Mets Minor League Report: Syracuse Splits And St. Lucie Stumbles

JT Schwartz drove in seven runs on the strength of a grand slam to power Binghamton past Reading, while Christian Arroyo collected four RBI in Syracuse's nightcap rout. Cam Tilly spun five scoreless innings of relief in a St. Lucie loss, Jose Chirinos struck out four over five frames for Brooklyn, and Matt Turner earned the win in relief for Syracuse. Ben Rortvedt and TT Bowens added home runs, and Elian Peña doubled and drove in a run for St. Lucie.

Mets Transactions

• New York Mets optioned RHP Jonah Tong to Syracuse Mets.
• New York Mets recalled RHP Joey Gerber from Syracuse Mets.

RailRiders Rally Twice to Sink Syracuse in Opener

Syracuse dropped the doubleheader opener to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 6-3, undone by two multi-run innings. Ben Rortvedt led the offense with a two-run homer, his third, and Matt Rudick added an RBI single. Nick Morabito tripled and scored a run, while Ryan Clifford and Jackson Cluff each struck out three times.

Kodai Senga, making the start, allowed three runs on six hits over five innings, walking two and striking out five. The damage began in the third, when a run-scoring single, a sacrifice fly, and another RBI single staked Scranton to a 3 to 0 lead. The visitors blew it open in the seventh against Danis Correa, who surrendered back-to-back home runs and an RBI double as three runs crossed. Syracuse answered in the bottom of the seventh, when Rortvedt homered to score Cristian Pache, and Rudick singled home Morabito, but the comeback fell three runs short. Syracuse left five runners on base.

Arroyo Drives In Four as Syracuse Routs Scranton in Nightcap

Syracuse split the doubleheader with a 13-2 win over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Christian Arroyo led the way, going 2-for-3 with a double and four RBI, while Kevin Parada added a double and three RBI, and Matt Rudick reached base three times with two hits and an RBI. Ryan Clifford reached three times, and Nick Morabito scored twice from the leadoff spot. The third inning broke the game open: Arroyo doubled home two runs, and Andy Ibáñez singled in another as Syracuse pushed across four runs. The rout was completed in the sixth, when eight runs scored. Arroyo singled home two, Ibáñez added a sacrifice fly, Parada cleared the bases with a three-run double, and Rudick capped the frame with an RBI single. Zach Peek worked two scoreless innings, allowing two hits with two strikeouts, and Matt Turner earned the win with 1 1/3 hitless innings. Syracuse left seven runners on base.

Schwartz's Seven RBI Carry Binghamton in Slugfest

Binghamton outlasted the Reading Fightin Phils, 16 to 11, in a back-and-forth slugfest. JT Schwartz was the headliner, going 3-for-4 with a grand slam and seven RBI from the cleanup spot. Vincent Perozo added two hits, a double, and three RBI. Jaylen Palmer drove in two, and TT Bowens and Chris Suero each collected two hits, with Bowens adding a home run. Binghamton jumped ahead early, scoring four in the first on RBI hits from Schwartz, Perozo, and Wyatt Young plus a run-scoring force out, then tacking on five more in the second behind another Schwartz single, Perozo's double, and a Palmer double. Reading clawed back to tie it, taking a brief lead in the seventh. Binghamton answered with five in the bottom of the seventh, capped by Schwartz's grand slam, and Bowens added a two-run homer in the eighth. R.J. Gordon struggled, allowing five runs, four earned, on six hits over 2 2/3 innings with a walk and three strikeouts. Douglas Orellana provided two scoreless innings with three strikeouts. Binghamton left seven runners on base.

Cyclones Fall on Walk-Off in Extras at Jersey Shore

Brooklyn led late but fell to the Jersey Shore BlueClaws, 5 to 4, on a walk-off single in the tenth inning. Trace Willhoite led the offense with two hits, a double, and an RBI, while Grae Kessinger doubled and drove in a run, and Daiverson Gutierrez tripled among his two hits. Jose Chirinos turned in the strongest pitching performance, allowing one run on three hits over five innings with three walks and four strikeouts. The Cyclones built their lead in the fifth, when Diego Mosquera's sacrifice fly scored Willhoite, and Kessinger doubled home Sam Biller for a 4 to 1 edge. Jersey Shore erased that cushion in the seventh, scoring three runs against Bryce Jenkins on a run-scoring double, an RBI single, and another double to tie the game. In the tenth, with the zombie runner aboard, the BlueClaws pushed across the winning run on a single after Brooklyn could not cash in its own zombie runner, as Biller was thrown out at the plate. Brooklyn left five runners on base.

Tilly's Five Scoreless Wasted in St. Lucie Shutout Loss

St. Lucie was no-hit by the Clearwater Threshers, 2-0, in the doubleheader opener, managing no hits on the day. Elian Peña and Randy Guzman each drew a walk for the Mets' only base runners, while Antonio Jimenez struck out three times from the second spot. Cam Tilly was excellent in relief, throwing five scoreless innings without a walk and striking out five while scattering four hits. The only runs of the game came in the sixth, when Clearwater strung together a two-run single off Christian Rodriguez, who was charged with two runs, one earned, over two innings with three walks and four strikeouts. The St. Lucie offense never threatened, stranding two runners on base.

Errors Sink St. Lucie in Nightcap Defeat

St. Lucie dropped the nightcap to the Clearwater Threshers, 5-3, with defensive miscues proving costly. Elian Peña led off and went 1 for 2 with a double, a run, an RBI, and two walks. Randy Guzman added a hit and an RBI, and Antonio Jimenez drove in a run. Conner Ware led the staff with four innings of one-run ball, walking two and striking out four, though he surrendered a home run. St. Lucie tied the game in the fifth on Peña's run-scoring double and Jimenez's RBI single. The decisive seventh unraveled in the field: Clearwater scored once on a throwing error, then plated three more when two runs came home on a fielding error at first base, turning a tie into a 5 to 2 deficit. St. Lucie answered with one run in the bottom of the seventh on Guzman's RBI single, but could not complete the rally. St. Lucie left seven 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: 0-for-3, 3 K (Game 1); 2-for-3, R, BB (Game 2)
6. Jacob Reimer: DNP
7. Jack Wenninger: DNP
8. Elian Pena: 0-for-2, BB (Game 1); 1-for-2, 2B, R, RBI, 2 BB (Game 2)
9. Mitch Voit: 1-for-5
10. Nick Morabito: 1-for-4, R, 3B (Game 1); 1-for-3, 2 R, BB (Game 2)
11. Jonathan Santucci: DNP
12. Chris Suero: 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, BB, 3 K
13. Zach Thornton: DNP
14. Wandy Asigen: DNP
15. Will Watson: DNP
16. Eli Serrano III: DNP
17. Ryan Lambert: DNP
18. Dylan Ross: DNP
19. Antonio Jimenez: 0-for-3, 3 K (Game 1); 1-for-4, RBI, 2 K (Game 2)
20. R.J. Gordon: 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 4 ER, BB, 3 K

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