Syracuse’s bats came out swinging, and by the time the dust settled on an 11-1 win over Lehigh Valley, just about everybody in the lineup had joined the fun. The only starters who didn’t collect a hit were leadoff man Nick Morabito and No. 9 hitter Zack Short, while the rest of the group helped push runs across in the first, third, fourth, fifth, eighth and ninth innings.
Mark Vientos, on a rehab assignment, drove in two runs and delivered one on a solo homer that left the bat at 109 mph. Émilien Pitre chipped in with two extra-base hits, and Billy Amick launched two home runs as Syracuse kept piling it on.
The pitching staff did its part too. In a bullpen game, Kevin Herget, Tobias Myers, Joe Jacques, Chris Devenski and Dylan Ross combined to allow seven hits and one run while striking out 12. Myers also turned in an immaculate inning.
Binghamton was the lone Mets affiliate to come up short on the day, falling 6-2 at Reading. The Rumble Ponies briefly answered after falling behind 1-0 in the first, when Eli Serrano homered in the second to tie it. But Reading changed the game in the bottom of the fourth with two home runs and a four-run inning that Binghamton never managed to erase.
Serrano finished 1-for-4 with a run, a homer, an RBI and a strikeout, and John Bay also went deep. Mitch Voit was charged with an error, while Marco Vargas, Chris Suero, Corey Collins, JT Benson and Jamari Baylor all went hitless.
Noah Hall took the loss after working six innings and allowing seven hits, six runs, three earned, with six strikeouts, no walks and one hit batter. Bryce Conley and Brendan Girton finished things off in relief.
Brooklyn’s game against Hudson Valley turned into a wild one, and the Cyclones came out on top 11-5 in 10 innings. Hudson Valley led 4-0 after three and still had that edge heading into the seventh, but Brooklyn started clawing back with a John Spikerman sacrifice fly and a passed ball. In the eighth, a balk brought home another run, and Trey Snyder followed with a sacrifice fly to tie it.
From there, the Cyclones blew it open in the 10th, scoring seven times. Ronald Hernandez drew a bases-loaded walk, a passed ball added another run, and Snyder, Spikerman and Colin Houck each delivered RBI singles in the outburst.
In Other News...
Mets May Have Missed Something Big With David Peterson
Freddy Peralta has been fighting it since landing with the Tampa Bay Rays, and the rough numbers have only added to the scrutiny around how the move has played out. On the other side of the conversation sits David Peterson, who moved from the Mets to the Cubs and has looked far more settled, pitching to a 3.93 ERA over 50.1 innings while working behind steadier defense.
For the Mets, that contrast is the uncomfortable part. Petersons uptick raises the question of whether New Yorks handling of its pitchers, or the environment around them, played a role in some of the inconsistency it saw before the trade. Peraltas struggles have only sharpened the debate, and the bigger issue is whether the Mets let a useful arm slip away before getting the most out of him. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Let A Rare Pete Alonso Problem Get Even Bigger
Pete Alonso has been exactly the kind of middle-of-the-order force the Mets always hoped he would be for the Orioles, and his season has only sharpened the view from Queens of what they lost. While New York has had trouble getting consistent offense going in 2024, the broader issue goes beyond one lineup slump. Right-handed power has become harder to find and, by league standards, harder to trust, which makes a slugger with Alonsos profile even more valuable than he may have seemed when the offseason unfolded.
For the Mets, the bigger lesson is how quickly a rare problem can turn into a glaring one. David Stearns and the front office appear to have underestimated both the scarcity and the market value of right-handed hitters who can change a game with one swing, and Alonsos production has made that omission harder to ignore. With New York searching for answers and the rest of the league facing the same shrinking pool, the gap between needing power and actually securing it looks a lot wider now than it did before. [Read more 🡒]
Mets Deadline Sell-Off Is Already Fueling A New Debate
Three weeks after the deadline, the Mets roster cleanup is already being judged through the early returns from players sent elsewhere, and the picture has been mixed enough to keep the conversation alive. Some of the veterans moved in those transactions have settled into their new homes with encouraging results, while others have stumbled right out of the gate, giving the sell-off a very different feel depending on which former Met youre tracking.
Huascar Brazobn has become one of the clearest examples of how quickly the narrative can turn. He has struggled to a 6.30 ERA with the White Sox and now is on the injured list with a lat strain, a reminder that deadline deals are never evaluated only by what they bring back in the moment. For the Mets, the debate is no longer just about who left, but which of those exits might still end up looking smart once the dust settles. [Read more 🡒]