BINGHAMTON, N.Y. — The Binghamton Mets are at one of the highest points in team history.

Portland Manager Kevin Boles vows that the Sea Dogs will not let that be cause for his team to sink any lower.

“We’re going to stay upbeat,” Boles said Sunday after a 4-0 loss to the Mets, the third time his team has been shut out in Binghamton in the last four days. “We’ll stay positive and keep working.”

Sea Dogs pitching coach Bob Kipper seemed to be wearing out a path between the dugout and the mound as the Mets threatened to do the same around the bases at NYSEG Stadium.

Kipper visited his starting pitcher in the first inning for the third straight game, and the Mets jumped ahead to stay in their first chance for the third straight time. He was back to the mound twice more in the next three innings.

Binghamton produced four runs on six hits off two Sea Dogs pitchers in the first four innings to account for all the scoring.

Advertisement

The Mets’ win was the fifth in six games between the teams beginning with the completion of a suspended game Thursday. The Mets completed the season series with a 13-7 advantage over what had been their closest competitor for most of the last three months.

“We had a pretty good lead, but in a six-game series with the second-place team, if they had taken five out of six from us, it would have made it a different picture in the standings,” Erik Goeddel (8-3) said after pitching six scoreless innings Sunday. “We did a good job and played well all six games.

“I thought we could have won all six games.”

The Sea Dogs picked up their only win of the series in 15 innings Friday night.

By falling for the ninth time in 11 games, including the suspended game, which technically goes in the books on its starting date of June 25, the Sea Dogs head to New Hampshire as a team that is tied for fourth place in the Eastern Division. That is their worst spot in the standings since April 19.

Newcomer Nate Striz and Miguel Celestino kept Binghamton scoreless on two hits over the final four innings Sunday. By then, the damage had been done.

Advertisement

Peter Hissey, who had two hits, and Christian Vazquez, who drew three walks, helped Portland load the bases with none out in the top of the eighth.

But Pedro Feliciano came on to strike out the next two batters and escape the jam.

“Offensively, we need to do a better job with runners in scoring position,” Boles said. “I thought we put too much pressure on ourselves.

“It looked like we tried to do too much in those situations.”

The Sea Dogs should get a boost today when third baseman Garin Cecchini and pitcher Anthony Ranaudo return from New York, where they played in the All-Star Futures Game.


Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.

Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.