Syracuse Mets fall to Lehigh Valley, 9-8

Box Score

Allentown, PA – The Syracuse Mets did not outlast the Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Tuesday night at Coca-Cola Park. The IronPigs rallied back from two different four-run deficits, eventually defeating the Mets by a 9-8 final. Lehigh Valley now leads the season series 12 games to six after grabbing the first game of this week’s six-game series.

Syracuse (52-72, 19-31) got off to a dream start in the ballgame, plating four runs in the top of the first to race out to a 4-0 lead. First, the Mets loaded up the bases via a trio of singles from Wyatt Young, Ronny Mauricio, and Daniel Palka. Then, Carlos Cortes cleared the bases when he crushed a grand slam over the center-field fence to make it a 4-0 game in a flash. It was the second grand slam of the season for Cortes, who also smacked a grand slam in the last road trip for the Mets at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre earlier this month.

However, that lead would not last long, as Lehigh Valley (66-59, 30-22) rallied right back with two runs in the second and two runs in the third to knot the game up at four after three innings. In the second, the IronPigs scored on an RBI groundout from Esteban Quiroz and an RBI single from Cal Stevenson.

In the third, the IronPigs knotted the ballgame up on a two-run single from Simon Muzziotti. The 24-year-old has had a brilliant campaign. Coming into the week, Muzziotti was batting .318 this season in 106 games at the Triple-A level. Muzziotti also was batting .345 against the Mets this season entering this week’s series.

That would close the starting pitching line for Justin Jarvis, who ended his three-inning outing with four runs allowed (all earned) on four hits with three walks and three strikeouts. The lanky right-hander threw 76 pitches, 42 of which were strikes. The three-inning start tied his shortest outing among the five starts he has made since being acquired by the New York Mets from the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline.

Syracuse surged right back in front in the…