Mets Minors Recap: Jonah Tong Strikes Out 11

With Binghamton getting rained out on Wednesday, only four affiliates took the field, and only one of the four teams won. It included a player in Triple-A continuing his strong home run stretch, a Brooklyn pitcher reaching a career-high for strikeouts, and a catcher going up to the Florida Complex League from the Dominican Summer League. Find out who those players were below.

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (48-28) 7, Buffalo Bisons (37-39) 4

BOX SCORE

• 2B Brett Baty: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR (8), 2 RBIs (20), K (1.188 OPS)
• CF Luisangel Acuña: 2-for-5, RBI (28) (.704 OPS)
• RF Carlos Cortes: 3-for-4, R, 2B, 3 RBIs (20), K (.878 OPS)
• LF Rhylan Thomas: 2-for-4, 3 R, 2B (.769 OPS)
• C Austin Allen: 2-for-4, RBI (7), K (.858 OPS)

On Wednesday, Syracuse’s offense had 15 hits and eight of the nine players in the starting lineup recorded at least one hit. Baty continued his home run streak in June with a solo home run in the top of the sixth and the ninth. The second baseman has three home runs in the last two games and at least one hit in six of the last seven games.

Brett Baty has come to the plate 10 times so far this week.

He’s already hit 3️⃣ home runs ???? pic.twitter.com/4b5worGBW1

— Syracuse Mets (@SyracuseMets) June 26, 2024

Cortes had his second consecutive three-hit game, including a game-tying RBI single in the seventh and a two-run double in the eighth. Acuña had another multi-hit game to extend his hit streak to 12 games.

• RHP Mike Vasil (3-4, 6.52 ERA): 6 IP, 3 ER, 6 H, 5 K (64 of 96 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Josh Walker (1.61): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 2 BB, K (13 of 25 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Max Kranick (3.34, 1st save): 2 IP, 1 ER, 2 H, 2 K (21 of 34 pitches for strikes)

Wednesday was Vasil’s longest start of the season, and it was a quality outing as well. Buffalo did score runs in three of the first five innings, but the right-hander avoided giving up the long ball for the fourth time in his last six starts. Walker came in after Vasil and extended his scoreless streak to seven consecutive appearances.

Double-A

The Binghamton Rumble Ponies (35-33) had their game against the Portland Sea Dogs (37-33) postponed due to inclement weather. They will makeup the game as part of a doubleheader on Friday, June 28.

High-A

Aberdeen Ironbirds (38-33) 4, Brooklyn Cyclones (34-37) 1

BOX SCORE

• SS Jesus Baez: 1-for-4, 2B, K, SB (.750 OPS)
• LF Nick Morabito: 1-for-4, K (.754 OPS)
• DH Nick Lorusso: 1-for-3, BB (.864 OPS)
• 2B Junior Tilien: 1-for-4, R, 2B, K (.646 OPS)
• C Christian Pregent: 0-for-2, RBI (8), BB, 2 K (.495 OPS)

The Cyclones were on the wrong end of a pitchers duel against Aberdeen on Wednesday. The lone run of the night came via a walk from Pregent in the top of the second. In his first series at High-A, Baez picked up his second double in as many games. All four hits from the Cyclones came from the top four in the batting order.

• RHP Jonah Tong (3.38): 6 IP, 1 ER, 3 H, BB, 11 K (64 of 95 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Justin Lawson (3.71): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H (6 of 8 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Henry Henry (0-1, 6.75): 1.2 IP, 2 ER, 1 H, BB, 2 K (16 of 27 pitches for strikes)

The last two starts for Tong this month has seen him look like the pitcher he was earlier in the year. On Wednesday, he tied his season-high with 11 strikeouts and it was the third time he has struck out 10 or more hitters this year with either St. Lucie or Brooklyn. The 21-year-old struck out the side in the second as part of a stretch where he had four consecutive K’s. It was the first time he went six innings in a start since May 21.

Whole lotta FILTH from Jonah Tong tonight ????

Tough night to be an Aberdeen hitter (????‍♂️) as Tong ties his career high with 1️⃣1️⃣ punchies. We’re knotted up at 1-1 in the 7th.#AmazinStartsHere #LGM pic.twitter.com/VpfR40bXie

— Brooklyn Cyclones (@BKCyclones) June 27, 2024

Low-A

Palm Beach Cardinals (40-30) 6, St. Lucie Mets (22-49) 4

BOX SCORE

• CF Willy Fañas: 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBIs (10), K (.585 OPS)
• SS Boston Baro: 2-for-5, K (.764 OPS)
• DH Ronald Hernandez: 2-for-5, 3 K (.769 OPS)
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 2-for-4, R (.530 OPS)
• 3B Colin Houck: 1-for-4, RBI (27) (.609 OPS)

On Wednesday, St. Lucie combined to strike out 14 times against three Palm Beach pitchers (two of them had six strikeouts each). The only extra-base hit came when Fañas had an RBI double in the top of the second that gave the team a 2-0 lead. Houck got the scoring started for St. Lucie with an RBI single in the first. The 19-year-old has at least one hit in four of the last five games.

• RHP Jack Wenninger (2-4, 5.43): 4.2 IP, 6 R (4 ER), 10 H, 2 BB, 7 K (61 of 89 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Cristofer Gomez (4.95): 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 2 BB, K (15 of 31 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Ryan Ammons (3.00): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, BB, K (12 of 20 pitches for strikes)

Out of the 10 hits that Wenninger gave up on Wednesday, four of them went for extra bases (three doubles, one home run). Palm Beach scored all of their runs from the second to the fourth inning. The 10 hits allowed were the most the 22-year-old has allowed in an outing this year, and he has allowed four earned runs in three of the four outings he has had this month (6.64 ERA).

Florida Complex League

FCL Marlins (27-9) 5, FCL Mets (16-21) 3

BOX SCORE

• SS Jeremy Rodriguez: 2-for-5, R, RBI (17), 2 K (.749 OPS)
• 3B Jake Zitella: 1-for-3, R, 3B, BB (.768 OPS)
• DH Diego Mosquera: 1-for-4, RBI (1), K (.425 OPS)
• C Julio Zayas: 0-f0r-2, RBI (17) (.778 OPS)

The FCL Mets managed only one extra-base hit on Wednesday (triple by Zitella), and they went 1-for-9 as a team with runners in scoring position. Rodriguez was a bright spot as he had his first multi-hit game in June. He and Mosquera had a fair of RBI singles that cut a 4-1 deficit down to 4-3 in the top of the seventh.

• RHP Francisco Mercado (0-1, 3.00): 2 IP, 1 ER, 1 H
• RHP Luis Alvarez (6.35): 3 IP, 2 R, 3 H, 2 BB, 3 K
• RHP Irving Cota (5.21): 1 IP, 1 R, 1 H, K
• RHP Andinson Ferrer (3.94): 2 IP, 1 ER, 0 H, BB, 3 K

The four Mets pitcher combined to allow two earned runs out of the five runs scored as the defense ended up making. three errors behind him.

In FCL news, the team will add catcher Daiverson Gutierrez to the roster from the Dominican Summer League. The 18-year-old has a slash line of .300/.472/.475 with seven RBIs and a .947 OPS in 14 games this year.

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