Alvarez and Polanco Dazzle in Rehab, Late Spark Erased by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Tuesday
IL Syracuse Mets

Alvarez and Polanco Dazzle in Rehab, Late Spark Erased by Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Tuesday

Published on June 2, 2026 under International League (IL)
Syracuse Mets News Release


Francisco Alvarez with the Syracuse Mets
Francisco Alvarez with the Syracuse Mets
(Syracuse Mets)

Syracuse, NY - Rehabbers Francisco Alvarez and Jorge Polanco made an impact, but a late rally came up short as the Syracuse Mets fell to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders, 6-5, on Tuesday night at NBT Bank Stadium.

In his first rehab outing of the season, Alvarez collected a pair of RBI doubles and threw out a runner attempting to steal. Polanco reached base with a walk in his fourth rehab game of this assignment and first with Syracuse.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (29-27) struck first in the third inning. George Lombard Jr. walked and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Oswaldo Cabrera, giving the RailRiders a 1-0 lead.

Syracuse (29-28) answered in the bottom half of the inning. Matt Rudick walked and came around to score when Alvarez lined an RBI double to right field, tying the game, 1-1.

The RailRiders regained the lead in the fourth. After loading the bases with a single and two walks, Lombard Jr. drew a bases-loaded walk to force home a run and put Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in front, 2-1.

The Mets responded immediately in the bottom of the fourth when Andy Ibáñez launched a solo home run to left field, evening the score at 2-2.

In the sixth, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took the lead for good. Ernesto Martinez Jr. crushed a solo home run to right field, giving the RailRiders a 3-2 advantage.

The RailRiders added insurance in the seventh and eighth innings. Seth Brown delivered an RBI double in the seventh before Scranton/Wilkes-Barre loaded the bases in the eighth and pushed across two runs on a walk and a sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 6-2.

Syracuse mounted one final rally in the ninth. Jihwan Bae walked and stole second before Jackson Cluff knocked him home with an RBI single. After a catcher's interference call loaded the bases, Yonny Hernández, pinch-hitting for Polanco, lined a two-run single to center field, trimming the deficit to 6-5. However, Kevin Parada flew out to left field to end the game.

On the mound, Zach Thornton started for Syracuse and allowed two runs over four innings while striking out four. Ben Simon surrendered the go-ahead homer in the sixth, while Alex Carrillo, Ryan Lambert, and Ofreidy Gómez combined to cover the final four innings.

Syracuse continues its seven-game series with a doubleheader against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Wednesday at NBT Bank Stadium. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 4:05 p.m.

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Francisco Alvarez with the Syracuse Mets
Francisco Alvarez with the Syracuse Mets
   



International League Stories from June 2, 2026


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