Syracuse Mets Series Recap vs Buffalo Bison

The Mets struggled against its in-state rivals.

Syracuse never hit a rhythm in their return to NBT Bank Stadium. The playoff hopes for the Mets took a hit in a difficult series as the Buffalo Bison put themselves in contention.

Standings:

1. Durham 62-49
2. Lehigh Valley 61-50 (1.0 GB)
3. Jacksonville 60-51 (2.0 GB)
4. Buffalo 59-51 (2.5 GB)
5. Scranton/WB 58-52 (3.5 GB)
6. Worcester 56-55 (6.0 GB)
7. Norfolk 51-59 (10.5 GB)
8. Rochester 50-61 (12.0 GB)
9. Syracuse 48-63 (14.0 GB)
10. Charlotte 43-68 (19.0 GB)

GB= Games Back

Around the Horn: A Series in Review

Results: 1-5 Vs. Buffalo

August 9th: L, 3-4

August 10th: L, 3-10

August 11th: W, 6-5

August 12th: L, 1-3

August 13th: L, 1-8

August 14th: L, 0-2

At the start of the series Syracuse was coming off an 18-2 win and was anticipating the debut of Brett Baty. While Baty himself did not disappoint, the Mets could not get anything rolling against Buffalo. The Bison seized an opportunity to climb closer to the top dogs in the standings while Syracuse put themselves in a difficult spot. They playoff prospects for the team are not done, but definitely bleak after a 3-9 record in their last two series.

(Game 1) This seemed to set the tone for what would be a battle of a series. The scoring was back and forth as it started with a Daniel Palka homer to center. Buffalo responded with three runs on the top of the third. Nathan Lukes singled to center which brought in the first two before Vinny Capra scored on a balk. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 3rd Alvarez hit an RBI single to score Khalil Lee. Who other than Daniel Palka to tie it in the 4th with his second big fly of the night. Stevie Berman responded with a homer of his own in the 5th to regain a 4-3 lead for the Bison. The scoring would end there for both teams as the bullpens on either side had shut down stuff. The win went to Nick Allgeyer while Rob Zastryzny would pick up the loss despite just one run allowed. This ended up being a momentum building game that turned the series as a whole in favor of the Bison. The series certainly could have played out differently had the Mets found a way to win this one.

(Game 2) David Peterson started twice this series, the first being for game two. It was a tale of two innings. In the first the Bison continued to barrel up the baseball. They scored four runs on five hits. The second inning was 1-2-3 and went as smooth as possible. His night was done there due to his first inning pitch count. This was Peterson’s first appearance in Syracuse since pitching for New York on the 6th of August against the Braves. The Mets scored for the first time in the 7th. Daniel Palka singled before a Mark Vientos walk. Baty then singled to center. JT Riddle grounded into a fielder's choice up the middle which allowed Palk to score. Syracuse would get two more in the 9th. Mark Vientos doubled with one out and Brett Baty brought him home with a single to left. This was his first Triple-A RBI. The final run came from Terrance Gore who brought Baty in with a single to center. Buffalo doubled Syracuse in the hit column. Warmoth was the standout with a three-hit day including a homer in the 7th. Nate Fisher pitched very well for the Mets and went four full innings where he allowed just three hits.

(Game 3) Connor Grey would get the start for the Mets lone win of the series. Grey pitched well going five complete innings allowing just two runs on five hits, two walks and two strikeouts. The winning pitcher R.J. Alvarez struggled in his two thirds of an inning where he walked one and gave up a two-run homer. Offensively Syracuse had a few more hits but it was largely an even game. The difference came in the 1st inning. Both teams scored five runs between the fifth and seventh inning. That first frame was the only other inning with a run. Nick Plummer was responsible for it when he singled on a line to right to bring in Baty. In the two contested innings the scoring started for the Bison with a Lantingua home run. Otto Lopez then singled to short to bring in Colton Shaver. Mark Vientos and the Mets responded in the bottom half of the 5th. Vientos doubled to score Baty and Plummer. He later reached home to make it 4-2 on a Travis Blankenhorn single. Buffalo took the lead back in the 7th when Vinny Capra hit a two-run blast to center. Khalil Lee would have the final say when he drove in two runs by hitting an 0-1 pitch to right. Plummer and Vientos would be the two who crossed the plate on the base hit. Bryce Montes de Oca could not have been better to close the game. He had the final two frames for the Mets and struck out five of the six batters he faced. Rafael Lantigua was the only Bison batter to put the ball in play off of Montes de Oca when he grounded out to Marrero.

