9th Inning Comeback Comes Up Short For Binghamton

Binghamton Mets @ New Hampshire Fisher Cats

August 23, 2015

Matt Koch @ Taylor Cole

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Binghamton	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3		3	10	1
New Hampshire	0	0	1	0	1	2	0	0	X		4	10	0

W: Cole (6-10, 4.45 ERA); L: Koch (4-8, 3.76 ERA); Save: Barnes (4, 3.51 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Matt Koch – 5.1 IP, 9 H, 4 R, BB, SO, 96 Pitches (59 Strikes), 10 GO: 4 FO

Adam Kolarek (3.88 ERA) – 1.2 IP, 2 SO, 2 GO, 1 IR – 0 S

Erik Goeddel (0.00 ERA) – 1 IP, H, SO, 1 GO

Taylor Cole – 8 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 6 SO, HR, 97 Pitches (62 Strikes), 9 GO: 4 FO

Danny Barnes – 1 IP, 3 H, R, 2 GO: 1 FO

Batters

SS – T.J. Rivera – 1-4, R

*DH – Josh Rodriguez – 3-4, R, HR (18), 2 RBI (69)*

1B – Vince Belnome – 1-4, R, SO

CF – Joe Benson – 2-4

C – Xorge Carrillo – 3-4, 2B (14), RBI (35), SO

Roemon Fields – 1-3, 2B (2), RBI (10), SAC, SO

Dwight Smith – 2-4, 2B (18), RBI (38)

Derrick Chung – 2-4, R

Emilio Guerrero – 1-4, R, 2B (10), RBI (6), SO, GIDP

Shane Opitz – 2-3, R, 3B (5), RBI (31)

Jorge Flores – 2-3, R, CS

Recap

            B-Mets starter Matt Koch was just a little too hittable Sunday night, and Fisher Cats starter Taylor Cole was just the opposite over the first 8 innings, which left Binghamton down 4-0 as the game reached the 9^th inning. The Binghamton Mets managed to put together a 3-run rally in the 9^th, but it was too little, too late for this game. Xorge Carrillo and Josh Rodriguez had big days at the plate, but the B-Mets would manage only 2 other singles against Cole during his 8+ innings. Koch would work around trouble in the 1^st, and throw 1-2-3 frames in the 2^nd and 4^th innings, but couldn’t work around multiple hits allowed in the 3^rd, 5^th, and 6^th innings. Four of the nine hits allowed by Koch went for extra bases, but they were all hit to Brock Peterson in LF, and he had a poor game in the outfield. I’m not suggesting that all of those extra base hits to LF would’ve been caught by another left fielder, but a more conservative approach could have at least limited the number of bases taken multiple times. Adam Kolarek came in to relieve Koch in the 6^th, and he would strand an inherited runner on 3B to finish the frame, and then work a scoreless 7^th. Erik Goeddel looked very sharp working a scoreless 8^th, sitting 93-94 MPH and showing that sharp curve, so hopefully he’ll be back with the Mets soon.

            Check out the scoring details and highlights below, as well as the 4 combined strikeouts between the B-Mets pitchers. Binghamton headed home to start a series against Erie Monday night, with Rainy Lara (6-5, 3.74 ERA) scheduled to make the 6:35 PM start for the B-Mets.

Scoring Highlights

The Mets Internal Bullpen Options, The Binghamton Mets Bullpen

How many of these current B-Mets have a future in the Citi Field bullpen?

Reviewing the bullpen options for the Mets from the AA and AAA level – a look at the Binghamton Mets pen today, after I investigated the Las Vegas pen yesterday (lefties, righties).

            After many questions surrounding the pen coming into 2015, the Mets have had one of the top bullpens in the major leagues this year – Fangraphs has the Mets relievers at a 3.14 ERA after their series in Baltimore, which is 6^th in the majors – but they’ve been stumbling lately – they have a 4.34 ERA over the last 30 days, which is 20^th in the majors. Jenrry Mejia’s second suspension was an unexpected blow, and while Bobby Parnell’s struggles were a little more predictable – he struggled a lot in A+/AA before coming up, and he didn’t have his normal upper-90’s velocity – the Mets still ran him out there for 23 appearances (19.1 IP).

Fortunately, Logan Verrett has returned in place of Parnell, which is not something I would have imagined typing back in March (when Verrett wasn’t even on the Mets), but he was great during his first stint with the Mets this year, and he’s been strong in Las Vegas since. The Mets are getting further good news for the pitching staff down in AA, where Erik Goeddel has looked great during his 2 appearances (GIF’s from 8/16 here, details from 8/19 here), topping out at 94 MPH with his heater on Wednesday night. Also, down in Port St. Lucie Rafael Montero and Steven Matz are in various states of rehab, and at least Matz is expected to return this year.
            While Verrett and Goeddel should help boost the pen in the short term, the Mets will look to add reinforcements once the rosters expand in September, and may wish to look internally for a lefty option in the mean time if Eric O’Flaherty proves unreliable. I reviewed the seasons and stuff of the top internal bullpen options from the Binghamton Mets below, and I also give my opinion as to whether they would be a good fit for the Mets in September.

