N.Y. Mets: The Night Flight Podcast and the 2012 Brooklyn Cyclones

Here's some of my latest STUFF for 

RisingApple.com

Monday Night Baseball

Podcast: Monday, June 8

guests: Gary Mintz from the N.Y. Giants Baseball Preservation Society, Gary Mac from MetsMusings.com, and Sam, aka, the converted Met fan.

The six/five man starting rotation, Michael Cuddyer draft day remorse, split series in Arizona, preview of S.F. Giants series, the 2006 New York Mets season, the New York Giants baseball club, Coogan's Bluff, Mrs. Joan Payson, Californication... and other stuff. 

Episode #106 - The Rising Apple Report: Night Flight; Here Come the Champs

Monday's article:

  The 2015 Mets Are Eerily Imitating the 2012 Brooklyn Cyclones Season

Mike

senior staff writer/Rising Apple

Today For Rising Apple: Binghamton Mets Review

Here's My Latest For

RisingApple.com

Binghamton Mets Review: Matthew Bowman Pitches BMets Into 1st Place Tie

And, don't forget to return later tonight for my Mets Friday Recap.

Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Cyclones: Hudson Valley Showdown; Game Three

From the desk of:   THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:

Potential Pitchers Duel Awaits Game Three.  Coney Island One Win Away From Fifth Championship Round Appearance.
 

GAME ONE; HANSEL ROBLES PITCHES MASTERPIECE

GAME ONE RECAP

GAME TWO RECAP

After taking the opening game of their semi final series in Coney Island, the Cyclones took their lumps up in Dutchess Stadium against the Renegades in Game Two.  The teams will play Monday Night Baseball to see who participates in this year's NYPL championship.  Monday's winner will play the victor between the Tri City Valley Cats and Auburn Doubledays.


Hudson Valley finds themselves a game away from the title round after not even making the playoffs since the 1999 season.  In championship play, Brooklyn knows Auburn and the Valley Cats all too well.  The Cyclones dropped championship series to both teams.  Most recently in 2010, the Tri City Valley Cats ended Brooklyn's championship bid.  In 2007, Auburn did the same.  Prior to that, Williamsport put Brooklyn's 2003 championship hopes to bed as well.  With a win Monday evening over the Renegades, Brooklyn will earn a fourth opportunity to win their second title.


The two pitching aces have done their jobs.  Hansel Robles dialed up a performance for the ages Friday evening in Coney Island.  And Sunday evening, Hudson Valley's ace, Jeff Ames reciprocated with a solid effort in Wappingers Falls.  Now for both teams, it is time for the next guy to step up.  Without getting cocky, in the Cyclones case, it's a matter of pick your poison.


Rainy Lara last pitched on September 2nd.  He was 8-3 this season and posted a 2.91 ERA.  Luis Cessa last pitched on September 3rd.  He posted a 5-4 record with a 2.49 ERA.  Gabriel Ynoa tossed the most recent game of Monday's potential starters.  He last pitched on September 4th.  Ynoa was 5-2, with a 2.23 ERA.  All three are well rested.


The Renegades are reportedly going with Taylor Guerrieri in Game Three.  The also have Matthew Spahn and Sean Bierman in reserve.  In twelve starts, Taylor Gerrieri's stats are rather astonishing. Although, you would never know based on his win/loss record.  His record was 1-2 this season.  But in twelve starts and fifty-two innings pitched, he posted a 1.04 ERA, and an 0.77 WHiP.  He limited opposing batters to thirty one hits and issued a mere five walks all season.  He surrendered no home runs, and struck out forty-five batters.


If in fact Taylor Guerrieri makes the start, one of three available Brooklyn pitchers almost assures a classic pitcher's duel for Game Three.  Taylor however, has only averaged three to five innings per start.  All five Brooklyn starting pitchers have been instructed in the art of length this season.  They routinely have pitched into sixth innings of games.  Game Three may very well rest in the hands of the bullpens.  So what else is new?


Brandon Nimmo has been quiet this series.  In Game One, he had a single in four trips to the plate.  He scored one run and drew one walk.  In Game Two, he had one hit in four at bats, and nothing more.  In two games, both teams have an equal amount of hits; sixteen.  But Hudson Valley has now outscored Brooklyn eight runs to five.

