Mets Daily Farm Report - 6/12/13: Everybody Gets A Walk-Off!

*All results from games played on Tuesday, June 11^th, 2013*

AAA - Las Vegas 51s (34-29)__________________________________

TACOMA 6, LAS VEGAS 8 (Box)

Late into the east coast night, Las Vegas and Tacoma played a back-and-forth ballgame that eventually saw Las Vegas starter Collin McHugh, who has otherwise been surprisingly good in the Pacific Coast League this season, turn in his shortest outing of the season. He lasted only four innings. It wasn't that the Rainiers smacked him around in his return to Triple-A, as they scored only two earned runs off of him, but rather McHugh wasn't very efficient. He threw 74 pitches in four innings, and his fourth inning encapsulates how his night went:

Rich Poythress strikes out swinging. Wild pitch by pitcher Collin McHugh. Rich Poythress to 1st.

Nate Tenbrink walks. Rich Poythress to 2nd.

Jason Jaramillo strikes out swinging.

Eric Thames strikes out swinging.

Robert Andino walks. Rich Poythress to 3rd. Nate Tenbrink to 2nd.

With Abraham Almonte batting, wild pitch by Collin McHugh, Rich Poythress scores. Nate Tenbrink scores. Robert Andino to 3rd. Throwing error by catcher Francisco Pena.

Abraham Almonte strikes out swinging.

McHugh left with a 4-3 lead thanks to some Tacoma defensive miscues, situational hitting, and a solo home run by Francisco Pena. The score remained that way until the top of the 9^th, when Robert Carson was brought in to protect the lead and notch the save. What was Backman thinking? Predictably, Carson got lit up. With two outs and a man on first base, the bases were loaded via a single and a Brandon Hicks throwing error. Brad Miller came up to the plate and knocked a double into center, clearing the bases. After issuing a Dustin Ackley walk, Carson's night was over. You'd think that Las Vegas window of opportunity for winning the ballgame would have also closed, wouldn't you? Well, you'd be wrong! With two outs, Andrew Brown and Ike Davis had back-to-back walks. This brought Wilmer Flores to the plate, who ignited the rally with a line drive single that scored Brown and sent Ike to third. Zach Lutz killed the rally, socking a three-run shot to left center, putting the finishing touches on an improbable comeback.

• RF Mike Baxter: 2-4, R, 3B, BB, K, CS (1)
• 1B Ike Davis: 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
• DH Andrew Brown: 1-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
• 2B Wilmer Flores: 3-5, 2 R, RBI
• 3B Zach Lutz: 2-5, 2 R, K, 3 RBI, HR (5)
• C Francisco Pena: 2-3, R, 2 RBI, HR (5), E (1)
• RHP Collin McHugh: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 5 K, HR, 2 WP
• LHP Robert Carson: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 1 K

AA - Binghamton Mets (39-25)_____________________________________

BINGHAMTON 6, TRENTON 5 (Box)

In yet another battle between Mets affiliates and Yankee affiliates, Binghamton triumphed over the Trenton Thunder 4-2 in a game that saw most of its action at the beginning and the end. In the top of the 2^nd, Danny Muno slugged a three-run homer to left, and Allan Dykstra laced a line drive that drove in Cesar Puello. In the bottom of the inning, Binghamton starter Erik Goeddel led off the frame by allowing a home run to first baseman Kyle Roller, and then a pair of singles that scored another run. For the next five innings, neither Binghamton nor Trenton could push any more runs across home plate. Finally, in the 8h inning, that scoreless streak came to an end. With men on second and third, Wilfredo Tovar hit a ground ball that got past the middle infielders and into center field that allowed both men to score. In games like this one, for every action, there is a reaction: in the bottom of the 8^th, the Thunder scored a run off of Chase Huchingson on a pair of singles with a walk sandwiched in between. Jack Leathersich was brought in to end the inning, which he did, and Jeff Walters was brought in to end the game -- though not before allowing another homer by Kyle Roller. Of note, Cesar Puello was removed from the game in the 7^th inning after being tagged out attempting to steal second base. He apparently hurt his hand or his wrist while sliding headfirst into the bag. This is just one more reason, boys and girls, why Pete Rose, who really popularized the head-first slide, should not be in the Hall of Fame.

• RF Cesar Puello: 2-4, R, K, CS (4)
• 2B Danny Muno: 2-5, R, 2 K, 3 RBI, HR (3)
• 1B Allan Dykstra: 2-3, 2 BB, RBI
• 3B Josh Rodriguez: 3-5
• LF-RF Travis Taijeron: 0-5, 4 K
• CF Alonzo Harris: 1-1, R, 2 BB
• SS Wilfredo Tovar: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, CS (5)
• RHP Erik Goeddel: 6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, HR
• LHP Jack Leathersich: 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 BB, 0 K

Hi-A - St. Lucie Mets (33-29)________________________________________

ST. LUCIE 4, CLEARWATER 2 / 10 (Box)

