Syracuse Mets lose to Buffalo, 5-2

Box Score

Syracuse, NY – The Syracuse Mets, playing one final game as the Syracuse Salt Potatoes, dropped the series finale to the Buffalo Bisons, 5-2, on a sunny Sunday afternoon at NBT Bank Stadium. Despite the loss, it was still a solid series and two-week homestand for Syracuse. The Mets split the series against the Bisons this week and took three out of five games from Columbus last week to finish the two-week homestand with a 6-5 record.

Syracuse (52-71, 19-30) got on the board right away in the bottom of the first, plating a two-out run to surge to an early 1-0 lead. With Wyatt Young on second and Carlos Cortes on first after a pair of walks, Brandon McIlwain laced a double down the right-field line to plate Young and hand the Salt Potatoes the lead, 1-0. McIlwain continues to stay red-hot at the plate.

Buffalo (60-64, 26-23) bounced right back and tied the game in the top of the second. After a pair of walks had put Addison Barger and Tanner Morris on base with two outs, Jamie Ritchie singled home Barger to knot the game, 1-1.

The game would remain tied at one until the top of the fifth, when the start for Syracuse pitcher José Butto came a bit unraveled. The first four batters reached in the inning as Mason McCoy walked, Nathan Lukes singled, Lantigua singled to load the bases, and then Spencer Horwitz plated McCoy and Lukes on a two-run double for a 3-1 Buffalo lead. Later in the inning, and Orelvis Martinez sacrifice fly out to center field scored Horwitz from third base to make it a 4-1 ballgame.

It was a frustrating end to the afternoon for Butto, who ended up with a final line of four runs in five innings with seven hits allowed, four walks, and three strikeouts. In his prior two outings, Butto had allowed just three earned runs in 11 and two-thirds innings with ten strikeouts.

The Salt Potatoes got a run back in the bottom of the sixth. With Joe Suozzi standing on second base with two outs, Wyatt Young smacked a single into center field to score…