TONIGHT

New York Penn League ~ Division Semi Finals

GAME THREE

BROOKLYN CYCLONES
vs.

Hudson Valley Renegades

FROM
Dutchess Stadium

New York

UPDATED 9/10/12:
GAME THREE - Pitching Match-Up; Luis Cessa vs. Taylor Guerrieri





Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Cyclones: Begin Final Playoff Push With Win In Aberdeen

From the desk of:   THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:

Tyler Vanderheiden Gives Mates a Ninth Inning Scare.

Brooks Hold On For Win In Series Opener Versus Aberdeen.

 

Nine Games Left In Regular Season; Lead Wild Card By 2.5 Games

The countdown has begun.  Heading into Monday, ten games remained in the regular season.  And due to inconsistent play of late, Brooklyn's hold on the Wild Card has been slipping.  The Cyclones once led the Wild Card by as many as seven games.  Entering Monday's action, their lead had  dwindled down to two.


This week's schedule called for a road trip to Maryland.  And so, the Surf Avenue Sluggers were in Aberdeen tonight.  To open the series, Brooklyn's ace, Rainy Lara, was opposed by Iron Bird's starter, Lex Rutledge.


Through the first two innings, all remained quiet.  Then in the third, Brooklyn struck for the game's first run against Rutledge.  Cyclones second baseman, Richie Rodriguez, led off the inning with a single, then came around and scored when Dimas Ponce grounded into a fielder's choice.  Pitcher Lex Rutledge was removed after just three innings however.  Aside from the one run allowed, Aberdeen's starter only walked one batter and struck out four.


In the sixth inning, Brooklyn scored again, this time off Jamie Esquivel, who pitched four innings in relief of Lex Rutledge.  Jayce Boyd connected on his third home run of the season to give the Cyclones a 2-0 lead.


Rainy Lara completed six full innings of shutout ball and left on the winning side.  He allowed three scattered hits, walked one, and struck out four batters.  Matthew Koch was first out of the bullpen, and pitched himself into some trouble over 1.2 innings.  After surrendering a double in the eighth, Coach Donnelly turned to David Wynn, who finished out the frame, and kept the game scoreless.


Then, into the ninth inning they went.  In the top half, Brooklyn failed to secure an insurance run against Aberdeen's third pitcher of the evening, Jose Nivar.  For the bottom of the ninth, Coach Donnelly put the ball in Tyler Vanderheiden's hand.  After retiring the first two batters he faced, it looked like a good move too.  Then Coach Donnelly's closer suffered an acute bout of the yips.  With two outs mind you..., a double, a hit by pitch, a single, and an E-7 later, the Iron Birds were halfway to achieving a tie with that runner on third.  But Tyler Vanderheiden regrouped, and struck out Aberdeen's Chase Weems swinging for out number three.


Tyler Vanderheiden was credited with his tenth save of the season.  But Monday night's true king of the hill was Brooklyn's starting pitcher.  Rainy Lara earned his eighth win of the season, which ties him for the New York Penn League lead.  His 0.97 WHiP ranks seventh in the circuit.  In sixty-one innings pitched this season, he has limited batters to forty-nine hits, while issuing a mere ten walks.  His sixty-nine strikeouts rank second in the League behind his teammate Luis Mateo.


The Cyclones were actually limited to four hits.  Equally lacking, Brooklyn batted one for six with runners in scoring position.  Aberdeen doubled Brooklyn's output with eight hits.  But Brooklyn's strength; their pitching; have often made two runs stand up before.  And moving forward, they will most likely need to continue that trend.


The Cyclones have also received little in the way of out of town help over the last ten games or so.  Finally, Mother Nature found favor with the Baby Bums Monday night, and Brooklyn's neighbor and rival, the Staten Island Yankees, even provided their fellow New Yorker with an assist as well.


In the Ball Park at St. George, the Bombers hosted, then tossed the Hudson Valley Renegades into the drink.  The Yankees 8-2 win over the Renegades allowed Brooklyn to gain one game on the McNamara Division leaders.  But with nine games now left in the season, the Brooks are still six games back of first.  Stranger things have happened though.  No?