B-Mets Pitching Getting It Done Lately

Michael Fulmer and Gabriel Ynoa have been leading the way for a revamped B-Mets pitching staff

The Binghamton Mets are 47-42 overall, but have a 19-12 record over their last 31 games played, and they have some great pitching to thank for their current run.

            Coming into the 2015 season, the Mets were considered to have a Top-5 farm system, with the Las Vegas 51s ranked the third most talented roster in the minor leagues by Baseball America, and much attention given to the overall pitching depth within the system. While there are interesting players throughout the system, the 51s and the PSL Mets appeared to have the most talented rosters coming out of spring training, although the B-Mets initial roster had some exciting names too. Still, the B-Mets were lacking Michael Fulmer, who was staying back in extended spring training to get to full health, and L.J. Mazzilli, who was suspended 50 games to start the season (for drugs of abuse, not PED’s), and we all knew Michael Conforto was not far off, so the B-Mets figured to finish the first half more talented than they started.

2015 Monday Morning Mets Minors Players of the Week

Image from CollectTheMets

May 11-17, 2015

            Keeping track of the hottest minor leaguers in the Mets farm system.

Hitter of the Week: Kyle Johnson doesn’t get to play everyday in a crowded Las Vegas rotation, but he made the most of his playing time this past week, leading all Mets minor leaguers with his 1.250 OPS.

Starting Pitcher of the Week: Tyler Pill had been showing signs of adjusting during his first few weeks in the PCL, and then broke out with two great starts last week.

Relief Pitcher of the Week: Adam Kolarek has been nearly unhittable since changing his arm-slot a few weeks ago, and he allowed only one base runner in his 5.2 IP last week.

Team of the Week: Only one team finished with a winning record, so the Las Vegas 51s get the nod.

Gant Great and Bats Erupt Late for Bingo

New Hampshire Fisher Cats @ Binghamton Mets

May 16, 2015

John Anderson @ John Gant

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
New Hampshire	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		1	5	0
Binghamton	0	0	1	0	0	4	1	0	X		6	13	3

W: Gant (2-3, 4.18 ERA); L: Burns (2-3, 8.41 ERA); S: Kolarek (1, 4.71 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

John Gant – 6 IP, 4 H, R, 2 BB, 4 SO, 101 Pitches (62 Strikes), 8 GO: 5 FO

Adam Kolarek – 3 IP, H, SO, 6 GO: 2 FO

Batters

Gavin Cecchini – 2-4, BB, GIDP, 2 E (9)

Jared King – 1-5, RBI (21)

Josh Rodriguez – 1-3, R, 3B, BB, SO

Jayce Boyd – 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI (15), SB (2)

David Cooper – 1-4, R

Dustin Lawley – 2-4, 2B (12), RBI (15), SB (6), SO

Aderlin Rodriguez – 1-4, 2 RBI (17)

Albert Cordero – 1-4, R, SO

Eudy Pina – 2-3, R, BB

Recap

            The B-Mets and Fisher Cats were locked in a tight pitching battle for the first 6 innings Saturday afternoon, but then Binghamton used a 4-run outburst to pull head for good. John Gant allowed a run on two hits in the 1^st, and then settled in for a great start, allowing only two more hits and two walks the rest of the way. Adam Kolarek came in for a 3-inning save, allowing one only hit during the appearance, and extending his scoreless innings streak to 14-straight. Every Mets batter had a hit in the game, with four players provided two. It was not all good news for Binghamton, however, as Brandon Nimmo appears headed for the DL.

            Check out the scoring highlights and more on Gant below. This series wraps up Sunday afternoon at 1:05 PM, with Seth Lugo scheduled to pitch for Binghamton.

