabito and Ryan Clifford to an 11-6 win, while Jonathan Santucci spun five scoreless innings in a Binghamton loss. Brooklyn's bullpen finished a combined shutout behind Daviel Hurtado, and St. Lucie could not solve Bradenton in an 8-3 defeat. Across the system, the pitching standouts were Santucci, Hurtado, and Brooklyn closer Cristofer Gomez.

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Morabito And Clifford Go Deep In Syracuse Slugfest

Syracuse broke a scoreless game open in the fourth inning at Rochester. Kevin Parada lined a two-run single to right, Matt Rudick followed with an RBI single, and Nick Morabito capped the rally with a three-run home run, his fifth of the season, to make it 6-0.

The Mets kept adding on as Clifford homered in the fifth, Jackson Cluff homered in the sixth, and Cluff later doubled home a run in the ninth. Morabito finished 2-for-4 with the homer and three RBI, Clifford went 2-for-4 with a home run, a walk, and two runs scored, and Cluff added two hits, two runs, two RBI, and a stolen base. Rudick chipped in two hits and two RBI.

Starter Jack Weisenburger turned in a strong outing, allowing one run on three hits over 4 1/3 innings while walking two and striking out five. Nate Lavender struck out five over 1 2/3 innings to pick up the win. The bullpen wobbled in the seventh, when the Red Wings scored four runs to climb within 8-6, but Syracuse answered with a run in the eighth and two in the ninth to pull away. Dylan Ross worked a scoreless ninth with two strikeouts. Syracuse left six runners on base.

Santucci Dominates, But Binghamton Falls In Seventh

Jonathan Santucci gave Binghamton everything it could ask for, allowing no runs on three hits over five innings with a walk and five strikeouts against Portland. The Rumble Ponies took a 1-0 lead in the third when JT Schwartz homered, his fifth of the season, and that was nearly enough. The trouble came in the seventh, when Portland pushed across three unearned runs to take a 3-1 lead that held. Gabriel Rodriguez was charged with the loss after recording two outs while walking two and surrendering the deciding runs, though all three were unearned.

Binghamton's offense managed five hits and could not recover. Schwartz led the way, going 3-for-3 with the home run and an RBI. Marco Vargas added two hits, including a double, and Jose Ramos doubled. The lineup struggled to make contact otherwise, striking out 19 times as a team. Guillo Zuñiga, Dan Hammer, and Jefry Yan combined for 3 1/3 scoreless innings of relief, but the offense never threatened after Schwartz's early blast. Binghamton left seven runners on base.

Brooklyn Blanks Wilmington Behind Hurtado And The Bullpen

Brooklyn shut out Wilmington 2-0 with a steady pitching effort and a pair of timely hits. Daviel Hurtado set the tone, allowing one hit over 3 2/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Four relievers followed, and Bryce Jenkins, Juan Arnaud, Hunter Hodges, and Cristofer Gomez combined for 5 1/3 scoreless innings, with Gomez closing it out for the save. Jenkins picked up the win.

The Cyclones got both runs without much trouble. Corey Collins opened the scoring in the second with a solo home run, his fourth of the season, to make it 1-0. Brooklyn added an insurance run in the seventh when Trace Willhoite doubled home JT Benson for a 2-0 lead. Ronald Hernandez led the offense with two hits and a stolen base, Collins reached base twice, and Benson doubled and scored. The pitching staff held Wilmington to four hits on the night. Brooklyn left seven runners on base.

St. Lucie Bats Go Quiet In Bradenton Loss

St. Lucie managed just three runs and fell 8-3 to Bradenton. The Marauders built an early lead, and St. Lucie did not get on the board until the fourth, when AJ Salgado singled home Yohairo Cuevas to cut the deficit to 4-1. The Mets mounted their best threat in the sixth, loading the bases on three walks. Cuevas scored on a wild pitch during a strikeout, and Julio Zayas came home on a Chase Meggers groundout, trimming the margin to 6-3, but the rally ended there.

Starter Jonathan Jimenez struggled, allowing four runs on four hits over three innings while walking three and striking out three, taking the loss. Justin Armbruester and Josh Blum provided scoreless relief, combining for 2 2/3 innings, but the offense could not close the gap and Bradenton tacked on two more in the eighth. Cuevas reached base three times with a double and two walks, Zayas added two hits and two walks, and Kevin Villavicencio collected two hits. St. Lucie left nine runners on base.

Top-20 Prospect Performance

1. Nolan McLean: DNP
2. Carson Benge: DNP
3. A.J. Ewing: DNP
4. Jonah Tong: DNP
5. Ryan Clifford: 2-for-4, HR, BB, 2 R, RBI
6. Jacob Reimer: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K
7. Jack Wenninger: DNP
8. Elian Pena: 0-for-4, BB, K
9. Mitch Voit: 0-for-3, BB, K
10. Nick Morabito: 2-for-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI
11. Jonathan Santucci: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
12. Chris Suero: 0-for-4, K
13. Zach Thornton: DNP
14. Wandy Asigen: DNP
15. Will Watson: DNP
16. Eli Serrano III: 0-for-4, 3 K
17. Ryan Lambert: DNP
18. Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
19. Antonio Jimenez: 0-for-5, K
20. R.J. Gordon: DNP

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