Mets drop series finale to Bisons, 5-2, on Sunday in Trenton

Trenton, NJ - Syracuse dropped the series finale to the Buffalo Bisons with a 5-2 loss in Trenton, NJ on Sunday afternoon. The game was tied at one after five innings before the Bisons scored a combined four runs in the next two innings to pull away.

The game featured two Toronto Blue Jays players on Major League rehab assignments with Buffalo (15-13). Thomas Hatch started the game on the mound for the Bisons and delivered two scoreless innings. The right-hander didn’t allow a hit, walked one, and struck out one. Third baseman Cavin Biggio also impressed on his rehab assignment, driving a solo shot to deep center in his first at-bat to give Buffalo an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Biggio finished the game 1-for-4.

Syracuse (11-19) finally got on the board in the top of the fourth. With one out, David Thompson was hit by a pitch. Thompson was then injured stealing second base and exited the game. He was replaced by Cheslor Cuthbert. Patrick Mazeika then grounded out to second, and Cuthbert advanced to third on the play. The next batter, Orlando Calixte, grounded a single into right field to tie the game, 1-1.

The bottom of the fourth featured a bizarre frame, where the Bisons collected four straight singles but failed to score a run. Kevin Smith and Riley Adams hit back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Tyler White then sent one into left field, and Mets left fielder Drew Jackson threw a bullet home, where Smith failed to touch home plate on his slide and was called out by the home plate umpire. Forrest Wall then hit a single, and Adams was held at third. Mets pitcher Jesús Reyes then struck out Juan Graterol and forced a pop out by Logan Warmoth to get out of the jam without any damage.

After giving up the home run to Biggio in the first, Reyes threw four scoreless innings before surrendering two runs in the sixth. Buffalo got the inning started with an Adams walk followed by a White single. After Forrest Wall lined out to left, Graterol sent a single to center, and Adams was held at third to load the bases. Warmoth then drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center to bring home Adams and give Buffalo the lead, 2-1. Dilson Herrera followed, hitting a line-drive single into right to score White, making the score 3-1 Bisons.

That ended Reyes’ day. The 28-year-old righty threw five and two thirds innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits. He walked two and struck out four. Reyes was replaced by Bradley Roney, who struck out Christian Colon for the final out of the inning.

In the bottom of the seventh, the Bisons continued to increase their lead. After Smith doubled and White walked, Graterol slashed a two-out, two-run single into left field to make it 5-1 Buffalo.

That remained the score going to the top of the ninth where T.J. Zeuch returned to the mound for a seventh inning. There were two outs and nobody on base when Calixte ripped a double into left and then advanced to third on an error. Khalil Lee then picked up his second hit of the day with an RBI single to cut the deficit to three, 5-2. However, Sebastian Elizalde grounded out to second, and the Bisons were victorious, 5-2.

After coming out of the pen in the third to replace Hatch, Zeuch threw seven innings, allowing two runs on seven hits with no walks and one strikeout. It was Zeuch's first win of the season.

With the loss, the Mets split the six-game series with the Bisons. Syracuse returns home to NBT Bank Stadium this week for a six-game series with the Worcester Red Sox, beginning Tuesday night. First pitch from Syracuse is at 6:35 p.m.