The Mets signed Abraham Nunez to a minor league contract, so the 11-year MLB veteran will report to New Orleans.  Nunez is a career .242/.313/.314 hitter for the Pirates, Cardinals and Phillies.  He began 2008 with the Brewers PCL affiliate in Nashville where he hit .218 in 101 AB. 

 

Stars of the Day:

AAA: Anderson Machado

AA: Sal Aguilar/Dan Murphy & Mike Carp & Caleb Stewart

A+: Salvador Paniagua & BJ Hubbert

A: Jared Abruzzo & Jose Jimenez

 

New Orleans (AAA – Pacific Coast League)

@ Oklahoma Red Hawks (25-20) 12, New Orleans Zephyrs (21-23, -3.5) 3

 

            Oklahoma hammered Ruddy Lugo in his return from the DL, scoring four times in the first on the way to a blowout.  Ivan Maldonado pitched well in three mop-up innings, fanning three.

            3B Anderson Machado was 2-3 with a homer and a walk.  Raul Casanova added two knocks and a double. 

            New Orleans has lost seven of eight. 

           

 

 

Binghamton (AA - Eastern League)

Binghamton Mets (21-22, -6.5) 9, @ Connecticut Defenders (20-22) 0

 

            The B-Mets scored six times in the second inning, providing ample support for Salvador Aguilar.  The 26-year old Aguilar (4-0, 3.05) struck out seven and walked one in 6.2 innings.

            Guess who did a bunch of the damage for the Binghamton offense?  If you had Dan Murphy or Mike Carp in your office pool, you win.  3B Murphy (.329/.369/.482) was 4-5 with a double and an RBI.  1B Carp (.338/.389/.537) was 3-4 with an RBI and a walk.  Carp led off the Mets six-run second, and had two hits in the frame.  RF Caleb Stewart added three hits and a double as well. 

            Jon Niese (2-4, 4.19) throws Tuesday for the B-Mets who have won seven of eight. 

 

St. Lucie (A+ - Florida State League)

@ Dunedin Blue Jays (24-20) 15, St. Lucie Mets (8-36, -19.0) 2

 

            Dunedin scored two runs in the second, and then five in the third and fourth against starter Nick Carr and newcomer Elvys Quezada as the Mets lost their 12th in a row.  Carr (0-5, 5.61) lasted only 2.2 innings, his shortest outing of the year, giving up seven runs on six hits, two homers, and four walks.  In 43.1 innings this year, Carr has fanned 42 and walked 22 while allowing 50 hits.  Last year in the NYP League, he allowed fewer than a hit an inning, and ran a K/BB ratio above three.  However, the older, more experienced hitters in the FSL are giving him problems.  The Carr I saw in Hawaii showed a big arm, but struggled to locate his fastball consistently where he wanted it, and had a breaking ball that needed much work.  I had hoped for more from Carr, but the numbers this year show that he’s still a work in progress. 

            The second pitcher in the game, Elvys Quezada made his first Mets appearance.  The 26-year old Quezada worked as a swingman for the Tampa Yankees where he was 4-4 with a 3.72 ERA in 77.1 innings, fanning 69 and walking 23. 

            At the plate, Salvador Paniagua was 2-3 with a solo HR and RF BJ Hubbert was 2-3. 

            Speedy centerfielder Ezequiel Carrera was placed on the DL to make room for Quezada. 

 

Savannah (A – South Atlantic League)

Greenville Drive (26-19) 7, @ Savannah Sand Gnats (18-26, -11.5) 5

 

            Elvin Ramirez (4-3, 3.77), who’s had a nice start to the season for Savannah, had a hiccup on Monday, yielding four runs on six hits and three walks in 4.2 innings.  Brant Rustich allowed a run on two hits, striking out one in an inning of relief. 

            DH Jared Abruzzo (age 23) was 2-5 and 1B Jose Jimenez (age 22) was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI. 

 

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.