Zanon powers Mets to 3-2 win at Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. (June 13, 2019) - The St. Lucie Mets ended the Florida State League's first half on a winning note, as they clipped the Clearwater Threshers 3-2 at Spectrum Field on Thursday.
Jacob Zanon hit a two-out, three-run homer in the fifth inning to turn a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 lead.
Starting pitcher Kevin Smith held the Threshers to two runs on three hits in five innings. He did not walk a batter and struck out five.
The Mets bullpen pitched four scoreless innings to preserve the one-run lead. Darwin Ramos followed Smith and pitched 1.2 innings with two strikeouts. Joe Cavallaro retired all four batters he faced to get the game to the ninth.
Ezequiel Zabaleta worked around a hit batter in the ninth to pick up his fourth save in four tries. Zabaleta earned a nine-out save just two days earlier.
Clearwater took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on a two-run single by Jack Conley.
Threshers starter Ethan Evanko was buzzing along. He had retired 10 Mets in a row and was pitching with two outs and the bases empty in the fifth inning. Yoel Romero broke the streak with a scorching ground ball that went through the legs of third baseman Matt Kroon for an error. Blake Tiberi followed with an infield single to keep the inning alive.
Zanon came to the plate and lined the first pitch from Evanko over the wall in left field for a three-run blast. It was Zanon's fifth homer of the season and second long ball in three days.
The Mets finished the first half with a 32-34 record.
The Mets are off for the next three days for the Florida State League All Star break. They return to action on Monday when they host the Lakeland Flying Tigers. First pitch at First Data Field is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.