It was a busy night down on the farm for the Mets, as all four teams were in action. There was some good and some bad as the Mets' farm teams split their four games. The details:
Up in Buffalo, the Bisons continued their solid campaign by picking up their second straight win over Indianapolis, 6-4. The hero of the night was unquestionably Val Pascucci. He hit three homers on the day, totaling five RBI and bringing his career homer run total in the minors up to 200. Not too shabby, until you realize that Pascucci is 32 and all those homers came in the minors. Josh Thole added a 1-3 effort with a double and a walk, while Jonathan Malo and Andy Green each had two hits of their own. Parnell picked up his fourth save of the season by going two innings, allowing only a hit, walk, and no runs or strikeouts. Maine was the starter, going 4.1, letting up one hit, one earned run, three walks, and four strikeouts in his second rehab start.
Heading just a few hours southeast, we pull into Binghamton, where the B-Mets picked up a 1-0 victory at home over the Trenton Thunder. The key was definitely pitching in this one. Starter Chris Schwinden got it all started by going 6.1 of shutout ball, allowing eight baserunners (only one walk) and striking out five. The B-Mets' bullpen then combined to go 2.2 of perfect baseball, striking out two and sealing the victory for Schwinden. On the offensive side, the night belonged to Brahaim Maldonado, who went 3-3 on the night with a double and the game winning solo HR in the sixth. Nick Evans also added a 2-3 night with a double and a walk. I wonder if you'll see him at some point this year on the big club.
Moving all the way down to Palm Beach, the St. Lucie Mets took a tough luck loss to the Cardinals, 4-3, after coming back from down 3-0 to tie it. Scott Moviel pitched well for the Mets, going five innings, giving up five hits, one walk, two earned and striking out six. Marcos Tabata wasted the effort, unfortunately, as he gave up the game winning home run in the sixth. The Mets' rally to tie it at three in the fifth was keyed by a two RBI double by Jordan Valdespin, followed by a Stefan Welch single to drive him in.
Rounding out the minor league action for the night, we head back up to Augusta, where the Sand Gnats finally dropped one to the GreenJackets, 7-1. Gnats' starter Collin McHugh didn't pitch all that bad. He did give up ten baserunners in five innings, but only one walk, two earned runs, and he struck out five. Unfortunately, it was Taylor Whitenton's relief appearance that put this one out of reach. In two innings of relief, Whitenton allowed six baserunners and five earned runs. Whitenton has pitched so well this year that I'm sure everyone expected him to have an off night at some point. You'll get 'em next time, kid. On the offensive side, the Gnats saw two hits each from Rafael Fernandez, Jefry Marte and Michael Fisher. The Gnats managed a robust ten hits on the day, but had trouble pushing those runners in. Give credit to the GreenJackets pitchers for dancing out of trouble.
Down On The Farm - 6/18/10
