Kevin Parada, Nolan McLean Homer On Sunday

Sunday was a bit of a microcosm of how the Mets’ minor league affiliates’ seasons have gone. The three highest levels (Triple-A, Double-A, High-A) won, and each of these affiliates now holds a record above .500. However, St. Lucie (Low-A) lost and fell to 13-26 on the year.

There were many phenomenal individual performances on Sunday, highlighted by home runs from Kevin Parada and Nolan McLean. Parada is still looking to break out but has hits in three straight games. Perhaps this could be the start of a great run at the plate. On the other hand, McLean has been fantastic from day one for High-A Brooklyn. Due to his excellent performance, the Mets promoted him to Double-A Binghamton following Sunday’s game.

Read below to check out the rest of the performances around the Mets’ minor leagues on Sunday.

Triple-A

Iowa Cubs (20-25) 3, Syracuse Mets (27-16) 5

BOX SCORE

• 2B Luisangel Acuña: 1-for-4, R, K
• SS Rylan Bannon: 2-for-4, 2B (6), 3 RBI (23), SB (3)
• RF-CF Trayce Thompson: 1-for-4, HR (13), R, RBI (35), 3 K
• LF Carlos Cortes: 1-for-2, R, RBI (10), 2 BB, K, SB (1)

The Syracuse Mets defeated the Iowa Cubs 5-3 on Sunday. The Mets went down early after surrendering a run in the first inning, but they tacked on four in the second to put them ahead for good. The Mets scored an additional run in the third inning and held a 5-1 lead until the ninth when the Cubs tacked on two. Despite the late scare, Syracuse held on for the victory.

The biggest blow came in the Mets’ four-run second inning when Rylan Bannon brought home three with a bases-clearing, two-out double. Bannon’s hit untied the game and put the Mets ahead 4-1. Bannon continues to impress; he’s bumped his OPS to .887 on the year.

• LHP David Peterson (W, 1-0): 5 2/3 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 5 K
• RHP Matt Festa: 1 1/3 IP, 0 ER, H, 0 BB, 2 K
• LHP Tyler Jay: 1 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 0 BB, K
• RHP Yacksel Ríos: 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 0 H, 4 BB, 0 K
• LHP Danny Young (S, 2): 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, K

David Peterson had an excellent start for Syracuse as he continues to work his way back to the Majors. The southpaw was one out short of a quality start, but his outing was quality in every other way. Matt Festa, just signed by the Mets, relieved Peterson and had a scoreless outing of 1 1/3 innings before Tyler Jay had a scoreless inning of his own.

Things got hairy in the ninth with Yacksel Ríos on the mound, as Ríos allowed two runs on four walks and no hits. Not willing to risk anything, the Mets pulled Ríos and called on Danny Young to record the final out. He was successful, recording his second save of the season.

Double-A

Bowie Baysox (21-17) 3, Binghamton Rumble Ponies (20-17) 5

BOX SCORE

• CF Matt Rudick: 2-for-4, 2B (7), R, 2 K
• LF Rhylan Thomas: 2-for-4, 2B (8), RBI (13), K
• C Kevin Parada: 1-for-3, HR (5), R, RBI (19), BB, K
• 2B Jaylen Palmer: 2-for-4, HR (2), R, 2 RBI (4)

Like their Triple-A brethren, the Binghamton Rumble Ponies also won by a 5-3 score on Wednesday, defeating the Bowie Baysox. The Rumble Ponies cashed in two in the first inning on a Rhylan Thomas single and a passed ball but gave up two in the third to tie the game back up. Binghamton went back in front in the bottom of the inning on a Kevin Parada solo shot, but Bowie again tied the game back up in the fifth inning.

The game remained knotted at 3-3 until the eighth inning when Jaylen Palmer delivered a two-run homer. That would prove to be the winning hit, as the Rumble Ponies held on for the 5-3 win. Palmer, who started the year injured, now has an OPS over 1.000 in a small sample size to begin his season.

