Wouldn’t baseball do well to adopt instant replay for plays involving home runs or potential homers? 

            Fernando Martinez was placed on the disabled list at double-A Binghamton on Saturday and will miss at least a few weeks say reports out of Binghamton.  Martinez will do his rehab in sunny St. Lucie rather than with the B-Mets. 

            To help the Binghamton outfield, the Mets signed OF Eric Reed and sent him upstate.  The Marlins released Reed after he started the year 2-17 for their triple-A affiliate in Albuquerque.  Despite playing his home games in the hitter friendly desert last year, Reed hit .285/.323/.397 for the Isotopes a year ago and was 2-for-20 for the Marlins.    The defensive specialist is 6-for-61 (.098) overall in the big leagues in two stints with the Fish in 06 and 07.  Also, to add depth to the Binghamton outfield, the Mets promoted OF Josh Petersen from St. Lucie before Sunday’s games and sent C/1B Miguel Paniagua the other way. 

            The B-Mets had their winning streak snapped over the weekend, while the A ball teams continued to struggle. 

 

Stars of the Weekend:

AAA: Raul Casanova…Tony Armas Jr./Chris Aguila & Valentino Pascucci…Victor Mendez

AA: Jose Sanchez/Caleb Stewart…Jose Coronado… Nick Evans & Caleb Stewart

A+: Tobi Stoner…Ruben Tejada

A: Greg Veloz…Casey Craig & Michael Parker …Carlos Guzman

 

New Orleans (AAA – Pacific Coast League)

Friday: @ Nashville Sounds 10, New Orleans Zephyrs 8

Saturday: New Orleans Zephyrs 4, @ Nashville Sounds 1

Sunday: @ Nashville Sounds (18-24) 8, New Orleans Zephyrs (21-22, -2.5) 5

 

            Friday, the Sounds led 7-2 after four innings, helped out by the first of Russell Branyan’s three homers.  However, the Zephyrs tied the game with a five-run fifth, and briefly took a one run lead with an eighth inning run on a Derrick Turnbow wild pitch, only to watch the Sounds score three times off Nate Field in the bottom of the inning.  Adam Bostick gave up two homers and seven runs in just 3.1 innings.  At the plate, C Raul Casanova was 3-4 and Valentino Pascucci homered. 

            Saturday, Tony Armas Jr. (2-4, 1.63) tossed seven shutout innings fanning five and walking one as the Zs snapped their five game skid.  After clearing waivers earlier, Nelson Figueroa added a scoreless inning of his own.  At the plate, LF Chris Aguila (.276/.354/.476 in 145 AB) was 3-4 with a double and walk.  Valentino Pascucci drilled a two run homer as well. 

            Sunday, for the second time in the weekend, the Zs bullpen couldn’t hold a lead as the Sounds scored the game’s final four runs.  As a starter, Willie Collazo, yielded four runs, three earned in five innings, walking four.  Joselo Diaz had trouble in the sixth, giving up three runs, while Nelson Figueroa was charged with the blown save.  RF Victor Mendez lifted a three-run third inning homer that began the game’s scoring in a 3-5 afternoon.

 

Binghamton (AA - Eastern League)

Friday: Binghamton Mets @ Erie Seawolves – ppd by rain

Saturday: Binghamton Mets 2 @ Erie Seawolves 0 (7 innings)

Saturday 2: Binghamton Mets 7 @ Erie Seawolves 5 (7 innings)

Sunday: @ Erie Seawolves (16-26) 10, Binghamton Mets (20-22, -7.0) 5

 

            Jose Sanchez (4-2, 3.86) gave the B-Mets a strong performance in game one of the double-dip Saturday, fanning six and walking one in six one-hit innings.  Eddie Kunz allowed two hits and struck out a batter in the ninth for his ninth save.  RF Caleb Stewart had the best game one with the bat going 2-3 with a double, triple, run and RBI. 

            In game two Saturday, Binghamton picked up longballs from some unlikely power sources, SS Jose Coronado and 1B Miguel Paniagua  to win its sixth straight game.  Coronado (.243/.318/.289) was 3-4 with a double and the jack, his first of the year.  Eric Brown (1-3, 6.75) picked up his first win of the year despite allowing ten hits. 

