 |
David
Peterson struck out seven batters in six innings pitched while allowing just
three runs and one walk (Rick Nelson). |
Durham, NC – The Syracuse Mets came back from the dead on Wednesday night, scoring twice in the top of the ninth inning after losing a four-run lead in the late innings to steal the series opener at the Durham Bulls (Triple-A Tampa Bay Rays) by a 9-8 final at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. The Mets have now won six out of their last eight games and five out of the first seven games on their two-week, 12-game road trip.
After
the first two innings went scoreless, the bats arose from their slumber for
both teams in the third innings. Syracuse (29-40) slugged a pair of solo homers
in the top half of the inning to sprint out to an early 2-0 lead. First,
Jonathan Araúz crushed one over the wall in right-center field for his eighth
big fly of the season and a 1-0 Mets lead. Then, two batters later, Luke Ritter
played long ball to left-center field for a 2-0 Syracuse advantage in the blink
of an eye. Ritter now has two home runs in seven games since returning to
Triple-A last week. He had hit 11 home runs in his prior 15 games playing with
Double-A Binghamton.
In
the bottom of the third, Durham (39-31) exploded for three runs on five hits to
grab a 3-2 lead. After Greg Jones struck out to start the frame, the Bulls had
six consecutive batters reach on five hits plus a walk to score the three
tallies and keep the bases loaded with one out. Osleivis Basabe, Kyle Manzardo,
and Ben Gamel all drove in runs with hits in the inning. However, David Peterson limited the damage in one fell swoop after that, inducing an
inning-ending double play ball to end the inning and keep the Mets in the
ballgame, trailing only 3-2.
In
the top of the fourth, Syracuse roared right back and took the lead with two
runs to make it a 4-3 game. On the first pitch of the frame, Mark Vientos
doubled off the very top of the 32-foot-high wall in left field at Durham Bulls
Athletic Park, literal inches away from tying the game on one flick of his
wrists. After a DJ Stewart strikeout, the rest of the Mets lineup ensured
Vientos’s double wouldn’t be the only excitement of the inning. First, Jaylin
Davis worked an excellent walk, putting two runners on base with one out. Then,
Rafael Ortega laced a sharp double down the right-field line to score Vientos
and move Davis to third with still just one out, knotting the game up, 3-3.
After Ortega, Araúz lofted a fly ball deep enough into right field to plate
Davis on a sacrifice fly and give the Mets the lead right back at 4-3.
The
Mets added on after that, scoring once in the sixth and twice in the seventh to
increase their lead to 7-3 entering the late innings. The entire trio of runs
came with two outs. In the sixth, after a two-out double from Davis extended
the inning, Ortega brought him home with a sharply hit single into right field
to make it 5-3. Ortega was making his debut in the Mets organization on
Wednesday night, having begun this season in the Texas Rangers organization.
In
the seventh, with the bases loaded and two outs, DJ Stewart did damage once
again. The former Florida State Seminole pounded a double off the tall wall in
left field, plating two runs and making it a 7-3 game. Stewart has 20
extra-base hits and has driven in 35 runs in 44 games with the Syracuse Mets so
far this season.
While
the Mets offense was humming, their starting pitcher was turning his night
around. After Peterson escaped the third inning with his frame-ending double
play, the left-hander turned it into a quality night of work. By the time the
former Oregon Duck left the game, Peterson had allowed just three runs in six
innings of work on seven hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. Peterson allowed
just two baserunners on one hit plus a hit batter in his final three innings of
work. The lanky lefty retired ten of the final 12 batters he faced in order.
In
the late innings, however, it all fell apart for Syracuse. In the seventh, the
Bulls scored three times to slim the deficit to just 7-6. Blake Hunt and
Osleivis Basave were both on base with two outs, having each singled earlier on
in the inning. Then, Ruben Cardenas crushed a three-run homer over the
center-field wall, making it a 7-6 game in the blink of an eye. Cardenas has
now hit 15 home runs so far this season.
In
the eighth, the Durham Bulls comeback reached its zenith. First, Niko Hulszier
walked to start the inning, but the next two batters were retired in order to
give the Mets hope to escape the inning unscathed. It wasn’t to be as Blake
Hunt and Jonathan Aranda both walked to extend the frame, followed by a Basabe
two-run, two-out single to score two runs and cap off the four-run comeback for
the home team for an 8-7 lead. Basabe, widely considered one of the better
prospects in the Tampa Bay Rays minor-league system, finished the night 3-for-5
at the plate with three runs driven in.
In
the top of ninth, staring defeat in the face, the Syracuse Mets didn’t blink.
To start the inning, the Mets were given a lifeline when Mark Vientos hit a
groundball to shortstop that should have created the first out of the inning.
However, Greg Jones threw the ball away for Durham, allowing the tying run to
reach base with nobody out in the top of the ninth. After Stewart struck out,
the comeback effort began in earnest when Jaylin Davis doubled to put runners
on second and third with one out. The next batter was Rafael Ortega, and he
capped off an unreal introduction to the New York Mets organization. Ortega
crushed a double off the right-field wall to make it a 9-8 game and score the
two eventual game-winning runs for the Mets. In his first game with Syracuse,
Ortega finished the night 3-for-5 with four runs driven in.
In
the bottom of the ninth, Vinny Nittoli worked a calm, 1-2-3 frame to earn his
first save with Syracuse and seal the wild, come-from-behind, 9-8 win over
Durham to start the series. The Mets have played 16 different one-run games now
this season, posting a winning record in those contests. Syracuse has won nine
of the 16 one-run games they’ve played so far this season.
Syracuse
is on the road once again all week, wrapping up the second half of a two-week
long road trip. Game two of the series at the Durham Bulls is scheduled for a 6:35
p.m. first pitch on Thursday. Right-hander Mike Vasil is slated to make his
second career Triple-A start for the Mets.
Jonathan Arauz and Luke Ritter "The Hitter" both go deep for Syracuse in the 3rd For Luke it is his 17th HR this year between @RumblePoniesBB and @SyracuseMets in 58 games#Mets #LGM #MetsTwitter @ernestdove @MiLBMetsMadness @bkfan09 pic.twitter.com/CJRtCMyHsq
— Mets News and Links (@JohnFromAlbany) June 21, 2023
Mark Vientos is getting some at-bats!. In his 2nd time up on his return to the @SyracuseMets he just misses a HR with a double off the top of the wall. #Mets #LGM #MetsTwitter @ernestdove @MiLBMetsMadness @bkfan09 pic.twitter.com/eEFo1NxGEv
— Mets News and Links (@JohnFromAlbany) June 21, 2023
First game with the Mets. Two RBI hits already.
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 22, 2023
Glad to have you, Rafael Ortega! pic.twitter.com/2mHJyCjejx
WE LOVE YOU RAFAEL ORTEGA pic.twitter.com/nCT3wlBcb8
— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 22, 2023
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