Saturday, the FSL released its All-Star selections for the All-Star game at Space Coast Stadium on June 14th.  Congratulations to C Josh Thole and RHP Dillon Gee, the Mets two representatives.  Thole, the Mets 13th round pick in 2005 is hitting .275/.370/.417 after the weekend’s action.  The 21 year old’s two homers are two more than he hit all of last year with Savannah.  Gee (3-5, 4.28) has tossed 61 innings and given up 63 hits.  He’s struck out 48 and walked 13.  Gee has been the best of the St. Lucie pitchers who have been in the rotation all season long. 

 

Stars of the Weekend:

AAA: Chris Aguila…Chris Aguila…Chris Aguila

AA: Jon Niese…Mike Carp…Eddie Kunz

A+: Dillon Gee…Jose Valentin…Joe Holden/Eric Niesen

A: Elvin Ramirez/Jose Jimenez…Angel Calero & Brant Rustich…Joaquin Rodriguez

 

New Orleans (AAA – Pacific Coast League)

Friday: Round Rock Express 7, @ New Orleans Zephyrs 1

Saturday: @ Round Rock Express 7, New Orleans Zephyrs 6 (10 innings)

Sunday: New Orleans Zephyrs (27-30, -3.0) 7, @ Round Rock Express (25-32) 5

 

            Friday, the Express tapped Ruddy Lugo for four runs in the first while the Zs couldn’t touch Runelvys Hernandez, who tossed a complete game three-hitter until the ninth.  New Orleans only run came on a solo homer from Chris Aguila in the ninth. 

            Saturday, Jesus Feliciano singled home a run in the top of the tenth to give New Orleans a 6-5 lead, but Nate Field gave up back-to-back bombs in the bottom of the inning as the Zephyrs lost for the fifth straight game.  LF Aguila drilled two homers in a 3-5 performance.   Feliciano was 2-5 with two RBI as well. 

            Sunday, he did it again, only better.  Aguila was 4-4 with two homers, 3 RBI and 3 R.  His five homer weekend has lifted his season line to .293/.373/.555.  RF Valentino Pascucci helped out at the plate on Sunday going 3-5.  Nelson Figueroa won, allowing three runs on eight his in eight innings. 

            Willie Collazo is headed back to the bullpen in favor of Brandon Knight who will make his first New Orleans start Tuesday. 

           

           

 

 

Binghamton (AA - Eastern League)

Friday: Binghamton Mets 5, @ Connecticut Defenders 3

Saturday: Binghamton Mets 3, @ Connecticut Defenders 0 (7 innings)

Saturday: Binghamton Mets 7, @ Connecticut Defenders 4 (7 innings)

Sunday: Binghamton Mets (29-27, -7.0) 6, @ Connecticut Defenders (25-30) 5

 

            Friday, the B-Mets grabbed the lead with a three-run seventh aided by three hit batsmen, to make a winner of Salvador Aguilar (5-1, 3.51) who’d pitched capably.  Aguilar gave up three runs on eight hits, fanning six and walking one.  Eddie Kunz didn’t allow a hit in saving his eleventh game, whiffing one and striking out a batter.  Dan Murphy, who started at first, but finished at third, was 2-3 with two RBI while Jon Malo who started at third and finished at second, hit his first homer of the year, a solo shot. 

            Saturday, in game one of the doubleheader, neither team scored through six innings thanks in part to the work of Jon Niese.  Niese (4-4, 3.47) gave up just two hits in six innings, punching out five while giving up one walk.  In the top of the seventh, after two batters reached on errors, LF/3B Josh Petersen drove home the game’s first run with a single.  Petersen was 2-3 with a double as well.  Eddie Kunz wrapped up his 12th save with a two-strikeout bottom of the seventh. 

            In game two on Saturday, the B-Mets broke a 2-2 tie with a five-run top of the seventh.  Murphy drove home two runs with a single to left, which Caleb Stewart followed with a two-run double to right.    Mike Carp was 2-4 with a double.  On the hill, it was a bullpen affair with Eude Brito starting and lasting two innings.  German Marte threw well for two innings. 

            Sunday, the Mets didn’t wait until the seventh.  Instead, the offense constructed a three-run sixth to take the lead and complete the sweep.  In the sixth, C Soloman Manriquez tripled home the tying run and scored the go-ahead run himself.  Carp (.335/.392/.503) was 3-4 with an RBI.  Kunz worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 13th save. 

           

 

 

St. Lucie (A+ - Florida State League)

Friday: St. Lucie Mets 5, @ Palm Beach Cardinals 1

Saturday: Palm Beach Cardinals 10, St. Lucie Mets 4

Sunday: Palm Beach Cardinals (35-21) 2, St. Lucie Mets ((12-44, -23.0) 0

 

            Friday, Dillon Gee pitched the St. Lucie Mets to their only victory of the weekend.  Gee (3-5, 4.26) held the Cardinals to one run over seven innings.  He struck out five and walked two.  Only C Josh Thole and CF BJ Hubbert had multiple hits as both were 2-4.  Jose Valentin was 0-3. 

            Saturday the Cardinals picked Nick Carr (0-7, 7.58) to pieces in just two innings.  Carr gave up seven runs on eight hits and three walks.  As a DH, Jose Valentin was 2-4 with a double and a RBI. 

            Sunday, Joe Holden made his first start in a game since April 7th, going 2-4 with a stolen base after a single as a pinch hitter on Saturday.  He was the only Met with two hits as the team was held to five knocks all day.  Eric Niesen (2-6, 4.94) was pretty good over six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, but was still sadled with the loss.

 

 

Savannah (A – South Atlantic League)

Friday: @ Savannah Sand Gnats 3, Augusta Green Jackets 2 (11 innings)

Saturday: @ Savannah Sand Gnats 4, Augusta Green Jackets 0

Sunday: Augusta Green Jackets (33-23) 7, @ Savannah Sand Gnats (24-32, -15.5) 6

 

            Friday, after another excellent outing from Elvin Ramirez, Carloz Guzman knocked in Jose Jimenez in the 11th to give Savannah a W.  Ramirez (5-3, 3.02) went a season high seven innings, giving up just a run on two hits.  He struck out five and walked one, which is nice.  Even better, he recorded 12 ground ball outs to five flyball outs.  1B Jimenez was 3-5 on a night when eight of the nine players in the Gnats lineup had hits. 

            More good pitching was the story on Saturday in Savannah.  Angel Calero shutout the ‘Jackets through 5.2 innings, on four hits while fanning five.  Brant Rustich struck out the side in the ninth, while in between, Nick Waechter held down the fort for 2.1.  Jose Jimenez’s three-run jack in the fourth inning began the game’s scoring.  Casey Craig, who was 3-4, continues to tear up SAL pitching. 

            Sunday, Michael Antonini (4-3, 2.94) couldn’t protect a lead, nor finish the seventh inning.  He was charged with seven runs, five earned on eight hits.  Twenty-three year old 3B Joaquin Rodriguez was 3-4.

 

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.