Brooklyn Cyclones Game Notes - Tuesday, May 12 - at Rome (6:00 PM ET)
SAL Brooklyn Cyclones

Brooklyn Cyclones Game Notes - Tuesday, May 12 - at Rome (6:00 PM ET)

Published on May 12, 2026 under South Atlantic League (SAL)
Brooklyn Cyclones News Release


The Brooklyn Cyclones (8-24, 8-24) continue their two-week road trip and open a six-game series against the Rome Emperors (18-15, 18-15) - the High-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves - on Tuesday evening at 6 p.m. ET from AdventHealth Stadium in Rome, Ga.

RHP Joel Díaz (0-5, 9.13) is expected to make the start for the Cyclones. The Emperors are scheduled to counter with RHP Cade Kuehler (1-1, 7.66).

Live coverage on the Cyclones Radio Network, Bally Sports Live, and MiLB.tv will begin at 5:45 p.m. ET.

LAST TIME OUT: The Cyclones suffered their third straight loss, all in walk-off fashion, on Sunday in Bowling Green, 5-4...DH Ronald Hernandez slugged a pair of solo home runs in the 2nd and the 6th...OF Sam Biller picked up his first RBI as a Cyclone in the 5th, and OF Vincent Perozo went 2-3 at the plate...RHP Brady Miller, who signed a minor league contract with the Mets on Saturday, allowed just two runs over 5.0 innings while striking out seven in the loss... OF Theo Gillen, the Rays' top prospect per MLB Pipeline, tied the game with a two-run home run in the 7th before walking off the Cyclones with an RBI single in the 9th...The walk-off loss was already Brooklyn's sixth walk-off defeat of the season...Along with the three consecutive walk-off losses in Bowling Green, the Cyclones suffered back-to-back walk-off losses on April 21 and April 22 in Hudson Valley and a walk-off loss on April 9 in Jersey Shore.

25th ANNIVERSARY: The Cyclones celebrate their 25th anniversary season in 2026...Since the inaugural 2001 campaign, Brooklyn has captured 3 league titles...The Cyclones shared the New York-Penn League crown with the Williamsport Crosscutters in their first season before taking home the final NYPL title in 2019...Brooklyn captured its first full-season championship in 2025, going 4-0 in the postseason against Greensboro and Hub City...Entering play on Tuesday, the Cyclones hold a record of 1,126-979 (.535) in the regular season...Last Wednesday marked the 2,100th game in franchise history.

SOUTHERN SWING: Brooklyn's offense thrived on the long-ball last week in Bowling Green...Over the six-game series, the Cyclones offense accumulated 12 home runs, including at least one in each contest...C Ronald Hernandez (3), OF John Bay (2), INF Colin Houck (2), OF Vincent Perozo (2) and 1B Trace Willhoite (2) all hit multiple home runs in the series...Brooklyn also hit 12 of their 25 home runs (48%) this season during the last week at Bowling Green Ballpark.

ROSTER MOVES: The Cyclones made a pair of roster moves ahead of Tuesday's series opener...The New York Mets signed INF Nick Roselli to a minor league contract and assigned him to Brooklyn...In a corresponding move, the Cyclones placed INF Antonio Jimenez on the Development List...Roselli, who was a member of last year's South Atlantic League championship team, rejoins the organization after being released on April 1...The 23-year-old played for the Independent Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League, going 11-for-44 (.250) at the plate with four extra-base hits, two home runs, and eight RBI...Roselli appeared in 36 games for the Cyclones in 2025, hitting .136/.223/.232/.455 with nine extra-base knocks, a home run, and 18 RBI...Jimenez lands on the Development List after hitting .124/.181/.206/.387 in 25 games with four extra-base hits, two home runs, and three runs batted in.

I'M JUST A TRAVELLER: The Cyclones continue their longest road trip of the 2026 season this week...Brooklyn opened with a six-game series at Bowling Green before concluding the 12-game road swing with six games at Rome...The two six-game sets will mark the Cyclones' first visit to both ballparks since May 2024...Brooklyn is slated to travel 2,014 miles between Coney Island, Bowling Green, Rome, and back...The Cyclones will endure just one more two-week road trip in 2026...Brooklyn will play six games in Asheville from August 18-23 before heading back north to conclude the road schedule at Hudson Valley from August 25-30.

ROCKIN' RONNY: C Ronald Hernandez hit three home runs over the weekend in Bowling Green...After hitting a mammoth two-run home run in the 6th of Saturday's Game 2, the Venezuela native clubbed two solo shots on Sunday...Sunday was Hernandez's second multi-homer performance with the Cyclones...The switch-hitter went 4-for-4 with two home runs in a home game on April 30, 2025, against Wilmington...Hernandez has a 116 wRC+ on the season, which ranks seventh amongst New York Mets' full-season minor leaguers...For the year, Hernandez is tied for 10th in the league with 21 free passes drawn - seven more than anyone else on Brooklyn's roster.