• RHP Joander Suarez: 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 2 BB, 4 K
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 2 1/3 IP, ER, H, BB, K
• RHP Cam Robinson: 1 1/3 IP, 0 ER, H, 2 BB, K
• RHP Junior Santos (W, 3-0): 1 2/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, BB, 2 K
• RHP Trey McLoughlin (S, 3): 1 IP, 0 ER, H, BB, 3 K

Joander Suarez entered Sunday’s action with a 2.17 ERA but ran into trouble early in this game. He lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up two runs while allowing five baserunners. Carlos Guzman followed him and allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings, but the rest of the bullpen did a solid job quieting Bowie’s offense. Cam Robinson, Junior Santos, and Trey McLoughlin combined for four shutout innings. Santos recorded the win, and McLoughlin recorded the save, striking out three in the ninth inning.

Following the game, Rhylan Thomas and Blade Tidwell were both promoted to Triple-A Syracuse due to their great starts to the year.

High-A

Brooklyn Cyclones (20-19) 8, Bowling Green Hot Rods (21-18) 5

BOX SCORE

• CF Stanley Consuegra: 1-for-4, HR (3), R, RBI (13), 2 K
• 3B William Lugo: 2-for-4, 3 R, RBI (13), BB, SB (3)
• DH Nolan McLean: 1-for-3, HR (5), R, RBI (13), BB, K
• LF Karell Paz: 1-for-4, HR (1), R, RBI (2), K

The Brooklyn Cyclones defeated the Bowling Green Hot Rods 8-5 on Sunday. It was a great offensive day for Brooklyn, who scored eight runs on 11 hits. Eight of the nine batters in the lineup recorded a hit, while three players hit home runs, and three others had multi-hit games.

Even though the Hot Rods scored first in this game, Brooklyn responded quickly and jumped out to an 8-1 lead by the fifth inning. The Hot Rods eventually cut the Cyclones’ lead down to three, but they couldn’t do enough as Brooklyn secured the win.

• RHP Jawilme Ramirez: 3 IP, ER, H, 0 BB, 4 K
• RHP Jake Stevenson (W, 2-0): 2 IP, 0 ER, H, BB, 5 K
• RHP Justin Lawson: 2 IP, ER, H, BB, 3 K
• RHP Victor Castaneda: 1 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, K
• RHP Joshua Cornielly (S, 5): 1 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, K

The Brooklyn pitching staff combined for 14 strikeouts and, for the most part, pitched really well. The one negative performance came from Victor Castaneda, who allowed three runs on five hits in one inning. Other than that, though, Jawilme Ramirez’s lone blemish was a solo home run, and Jake Stevenson struck out five in two scoreless innings of work. Justin Lawson allowed a run in two innings, and Joshua Cornielly shut the door with his fifth save of the year.

Low-A

St. Lucie Mets (13-26) 6, Palm Beach Cardinals (23-16) 10

BOX SCORE

• DH Jesus Baez: 2-for-5, R, RBI (20), K
• LF Jeffry Rosa: 3-for-5, R, RBI (7), K
• C-1B Ronald Hernandez: 4-for-5, 2B (7), R
• CF Donovan Antonia: 2-for-4, 2 R

The St. Lucie Mets fell to the Palm Beach Cardinals 10-6 on Sunday. Despite the loss, it was a great offensive game for St. Lucie, who recorded 17 hits. Jeffry Rosa and Ronald Hernandez were the highlights of the day, as the 3-hole and cleanup batters combined for seven hits in ten at-bats.

The Mets never held a lead in this game, though they did enter the bottom of the fourth inning in a 3-3 tie. The Cardinals then scored five runs and put the Mets in a deficit they couldn’t surmount.

• LHP Franklin Gomez: 3 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 0 BB, K
• RHP Miguel Alfonseca (L, 1-0): 2/3 IP, 4 ER (5 R), 2 H, 2 BB, K
• RHP Alan Perdomo: 2 2/3 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Wilson Lopez: 1 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K
• LHP Ryan Ammons: 1/3 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 0 K

This game was a pitching disaster for St. Lucie, who allowed ten runs on 12 hits. Franklin Gomez, Miguel Alfonseca, and Alan Perdomo were the main culprits, as the three combined to allow ten runs (nine earned) in the first 6 1/3 innings of the game. Alfonseca particularly struggled, as he allowed five runs (four earned) in just 2/3 innings of work. Even Wilson Lopez, who pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings, allowed five baserunners to reach.

The offense hasn’t always been there this year for St. Lucie, but when it has been, the opponent also seems to have an offensive outburst. That was the case in this one, and it was another frustrating loss for St. Lucie.

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