Scoring Highlights

Fulmer Strong, Bats Explode in the 6th

Binghamton Mets @ Akron Rubber Ducks

May 9, 2015

Michael Fulmer @ Cody Anderson

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Binghamton	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0		5	9	1
Akron	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	3		4	11	1

W: Fulmer (1-0, 3.60 ERA); L: Suarez (0-1, 14.54 ERA); S: Velasquez (7, 3.12 ERA)

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Michael Fulmer – 5 IP, 5 H, R, 2 BB, 4 SO, HBP, 95 Pitches (60 Strikes), 3 GO: 2 FO

Adam Kolarek (6.46 ERA) – 2 IP, 3 SO, 3 GO

Matt Koch (4.23 ERA) – 1 IP, 2 H, 2 GO

Paul Sewald (1.62 ERA) – 0.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, BB, 1 GO

Jon Velasquez – 0.1 IP, 1 FO, 2 IR – 0 S

Batters

Jared King – 1-5, 2B, GIDP

Brandon Nimmo – 1-5, R

Jayce Boyd – 1-4, R

Dustin Lawley – 1-4, R, 2B (10), 2 RBI (13), SO

Xorge Carrillo – 2-3, R, BB

Aderlin Rodriguez – 2-4, 3B (1), 2 RBI (13), SO

Eudy Pina – 1-4, 2 SO

Recap

            Michael Fulmer had a very strong start for the B-Mets, and the offense exploded for 5 runs after he left, which turned out to be just enough for the bullpen. It didn’t seem like Fulmer had his best secondary stuff Saturday night, but it was more than enough to carve his way through the Akron lineup, although he had to deal with at least one base runner in every inning. Cody Anderson looked very good for the Rubber Ducks, allowing only 3 hits and a walk over 5 IP – he left after only 70 pitches thrown because of a 19-minute rain delay. Binghamton would jump all over replacement Benny Suarez, who was charged with all five runs, and recorded only one out in the 6^th. Adam Kolarek was the first in from the Binghamton, and he worked two perfect innings, which extended his scoreless innings streak to 8.1 innings, a span of 4 appearances. Matt Koch was able to work through his trouble in the 8^th, but Paul Sewald would not have the same success in the 9^th, allowing an earned run for the first time this season. With Sewald struggling to get the final out of the game, Pedro Lopez went to the recently returned Jon Velasquez, who has just been closing out games wherever he pitches this year.

            Per the Akron announcer, Fulmer was 93-95 MPH with his fastball, and he was locating it well for most of the game, which was enough to work around a base runner in each inning. The one stretch when his control left him was after allowing a single with two outs in the 3^rd inning. Fulmer ended up walking the next two batters, but then recovered to overpower Anthony Gallas with a 95 MPH fastball. That strikeout was the start of his best stretch, as he’d retire 5 of 6, picking up all 4 of his strikeouts – only base runner came when a breaking ball got away from Fulmer for a HBP leading off the 4^th. Todd Hankins 5^th inning double was well struck, but it was a grounder just fair down the 3B line. The next batter was Jordan Smith, and he was fooled on a 1-2 offspeed pitch, but got his bat on the ball for a single into CF. Nimmo’s throw home beat Hankins, but Carrillo couldn’t corral it to apply the tag.

            The series wraps up Sunday at 2:05 PM, with John Gant scheduled to make his 5^th start as Bingo goes for the sweep. After allowing 5 ER over 3.2 IP in his first start, Gant has allowed only 5 ER over 17.2 IP (2.55 ERA) during his last 3 starts.

Scoring Highlights

2 Homeruns From Lawley Not Enough to Overcome Rough Start From Robles

Binghamton Mets @ New Britain Rock Cats

July 1, 2014

Hansel Robles @ Jason Wheeler

Teams	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Binghamton	0	1	0	1	0	1	0	2	1		6	9	0
New Britain	5	0	0	3	0	1	0	0	X		9	10	0

MiLB.com Boxscore

The Highlights:

Pitchers

Adam Kolarek – 2 IP, 2 SO, 1 GO: 2 FO

Batters

Dilson Herrera – 1-5, R, 2B (4), RBI (11), SO

Brian Burgamy – 1-4, 2 R, RBI (45), BB

Dustin Lawley – 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR (13), 2 RBI (37), SO

Jayce Boyd – 1-4, 3B (1), RBI (24), 2 SO

Travis Taijeron – 1-3, 2B (22), HBP, SO

Eddie Rosario – 1-3, 2 R, HR (2), RBI (11), 2 BB, SO

Reynaldo Rodriguez – 2-3, R, 2B (24), RBI (39), BB

Aaron Hicks – 2-3, R, RBI (4), BB, SO

Mike Kvasnicka – 1-4, R, HR (6), 2 RBI (33), SO

Recap with gifs:

            Hansel Robles just barely got out of the 1^st inning (or an out in the 4^th), putting the B-Mets in a hole too big to climb out of. Dustin Lawley continued his hot hitting with two solo-blasts – including his HR in the 9^th Monday night, Lawley had hit a homerun in three straight PA’s. Everyone reached base at least once, and only Xorge Carrillo failed to pick up a hit, but their combined effort were not enough to overcome the lead built up against Robles. Highlights in gifs below – offense first and then the bullpen strikeouts.