BAY WATCH: OF John Bay has been on a tear to start the year...The Austin Peay State product launched his 4th home run of the year and second in as many days in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader at Bowling Green...Bay has an .826 OPS through his first 28 games...Bay's wRC+ of 126 ranks sixth amongst all New York Mets' full-season minor leaguers...Bay also tied a South Atlantic League single-game record, getting plunked by three pitches, on April 9 at Jersey Shore...The 24-year-old is the first SAL player to be drilled three times in one game since Bay was hit 3 times on September 7, 2025, at Jersey Shore...In 224 career plate appearances, the Shattuck, Okla., native has been hit 16 times (7.14%).

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Despite a pair of valiant comebacks, the Cyclones were swept in Saturday's doubleheader at Bowling Green...Brooklyn played their first twinbill of the season on April 26, splitting the two games at Hudson Valley...The Cyclones are now 0-1-1 in twinbills this year with a 1-3 overall mark...During their championship season in 2025, Brooklyn played five doubleheaders, going 1-1-3 while holding a 5-5 overall record...Despite the 5-5 record, the Cyclones outscored their opponents 42-32 over the 10 games...Brooklyn and Hudson Valley will play another doubleheader on Thursday, May 21, on Coney Island to make up for a rainout on Sunday, April 5.

MY OLD KENTUCKY HOME: 1B Trace Willhoite hit his first home run of the season during a homecoming of sorts on Friday in Bowling Green and added a game-tying two-run home run in the 7th inning in Game 2 on Saturday...He went 3-for-16 in the series with two home runs and three runs batted in...The 25-year-old calls Georgetown, Ky., home and attended Scott County High School in Georgetown...Willhoite's high school is located approximately 159 miles and a two and a half hour drive northeast of Bowling Green...Additionally, the Kentucky native attended Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tenn...Willhoite's alma mater is roughly 73 miles and an 80-minute drive southwest of Bowling Green Ballpark...The second-year pro had friends and family from both his hometown and university at the ballpark throughout the week.

AUSTIN POWERS: RHP Channing Austin is off to a marvelous start to 2026...The right-hander struck out 10 over 4.1 innings on Friday night, setting a new career-high...Austin's performance marked the first time a Brooklyn pitcher struck out 10 or more hitters in a game since RHP Jack Wenninger accomplished the feat on September 6, 2024, vs. Wilmington...The Prospect Lefferts Garden native had not allowed a run in any of his last three appearances prior to Friday (15.0 IP)...Over the four-start stretch, Austin has struck out 28 batters (34.6 K%) to nine walks (11.1 BB%) with a 0.93 ERA (2 ER in 19.1 IP)...Austin enters Tuesday ranked fourth in the South Atlantic League in ERA (1.69) and batting average against (.168), tied for fifth in strikeouts (35), and ninth in WHIP (1.28)...Austin is the only Brooklyn starter this year to record an out in the 6th inning.

HALL OF FAME: RHP Noah Hall continued to climb the Cyclones' all-time pitching leaderboard in Game 1 of Saturday's doubleheader at Bowling Green...The 25-year-old has 160 Ks in his Brooklyn career, having passed RHP Garrison Bryant (135) and LHP Felipe De La Cruz (133) for second and third, respectively, on the all-time list in early April at Jersey Shore...The Charlotte, N.C. native trails only RHP Jaison Vilera (173) on Brooklyn's career strikeout list...Hall is also second on the all-time starts list by Brooklyn pitchers with 32 and innings pitched with 154.2, having just passed Bryant (143.1)...In 2025, Hall ranked second in the South Atlantic League in ERA (2.72) and batting average against (.200)...He also finished fifth in strikeouts (115), tied for fifth in double plays induced (9), sixth in innings (112.2), ninth in WHIP (1.27), and tied for 10th in starts (21)...Hall became the first player in franchise history to start multiple Opening Days in 2025 and started his third-straight Opening Day in 2026.

GRAB SOME PINE: Brooklyn pitchers struck out 18 hitters in Friday's 7-2 win at Bowling Green, marking the third time this year the staff has accomplished the feat and the second time doing so in a 9-inning game...RHP Channing Austin (10), LHP Gregori Louis (2), RHP Bryce Jenkins (1), and RHP Cristofer Gomez (5) were dominant, striking out 18 while Austin allowed just two early runs...The last time Brooklyn arms whiffed 18 over 9.0 innings was in a 3-2 loss to Greensboro on April 17...The franchise record for punchouts is 22, set in a 20-inning contest on June 17, 2016, vs. Staten Island.

