Mets Minors Recap: Paul Blackburn Dominates In Syracuse Win

Ronny Mauricio homered for the second time in as many days in the Syracuse win, the Rumble Ponies and Cyclones were both befallen by rain, St. Lucie rode outstanding pitching to a win and the FCL Mets pummeled the FCL Nationals on Wednesday.

Triple-A

Syracuse Mets (21-26) 5, Rochester Red Wings (13-32) 2

BOX SCORE

• CF Drew Gilbert – 1-for-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K (.720 OPS)
• DH Ronny Mauricio – 2-for-2, 1 R, HR (2), 2 RBI (4), SB (2), 2 BB (1.965 OPS)
• 3B Donovan Walton – 1-for-4, 1 R, HR (6), RBI (20), 1 K (.689 OPS)
• RF Jared Young  – 0-for-3, 3 K (.877 OPS)
• LF Luke Ritter – 1-for-4, 1 K (.591 OPS)

Mauricio is a man on a mission, with an OPS near 2.000! After a rough showing in his rehab appearances, Mauricio has looked comfortable in Triple-A, homering on consecutive days all while stealing a base as well. Playing in his third consecutive game, he DH’d and was pulled after four plate appearances. Drew Gilbert has reached base in every game in May, with a .364 OBP for the month. While the hits haven’t been coming, he has been getting on base but has only attempted one steal in May so keeping his legs healthy is clearly a priority.

• RHP Paul Blackburn (2.63 ERA) 7 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 K (54 of 87 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Tyler Zuber (8.82 ERA) 1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER

Paul Blackburn flirted with a no-hitter on Wednesday, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning. Blackburn could see the call-up to Flushing soon, but with the Mets rotation and bullpen performing well, it’s hard to find a place for him. Tyler Zuber has struggled since his acquisition in 2024 for RHP Paul Gervase. Gervase has done well this season in the Rays system, pitching to a 3.43 ERA in Triple-A with 30 strikeouts over 21 innings. This may be one of the first David Stearns trades that looks bad in hindsight.

Double-A

Binghamton Rumble Ponies (23-16) 2 vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels (12-28) 2, SUSPENDED TOP 6

The Binghamton/Richmond game was suspended in the top of the sixth inning with the score 2-2. The game will be resumed Thursday at 4:30 P.M. and the scheduled game will follow shortly after. When the game was suspended, Luis Moreno was pitching and Rochester was up to bat.

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (26-13) vs. Winston-Salem Dash (12-23) POSTPONED

The Brooklyn Cyclones/Jersey Shore Blue Claws game was postponed and will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Thursday starting at 5:05 P.M.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (22-19) 4, Jupiter Hammerheads (18-23) 3

BOX SCORE

• 2B Trey Snyder – 2-for-4, 2 SB (14) (.730 OPS)
• SS Jeremy Rodriguez – 1-for-4, 3 K (.618 OPS)
• 3B Colin Houck – 1-for-3, 2 R, 1 K (.724 OPS)
• DH Corey Collins – 0-for-2, 2 BB, 1 K (.772 OPS)
• C Daiverson Gutierrez – 2-for-3, 1 RBI (13), 1 BB (.636 OPS)
• 1B Vincent Perozo – 0-for-3, 1 RBI (9), 1 BB (.800 OPS)
• RF Simon Juan – 0-for-4, 3 K (.587 OPS)

St. Lucie jumped out to an early lead, thanks to some wildness by Hammerheads pitcher Eliazar Dishmey, allowing runners to score on a strikeout that got beyond the catcher and two walks that put across runs. Daiverson Gutierrez added an RBI single in the eighth inning which would be the deciding run. Simon Juan has struck out at least once in all but one game in the month of May. Trey Snyder might not be hitting for average, but is proving to be a problem on the basepaths, with 14 steals so far.

• RHP Irving Cota (1.57 ERA) 5 IP, 1 H, 6 K (44 of 57 pitches for strikes)
• RHP Wellington Aracena (4.56 ERA) 3 1/3 IP, 2 H, 3 R (2 ER), 2 BB, 6 K
• RHP Hoss Brewer (0.98 ERA) 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 K

Irving Cota was virtually unhittable, allowing one hit over five innings while striking out six. Cota was living in the strike zone and getting ahead of hitters. All six of Cota’s strikeouts were on breaking pitches or changeups. After a strong 2024 season, Cota could be inching his way into the back end of Mets prospect lists with 26 strikeouts over 28 2/3 innings while only allowing 13 hits. Wellington Aracena nearly gave back the lead in a rough ninth inning, after walking two batters, he allowed an RBI single. Hoss Brewer relieved him and allowed another two runs to score before a strikeout and a game-ending caught stealing initiated by Daiverson Gutierrez.

Florida Complex League

FCL Mets (6-7) 8, FCL Nationals (6-8) 0

BOX SCORE

• 3B Bohan Adderley – 0-for-4, 4 K (.389 OPS)
• 2B Dangelo Sarmiento – 3-for-3, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI (3), 1 BB (.585 OPS)
• DH Julio Zayas – 1-for-4, 2B, 1 R, 2 RBI (6) (.942 OPS)

Bohan Adderley has hit a slump hard, as he hasn’t gotten a hit since May 8th, a period spanning 26 at-bats. He has struck out nine times in his last 11 at-bats. Sarmiento looks to be getting on track, despite his average being below .200. He is 4-for-7 with five walks, three runs, three RBIs and a steal in his last three games.

• LHP Daviel Hurtado (0.00 ERA) 5 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Jace Hampson (1.35 ERA) 2 IP, 1 H, 2 K

Daviel Hurtado had another stellar outing, going five innings only allowing one hit and striking out four. While Hurtado, 20, is old for the level, how easily he is handling hitters in the 2025 season is still impressive. Mets 18th-round pick Jace Hampson is having a good introduction to professional baseball, striking out six over 6 2/3 innings while only walking one batter. Hampson was the only high school pitcher the Mets drafted in 2024.

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