St. Paul, MN – The Syracuse Mets and St. Paul Saints (Triple-A Minnesota Twins) split a Thursday night twin bill at CHS Field with the Saints grabbing the first game, 5-3, while the Mets took the second game by a 9-4 decision. The Saints now lead the weeklong, six-game series
St. Paul, MN – The Syracuse Mets and St. Paul Saints (Triple-A Minnesota Twins) split a Thursday night twin bill at CHS Field with the Saints grabbing the first game, 5-3, while the Mets took the second game by a 9-4 decision. The Saints now lead the weeklong, six-game series by a two games to one count. This week marks the first meetings between Syracuse and St. Paul as the Saints switched from independent baseball to affiliated ball prior to the start of the 2021 season.
Game one of the doubleheader was highlighted by the long ball as the two teams combined for five home runs in the game. Syracuse got the home run party started in the top of the second when Mike Brosseau hit a solo shot with two outs to push the Mets in front 1-0.
The Saints tied it up in the bottom of the third when Anthony Prato doubled leading off the frame, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a sacrifice fly from Austin Martin, knotting the game, 1-1. That would prove to be the only run scored in the game that did not come via the home run.
In the top of the fourth, the game hit warp speed as the two teams combined for four homers in one inning alone. Syracuse hit one of the big flies, a two-run blast from Luke Ritter (his 12th homer of the season) that briefly put the Mets in front by a 3-1 count.
It wouldn’t last, as the Saints tagged Dom Hamel for three homers to go in front for good. It all started with a Matt Wallner solo homer to start the inning to make it 3-2. Three batters later, Tony Kemp blasted a two-run shot to put the Saints back in the lead 4-3. Then, two batters later, a solo shot from Anthony Prato made it a 5-3 game.
Hamel got the final out of the fourth and then left the contest after four innings. The final line for the 25-year-old (who is considered one of the best New York Mets pitching prospects) was five runs allowed on five hits, three of which were home runs. The right-hander also struck out three and walked three in the game.
From there, the Saints bullpen shut the door yet again. The Mets did not score in the final three innings of the game, ensuring Syracuse would lose game one of the doubleheader to the Saints by a 5-3 final. It got interesting in the top of the seventh (the last scheduled inning in a doubleheader) when Carlos Cortes doubled with one out to ensure the potential tying run would come to the plate. However, Yolmer Sánchez lined out and Luisangel Acuña struck out to end the game.
Game two of the doubleheader began just like the first, with plenty of home runs. Matt Wallner hit yet another homer for St. Paul (27-32) in the bottom of the first that put the home team in front 1-0.
That lead would not last as Syracuse (35-24) roared back in front with five runs in the top of second. The highlight of the frame was a go-ahead, three-run homer from Pablo Reyes, his second in six games since joining the Syracuse Mets. Reyes joined the team last week after having played against the Mets last season as a member of the Worcester Red Sox.
Syracuse still had some pop left in them later in the game. The Mets scored four more runs in the top of the fourth to surge out to a 9-1 lead and essentially put the game out of reach. The big blow of the fourth was a three-run homer from Brosseau, his second of the day and his seventh in 27 games with the Mets this season.
The pitching staff got the game to the finish line from there as the Saints scored just three times in the final six innings of the game. Mike Vasil allowed three runs in his four and one-third innings of work, Grant Hartwig tossed one and two-thirds scoreless and hitless frames, and Ty Adco*ck worked the ninth by allowing just one unearned run. The Mets bullpen remains solid, allowing no earned runs in four and two-thirds combined innings of work in the Thursday night doubleheader.
Syracuse is on the road all week for their first-ever series against the Triple-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins, the St. Paul Saints. Game four of the six-game series is scheduled for Friday evening with right-hander José Butto slated to start for the Mets. Right-hander David Festa is expected to counter for the Saints. First pitch is scheduled for 8:07 p.m. ET.
