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Mets Daily Prospect Report, 8/5/18: Double-dips and dingers

Catch up on all the Mets prospects in yesterday’s minor league action here!

By Matthew Mackenzie
Steve Sypa

*All results from games played on Saturday August 4th, 2018.

Triple-A: Las Vegas 51s (55-57)

LAS VEGAS 9, IOWA 6 (BOX)

Three Vegas batters went deep on Saturday night, as they rallied from a 6-2 deficit with seven unanswered runs for a win in Des Moines. After the Cubs struck first with a single in the opening inning, Ty Kelly got the 51s on the board in the top of the third, hitting one out after a single by Colton Plaia, and giving his team a 2-1 lead. Unfortunately, however, Blake Taylor was making just his second start at the Triple-A level this year, and he would find the going quite rough in the third and fourth. After a Steven Bruno single opened the third, Taylor would walk three consecutive batters to force in a run, and the Cubs would add another on an RBI groundout. Then when three Cubs crossed the plate in the fourth, on a walk, two singles, and a double, things were looking bleak for the 51s.

With one out in the fifth, though, the tide began to turn. After a double from Kelly, Peter Alonso brought him all the way around with a two-run blast, and two batters later, Dom Smith hit a home run of his own. Just like that, it was a one-run game. Then in the sixth, two walks and a single loaded the bases, setting the stage for Plaia to score the tying run on a passed ball. Two batters later, Bryce Brentz gave Las Vegas the lead with a two-run single, and the 51s added on after an error by Mark Zagunis. The Cubs committed four errors on the night in all, contributing to four unearned Las Vegas runs.

Kyle Regnault and Gerson Bautista combined for four scoreless relief innings to nail down the win. Regnault had struggled in the first half of the season, but the lefty has an impressive 3.18 ERA since the end of June.

ROSTER ALERT: LHP Blake Taylor assigned to Las Vegas 51s from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: C Johnny Monell retired.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (52-60)

GAME ONE

BINGHAMTON 3, HARRISBURG 2/ 7 (BOX)

After falling behind early thanks to an error, the Rumble Ponies’ pitching staff kept Harrisburg off the board for the rest of the game, and ultimately came up with a walk-off win in Game One of Saturday’s twin-bill. Franklyn Kilome got the ball for Binghamton in this game, and he did not help his own cause in the field, allowing Carter Kieboom to reach on a two-base throwing error just two batters into the game. Daniel Johnson moved Kieboom to third with a single, and when Raudy Read plated both of them with a double, the Rumble Ponies found themselves in an early 2-0 hole. Kilome, however, was able to keep the Senators off the board after that, striking out five batters in 4 2⁄3 solid innings of work. Ever since he was acquired from the Phillies, the promising pitching prospect has been as good as advertised, posting a 3.09 ERA, and even displaying improved control: Kilome has just three walks in eleven innings with Binghamton after walking almost a batter every two innings with Reading.

Andres Gimenez got a third-inning rally started for the Rumble Ponies with a single, scoring after a walk from Levi Michael and a ground ball through the right side of the infield from Joey Terdoslavich. Two batters later, Patrick Mazeika added an RBI single of his own, knotting the score at 2-2. Kilome, Daniel Zamora, and Corey Taylor conceded only three hits the rest of the way, keeping the game tied, and setting the stage for some late-inning fireworks.

Patrick Biondi drew a walk to lead off the home 7th, and Gimenez quickly followed with a bunt single, moving up to second after Roman Mendez got a bit too aggressive and threw the ball down the right field line. After another walk filled the bases, Terdoslavich came through yet again, this time with a line drive into left field that would end the game in walk-off fashion.

Also of note: Rumble Ponies Manager Luis Rojas was ejected in the sixth inning.

