Mets allow season-high 13 runs and 17 hits in 13-5 loss to Bisons on Saturday

Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets fell to the Buffalo Bisons, 13-5, on Saturday night at NBT Bank Stadium in front of an energetic crowd of 6,584 fans at the ballpark. The Mets allowed a season-high 13 runs and tied a season-high by allowing 17 hits in the loss.

Buffalo (30-26) got on the board in the top of the second inning. With one out, Syracuse starting pitcher José Butto walked three straight batters to load the bases. Michael Turconi followed with a two-run single to get the Bisons in front, 2-0. Steward Berroa followed with an RBI single for a 3-0 advantage, and Spencer Horwitz capped off the inning with a two-run double to make it a 5-0 game as six consecutive batters reached base.

Syracuse (33-22) responded in the bottom of the second. With two outs, Rhylan Thomas and Mike Brosseau both singled. Then, Pablo Reyes crushed a three-run home run over the left-field wall to pull the Mets within two, 5-3.

The Bisons added runs in the fourth. With two outs, Berroa doubled. Horwitz followed with a two-run home run to right field to push Buffalo’s lead to four, 7-3. All of those runs scored off of Butto who allowed eight hits in three and two-thirds innings on the mound. The seven runs and eight hits were the most allowed by Butto this season.

The Mets trimmed the deficit in the fifth. Hayden Senger led off with a double. Three batters later, with two outs, Rylan Bannon also doubled, bringing Senger home and making it a three-run game, 7-4.

Buffalo started to put the game out of reach in the top of the sixth. Berroa doubled, and Horwitz singled to begin the frame. Nathan Lukas then singled to score Berroa for an 8-4 advantage. Two batters later, Addison Barger crushed a three-run homer as the Bisons took an 11-4 lead.

Syracuse did get another run in the bottom of the sixth thanks to some poor Buffalo defense. Trayce Thompson was hit by a pitch to begin the frame. Then, Thomas grounded a ball to second that would’ve been a double-play ball, but second baseman Orelvis Martinez misplayed the ball for an error, allowing both runners to reach base safely. Two batters later, Reyes singled home Thompson to make it an 11-5 game.

The Bisons kept the pressure on though. In the seventh, Turconi had a one-out double, and Berroa doubled, placing runners at second and third base. Horwitz came to the plate and collected his fifth hit of the game, which was a two-run single, scoring Turconi and Berroa for a 13-5 Buffalo lead. Horwitz came to the plate in the ninth but flied out to right. The five hits for Horwitz tied a career high as he finished with two singles, two doubles, a home run, and six RBIs. Horwitz went 5-for-6 on July 18, 2023 last season at Syracuse.

Syracuse and Buffalo conclude their six-game series on Sunday afternoon. Left-hander Joey Lucchesi is slated to start on the mound for the Mets opposite Bisons right-hander Troy Warren. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m.