Mets Minors Recap: Eli Serrano Stays Hot for Brooklyn

Eli Serrano III, Jacob Reimer and the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones pulled out another win on Thursday, Nolan McLean struggled in his second Triple-A start, Binghamton staged a late-inning rally to secure a win, St. Lucie came to life in the seventh inning to get themselves a 6-4 win, and the FCL Mets defeated the FCL Astros in extra innings.

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (18-24) 3, Lehigh Valley IronPigs (30-12) 7

BOX SCORE

• CF Drew Gilbert – 1-for-3, R, BB (.756 OPS)
• C Hayden Senger – 2-for-4, 2B (.563 OPS)
• RF Jared Young – 0-for-5, 3 K (.938 OPS)
• 1B Joey Meneses – 1-for-4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI (24) (.754 OPS)

The offense was relatively quiet, with eight hits and two walks. Young, who has been on a tear as of late, had a rough day at the plate, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts. Gilbert just keeps on walking, logging yet another free pass on Thursday. Luke Ritter is really struggling in 2025, having hit only one home run in 111 at-bats after mashing 26 last season. Syracuse struggled with runners in scoring position on the day as well, going 1-for-8.

• RHP Nolan McLean (3.00 ERA) 5 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 4 K, 2 HR allowed (48 of 85 pitches for strikes)
• LHP Felipe De La Cruz (4.35 ERA) 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 2 K, 1 HR allowed

McLean, coming off his first start where he walked zero hitters, was wild on the day, walking six batters and throwing 48 of his 85 pitches for strikes. In addition, he gave up two home runs after allowing zero in 26 innings in Binghamton. McLean hung a few sliders and paid for it, but still had his usual velocity. The bullpen kept the deficit close until De La Cruz got himself into trouble in the ninth inning and put two runners on before allowing a three-run homer.

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (13-9) 5 vs. Hartford Yard Goats (20-14) 3

BOX SCORE

• SS Jett Williams – 1-for-3, 2B, 1 R, 1 RBI (14), SB (8), 1 BB, 1 K (.873 OPS)
• 3B Ronny Mauricio – 1-for-4, 2B, RBI (2), PO, 1 K (.462 OPS)
• CF Nick Morabito – 1-for-3, 2B, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K (.657 OPS)
• DH Ryan Clifford – 0-for-4, 2 K (.725 OPS)
• RF Alex Ramirez – 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 SB (12), 1 K

The Rumble Ponies clawed this victory out. Heroics by William Lugo and a solo home run by D’Andre Smith helped them regain the lead in the top of the ninth. Williams is continuing to put on a show, hitting doubles into the gap, walking and stealing bases. Ramirez joined the party, stealing two bases of his own. Clifford has gone hitless in his last 14 at-bats and hasn’t drawn a walk in five games.

• RHP Jonathan Pintaro (4.10 ERA) 4 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 K (49 of 72 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Hunter Parsons (6.52 ERA) 1 IP, 1 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

Pintaro looked dominant, striking out eight batters, though he was pulled after 72 pitches. This was a great bounce-back outing for him after only lasting 1 2/3 innings on May 10 while allowing five runs. Parsons, on the other hand, was wild and gave up a 3-0 lead in the eighth. TJ Shook would take over and allow one hit over two innings while striking out four to earn the win.

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (23-12) 4, Winston-Salem Dash (12-23) 3

BOX SCORE

• DH Jacob Reimer – 1-for-5, R, HR (7), RBI (29), 2 K (1.060 OPS)
• RF Eli Serrano III – 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI (24) (.892 OPS)
• CF Carson Benge – 2-for-5, 2 K (.867 OPS)
• SS Marco Vargas – 0-for-3, 1 BB, 2 K (.604 OPS)
• 3B Boston Baro – 1-for-2, 1 K (.586 OPS)
• 3B Jesus Baez – 1-for-2, 1 R, 1 K (619 OPS)

Brooklyn came to the plate down two in the second inning and struck back right away, netting two runs on RBI doubles from Estarling Mercado and Serrano. Chris Suero had a rare day where he failed to reach base and was the only Cyclones hitter to do so. Reimer hit his seventh home run of the season, keeping his OPS above 1.000 at 1.060. Three Cyclones stole bases, showing they will consistently put pressure on opposing pitchers once they get on base. A.J. Ewing received the day off on Thursday. Baez and Baro split time at third base, getting two at-bats each. Some of the younger players have struggled to open the season, but Reimer and the college bats of Benge and Serrano have come out swinging.