GAME TWO

HARRISBURG 1, BINGHAMTON 0/ 7 (BOX)

Justin Dunn was on top of his game in the nightcap, bouncing back from a rare clunker with nine strikeouts and six dominant innings on the mound. Nonetheless, one mistake was enough to hand the righty a hard-luck loss, as Carter Kieboom took him deep in the sixth inning, and the Rumble Ponies managed just three hits against Jaron Long, the son of former Mets hitting coach Kevin Long.

Outside of two dreadful starts against Hartford and Altoona, Dunn has pitched to an impressive 1.95 ERA at the Double-A level, and much like his big league counterpart, Jacob deGrom, his 7-7 record belies an admirable body of work with St. Lucie and Binghamton. The Boston College product now has a 2.93 ERA on the 2018 season, and he will be a candidate for a September call-up at the end of the minor league season.

Will Toffey was the only Binghamton hitter to reach base more than once in the loss, collecting a single and a double.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released SS Joey Wong.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies sent RHP Adonis Uceta on a rehab assignment to GCL Mets.

Advanced-A: St. Lucie Mets (27-40/16-24)

ST. LUCIE 7, DAYTONA 2 (BOX)

St. Lucie scored three runs each in the third and fourth on Saturday night, and Matt Pobereyko worked three hitless innings out of the bullpen as the Mets pulled away for a lopsided win at Tradition Field. Gabriel Llanes dealt with almost constant traffic on the basepaths, allowing Daytona hitters to reach base thirteen times in six innings of work, but the California native was able to come up with some timely outs, and he received more than enough support from his offense. After struggling mightily in the first half of the season, Llanes has now put up five quality starts in his last seven appearances.

Jeremy Vasquez got the scoring started for St. Lucie in the third inning. After two walks and a single had loaded the bases, he ripped a ground ball through the right side of the infield, scoring two runs and giving his team the lead. Michael Beltre misplayed the ball in right field, allowing Michael Paez to score as well, which extended the lead to 3-1.

The Mets would add on in the fourth. Wuilmer Becerra reached on an infield single with one out, and he moved up to second after Tortugas pitcher Andrew Jordan tried to get him out at first, and threw the ball down the right field line. Blake Tiberi and Anthony Dimino both singled, bringing in another run, and St. Lucie would add two more tallies to the scoresheet on a walk, a sacrifice fly, and another single, chasing Jordan from the game.

John Sansone would bring the Tortugas slightly closer with a seventh-inning RBI double, but Pobereyko would take over shortly thereafter, and see the game through without further trouble.

ROSTER ALERT: LHP Matt Gage assigned to St. Lucie Mets.

Low-A: Columbia Fireflies (34-33/17-24)

GAME ONE

ASHEVILLE 5, COLUMBIA 1/ 7 (BOX)

Luc Rennie has been able to overpower inexperienced hitters in the South Atlantic League with his advanced approach on the mound, but his pitching style was no help in a rough start on Saturday evening. One might wonder if Rennie was simply too predictable, as he threw eighty of his ninety-six pitches for strikes but was hit hard throughout the evening. The former independent league pitcher will nonetheless carry an outstanding 1.93 ERA into his next start, as he has been one of the few bright spots in a disappointing second half for Columbia.

Asheville jumped out to a commanding 5-0 lead in this game, practically an insurmountable advantage in the shortened seven-inning game, and the Fireflies could muster only one against the University of Minnesota product Lucas Gilbreath.

GAME TWO

ASHEVILLE 8, COLUMBIA 0/ 7 (BOX)

Chris Viall was roughed up for a third consecutive start, and the Fireflies’ offense remained dormant, managing just a single hit as they were unable to salvage a split of Saturday’s twin-bill. Viall allowed just six hits but his control was all over the map, as he walked three batters and hit another three in just 4 2⁄3 innings.

The Columbia defense surely didn’t help matters, allowing two unearned runs to score after an error by Jose Brizuela, but Viall and Darwin Ramos were their own worst enemies in this game. Three of the eight Asheville runs scored on wild pitches or bases-loaded walks, and the Tourists were able to cobble together those eight runs without a single home run.

