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IL Syracuse Mets

Buffalo Slugs Its Way Past Syracuse, 13-4, on Tuesday Night

July 18, 2023 - International League (IL)
Syracuse Mets News Release


Syracuse Mets' Abraham Almonte at bat
Syracuse Mets' Abraham Almonte at bat
(Syracuse Mets, Credit: Herm Card)

Syracuse, NY - The Syracuse Mets fell victim to incredibly hot hitting from the Buffalo Bisons (Triple-A Toronto Blue Jays) on a muggy Tuesday night at NBT Bank Stadium. The Mets lost to the Bisons 13-4, dropping the first game in the week-long, six-game series. Buffalo has now won eight of the first 13 games the two teams have played against one another this season.

Buffalo (43-47, 9-6) got off to a solid start in the top of the first, plating two runs to take an early 2-0 lead. It took exactly two batters for the Bisons to score their initial run as Addison Barger doubled, and Ernie Clement singled Barger home to make it 1-0 Buffalo in a flash. After a single from Spencer Horwitz, plus a hit batter loaded up the bases with nobody out, Tylor Megill was staring down a bases-loaded, nobody out situation that could have proved to be disastrous. However, Syracuse's starting pitcher mitigated the damage from there. Megill induced a fielder's choice groundout, a pop out, and a groundout to allow just one more run to cross home plate and make it a 2-0 game after the first.

Syracuse (37-52, 4-11) bounced right back and tied the game via a familiar face in the bottom of the second. After Luke Voit singled to start the inning, Abraham Almonte hit yet another home run to tie the game, 2-2, just like that. Almonte has been on a power binge lately for the Mets. He's homered three consecutive games. In fact, eight of Almonte's 11 hits in 12 games with Syracuse this season have been home runs.

From there, the game spiraled out of control on the Mets. Buffalo scored six times on five hits in the top of the third inning to take an 8-2 lead and essentially put the game out of reach. The frame was highlighted by five hits from the Bisons, including home runs from Davis Schneider and Orelvis Martinez. Schneider now has 18 homers this season, while Martinez's home run was his first hit in Triple-A. The 21-year-old, widely considered one of the top prospects in Toronto's minor-league system, was called up to Buffalo before Tuesday night's game.

The Bisons scored yet again with a single run in the top of the fourth. Ernie Clement singled to start the inning, stole his way to second, and scored when Spencer Horwitz singled him home. Both gentlemen had hits yet again in the top of the ninth inning when Buffalo capped off their scoring on the evening with yet another four-run flurry. Clement doubled in the ninth and Horwitz single, capping off truly stellar nights at the plate for both players. Clement went 5-for-6 with three runs scored while Horwitz also went 5-for-6 with five singles, a stolen base, an RBI, and a run scored. Clement is batting .533 (16-for-30) against Syracuse so far this season with two different five hit games against the Mets. Horwitz is batting .447 (16-for-37) with six runs driven in.

Buffalo, by the end of the night, had quite the offensive night to write home about. The Bisons scored 13 runs on 18 hits, including seven extra-base hits. The Bisons had every single member of the starting lineup reach base at least once and seven different players had at least one hit. Buffalo also had five different players who racked up two or more hits and every single member of the lineup scored at least one run.

Syracuse's final pair of runs in the ballgame came on a two-run homer from Danny Mendick in the bottom of the fourth. Since returning to Syracuse from the New York Mets last weekend, Mendick has gone 6-for-16 at the plate in four games with a double, a home run, and three runs driven in.

Syracuse continues its nine-game homestand this entire week at NBT Bank Stadium, hosting the Buffalo Bisons. The second game of the series is slated for a 6:35 p.m. first pitch on Wednesday night. Right-hander Denyi Reyes is scheduled to start for the Mets against right-hander Zach Thompson for the Bisons.

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Images from this story

Syracuse Mets' Abraham Almonte at bat
Syracuse Mets' Abraham Almonte at bat
(Herm Card)		   



International League Stories from July 18, 2023


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