Fulmer goes seven scoreless in B-Mets loss

All season, Michael Fulmer has tried to make each start better than the last. That's a tall order for his next time out.

On Wednesday night, he gave up three hits and a walk over seven scoreless innings in his longest Double-A effort, striking out six, before Binghamton dropped a 4-1 decison to visiting Harrisburg.

"I just felt like my fastball command was a lot better," the Mets' No. 13 prospect said. "I've been working on it between starts and I think it's getting better each and every time out. It's always good to see something you're working on pay off."

Two of the three hits the 2011 first-round pick allowed came off the bat of third-ranked Nationals prospect Trea Turner, who singled in the first and the seventh. Fulmer struck him out on three pitches in the fourth.

"I think he's a good hitter, obviously," Fulmer said. "The first single, in the first, I left a fastball a little bit up and he hit it up the middle. We try to stick to what the scouting reports tell us and try to pitch to a guy based on that. My hat's off to him for the two hits."

Fulmer erased two runners early on with pickoffs, catching Nationals No. 8 prospect Wilmer Difo to end the third and No. 14 prospect Brian Goodwin for the second out in the fourth.

"That's always a blessing. I don't know the last time I picked a guy off, let alone two in the same game. I can't take all the credit for it -- it was our manager Pete [Pedro] Lopez," Fulmer said. "The call came from the dugout on all four attempts, and he backed it up twice. He gave the sign and [catcher] Xorge [Carrillo] gave the sign to me and we got them."

Turner's second hit opened the final inning for Fulmer, who promptly got Goodwin to bounce into a double play.

"You've got to try to keep him honest there at first, and the biggest goal is always to get the double-play ground ball and execute in that situation," he said.

The only walk Fulmer issued -- to Matt Skole -- followed the double play, and he responded by striking out Drew Vettleson.

Fulmer pitched 95 1/3 innings in the Florida State League last year and was limited to one Eastern League start by surgery to remove bone chips in his elbow. The 22-year-old right-hander made his 2015 debut for Class A Advanced St. Lucie on April 26, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out nine over seven innings before returning to the B-Mets for his next start.

"I spent a little extra time down in [extended] spring training, just to make sure I'm healthy because the last couple years have been a little rocky," said Fulmer, who lowered his ERA to 2.70 over 50 Double-A innings. "My main goal personally is always to have a healthy year, and I feel as healthy as I've ever been and I'm good to go."

Mets No. 8 prospect Gavin Cecchini was 3-for-4 with a solo homer, his fifth, for Binghamton.

Turner socked an RBI triple in a three-run eighth for the Senators, making the 21-year-old shortstop 3-for-4 on the evening and bringing his average to .359 since coming to the Nationals from the Padres 10 games ago.