In the more pressing Wild Card race, Monday night's game in Ohio between the Batavia Muckdogs versus the Mahoning Vally Scrappers was rained-out.  So for now, Brooklyn's win allowed them to creep away from Batavia by a half game, at least for a night.  Coney Island's lead over the Muckdogs is now 2.5 games.  A double header most likely awaits the Muckdogs and Scrappers on Tuesday.





Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Cyclones: Possible Round One Match-Up - Game Two Versus Tri City Tonight

From the home of:   THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  Down to the Final Fifteen Games of the Regular Season, the Coney Island Nine Are Now Four Games Out of First Place.


Heading into tonight's action, the Brooklyn Cyclones are four games behind the Hudson Valley Renegades in the McNamara Division race.  And for the moment, they hold a four game lead over the Batavia Muckdogs in the Wild Card standings.  Fifteen games remain in the regular season.  And nothing is certain.


Tuesday night in Coney Island, the Surf Avenue Sluggers kicked-off a home stand, but failed to help their cause by dropping the first game against the League's top team, the Tri City Valley Cats.  The  circuit's best club sports a 44-17 record, and lead the Stedler Division by 15.5 games over the Connecticut Tigers.  For the Brooklyn Cyclones (37-24), this series is shaping up as a playoff preview should they advance into the post-season via the Wild Card.


Brooklyn starter, Rainy Lara, was looking to improve upon his league best seven wins.  But Tri City's starter, Juri Perez, was better.  Rainy was solid through the first four innings.  In the fifth however, the Valley Cats went to work against one of the League's top starters.  Of course, there was a lead-off walk to start things off.  Rainy then hit the second batter with a pitch.  A walk issued to the third batter loaded the bases.  The next batter, Austin Elkins, was ejected mid at-bat for arguing balls and strikes with the home plate ump.  Pinch-hitting, Emilio King struck out.  Then an RBI single plated two runs.  Another single and a sac-fly then made the score 4-2 after four and a half innings of play.


Brooklyn scored their two runs back in the third inning.  After Juan Carlos Gamboa led off the inning with a double, Nelfi Zapata crushed his second home run of the season, which at the time, gave the Cyclones a 2-0 lead.


The Valley Cats picked up one more run in the sixth, and the game ended in a 5-2 final.  Tri City's Juri Perez pitched six full innings, allowing seven hits, and two earned runs.  He walked one and struck out five.  Out of the bullpen, Jeremiah Meiners took care of Brooklyn over the next three innings.  He allowed just one hit, and struck out three batters to earn his second save of the season.  Rainy Lara suffered loss number two.


In game two tonight in Coney Island, Brooklyn's Luis Cessa will start for Brooklyn, and will face Tri City's Lance Day.




Mike.BTB

Brooklyn Cyclones: Sweep Monsters in Three; Four Cyclones Head to All Star Game

From the desk of:   THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

BROOKLYN CYCLONES - The Coney Island Nine Slay the Vermont Lake Monsters 10-5, and Sweep Three Game Series.

Four Cyclones Heading to the All Star Game.

THREE STATEN ISLAND YANKEES SELECTED.

With the weekend's action complete, Brooklyn heads into the New York Penn League All*Star break one game behind in the McNamara Division standings to the first place Hudson Valley Renegades.  Their lead in the Wild Card race now stands at six games over the State College Spikes.  When games resume again on Wednesday, there will be twenty-two games left in the regular season.


On Sunday, the Surf Avenue Sluggers completed a three game sweep in Coney Island over Vermont by pummeling the Lake Monsters 10-5, while Lowell helped the Brooks by defeating the Renegades 5-2 up in Peekskill, N.Y.


After four and a half innings, the game was tied at four apiece.  In the second inning, a double followed by an RBI single put Vermont on the board first against Brooklyn starter, Rainy Lara.  Vermont increased their lead in the fourth.  After a lead-off triple, another RBI single made it a 2-0 game.


