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Mets VP Paul DePodesta, who oversees the farm system and amateur scouting, takes time with ESPNNewYork.com to break down the organization's minor leagues.

You have almost completed a full minor league season, had a draft. What’s the state of the farm system in a general sense?

“I certainly think we’re making progress. It’s been probably well-documented from the draft, and even to what we did at the trading deadline. One of the things we really sought out is potential impact talent. To the extent that it works out, we won’t know for a while. But it’s certainly been a target. And we’ve been able to bring some of these guys into the system. Some other guys that already have been in the system, we’ve been able to move them along fairly rapidly. I think in that sense I’m very pleased. I think the overall depth of the system is pretty solid. Our goal is to certainly make it better.

“On the impact end, I think we’re making some progress. Again, I think there was probably a little bit more here when we first arrived than was sort of generally accepted. There were a couple of guys last year that didn’t have great years who I think have high-end talent. So when we came in, they weren’t heralded as maybe they should be. A guy like (right-hander) Jeurys Familia, he has a chance to be a big-time guy, and probably hasn’t gotten at least that type of attention. Having him now with (2010 first-round pick Matt) Harvey and having (fellow right-hander Zack) Wheeler (from the Carlos Beltran trade) behind those guys, it’ll start to show what kind of talent he is. Overall, I’m pleased. There’s certainly still room for us to get better, both on the scouting side and on the development side. But I like where we are as of right now.”

In terms of the upper levels of the system, is it bad luck with injuries to players such as Kirk Nieuwenhuis (shoulder surgery), Zach Lutz (pair of concussions, broken ring finger)? Or have there been a lack of available players to where you had to, say, call up a third catcher?

“I think there are a couple of things. One is, a lot of the talent at the upper levels we have seen here (in the majors). I’d say Dillon Gee, Ruben Tejada, Lucas Duda, I mean those guys were all projected to be at Buffalo this year and have been pretty significant contributors at this level so far. Beyond that, the saving grace for me in (corner infielder Zach) Lutz and (outfielder Kirk) Nieuwenhuis and (Fernando) Martinez and all the guys who have had some injuries is when they’ve played, they’ve all played extraordinarily well. Nieuwenhuis is a guy who is a really interesting case. Admittedly, from my standpoint, he’s not a guy I knew a lot about. I didn’t see him as an amateur at Azusa (Pacific University) when he was coming out. But he’s one of those guys from sort of a smaller school, and as he’s been in the minor leagues and moved up levels, he continues to get better at every level. His production continues to increase at every level, which is rare. So I’m excited about him. It’s really too bad he had the shoulder injury and is going to miss the rest of the year. I think he certainly has a bright future.

“I think at the Double-A level, a lot of the guys we had there weren’t necessarily ready to come here. But (infielder) Josh Satin had a terrific year and is now in Triple-A and hasn’t missed a beat. (Middle infielder) Jordany Valdespin had a great year, and has actually played shortstop extremely well and has gotten better month after month and is now, I think, absolutely a viable major league shortstop. (Second baseman) Reese Havens is sort of like Lutz and Nieuwenhuis. When he’s played, he’s been awfully good. And then on the pitching side, we did fill in an awful lot at Triple-A with some veterans. Gee was sort of the one young guy we felt like was poised and ready. One guy that had a real breakout year was (right-hander) Chris Schwinden. He’s put himself now in a position to help us.

“And then in Double-A we had some nice talent, but guys who were not quite ready to be here and we were probably pushing them even a little at Double-A -- guys like (left-hander Robert) Carson and now, through the course of the year, with Familia and Harvey there. Some other guys have had nice years. (Right-handers Brandon) Moore and (Collin) McHugh have pitched well. Both (right-handers Brad) Holt and (Josh) Stinson I think have pitched well now that they have been moved to the pen, which we all think is their ultimate roles. They seem to have adjusted well to that transition.

“But admittedly once (Jenrry) Mejia went down (with Tommy John surgery) and Gee came up, we didn’t have the stable of young, major league ready pitching. We were a little thin. But I think that layer that’s right behind them has a chance to be pretty darn good.”

