Series Preview: New Hampshire Fisher Cats

The Binghamton Mets continue their first roadtrip of the season tonight in Manchester, New Hampshire. The team kicks off their three-game series against the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, the Double-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays and defending Eastern League champions, tonight at 6:35 PM.

B-Mets Previous Series (@ Portland: 2-2): The B-Mets split a four-game series against the Portland Sea Dogs at Hadlock Field. Collin McHugh racked up six strike outs and allowed just one run over 6.2 innings to lead Binghamton to a 5-1 win over Portland in the first game on Thursday. Portland scored four unanswered runs and defeated the B-Mets in comeback fashion 4-3 on Friday night and handed Binghamton a 5-3 loss on Saturday afternoon. The B-Mets snatched the series finale yesterday by lashing out with a season-high 15 hits in a 9-2 victory.

New Hampshire Previous Series (vs. New Britain: 0-4): The Fisher Cats started their 2012 home schedule by getting swept in a four-game series against the New Britain Rock Cats. They have now lost five games in a row. The Rock Cats tagged New Hampshire starter Chad Jenkins for five runs over seven innings in a 5-3 win on Thursday night. New Britain pounded out ten hits in a 6-1 win the next night. On Saturday, the Fisher Cats scored five runs in the ninth, but the rally fell one run short in a 7-6 loss. New Britain capped the sweep with a 3-0 win yesterday.

B-Mets Briefing: The B-Mets are hitting .233 as a team, which is 40 percentage points higher than when they started their roadtrip, but still worst in the Eastern League. Their eight stolen bases put them fifth in the league. On the mound, the B-Mets sit near the top of the league. The pitching staff has compiled a 2.73 ERA, which is fourth in the league. The staff reached double-digits in strike outs in all four games in Portland and now own 85 on the year, the most of all Eastern League teams.

New Hampshire Briefing: The Fisher Cats are hitting .237 as a team, putting them just ahead of Binghamton in 11th in the Eastern League. They have scored the fewest runs, coming home just 27 times in their first 10 games. Their team slugging percentage of .313 is worst in the league. On the mound, they have compiled a 4.34 staff ERA, putting them ninth in the league. They have handed out the fewest walks of any team, issuing just 20 free passes. Defensively, they have already made 17 errors, the most in the league.

B-Mets Against the Sea Dogs: The B-Mets went 6-11 against the Fisher Cats last season, including a 2-7 mark at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium. The B-Mets played three straight road series versus New Hampshire in 2011 over a one month span (4/21-5/19). All-time Binghamton has gone 169-168 versus the Fisher Cats. They are 75-88 against the Fisher Cats as a Blue Jays affiliate.

Series Probables (B-Mets vs. Fisher Cats):

Monday: LHP Mark Cohoon (0-1, 3.60) vs. RHP Ryan Tepera (0-0, 5.14)

Tuesday: RHP Collin McHugh (1-1, 2.31) vs. RHP Chad Jenkins (1-1, 4.15)

Wednesday: RHP Zack Wheeler (0-1, 3.00) vs. RHP Deck McGuire (0-2, 9.90)

Series Schedule:

All three games can be heard on Newsradio 1290 WNBF. The Horizons Federal Credit Union Pre-Game show begins 15 minutes prior to first pitch.

Monday: 6:35 PM

Tuesday: 6:35 PM

Wednesday: 6:35 PM