Game Recap and Highlights: Syracuse Mets shut out RailRiders for 4-0 victory on Thursday night

 

Connor Grey pitched nearly six scoreless innings with just two hits allowed to help lead the Mets to a shutout win on Thursday (Rick Nelson).

 Moosic, PA – The Syracuse Mets won their second straight game over the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Thursday night, using outstanding pitching and timely hitting on their way to a 4-0 win on a warm, mid-May night. It's the first time this season that the Mets have won back-to-back road games and the first nine-inning shutout for the Syracuse pitching staff.  (Box Score) 

Early on, neither team could crack the scoresheet as the first four innings of the ballgame went scoreless. Syracuse starter Adonis Medina went three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and just one hit allowed in a shorter start for the Mets, while Scranton/Wilkes-Barre starting pitcher Manny Bañuelos retired the first 12 Mets batters he faced in order.   

In the fifth, Syracuse (12-20) finally got a run across home plate in unconventional fashion. Patrick Mazeika was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and advanced to second on a fielding error that also put Nick Meyer on first base by way of a fielder's choice. Travis Blankenhorn then singled into right field, advancing each runner one base and loading up the bases with nobody out. Finally, Carlos Cortes grounded into a double play that did score Mazeika and give the Mets a 1-0 lead.   

In the sixth, consecutive two-out doubles from Tzu-Wei Lin and Nick Plummer made it a 2-0 game. In the past two games, Plummer has three doubles, a home run, and six runs driven in.    

In the seventh, the Mets loaded the bases with singles from Mazeika and Meyer and a walk by Blankenhorn. Then, a two-out single from Quinn Brodey scored Mazeika to give Syracuse a 3-0 edge.   

The final run of the game came in the eighth came via another home run from Mark Vientos, his third in the past two games, giving the Mets a 4-0 advantage. The 22-year-old now has five homers in 25 games in Triple-A this season, including four in the past four games alone.   

Combine timely hitting with dynamite pitching, and it all added up to a Mets win on Thursday night. After Medina started the game, Connor Grey nearly took it the rest of the way with a truly masterful performance. The right-hander tossed five and two-thirds innings, allowing just two hits and two walks with three strikeouts on 80 pitches. Grey's longest outing of the season prior to Thursday night was a five-inning start at Rochester on April 29th.   

In the ninth, Grey ran into trouble that put the Mets victory in danger. After getting the first two outs of the inning quickly, walks to Ronald Guzman and Greg Bird plus a single from Phillip Evans loaded up the bags with two outs. Yoan López then came in to shut the door and did just that, getting José Peraza to pop out and leave the RailRiders comeback attempt in the dust.    

Syracuse continues its six-game series at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders with a Friday night matchup at 6:35 p.m. David Peterson is set to start for the Mets, opposed by Clarke Schmidt for the RailRiders. 

Mark Vientos goes BOOM yet again.

The No. 4 @Mets prospect homers for the third time in two games and fifth overall for the @SyracuseMets. pic.twitter.com/PI6CZJZjqm

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 13, 2022