St. Lucie jumped out to a quick lead, scoring a run in the first inning on an Aderlin Rodriguez single. It might have been two runs had Robbie Shields not been caught trying to steal third base while Aderlin was at the plate. Cam Maron singled in a run in the top of the 2^nd, and up 2-0, it didn't really seem as if that caught stealing was a big deal. Clearwater scored a run on a solo home run off of Alex Panteliodis in the bottom of the 2^nd, and another in the bottom 7^th, tying the game- that extra RBI looming large now. With the score tied after the 9^th inning ended, into extra innings we went. It didn't take long for runs to score, thankfully. With two outs, FSL All-Star Aderlin singled and fellow All-Star Dustin Lawley rapped a Colton Murray offering over the left field wall. Hamilton Bennett came in to pitch the bottom of the 10^th, and though things got a little dicey when he allowed two consecutive singles, he stuck out his final batter to end the game with a flourish.

• DH T.J. Rivera: 0-5, 2 K
• SS Matt Reynolds: 0-4, R, BB, 2 K, E (12)
• LF Dustin Lawley: 1-4, R, K, 2 RBI, HR (12)
• 1B Aderlin Rodriguez: 2-4, R, BB, RBI, CS (1)
• 2B Robbie Shields: 2-5, 2B, K, CS (1)
• C Cam Maron: 1-2, 2 BB, RBI
• RHP Alex Panteliodis: 6.1 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 2 HR

Lo-A - Savannah Sand Gnats (38-26)__________________________________

GAME ONE

ASHVELLE 4, SAVANNAH 3 / 8 (Box)

For seven innings, Gabriel Ynoa did what we've become accustomed to him doing- pitching very well. He wasn't as effective as he was in some past starts, giving up three runs on eight hits, and striking out only three batters, but he gave the Sand Gnats some pitching depth to save the bullpen for later innings of the double dip with the Tourists. The runs came in the 6^th inning, when he allowed a two-run home run to first baseman Derek Jones and an RBI single to centerfielder Francisco Sosa a few batters later. Before that, he was in line for the win. The Sand Gnats got on the board first, scoring two runs in the 1^st and another in the 2^nd. Two of those three runs came as a result of Tourist battery Matthew Carasiti and Tom Murphy not literally coughing the lead up on boneheaded misplays- a balk moved Maikis De La Cruz to third and a passed ball scored him in the 1^st, and a second balk scored De La Cruz once more in the 2^nd. The score was tied 3-3 late in the game, but unfortunately the normally dependable Beck Wheeler had a hiccup in the 8^th inning that cost Savannah the game. "Bad Wheeler" threw two wild pitches that inning, one of which was thrown with a runner on second base. The run scored, and though the Sand Gnats managed to get men on first and second in the bottom of the inning, Cole Frenzel struck out to end the game.

• CF Brandon Nimmo: 1-4
• 1B Jayce Boyd: 1-4
• DH Kevin Plawecki: 1-3, R
• LF Stefan Sabol: 2-4, 3B, RBI
• 2B Jeff Reynolds: 1-3
• SS Phil Evans: 0-3, K
• RHP Gabriel Ynoa: 7 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, HR

GAME TWO

ASHVELLE 0, SAVANNAH 1 / 11 (Box)

This game was a make-up of the game originally scheduled for Monday, June 10^th, which was postponed because of rain. Game two was an extremely well-pitched affair. The Tourists allowed only two hits, and the Sand Gnats were only marginally worse, allowing only five. For nine innings, none of those hits crossed the plate. For Savannah, Logan Taylor and Paul Sewald combined for nine scoreless innings, and for Asheville, Matt Flemer and Brook Hart combined for nine scoreless. Finally, in the bottom of the 11^th, Savannah broke through and scored a run. With the bases loaded, Mr. Moneyball himself, Brandon Nimmo, worked out a walk and forced in the game's winning run, recouping the Sand Gnats' loss from earlier in the day.

• DH Maikis De La Cruz: 1-4, BB
• CF Brandon Nimmo: 0-3, 2 BB, RBI
• 1B Jayce Boyd: 1-4
• C Kevin Plawecki: 0-4, K
• LF Stefan Sabol: 0-4, K
• RF Eudy Pina: 0-4, K
• 2B-3B Jeff Reynolds: 0-4, R
• SS Phil Evans: 2-3, K
• RHP Logan Taylor: 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K

2013 Amazin' Avenue Mets Top 50 Prospect Rankings

In four Triple-A seasons, Lutz is a .293/.387/.484 hitter (PHOTO CREDIT: Bryan Green)

Star of the Night

There weren't too many standout performances in the system last night, but even if there were, I'd be hard to beat Zach Lutz dramatic, walk-off home run.

Goat of the Night

Travis Taijeron and his 0-5 Golden Sombrero night might give him the dubious honor of being the Goat of the Night on any other night, but I am going to have to give the goat horns to Beck Wheeler tonight, for his role in Savannah's loss. While there is something to be said about an opposing batter simply beating you, wild pitches are unconscionable. They don't represent the opposing batter beating you, they represent you messing up.

Send an email to the AA Prospect Mailbag!