Short Season: Brooklyn Cyclones (26-22)

BROOKLYN 4, ABERDEEN 3 (BOX)

Yeizo Campos, who has been a valuable contributor in long relief for Columbia this season, made his first start of the year for Brooklyn on Saturday. The 22-year-old Venezuelan looked impressive early before faltering late, but he kept his team in the game, and the Cyclones’ offense did just enough to come away with a win.

Brooklyn drew first blood in the fifth inning, scoring on a bizarre double steal. After Dirocie and Hayden Senger each drew a walk, Senger was picked off on the back end of a double steal. However, he was able to stay in a pickle long enough for Dirocie to hustle all the way around and score. JC Escarra would reclaim the lead for Aberdeen very quickly, though, taking Campos deep for a two-run home run in the very next frame. but that lead would be short-lived.

Angel Manzanarez led off the bottom of the 6th with a single, moving over to third on a double from Ross Adolph. Both runners would score on a wild pitch and a double, but the see-saw affair would only continue, as Robbie Thorburn tied the game with an RBI hit of his own in the top of the 7th. Adolph would bring in another run in the bottom of the inning, though, and after the two teams had combined to score in five consecutive half-innings, the game would finally settle down.

Tommy Wilson and Ryley Gilliam combined for 2 1⁄3 scorless relief innings to cose out the win for the Cyclones. Gilliam, a fifth-round pick from Clemson, has yet to allow a run in eight professional innings of work.

With the win, the Cyclones are now 2 1⁄2 games behind Hudson Valley in a tight three-team race for the McNamara Division title.

Rookie-Advanced: Kingsport Mets (23-19)

KINGSPORT 14, BRISTOL 6 (BOX)

The K-Mets jumped out to a 14-0 lead en route to a lopsided win, as three Kingsport batters went deep and they piled up ten runs in the third inning alone. The K-Mets sent fifteen batters to the plate in an inning that featured three walks, a hit batter, two singles, three doubles, a run-scoring double play, and home runs from both Luis Santana and Mark Vientos. Daison Acosta had an embarrassment of riches to work with, and he turned in another solid start, allowing just three hits in five innings of work. The Dominican teenager lowered his ERA to 3.86 in the process.

Jarred Kelenic hit his third home run of the season in the fifth inning, pushing the lead to 14-0, and putting the finishing touches on an impressive offensive showing from the K-Mets. Bristol would score six unanswered runs to close out the game, mostly a product of some shoddy Kingsport defense, but the game was completely out of reach by that point.

With the win, the K-Mets remain 2 1⁄2 games behind first place Elizabethton in the Appalachian League West Division.

Rookie: GCL Mets (20-20)

GAME ONE

GCL NATIONALS 8, GCL METS 6/ 10 (BOX)

After last Monday’s game between the GCL Mets and GCL Nationals was suspended due to rain, the two teams picked up where they left off on Saturday afternoon. Wet weather and five-day delays notwithstanding, this game was still a wild and woolly affair, featuring twenty-two hits between the two sides, as well as six errors and eight walks.

Oscar Rojas pitched well in long relief for the Mets, but his stuff betrayed him in the tenth inning, as he let in three runs, and the Mets could not recover.

Bryce Brentz, on a rehab assignment at the time, hit a home run in this game before the skies opened up on Monday; the outfielder also played a key role in Saturday’s win for Las Vegas.

GAME TWO

GCL NATIONALS 7, GCL METS 4 (BOX)

Jender De Jesus fell apart in the third inning, letting in five runs, and the GCL Mets eventually found themselves in a 7-1 hole from which they would not recover. They were able to push three runs across in the seventh, but it was too little, too late, and the GCL Nationals came away with a sweep in Saturday’s doubleheader. Jaylen Palmer collected three hits in the loss, while Stanley Consuegra hit his first home run in the United States.

Heroes of the Night

RF Ross Adolph and 3B Mark Vientos

Goats of the Night

Anyone who took the field for the Columbia Fireflies

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