BALL MAGNETS: The Cyclones have worn their fair share of pitches to start the 2026 season...Entering play on Sunday, Brooklyn has been hit by 30 pitches this season, which is fourth in the South Atlantic League...The 30 hit-by-pitches are tied for seventh in Minor League Baseball...OF John Bay (8) and C Daiverson Gutiérrez (8) are tied for second in the SAL in HBPs, behind only Hudson Valley C Eric Genther (11)...Bay and Gutiérrez are tied for fifth in MiLB for hit-by-pitches.

TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS: The Cyclones collected their first shutout of the season in last Saturday's 2-0 victory vs. Frederick...RHPs Channing Austin (5.2 IP), Juan Arnaud (1.1), Hoss Brewer (1.0), and Hunter Hodges (1.0) combined on a one-hitter in Brooklyn's triumph...The shutout was the first for the Cyclones since a 3-0 victory at Aberdeen on August 22, 2025...RHPs Joel Díaz (7.0 IP, 1 H) and Josh Blum (2.0, 0) united on a one-hitter against the IronBirds...The shutout was Brooklyn's first at Maimonides Park since a 3-0 triumph vs. Hub City on August 12, 2025...RHP Will Watson (4.0 IP, 3 H), RHP Austin Troesser (1.0, 0), LHP Gregori Louis (2.0, 1), and RHP Hunter Hodges (2.0, 0) twirled a four-hit blanking of the Spartanburgers, combining to strike out 15...The one-hitter marked the first time Brooklyn had allowed one or fewer hits in a game on Coney Island since four arms united on the first nine-inning no-hitter in franchise history during a 3-0 victory vs. Aberdeen on June 4, 2024...RHPs Dakota Hawkins (5.0 IP), Joey Lancellotti (1.0), and Joshua Cornielly (3.0) faced just three batters over the minimum, walking three and hitting one batter, in the no-no.

2025 IN REVIEW: A memorable 2025 saw the Cyclones capture their first-ever South Atlantic League Championship...Brooklyn swept their way through the postseason, compiling a perfect 4-0 record with two-game sweeps over Greensboro in the North Division Finals and Hub City in the South Atlantic League Championship Series...It was just the second time Brooklyn inked a playoff spot as a full-season affiliate, joining the 2022 squad...The Cyclones' first-half record of 46-20 was good enough to earn them the first-half crown...Brooklyn was 26-39 in the 2nd half before running the table in the postseason.

PUT IT IN THE (HISTORY) BOOKS!: Last year's Cyclones squad set a new single-season franchise record for wins with 72...The 2022 club (70-54) is the only other team in Brooklyn history to register 70 or more wins...The Cyclones' 72 wins and .550 winning percentage were the franchise's best at the full-season level...The inaugural 2001 team holds the organizational high-water mark for winning percentage (.684).

NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Eduardo Núñez grabs the reins as Brooklyn's manager for 2026, serving as the 16th skipper in franchise history...Núñez takes over after serving as Brooklyn's hitting coach in 2024 and bench coach for the 2025 championship-winning squad...The 40-year-old replaces Gilbert Gómez, who joined the Mets coaching staff as New York's first base and outfield coach for 2026...Núñez joined the Mets organization before the 2021 campaign, and previously held positions in the organization with St. Lucie and in both the Florida Complex League and Dominican Summer League...He also worked on Team Puerto Rico's staff in the 2023 and 2026 World Baseball Classic.

BROOKLYN TO THE BIGS: After 14 former Cyclones made their Major League debuts in 2025, three alumni have already accomplished the feat early in 2026, with a fourth scheduled for Tuesday...On Tuesday, OF A.J. Ewing had his contract selected from Triple-A Syracuse and is slated to hit eighth and play center field in his Major League debut for the Mets...The organization's No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline played in 78 games for the Cyclones in 2025, slashing .288/.387/.388/.775 with 44 stolen bases...He'll join OF Carson Benge, RHP Cameron Foster, and RHP Anthony Nunez, who made their debuts earlier this season...Last year's 14 debuts in a single season set a new single-season franchise record.

AMAZIN' STARTS HERE: According to MLB Pipeline, the Cyclones hold 4 of the Mets' Top 30 prospects...Those are INF Mitch Voit (7), and INF Antonio Jimenez (16), and C Daiverson Gutiérrez (25)...All three are also considered Top 30 prospects according to Baseball America and SNY...BA has Voit at 8, Jimenez at 19, and Gutiérrez at 23, while SNY lists Voit at 10, Jimenez at 20, and Gutiérrez at 27...Baseball America also ranked INF Colin Houck as the organization's No. 35 farmhand entering 2026.

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South Atlantic League Stories from May 12, 2026


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