Red-hot Rosario, Smith carry B-Mets

Amed Rosario drew lofty praise and a heady comparison from his hitting coach on Tuesday night.

The Mets' top prospect smacked three hits and drove in three runs, leading Double-A Binghamton to a 9-1 victory over Hartford at NYSEG Stadium.

Rosario opened the scoring with an RBI double to center field in the first inning. He struck again in the fifth, driving in another run with another double to left before delivering an RBI single up the middle in the eighth. The 20-year-old shortstop also scored twice in his 12th three-hit game of the season and fifth in the Eastern League.

"He's got all the talent in the world and right now he got better with his plate discipline," B-Mets hitting coach Luis Natera said. "He uses the whole field, he's got a great two-strike approach and the ability to go the opposite field. He's reminding me a lot of Jose Reyes."

Rosario, who missed 11 days with a strained hamstring at the end of July, has nine hits and six RBIs in 26 at-bats over his last six games.

"He was out for a couple of days with a hammy and he lost his rhythm," Natera said. "We've been working to get his timing back and use his legs a little more. We try to get him to use his two-strike approach earlier in the count, and that worked for him."

Promoted from Class A Advanced St. Lucie on June 23, MLB.com's No. 15 overall prospect has provided a strong presence in Binghamton's lineup. He's batting .327 with two homers, four triples, 12 doubles and 34 runs scored in 42 games and has not had his average dip below the .300 mark since the promotion.

"He was pretty good from the beginning," Natera said. "Then they made an adjustment on him and he started chasing a little bit. Now he's back and he doesn't chase as much. You come from A-ball, the pitcher's gonna challenge you and then make an adjustment on you. They challenge you in the beginning to see if you can hit the fastball and then they make the adjustment and he made the adjustment. It's a big jump from A-ball to Double-A."

Batting cleanup behind Rosario, Dominic Smith drove him in twice en route to his second straight three-hit game. The Mets' second-ranked prospect is batting .413 in August and ranks third in the league with a career-high 85 RBIs.

"When he gets some separation, he gets on top of the ball really well and stays back," Natera said. "He can do damage when he does that. Right now, he's made a good adjustment with his hands."

Smith, who's hitting .304 overall, said Rosario's presence has made his job easier.

"He does a lot of things to get on base -- he walks a lot and works counts. That helps me and takes pressure off of me," Smith said earlier this month. "He's given me a lot of opportunities to do what I've done this year, but our lineup is deep. So [pitchers] don't want to put me on base with a walk or pitch around me because guys will come through and hurt them as well."

While Rosario and Smith starred at the plate, Ricky Knapp (4-0) pitched a three-hitter for his first career complete game. The 24-year-old right-hander recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts and walked two in becoming the first Binghamton pitcher to go the distance since Gabriel Ynoa on July 2, 2015.

"He's a pitcher," Natera said. "He knows how to pitch, he made his pitches well. He keeps the ball down, elevates when he wants to and has command of all his pitches."

Wilson Soriano provided the Yard Goats' offense with an RBI double.