Stars of the Day:

AAA: Valentino Pascucci/*Claudio Vargas*

AA: *Fernando Martinez*/Sal Aguilar

A+: Lucas Duda & Luis Rivera

A: Jose Bierd

 

New Orleans (AAA – Pacific Coast League)

@ New Orleans Zephyrs (18-16, -2.5) 1, Fresno Grizzlies ((18-16) 0

 

            RF Valentino Pascucci provided the game’s only scoring with a bomb in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Zephyrs won their second straight. 

            Claudio Vargas made it stand up, pitching seven excellent innings.  Vargas allowed just four hits, struck out seven and did not walk a batter in his second PCL start of the year.  Nate Field worked the eighth and Carlos Muniz nailed down the ninth for his fifth save.  Muniz still has not been scored upon in 12 minor league innings or four big league frames. 

 

Binghamton (AA - Eastern League)

Binghamton Mets (14-20, -8.5) 6, @ Reading Phillies (15-18) 1

 

            Fernando Martinez’s first two-home run game as a professional accounted for half of the B-Mets blasts on Thursday night.  Martinez (.264/.297/.403) finished up 3-4 with three runs scored and two RBI.  Nick Evans (.303/.374/.598) launched his third longball of the year, and C Solomon Manriquez hit his second. 

            Salvador Aguilar (2-0, 3.58), in his first star of the year, tossed five scoreless frames, fanning three and walking two.  Joe Hietpas gave up a run in two inning os work, German Marte allowed just one hit in his two. 

            The B-Mets have won three games in a row. 

 

St. Lucie (A+ - Florida State League)

Fort Myers Miracle (20-13) 7, @ St. Lucie Mets (8-25, -12.5) 2

 

            Deolis Guerra, helped by two homers bested Dillon Gee and his old mates.  Guerra (3-1, 4.32) gave up two runs in six innings, didn’t walk a batter, but struck out only one.  Gee (2-3, 4.54) who took the loss, was responsible for four runs, three earned on eight hits in six, fanning four. 

            1B Lucas Duda (.321/.395/.466) continued his impressive campaign with a 2-4 evening complete with a double (his tenth) and an RBI (his 27th).  2B Luis Rivera (.278/.328/.426) age 24, doubled and tripled and scored a run. 

 

Savannah (A – South Atlantic League)

@ Hickory Crawdads (16-19) 5, Savannah Sand Gnats (13-21, -12.0) 2

 

            The Savannah offense was Gnat-sized, collecting just three singles, while scoring both of its runs in the top of the ninth.

            Elvin Ramirez fell to 3-2 with a 3.90 ERA for giving up all five runs, three of which were earned in five innings.  SS Matt Bouchard committed his 14th error of the year.  Closer Jose Bierd worked two scoreless innings at the game’s conclusion.  The 22-year old has struck out nine in 15 innings of work. 

 

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.