In the bottom of the fourth, the Cyclones struck back.  Three consecutive singles by Dimas Ponce, Phillip Evans, and Kevin Plawecki, loaded the bases with no outs.  A double by Alexander Sanchez scored Ponce, and Evans.  And a sac-fly by Nelfi Zapata scored Plawecki from third.  Richie Rodriguez then drove in the fourth Cyclones run of the inning with a single delivering Sanchez.


In the top of the fifth, the Lake Monsters tied the score against Rainy Lara.  Three singles and a walk led to two runs.  But Lara, composed himself to strike out the last two batters of the inning and keep the score at four apiece.  The Cyclones allowed Lara to exit the game on the winning side with a go-ahead home run by Dimas Ponce; his first; in the bottom of the inning.


Rainy Lara pitched five full, allowing seven hits and four earned runs.  He walked one and struck out six before giving way to Logan Taylor in the sixth.  Taylor pitched two stellar innings, surrendering nothing, while striking out three.


In the bottom of the sixth, Brooklyn blew the game open with four more runs.  With one out, Eudy Pina singled, and Brandon Nimmo followed with a double.  Then Dimas Ponce stepped in, and continued his individual onslaught with another single driving home both runners.  Kevin Plawecki drove Ponce home with another RBI single.  And Alexander Sanchez continued his assault as well, with another single to drive in Plawecki.


In the bottom of the seventh, the Cyclones scored once more for good measure.  Eudy Pina scored on one of Vermont's three errors committed in the game.


After Logan Taylor, relievers David Wynn and John Mincone shared eighth inning duties flawlessly.  Then it was up to Tyler Vanderheiden to close out the game.  I do not know what it is about closers being ineffective in non-save situations, but VandyMan followed tradition.  He allowed three hits and one run before securing three outs.  But no harm done; Cyclones win by a 10-5 final score.


Starting pitcher Rainy Lara racked up his seventh win of the season against just one loss.  Today, Rainy Lara is now the New York Penn League leader in wins, and is only four strikeouts behind his team mate, Luis Mateo (67), for tops in the circuit in that category.


The Cyclones scored their ten runs on the strength of fourteen hits.  Dimas Ponce, Kevin Plawecki, and Alexander Sanchez all had three hits each.  And Brandon Nimmo is continuing right along in the lead-off spot, with two more hits in five at-bats.  Brooklyn batted 6 for 12 with runners in scoring position.  He is one of only seven NYPL pitchers with a WHIP below the 1.00 mark.  Not incidentally, four of those seven pitchers are Brooklyn Cyclones!  And to cap things off, the league's top three strikeout leaders are also all Cyclones.

2012 New York Penn League All Star Game

From Eastwood Field, Home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, Ohio

New York Penn League All Star Game Rosters

The Brooklyn Cyclones are sending four representatives to the eighth annual NYPL All*Star game; all pitchers.  And that's only appropriate, as strong pitching has marked the Cyclones' season, and dominated the League so far.  Three starting pitchers; Luis Mateo, Gabriel Ynoa; and Hansel Robles will perhaps take a turn on the mound.  And if things go well, reliever John Mincone; Brooklyn's fourth selection; can see some action as well.  As highlighted above, the League's top winner, Rainy Lara, although deserving, will be unavailable.

This year's All Star Game will be played at Eastwood Field, home of the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in Ohio.  The teams are broken up into American League and National League affiliation.

Brooklyn's chief rival, the Staten Island Yankees will be sending three players to join the American League squad.  Pitcher James Pazos; first baseman Matt Snyder; and outfielder Taylor Dugas will represent the Richmond County Baby Bombers in Tuesday's game.

STATS:

* SP - Luis Mateo

* SP - Gabriel Ynoa

* SP - Hansel Robles

* RP - John Mincone

Mike.BTB

BKN Cyclones ~ Sweep... and Away!

From the desk of:   THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  After Taking Three Straight From the Doubledays, and Reducing Hudson Valley's Lead to One Game, The Surf Avenue Sluggers Are Heading to Lowell.


Sweep....and away!  The Coney Island Nine completed a three game sweep of the Auburn Doubledays today in a matinee game by the beach, and are now off to Lowell, Massachusetts, where they will take on the Lowell Spinners.  Monday's win also allowed the Cyclones to chip away another half-game away from Hudson Valley's McNamara Division lead.  Brooklyn brought the margin down to a single game, but the Renegades still play Monday evening.