• RHP Nate Dohm (9.00 ERA) 3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 4 K (36 of 63 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Raimon Gomez (0.00 ERA) 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K (13 of 22 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Brian Metoyer (1.42 ERA) 1 IP, 2 BB, 1 K

Dohm had a less-than-ideal introduction to High-A, allowing three runs on four hits while walking two batters and striking out four across three innings. One of those runs scored on a Baez throwing error. The bullpen picked up the slack, led by Gomez throwing 1 1/3 innings of no-run ball while striking out one and walking one in his first appearance for Brooklyn. Metoyer, who was rising in prospect circles after his surprising 2021 season but had been derailed by injuries since 2022, came in to pitch the ninth and went one inning while walking two and striking out one. While Metoyer, 28, is on the older side, he has experience at Double-A and could earn a call-up soon to face age-appropriate hitters.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (19-17) 6, Daytona Tortugas (16-20) 4

BOX SCORE

• SS Colin Houck – 0-for-5, 3 K (.740 OPS)
• 3B Jeremy Rodriguez – 0-for-4, RBI (11), 1 BB, 1 K (.637 OPS)
• DH Daiverson Gutierrez – 2-for-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K (.586 OPS)

Most of the St. Lucie regulars had the day off, and that showed early on in the game. However, the bats came to life in the seventh inning, putting across four runs and taking the lead. They would score another two in the eighth for insurance. St. Lucie’s top three hitters went a combined 0-for-13 with two RBIs, two walks and five strikeouts. The catching duo of Vincent Perozo and Gutierrez went 4-for-6 with four runs scored. Houck, who has been hot in May, had a forgettable day, going 0-for-5 with three strikeouts.

• RHP Wellington Aracena (4.43 ERA) 4 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K (34 of 63 pitches for strikes)

Aracena looked solid on the mound, allowing no runs in his four innings of work. Oliver Ortega pitched an inning and had two unearned runs come across after a Houck throwing error. Irving Cota secured the win after tossing 2 2/3 frames before St. Lucie took the lead. Josh Blum notched his first save of the season for St. Lucie despite a wild outing, walking two in 1 1/3 innings while striking out three.

Florida Coast League

FCL Mets (2-5) 5, FCL Astros (4-4) 4/ 8 INNINGS

BOX SCORE

• 3B Bohan Adderley – 0-for-3, 2 RBI (3), SB (5), BB (.641 OPS)
• 2B Dangelo Sarmiento – 0-for-5, 2 K (.301 OPS)
• SS Branny De Oleo– 0-for-3, 1 RBI (1), 1 BB, 2 K (.206 OPS)
• 1B Daniel Silva – 0-for-0, 1 R, 4 BB (1.356 OPS)
• RF Jeffry Rosa- 1-for-3, 1 BB, 1 K (.856 OPS)

De Oleo played the hero on Thursday, drawing a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning to force in a run. Adderley had yet another good day despite going 0-for-3 by logging two RBIs and another stolen base. Silva had the rare 0-for-0 line with four walks, pushing him to a huge 1.356 OPS. The team as a whole only managed four hits on the day, none of which went for extra bases, but they did walk 11 times.

• LHP Daviel Hurtado (0.00 ERA) 4 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K

Hurtado is on a roll to start 2025, turning in his second scoreless outing of the season while striking out five batters over four innings. His 2024 campaign showed promise with the strikeouts, but he also showcased poor control. So far this year, he has only walked one batter in seven innings while allowing three hits and striking out 11.

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