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Syracuse made it two wins in a row in its season-ending series against Lehigh Valley with a 5-4 victory Wednesday night. Some notes from the victory:
Ryan Clifford Regaining His Footing?
Ryan Clifford has come back strong after being inactive for two weeks on the development list. His September numbers improved some more on Wednesday.
He hit his second home run of the month, a tie-breaking blast in the sixth inning, which stood up as the winning run. Six of his eight hits this month have gone for extra bases -- three doubles, a triple and the two homers.
Wednesday's dinger, his 18th of the year, extended his hitting streak to five games. Between the streak and the four walks he has drawn in 32 plate appearances, the slash line in nine games this month looks good: .286/.375/.679.
The strikeout rate is still high at 25.0 percent (eight punchouts total), but that's much better than his season rate of 37.1 percent.
Pete Alonso reminded everyone this week that New York has not filled the hole it created at first base by letting him walk. Jorge Polanco's leg issues make him a risk for next year. Jared Young has had a career season, but he's 31. Mark Vientos appears to be out of the club's long-range plans.
Clifford has not hit like a long-term solution this year, and now he has company with Billy Amick and, perhaps, Corey Collins also in the system. The September run doesn't negate the fact he has produced a 61 wRC+ in his fifth professional season. But at least there's an upswing late.
He needed a good platform September to take into 2027 spring training. He has four more days to complete the project.
Rojas Making It Look Easy
Two Triple-A games, two Triple-A home runs. Yeah, Jefferson Rojas was ready for the challenge of the higher level.
His one-week stop in Syracuse is off to a flying start. He went deep again Wednesday, and again, he punished a hanging offspeed pitch.
He reached base all four times up (3-for-3, walk) and was in the middle of Syracuse's two, two-run innings (he singled and scored in the first on Ronny Mauricio's double for a 1-0 lead). He's making a great first impression in the place he should call home for at least a part of next year
Santucci Wraps Up Season
Jonathan Santucci took the mound for the first time since being named Mets Player Development's Minor League Pitcher of the Year. It went well enough.
The left-hander was charged with four runs (three earned) on three hits over 5 1/3 innings. He walked three, struck out six and allowed a home run. He left the game leading 4-3, but Kevin Herget allowed his inherited runner to score and denied Santucci a chance at a win.
Santucci also committed a throwing error, which led to Lehigh Valley's first run of the game in the first inning. The homer was a two-run shot that cut the Mets' lead to a run the fifth.
On the plus side, his fastball velocity averaged 94 mph, right in line with his season figure. That's a good indication he stayed healthy and strong late in the year. The K's gave him 163 in 125 innings between Binghamton and Syracuse (30.8 percent).
Other Notes
Left-hander Cionel Pérez pitched for a second consecutive night as his minor-league rehab continued. He allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth inning, setting up Chayce McDermott for his first save with Syracuse. . . . Amick's K rate jumped to 32.2 percent after three punchouts in an 0-for-4 night. . . . Mets batters struck out 14 times in all. D'Andre Smith completed the hat trick as well. Clifford, Mauricio and Jose Ramos each fanned twice.
Syracuse Batting
| Player | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | K |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D'Andre Smith | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
| Jefferson Rojas | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Ronny Mauricio | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Vidal Bruján | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Eric Wagaman | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Billy Amick | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Ryan Clifford | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Jose Ramos | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Hayden Senger | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | 31 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 14 |
Syracuse Pitching
| Player | IP | H | R | ER | BB | K | HR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Santucci | 5 1/3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 1 |
| Kevin Herget | 1 2/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Cionel Pérez | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chayce McDermott | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Totals | 9 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 10 | 1 |
New York Mets Transactions
- New York Mets placed RHP Daniel Duarte on the 15-day injured list. Left hamstring strain.
- New York Mets recalled RHP Xzavion Curry from Syracuse Mets.
- New York Mets recalled LHP Jefry Yan from Syracuse Mets.
Top-20 Prospect Performance
- Jonah Tong: MLB
- Jack Wenninger: DNP
- Elian Pena: DNP
- Mitch Voit: DNP
- Ryan Clifford: 1-for-4, HR, R, RBI, 2 K
- Nick Morabito: MLB
- Jonathan Santucci: 5 1/3 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 6 K, HR
- Carson Wiggins: DNP
- Jacob Reimer: DNP
- Aiden Robbins: DNP
- Randy Guzman: DNP
- Wandy Asigen: DNP
- Chris Suero: DNP
- Jefferson Rojas: 3-for-3, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI, BB
- Will Watson: DNP
- Shane Sdao: DNP
- Eli Serrano III: DNP
- Antonio Jimenez: DNP
- Emilien Pitre: DNP
- Dylan Ross: DNP
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