Rainy Lara started for the Cyclones Monday and stayed strong through six full innings.  But  Brooklyn's bullpen was even stronger.  Auburn opened the game with three consecutive singles to load the bases with no outs against Lara.  A six-to-three fielder's choice, plated Auburn's first and only run of the game.  Rainy Lara then proceeded to keep the Doubledays very quiet over the next five innings.  He surrendered five hits in all, and allowed one earned run.  He walked none, struck out three, and lowered his season ERA to a 2.56 mark.  Rainy Lara is now 6-1 this season.


After Rainy Lara, Brooklyn's bullpen assumed full control.  Logan Taylor, Beck Wheeler, and David Wynn were all charged with pitching an inning apiece.  The three combined to allow no hits, no walks, and struck out six batters.  David Wynn earned his first save of the season.  For the game, Cyclones pitching walked no batters and struck out a total of nine.


Brooklyn turned up the power and finally got on the scoreboard with two runs in the fourth inning.  Kevin Plawecki (3) and Stefan Sabol (4) crushed back-to-back home runs, giving the Cyclones a 2-1 lead they would not relinquish.  The Brooks scored a third time in the fifth.  After Dimas Ponce was hit by a pitch leading off, he left the game for a pinch-runner.  Richie Rodriguez and Eudy Pina then followed with consecutive singles to load the bases.  Pinch runner Jeff Reynolds came home on Phillip Evans' sac-fly to center field, to give the Cyclones a 3-1 lead, and the game.


Brandon Nimmo did not play in Monday's game.  And Phillip Evans committed two errors in the field.


With Monday's victory, starting pitcher Rainy Lara is now tied for the New York Penn League lead in wins with six.  Rainy's 0.33 WHIP is also tied for fourth best in the league with his teammate, Gabriel Ynoa.  As a matter of fact, Brooklyn pitchers dominate with four of the best seven WHIPs in the circuit.  What's more, the league sports a circuit low .213 batting average against Cyclones' pitching, and their staff ERA is second only to that of the Tri Citi Valley Cats by two points.  Brooklyn also owns the league high with six combined shut-outs pitched.




Mike.BTB

BKN Cyclones ~ Thank You Ohio...No Sleep Till Brooklyn

From the desk of:   THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

BROOKLYN CYCLONES: Brandon Nimmo Starting to Find His Grove at Plate as a Lead-Off Hitter.

Brooks Take Second Straight.  Win Series 2-1 Over Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

Finish Road Trip 4-2.  Remain Two Games Out of First Place.

Having completed a 4-2 road trip, the Boardwalk Bums packed up the team bus last night, and started the long but happy drive from Ohio, back to Coney Island, where they will enjoy a well deserved day off today; Tuesday.


In Monday's action, Brandon Nimmo hit the cowhide off the baseball for the second consecutive game.  And after dropping game one of this now concluded series, the Cyclones came storming back with two resounding victories over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in game two and three.

Batting lead-off for the sixth consecutive game, Brandon Nimmo went 3 for 5 in Monday night's game, with two doubles, one RBI, and two runs scored.  Over the first four games of the trip, he was just three of seventeen at the plate.  In his last two games however, he has seven hits in his last eleven at-bats.  Since being moved into the lead-off slot for game one of the prior series against Batavia, he is batting .357, based on ten hits in twenty-eight at-bats.

On Monday, starting pitcher Rainy Lara tossed a phenomenal game for Brooklyn.  It didn't start that way though.  He allowed a single, and a run producing double in the first inning, but then proceeded to keep the Scrappers quiet over his next six innings pitched.  In all, Rainy pitched seven full innings, allowing just a run on three hits.  He issued no walks, and struck out a season high ten batters.  With this effort, he lowered his season ERA to a 2.72 mark, and earned his fifth win of the season against just one loss.

Jayce Boyd hit a two RBI single in the third inning to put Brooklyn ahead.  With the bases loaded in the fifth, an RBI single by Stefan Sabol plated two more runs for Brooklyn, to make it a 4-1 game.  Then in the sixth inning, the Cyclones picked up their fifth and final run when Brandon Nimmo doubled home Eudy Pina.

