Hot-hitting Boyd stands out for B-Mets

Jayce Boyd's first month in the Eastern League did not go according to plan. The new month is a whole new story.

The Mets' No. 17 prospect homered, doubled and drove in four runs as Double-A Binghamton bested Harrisburg, 12-6, on Thursday.

Boyd also drew a pair of walks and scored twice for the Mets. The 23-year-old first baseman broke a 2-2 tie when he hit a 3-2 pitch from Blake Schwartz over the left-field wall of NYSEG Stadium for a three-run blast. Three innings later, Boyd doubled home Matt Reynolds to extend the club's lead to 11-5.

A year after leading Mets Minor Leaguers with a .330 average, Boyd found himself in an early funk, batting .182 in April. The Florida native has begun to turn things around in May, posting a .417/.533/.792 slash line. Five of his 10 hits this month have gone for extra bases and he has almost as many walks -- five -- this month as he had in April -- eight, despite playing 10 fewer games thus far.

The past three days have proven especially fruitful for the Florida State University product, as he's collected eight hits, slugged two homers and scored six times. A sixth-round pick in 2012, Boyd has long drawn praise for his offensive skills.

"He's always hit," Mets' vice president of player development Paul DePodesta told MiLB.com late last year. "He has raw power, though he didn't show it in college. He's a good hitter, a guy who's gonna hit for average, who's gonna drive the ball in the gap, who doesn't strike out and who walks -- which is a combo we like."

Reynolds finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs while Travis Taijeron slugged a solo homer for the Mets.

Darin Gorski improved to 3-1 after allowing two runs on seven hits while striking out seven over six innings for Binghamton. Gorski also helped himself with the bat, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBIs.

Michael Taylor had three hits and drove in a pair of runs, falling a double shy of the cycle for the Senators.

Schwartz (0-6) was tagged with the loss, surrendering five runs on four hits over five innings.