AAA: Buffalo Bisons 3, @ Pawtucket Red Sox 1
It was the Chip and Nel show in Pawtucket on Thursday night. RF Chip Ambres drilled two homers against his former team in a 3-3 night on which he drove home all three of the Bisons runs.
Nelson Figueroa (5-4, 2.50 – pictured) continued his excellent AAA season with eight innings of one-run baseball. He struck out nine and walked one while giving up just three hits. It’s not like Figueroa is part of the Mets future, but could he be any worse than Livan Hernandez in the present? Jon Niese should get the first look, but if the Mets decide to jettison both Fernando Nieve and Livan Hernandez, Figueroa has more than earned his shot.
AA: Binghamton Mets 2, @ Portland Sea Dogs 1
Dylan Owen made it three strong starts in a row as he extended his scoreless innings streak to 18.2 innings before giving up a single run in the fifth inning. It was pretty much just like Tim Lincecum’s streak for the Giants, except bluer, and with less hair. Other than that, it was identical.
2B Jose Coronado had two knocks. 1B Ike Davis, who’s struggled against lefties at AA, was 1-3 with a walk, reaching base safely twice against Portland’s LHP Felix Doubront in a tiny measure of progress.
A+: @ St. Lucie Mets 16, Palm Beach Cardinals 3
Good times in the FSL. The Mets led 8-0, then 9-3, then 10-3, then 14-3 and then 16-3 and in the seventh inning, the offense rested. CF Kirk Nieuwenhuis was 3-4 with a double and 4 RBI. 1B Stefan Welch was 3-5 with a homer and five RBI. He’s hitting .471 (8-17) in his four games with St. Lucie.
On the pitching side, Angel Calero lasted just 2.1 innings, giving up three runs on three hits. Brant Rustich made his return from his latest blister problem, tossing a scoreless inning despite a hit and two walk. Is this a prelude to a return to the rotation for Rustich, or a permanent move to the ‘pen? The answers my friends, are blowin’ in the wind. Or over telephone wires and high speed internet.
A: @ Lexington Legends 9, Savannah Sand Gnats 5
Organizational soldier DH Jordan Abruzzo, who was recently sent down from St. Lucie, was 3-4 with a pair of homer. 18-year old 3B Jefry Marte was 2-5 with two doubles at the plate… and didn’t commit an error.
Jeurys Familia (4.2 IP, 9 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) couldn’t finish the fifth inning on his way to falling to 6-6 with a 3.19 ERA.
heh st lucie banged out 18 hits… somehow francisco pena went 0-5.
Figgy and Niese to NY please. Nieve is done, Livan, maybe one more try.
Agreed. Both guys are more than deserving.. Its actually too bad Dillon Gee is out, because he was pitching pretty solidly in AAA before he got hurt and his K-rate was pretty damn good for a guy that never really had a strong K-rate in past levels.
I was at the game last night and after seeing how this team looked in the dugout between innings and during their turn at bat, I’m convinced their done for this season. Their looked dejected and emotionless. It would not surprise me to see them get swept this weekend. I’ll be at the game tonight, so I hope they prove me wrong.
As for the rest of this season, it’s a shame Dillon Gee got hurt becuase I would have gone with Niese and Gee in the Mets rotation instead of Figgy who is not a part of the future.
I think that by the middle of August you’ll see the likes of Kunz, Niese, Bostick, Thole and maybe even Davis in a September call-up preview just to see what they have for next year.
Figueroa is the Roy Halladay of AAA
nah, if Halladay was called up to the next level he would probably dominate there too..