            Sunday, despite Mike Carp’s return, and some nice offensive days in the middle of the lineup, Bobby Parnell’s control struggles were the story.  Parnell (3-3, 5.87) walked five in five innings, leading to six runs.  It was the fourth time this year that Parnell has walked five or more batters and it came on the heels of just his second walk-less performance last week.  In better news, Carp pinch-hit and stayed in the game after missing nine days with a strained right side.  Adam Rubin notes that the origin of the problem was “rib-cage cartilage trouble.”  Caleb Stewart  was 4-5 with two doubles and a triple.  Nick Evans (.299/.360/.571) was 2-4 with a double and a homer playing first and LF.  In some ways his May (.276/.373/.603 in 58 AB) has been more impressive than his April (.313/.352/.552 in 96 AB) as he’s drawn more walks (8 to 7) in just over half the plate appearances. 

 

St. Lucie (A+ - Florida State League)

Friday: Daytona Cubs 3, @ St. Lucie Mets 2

Saturday: Daytona Cubs 8, @ St. Lucie Mets 4 (10 innings)

Sunday: @ Dunedin Blue Jays (23-30) 3, St. Lucie Mets (8-35, -18.0) 1

 

            Friday the Florida Cubbies scored a run in the ninth off Ryan Coultas, but it didn’t obscure another fine outing from Tobi Stoner.  The command specialist fanned seven and didn’t walk a batter in six one-run innings.  Stoner (1-2, 2.39) has struck out 28 while walking just four hitters in 26.1 innings with St. Lucie this year. 

            Saturday, Daytona scored four in the top of the tenth off Nick Abel as the Mets losing streak hit double figures. SS Ruben Tejada was 2-5 and drove home a pair.  1B Lucas Duda went 1-for-3, but walked twice.  Dylan Owen started and was simply good, but not great: 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.

            Sunday, the Jays handed the Mets their 11th straight defeat as the three runs that Dillon Gee (2-5, 4.17) allowed in the second inning were just too much.  SS Tejada (.231/.292/.296) had his second multi-hit game in a row and Bradley Hubbert who didn’t play above Kingsport last year was 2-3 with a double in his third game with St. Lucie this year. 

 

Savannah (A – South Atlantic League)

Friday: Greenville Drive 5, @ Savannah Sand Gnats 4

Saturday: Greenville Drive 6, @ Savannah Sand Gnats 2

Sunday: Greenville Drive (25-19) 13, @ Savannah Sand Gnats (18-25, -10.5) 5

            Friday, Michael Antonini handed Brant Rustich a one-run lead, only to watch the Drive score twice against the reliever for the comeback win.  Antonini fought his way around eight hits to allow three runs, two earned in six plus innings.  He fanned four and didn’t walk a batter.  Rustich’s control is not “there” yet as evidenced by two wild pitches in two innings.  Only 2B Greg Veloz, who was 2-4 had a multi-hit game. 

            Saturday, Maikel Cleto yielded three runs in 5.2 IP, and the Gnats offense couldn’t find the big knocks.  RF Casey Craig was 2-4 as was LF Michael Parker. 

            Sunday, Scott Moviel didn’t allow a hit through three innings.  He then gave up five runs in the fourth on two doubles and two jacks.  Thanks to errors by 1B Joaquin Rodriguez in the fourth and SS Matthew Bouchard and Moviel himself in the fifth, only two of the seven runs he gave up were earned. It was the 16th miscue of the year for Bouchard.  Twenty-one year old Carlos Guzman made his season debut for Savannah going 2-4 with a homer.  The Brooklyn native hit .215/.358/.392 in 38 games in the GCL in 2007.

           

 

 

Toby Hyde has written Toby’s Mets Minor League Report since 2004.  Please pass this along to friends, family, co-workers, and Mets fans of all types.  To subscribe to the email newsletter, sign up here: http://groups.google.com/group/mets-minors?hl=en.  Archives are available at http://metsminors.metsblog.com.