Syracuse offense quiet in 6-2 loss to Buffalo on Wednesday afternoon

Buffalo, NY – The Syracuse Mets didn’t get the offensive machine cranked up on Wednesday afternoon, dropping a 6-2 decision to the Buffalo Bisons on a warm afternoon in Western New York. The Mets had just six hits and eight total baserunners in the game. The Bisons have now won the first two games in the weeklong, six-game series.

For the second straight day, Buffalo (45-52, 8-15) jumped on Syracuse (60-37, 14-9), early by scoring in the bottom of the first inning. The Bisons scored three times to take a 3-0 lead, as the frame was highlighted by a two-run double from Phil Clarke with the bases loaded. Buffalo did leave the bases loaded later in the inning as Mike Vasil averted a total crisis. It took Vasil 39 pitches to get through the first inning.

From there, it became a workmanlike outing for Vasil, who battled through four innings in his start. Vasil did not allow another run after the first inning, working around three hits and two walks to keep the Mets in the game. Vasil left the bases loaded again in the fourth, as Buffalo managed to leave six runners on base combined in the first four innings of the game. The right-hander from Boston’s final line was three runs allowed (two earned) on five hits in four innings with three walks and two strikeouts.

Buffalo tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fifth and a final tally in the bottom of the eighth to up the lead to 6-0, and that was more than enough insurance for their elite pitching on Wednesday afternoon. It all began with a brilliant start for Bowden Francis, who did not allow a run on just two hits in five innings with no walk and five strikeouts. Francis has spent most of the season up in the Major Leagues with the Toronto Blue Jays, and since returning to the Triple-A level last week, he’s been elite. In nine shutout innings combined over two outings, he’s allowed exactly two hits with one walk and 13 strikeouts.

From there, the bullpen sealed the deal. Luis Quinones, Mike Mayers, and Mason Fluharty tossed the final four innings of the game in excellent fashion, holding the Mets to just two runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in the process. Quinones was the star amongst the bunch, tossed two scoreless frames on just one hit with one walk and four strikeouts. In two outings against the Syracuse Mets this season, Quinones has combined to toss five and two-thirds scoreless innings on just one hit with one walk and ten strikeouts.

The Syracuse Mets are in the midst of a two-week road trip, beginning with six games at the Triple-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays, the Buffalo Bisons. Game three of the six-game set at the Bisons is set for 6:35 p.m. first pitch on Thursday. Right-hander Tylor Megill is scheduled to start for the Mets, opposed by right-hander Paolo Espino for the RailRiders.