Syracuse Mets lose to Buffalo, 7-6, in ten innings

The score of the box

Buffalo, New York –The Syracuse Mets started the week in Buffalo in frustrating fashion, falling 7-6 in 10 innings on a sunny Tuesday night in Western New York. That snapped a three-game winning streak for the Mets, who have now lost six of 13 games against the Bisons this season.

Buffalo (44-52, 7-15) opened the scoring in the bottom of the first, scoring an unearned run against Syracuse (60-36, 14-8) starter Blade Tidwell to take a 1-0 lead. Rafael Lantigua reached on a fielding error to lead off the inning, moved to second on a walk by Riley Tirotta, then reached third on a wild pitch, and scored on a groundout by Will Robertson.

From there, the Bisons were baffled by Tidwell, who racked up seven strikeouts over the first four innings with just one hit and three runners on base allowed. Each of the seven strikeouts came with success, as Tidwell showed off a nasty slider, a biting changeup and a well-placed fastball early in his outing. Tidwell’s seven strikeouts tied a career high in his nine Triple-A outings thus far.

As Tidwell controlled the Bisons’ offensive output, the Mets’ offense began to support him. After a scoreless first two innings, Syracuse went to work in the top of the third, scoring three runs to take the lead for the first time by a 3-1 count. The highlight of the third inning was a two-run home run by Brett Baty, who has truly terrorized Buffalo pitchers so far this season. Seven of his 11 home runs at Triple-A during the 2024 campaign have come against the Bisons.

In the top of the fifth, the Mets used another run to extend their lead to 4-1. Baty led off the inning with a double, staying on second after Luke Ritter walked two runners with no outs. A groundout by Pablo Reyes produced an out, then Drew Gilbert hit a groundout to second that appeared destined to turn into an inning-ending double play. However, a bad throw to first allowed Baty to come home from third on the error and increase the Mets’ lead to three runs, 4-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Bisons finally got the better of Tidwell and regained the lead. Buffalo strung together four hits and a walk to start the inning with five runs, including a two-run single by Rafael Lantigua and a three-run home run by Riley Tirotta. Tidwell left the game in the middle of that flurry of runs, completing his pitching lineup for the night. Tidwell allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits with two walks and all seven strikeouts in four innings pitched plus the batters he faced in the fifth.

The Mets weren’t going to give up. Syracuse brought out its big bats in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game at six runs. First, Baty hit another home run in the seventh, a solo shot to cut the deficit to 6-5. The 24-year-old Texan ended up going 4-for-5 with two homers, two doubles, three RBIs and three runs scored.

In the eighth inning, Logan Porter introduced himself to the Mets organization in a big way. In his first game with Syracuse, Porter hit a solo home run to tie the game in the top of the eighth inning, making the game a 6-6 tie.

The game remained tied through six extra innings, where the Bisons ultimately won the game. The Bisons held off the Mets in the top of the tenth inning and began the bottom of the tenth in prime position with Rafael Lantigua as the runner on second base in a game tied at six innings with no outs. Lantigua advanced to third on a long flyout, forcing Will Robertson to be intentionally walked to put runners on first and third with one out and the game on the line. The Mets then brought the infield back, but it didn’t matter. A soft ground ball by Damiano Palmegiani sailed past the mound in the middle of the infield, allowing Lantigua to score easily from third base and give Buffalo a 7-6 victory. Syracuse is now 4-2 in extra-inning games so far this season.

The Syracuse Mets are in the middle of a two-week road trip that begins with six games at the Toronto Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons. Game 2 of the six-game series at the Bisons is scheduled for first pitch at 1:05 p.m. Wednesday. Right-hander Mike Vasil is expected to start for the Mets.