IL Syracuse Mets

Blankenhorn and McNeil Homer, But Syracuse Loses 11th Straight with 7-5 Defeat to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

Published on June 18, 2021 under International League (IL)
Syracuse Mets News Release


Moosic, PA - Travis Blankenhorn's grand slam and Jeff McNeil's solo homer weren't enough to end Syracuse's losing streak, as the Mets dropped their 11th straight game with a 7-5 defeat to the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Friday night.

Scranton/Wilkes-Barre (27-11) got the scoring started in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Derek Dietrich launched an opposite-field solo homer off Syracuse starter Tylor Megill to give Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a 1-0 lead.

In the fourth, the RailRiders added to their total. With one out, Socrates Brito and Trey Amburgey connected on back-to-back singles. Then, Dietrich was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Rob Brantly followed with a two-run single that scored Brito and Amburgey to give Scranton/Wilkes-Barre a 3-0 lead.

Syracuse (11-29) didn't let a rain delay get in the way of a huge fifth inning. With two outs and Orlando Calixte at second base, Jeff McNeil drew a walk. Ball four was a wild pitch that allowed Calixte to move to third base. Wilfredo Tovar then drew a walk to load the bases. With the rain coming down at PNC Park, home plate umpire John Bacon called for the tarp to be put on the field. After a 22-minute delay, the teams returned to the field. In the first pitch after the delay, Travis Blankenhorn crushed a go-ahead grand slam to give the Mets a 4-3 lead.

Syracuse starter Tylor Megill's night ended after five innings pitched. The 25-year-old right-hander allowed three runs on five hits, walking only one batter and striking out six.

In the sixth, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre tied the game back up with a Brantly solo homer to make it 4-4.

The Mets responded in the top of the seventh with Jeff McNeil launching a solo home run of his own to give Syracuse the lead right back, 5-4. Four games into his MLB rehab assignment with Syracuse, McNeil is 6-for-15 with two RBIs, two doubles, and a home run.

In the bottom of the seventh, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre took the lead with a two-out rally. No one was on base when Hoy Park drew a walk. Greg Allen followed and hit a go-ahead two-run homer to right field to make it 6-5 in favor of the RailRiders. Next, Brito drew a walk, and then Amburgey delivered with an RBI double to score Brito and increase the RailRiders lead to two, 7-5.

The Mets and RailRiders return to PNC Field on Saturday evening for the fifth game of the six-game series. First pitch from Moosic, PA is at 6:05 p.m.

Check out the Syracuse Mets Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



International League Stories from June 18, 2021


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central