The Cyclones' bullpen took care of the rest.  David Wynn struck out two batters working the eighth inning.  And Paul Sewald closed out Brooklyn's 5-1 victory allowing a hit, and striking out one batter in the ninth.


The Cyclones are now 25-17, and remain two games behind the first place Hudson Valley Renegades.  After today's off day, the Cyclones will host three games against the Connecticut Tigers on the old lots of Steeplechase.




Mike.BTB

BKN Cyclones ~ Starting Pitching Continues to Shine

From the desk of:   THE SURF AVENUE SLUGGERS

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  Kings County is No Place For a Raccoon.  Brooks Two-Hit Their Upstate Rivals.


After taking two of three games from the Iron Birds in Aberdeen, the Seaside Sluggers returned to Coney Island and hosted the Hudson Valley Renegades.  In an early season battle for first place, three Cyclones' pitchers hand-cuffed their upstate rivals.


Making his second start of the season, Luis Mateo pitched his second consecutive abbreviated 2-hitter.  In six full innings, he walked only one, while striking out seven batters.  Mateo lowered his ERA to 0.77, and collected his second win in as many starts.


In relief, Paul Sewald was first out of the pen for Brooklyn.  He pitched two innings of hitless, scoreless ball, and struck out three batters while issuing no walks.  Sewald was credited with his first hold.  Tyler Vanderheiden came in to pitch the ninth inning.  He walked one, and struck out two, in  recording his second save.


Hudson Valley's starting pitcher, Taylor Gerrieri, gave the Brooks a 1-0 lead in the second, when he balked home Cole Frenzel from third base.  Eudy Pina drove in two more Cyclones' runs in the eighth inning, on a bases loaded single to give Brooklyn a 3-0 lead, and an eventual final.


In eight games, Cyclones' pitching has limited their opponents to a .186 batting average, and have pitched to a combined 2.66 ERA.  They lead the lead in shutouts with two, and also lead the circuit with a stellar 0.96 WHIP.


The Cyclones are now making their second pass through the starting rotation.  In eight games, Coach Donnelly has used six starters.  The rotation shapes up like this:


1) - Gabriel Ynoa
2) - Luis Mateo
3) - Luis Cessa
4) - Hansel Robles
5) - Julian Hilario
6) - Rainy Lara


As a rotation, they are averaging 5.2 innings per appearance, while only allowing 3.4 hits per game.  They have yeilded a total of seven walks.  In 44.2 innings pitched, they have amassed forty-five strikeouts.  No starter has surrendered more than two runs in a start, and combined, the rotation sports a 1.42 ERA, allowing seven runs total so far.


The Cyclones are now 6-2, and lead the McNamara Division by a full game over the Renegades.  The series shifts to Peekskill, N.Y., for Game Two, before they return to Coney Island for Game Three on Wednesday.




Mike.BTB

BKN Cyclones ~ Brooks Halt Two Game Skid in Aberdeen

From the desk of:   THE CONEY ISLAND NINE

BROOKLYN CYCLONES:  Brooks Ground Iron Birds to Gain Series Split.  Rubber Game Today.

Game One; Cyclones' First Road Trip Starts With a Loss
Brooklyn Takes Three of Four From Defending Champs


Halt that losing streak at two please - Thank you.  The final score in Aberdeen was 7-1 in Game Two of a weekend series against the Iron Birds.


Rainy Lara continued a string of strong Cyclones' starting pitching to begin the season.  Brooklyn's hurler tossed five innings of two hit, scoreless, baseball.  He walked two and struck out four, before giving way to the bullpen.  Juan Urbina pitched the next three innings.  He allowed one earned run and three hits.  He walked one and struck out four.  David Wynn then pitched a scoreless ninth, in a non-save situation.

Brandon Nimmo and Kevin Plawecki both had two RBI each, and Phillip Evans hit his second home run in as many games.  Kevin Plawecki also connected with his first home run.  Five of the Cyclones' seven runs came on two out hits.

A packed house in Aberdeen watched Brooklyn gain a split in the series.  Game Three will be Sunday afternoon.




Mike.BTB