The B-Mets go balls to the (center field) wall
The last time I saw Darin Gorski, the Fisher Cats jumped all over him for 9 runs in 4+ innings. Two years later, Gorski is back in control despite a fastball that tops out around 88mph. Like the pitcher in Big Windup though, He was able to use what he had effectively enough to strike out 10 while only giving up one unearned run in 6 innings of work. That one run wasn’t enough to beat a B-Mets offense that seemed to have it out for the 400ft deep center field fence and produced 9 runs to give the Mets an easy win.
The last time I saw Kevin Plawecki, he struck out looking (and swearing) to end the game in a Cyclones loss. Plawecki was swinging away on Thursday night, though his first attempts weren’t pretty. He then grounded out to third three times in a row before finally reaching base on an error in the 9th to cap an 0-5 night. Defensively, he didn’t fare much better, producing the lone run for the Fisher Cats.
Binghamton started the center field assault in the top of the second when Jayce Boyd bounced one off the wall for a double. Fisher Cats center fielder Kenny Wilson jumped into the wall after it but was unable to make the grab. Dustin Lawley then put one over the left field wall to give the B-Mets a 2-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Darin Gorski was dealing, ending both the second and third innings on swinging strikeouts. The only runner he allowed in the first three innings was on a ball that Darrell Ceciliani misplayed off the center field wall and very well could have turned into an inside-the-park home run. The runner held up at third and then got to spend the next two at-bats watching Gorski do his thing.
The Fisher Cats offense came alive in the 4th when Jon Berti reached on a bunt single and then stole second on a strikeout. Plawecki’s throw was on target but late, about what you would expect from a catcher known more for his bat than his arm. Berti then quickly stole third on an inside pitch to the right-handed Brad Glenn. The pitch pushed everyone into the worst possible position for Plawecki to make a throw, so it wasn’t much of a surprise to see the ball fly into left field, scoring Berti. Gorski then issued two walks, putting runners on first and second with one out in what was now a 2-1 game before a double play ended the threat.
Binghamton resumed their assault on the center field wall in the 5th, but their attempts were weak and off target. After giving Fisher Cats left fielder Mike Crouse a good workout, the B-Mets claimed victory when Brian Burgamy crushed one over the wall in the deepest part of the park. With the wall slain and a healthy 5-1 lead, it was up to Gorski to return to form and keep the Fisher Cats in check.
Which he did, ending the next two innings on swinging strikeouts while allowing just a pair of singles before what would be his 10th and final strikeout of the night. With his fastball sitting at 88, Gorski was getting a lot more contact putting balls in play instead of the foul balls that had been setting up his earlier strikeouts. Still, it was a solid outing.
Both sides went to the bullpen in the 7th, which didn’t work out well for the Fisher Cats. After a single, stolen base, single, and walk, the B-Mets had the bases loaded with no outs in the top of the 7th. Brian Burgamy, not one to follow suit with this whole “everyone gets on base” thing, grounded into a double play to drive in a run. Kevin Plawecki then grounded out to third for the third time to end the inning.
First up from the B-Mets pen was Jon Velasquez, who exited without incident after a 1-2-3 inning. Adam Kolarek came in to finish things out, as he always seems to do around here when a big lead is involved. Not closer material, I guess. Brian Burgamy once again broke pattern when the Fisher Cats were helping the B-Mets with some fielding drills. After ground outs to third and short, Burgamy bobbled the ground ball to second. This guy really does not like patterns.
Kevin Plawecki doesn’t always ground out to third. Sometimes he reaches on error after grounding to second.
The Manchester air turned chilly by the 9th inning, so you would expect the Mets, already weary from an overnight bus trip and now 6 trips around the bases, to want to wrap things up quickly. Cory Vaughn started things off right by sending the first pitch into Kenny Wilson’s glove (via a slick sliding catch), but the next three batters resumed the assault on center field with three consecutive doubles. That brought up pattern-buster Brian Burgamy. Burgamy walked. After a pitching change, Kevin Plawecki changed up his pattern, grounding out to second instead of third. Or at least he would have if the second baseman hadn’t thrown the ball away going for the force out at second and, likely, an inning-ending double play. Plawecki ended the night karma-neutral on throwing errors and the run that scored on the play was the final one in this 9-1 B-Mets victory.
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