EL1 Binghamton Rumble Ponies

Streak Snapped at Seven on Late Homer, 5-4

August 25, 2011 - Eastern League (EL1)
Binghamton Rumble Ponies News Release


BINGHAMTON, NY - Starling Marte's lead-off home run in the ninth inning broke a tie game and helped the Altoona Curve beat the Binghamton Mets 5-4 tonight at NYSEG Stadium. The defeat ended the B-Mets' seven-game winning streak.

In his first rehab game with Binghamton since 2004, shortstop Jose Reyes went 0-for-1 with a walk and a run scored. He did not field any chances at short during his five defensive innings.

Jeurys Familia could not carry over the pin-point control he possessed in his previous two outings. The righty walked Marte to start the game and paid for it when Brock Holt doubled to right field. The B-Mets had chance to nab Marte at the plate, but second baseman Reese Havens could not corral Juan Lagares' throw from right.

Havens made up for it in the bottom of the first. After Jose Reyes walked on four pitches against Altoona starter Matt McSwain, Havens blasted a 2-2 pitch over the right-center field fence for his fifth dinger of the year. It gave Binghamton a short-lived 2-1 lead.

The Curve had a quick rebuttal. Matt Curry started the second with a single and advanced to second on a wild pitch by Familia, the first of two on the night for the right-hander. Curry moved to third on Quincy Latimore's single and scored when Jeremy Farrell grounded out to third.

Altoona tacked on two more scores in the fifth. Brock Holt got aboard with a single and Andrew Lambo drove him home with a long home run to right. It was Lambo's seventh blast of the year.

The fifth would prove to be Familia's final inning. He left after allowing four runs on seven hits and allowed the lead-off man to reach safely four times. He walked two, hit a batter, and uncorked two wild pitches.

Given the lead, McSwain fell into a grove. The righty retired the next eleven B-Mets he faced, breezing through the Binghamton order in the second, third, and fourth. He allowed a single to Allan Dykstra in the fifth, but posted a scoreless inning to cap his night. The righty exited with a chance to win after allowing two runs on two hits.

The leaky Altoona bullpen struggled again. In his Curve debut, Mike Loree fell into trouble in the sixth. He allowed three straight to reach with two outs, capped by Brahiam Maldonado's RBI single. Binghamton had the tying run at third, but failed to score when Allan Dykstra struck out looking.

After Brad Holt posted two perfect innings and Ricky Brooks escaped harm in a scoreless eighth, Binghamton managed to tie things up. Reliever Duke Welker walked Havens and gave up a single to Juan Lagares to put runners at the corners. The hit extended Lagares' hitting streak to 15 games.

With Maldonado at the plate, Lagares broke for second. Tony Sanchez's throw to second skipped off Josh Rodriguez's glove and rolled away from the second baseman. Havens broke for home and slid in ahead of the tag with the game-tying run. The throwing mistake was Sanchez's 17th error of the season.

The game would not stay knotted up for long. Starling Marte took reliever Josh Stinson deep to right on the first pitch the righty served up. The blast, Marte's 12th of the year, gave Altoona a 5-4 lead.

Binghamton went quietly in the ninth. Anthony Claggett entered and burned throw the B-Mets in order, striking out Jon Malo to nail down his second save. He made a winner of Duke Welker for the first time with Altoona. Josh Stinson suffered his third loss.

Binghamton (59-72) continues their series against Altoona and Jose Reyes proceeds with his rehab assignment tomorrow night at 7:05pm. RHP Collin McHugh (6-2, 3.33) will toe the rubber against RHP Michael Colla (5-9, 3.65). The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pre-Game Show begins at 6:50pm on Newsradio 1290 WNBF.

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