Mets Minors Recap: Carson Benge Homers Again
A walk-off loss for Binghamton prevented the Mets organization from having an undefeated Wednesday. Down in Florida, the Mets’ top pick in this year’s draft had another excellent night at the plate. Meanwhile, for Brooklyn, a player not only had a three-hit night, but he ended up swiping three bases. Find out who that player was and more in a roundup of Wednesday’s performances below.
Triple-A
Syracuse Mets (69-57) 3, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (60-64) 2
- SS Luisangel Acuña: 2-for-5, RBI (47), K (.675 OPS)
- 3B Luke Ritter: 2-for-5, 2 2B, RBI (83), K (.867 OPS)
- 1B JT Schwartz: 1-for-4, RBI (8) (.566 OPS)
- DH DJ Stewart: 2-for-4, R, 2B, BB, SB, K (.880 OPS)
- LF Drew Gilbert: 1-for-5, 2B, K (.653 OPS)
On Wednesday, the Syracuse offense had 10 hits, and 8 of the 9 players in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit. Ritter got Syracuse on the board with an RBI double in the top of the first. He has recorded multiple hits in two of the last three games.
Then, in the seventh, the Mets were able to rally to take the lead for good. Schwartz tied the game with an RBI single, and then Acuña followed up with a single to drive in the go-ahead run. The shortstop has six RBIs in his last five games and is 8-for-15 with 11 total bases over the last three contests.
- RHP Blade Tidwell (5.40 ERA): 4 IP, 2 R, 6 H, 3 BB, 4 K (54 of 88 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Max Kranick (2-1, 3.38): 2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 K (22 of 31 pitches for strikes)
- LHP Matt Gage (5.25): 1 IP. 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K (10 of 17 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Shintaro Fujinami (6.85): 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 BB, 2 K (16 of 24 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Eric Orze (3.29, 3rd save): 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, K (7 of 11 pitches for strikes)
The five Syracuse pitchers combined to strike out 11 IronPigs and they were able to get clutch outs. Lehigh Valley as a team went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position. They scored both of their runs against Tidwell in the first, but the right-hander did not allow a single extra-base hit. Meanwhile, the bullpen held the IronPigs hitless over the final five innings to preserve the win.
Double-A
Hartford Yard Goats (66-54) 4, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (63-56) 3
- 3B Jeremiah Jackson: 2-for-4, R, HR (16), 2 RBIs (55), K (.604 OPS)
- SS Wyatt Young: 2-for-3, RBI (31), BB (.753 OPS)
- 2B Rowdey Jordan: 1-for-4, R, SB (.652 OPS)
- 1B Ryan Clifford: 1-for-4, R, 3 K (.805 OPS)
- CF Matt Rudick: 1-for-3, HBP, K (.711 OPS)
With the score tied at one in the top of the fourth, Jackson put the Rumble Ponies ahead with a two-run home run. The 24-year-old hit his first home run since August 17, and he has 13 RBIs in the month of August. Young drove in the other run with an RBI single in the third. He has a hit in five straight games and has had multiple hits in four of those games.
- RHP Jonathan Pintaro (3.33): 5 2/3 IP, 2 R, 7 H, 3 BB, 5 K (61 of 96 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Joshua Cornielly (1.08): 1 1/3 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K (16 of 25 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Wilkin Ramos (2-1, 2.08): 1 2/3 IP, 2 R, 3 H (21 of 29 pitches for strikes)
Wednesday night was Pintaro’s third straight start that he pitched into the sixth inning or later. He has struck out at least five batters in three of his last four starts. Cornielly came in after him and had a scoreless outing for the fifth time in his last six appearances (1.08 ERA in August). Hartford was able to walk it off by scoring two runs against Ramos in the ninth.
High-A
Brooklyn Cyclones (59-63) 6, Winston-Salem Dash (55-67) 2
- 2B D’Andre Smith: 3-for-4, 3 R, 2B, RBI (11), 3 SB (.650 OPS)
- 3B Junior Tilien: 1-for-3, R, 2B, 3 RBIs (40), K (.633 OPS)
- LF Christopher Suero: 1-for-2, R, 2B, 2 BB, K (.675 OPS)
- RF Jefrey De Los Santos: 2-for-4, RBI (34), K (.585 OPS)
- CF Nick Morabito: 0-for-4, 2 K (.709 OPS)
Out of the seven hits that the Cyclones had on Wednesday, Smith was able to record three of them. The 23-year-old had his first three-hit performance of the year and had a season-high three stolen bases. He drove in a run on a fielder’s choice in the top of the seventh that broke a 1-1 tie.
Tilien was the other star on offense. He drove in three runs for the first time since June 8 (4) via a sacrifice fly in the fifth and a two-run double in the seventh.
- LHP Zach Thornton (3.72): 5 IP, 0 R, 4 H, 3 K (48 of 65 pitches for strikes)
- LHP Ryan Ammons (3-0, 1.56): 2 1/3 IP, 1 R, 3 H, 3 K (22 of 34 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Alan Perdomo (2.35): 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, K (5 of 7 pitches for strikes)
Thornton threw five scoreless innings for the second time in the last three outings. Despite allowing four stolen bases, he did not allow a single extra-base hit in the no-decision. Ammons picked up the win in relief. This month, he has a 1.54 ERA in seven appearances (no runs allowed in five of those outings).
Carson Benge, Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Low-A
St. Lucie Mets (42-78) 10, Jupiter Hammerheads (61-59) 7
- DH Carson Benge: 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, HR (2), 3 RBIs (5), BB (1.107 OPS)
- 1B Yohairo Cuevas: 2-for-4, 2 RBIs (43), BB (.625 OPS)
- CF A.J. Ewing: 1-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBIs (32), BB (.706 OPS)
- RF Eli Serrano III: 2-for-4, R, RBI (5), BB, K (.557 OPS)
- SS Jett Williams: 0-for-2, BB (.721 OPS)
It has been an eventful last couple of days for Benge. The first-round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft homered for the second straight game when he hit a two-run shot in the bottom of the first. Later in the game, his RBI double in the seventh was part of a six-run inning that ultimately gave St. Lucie the win. Ewing ended that inning with a two-run single to give him six RBIs in the last three games.
- RHP Joel Díaz (4.95): 6 IP, 3 R (2 ER), 9 H, 4 K (63 of 84 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Joseph Yabbour (1-0, 6.62): 1 1/3 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 3 K (13 of 17 pitches for strikes)
- RHP Anthony Nunez (4.76): 1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1 BB, K (14 of 24 pitches for strikes)
In a no-decision on Wednesday, Díaz still put up a quality start. It is the third time in the last five outings that the 20-year-old right-hander has gone at least five innings.
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