(Game 4) The whole series seemed to be a battle between the Mets offense and getting runners across the plate. There were three games where the pitching staff kept the Bison to four or fewer runs yet lost. The Syracuse Mets even out hit the Bison in this game but simply couldn’t put enough pressure on Buffalo. Syracuse didn’t get a runner to third until the 8th inning where they scored their only run. Jose Butto made his debut at the Triple-A level and did well overall. He only allowed five hits and one walk in his five innings of work. He ran into some trouble in the second when a one-out triple from LJ Talley led to a Logan Warmoth RBI. He would later score on a Stevie Berman sac-fly to right. In the 5th he hit Stamets which started the inning on the wrong foot. Otto Lopez then doubled, and it was second and third with nobody out. A ground out to Katoh at second allowed Stamets to score to make it 3-0. This was a good starting point at this level for Butto. There were a few things he could have done better but he put together three very good innings and limited the damage in the one's that got away from him. Terrance Gore started the one scoring threat that the Mets did put together in the 8th. He singled and advanced on a Baty flyout. Alvarez then singled to center to bring him home. Palka would double to continue the threat but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning. This game presented a good opportunity to string a second win together but unfortunately the Bison pitching staff continued to get the best of the Mets. Ross Stripling started on a rehab assignment and gave up just three hits with three strikeouts in his five innings of work.

(Game 5) This game did bring some positives on the offensive end, but they were largely individual as runs were hard to come by. The only run came in the 7th for Syracuse on a Deven Marrero home run. Mark Vientos had himself a three-hit game while Baty picked up another AAA hit making it four games in a row. The team collectively recorded seven hits. The defensive side was a struggle. There is no other way to put it. Mike Montgomery picked up his ninth loss as he walked three, gave up three hits and two earned in three innings of work. Diehl gave up four earned in his one inning of work and Otanez gave up two unearned runs. The pitching staff struggled by giving up seven walks, but the fielding certainly did no favors committing five errors. This was a game to forget for the Mets.

(Game 6) David Peterson got his second start of the series in this game. It was very similar to the last performance in terms of quality. He went four innings, gave up four eight hits and two earned runs. He doubled his performance length and struck out seven which was definitely an improvement. The issue today was, again, giving up too many hits and inconsistent management of the base paths. The second inning was the best example as Peterson picked off Warmoth after walking him but then gave up two stolen bases to Chavez Young which were made worse by a Patrick Mazeika throwing error. The Mets did not threaten until the 5th when Mazeika reached third on a fielder's choice. Baty, who led the team with two hits, failed to strike here and the inning ended. The only other time a man reached third was in the 6th. Nick Plummer singled to move Francisco Alvarez to third, but Mazeika struck out to end the inning. There weren’t any extra base hits and Baty was the only Met to get more than one hit. The bullpen of Rodriguez, Nogosek and Montes de Oca did well to keep the game close, but the offense will have to shake this performance off before heading to Charlotte.

Upcoming Series Schedule: Away @ Charlotte Knights

Tuesday: 6:35 pm EDT

Wednesday: 6:35 pm EDT

Thursday: 7:04 pm EDT

Friday: 7:04 pm EDT

Saturday: 7:04 pm EDT

Sunday: 5:05 pm EDT

Series Standouts: Co-Pitcher of the Week: Nate Fisher- 4 IP, 3 hits, 0 Runs, 0 Walks, 2 Strikeouts

Bryce Montes de Oca- 2 appearances, 3 IP, 0 hits, 2 walks, 0 runs, 5 strikeouts

Position Player of the Week: Brett Baty- 22 At-Bats, 8 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 RBI, 3 Walks

What to Watch this Week: Away @ Charlotte

This is a series where Syracuse has to capitalize on playing the only team below them in the standings. The first teams in the way of the Mets are Norfolk and Rochester who split a series this past week. The Tides have a difficult homestand against the first place Durham Bulls while the Red Wings play on the road against a Worcester team that is a bit of a lone wolf in the middle of the standings. A series win for Syracuse could help them jump those two teams in the standings. With a little over a month and a half left the playoffs are distant but not impossible to reach for. There needs to a push starting this week if they have any hope of making it. Keep an eye on Baty after he exploded in his first week and has started a five-game hit streak. It will also be interesting to watch Jose Butto in his second start. It’ll be important for him to show improvement from start to start. Lastly a bounce back week is needed from David Peterson. The lefty struggled in two starts against the Bison but should find a way to rebound. He was excellent in his most recent MLB start against the Atlanta Braves and certainly has the ability to earn his way back to the bigs. 

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