You still project Mejia and Familia as rotation as opposed to bullpen guys?

“Yeah, I do. We’ll see as it happens. I think any player development system’s hope is you get to a point where players sort of force themselves on the major league roster -- they sort of force the front office to make a move for them because their performance is so dominant and they’re so clearly ready to be here, as opposed to bringing guys up just because you need them, you don’t have anybody else and something has happened. If we can get to that point on a pitching staff where our starting five is so good that some of these other guys are ready and knocking at the door, who knows what role they may end up in at that point? History will tell you a lot of quality minor league starters end up being quality bullpen guys. But as we sit here today, we certainly still project those guys as starting pitchers?”

If you conceivably are going to devote a lot of dollars to Jose Reyes in the offseason and you have to be more creative at other positions, are there any minor league players who have yet to make their debuts who can be introduced early next season and have an impact? Maybe Josh Satin?

“You mentioned Satin. I think he’s a guy who can contribute here. I think (Monday call-up) Mike Baxter is a guy who can contribute here. He has a different story because we just recently acquired him. I think Lutz is a guy. I think Nieuwenhuis is certainly a guy that can help. And I sort of hesitate to say this, because you never know what’s going to happen when guys do move to the pen -- but sometimes those guys can really come quick, because if they have the stuff, and they have the command, it almost doesn’t matter if it’s in A-ball or Double-A or in the big leagues. It plays and will continue to play at each level.

“In that respect, we’ll see what Stinson is able to do and we’ll see what Holt is able to do as they continue to adjust to that role. One other guy, and I hesitate to say it, because it’s a long way away, is Josh Edgin. He’s a left-handed reliever currently in St. Lucie. He started the year in Savannah. But he’s got major league stuff and he’s left-handed. Again, you just never know how quickly those guys can come. He’s in Port St. Lucie right now, which is why I’m squeamish about talking about 2012."

If Baseball America re-ranked the farm system after the trade deadline and placed Zack Wheeler No. 1, does that mean you made a great trade? Or is it a commentary on the system a little?

“I don’t know. Harvey is awfully good. It’s starting to show at Double-A too. His last few starts have each gotten better, and his last one was just absolutely dominant. Technically, he’s a little closer. Some of their midseason lists, I don’t know if it was Baseball America or somebody else’s, I think Harvey was maybe a couple of slots ahead of Wheeler. I think it’s debatable. We moved Familia to Double-A before Harvey. Certainly part of that was for development reasons. He was just ready earlier. But I don’t know why his ceiling is different than those guys. He throws just as hard. He’s got a good slider. He’s generally in the zone. He’s awfully good too. Look, Wheeler was the No. 6 pick in the country (in 2009). Harvey was the seventh (in 2010). Maybe that gives Wheeler an edge.”

Does something have to give with Fernando Martinez? Or he does have an option for next year, so he could go back to Triple-A in 2012 if need be?

“He has another option after this year.”

St. Lucie’s Wilmer Flores has been ranked atop many rankings in the past. What is his future? Will you move him from shortstop?

“We’ll see. I think with any of these guys, when we’ve considered position changes, it will be well-discussed. We have talked about it with (Wilmer Flores) at different times. We’ve talked about the benefits of him staying at shortstop and it will help him regardless of where he moves. We do think that the next move, if there is a move, and I think it’s probably likely at some point, it will be in the infield. The play at shortstop has been solid. It actually has been quite solid. The question is whether or not we think it’s going to hold up, and ultimately from his standpoint where he’s most comfortable.

“He’s played some third in winter ball. There’s been some talk about second base. We’ll discuss this as we sort of wind down the season and head into the offseason. I think we feel like regardless his time at short has been well-spent, and will continue to be well-spent if he continues to stay there. To his credit, he’s really played it well.

“He just turned 20 years old. And one thing I feel strongly about, and one thing I think we feel strongly about organizationally, is that one of the things that improves dramatically with repetitions is infield defense probably as much as anything in the game. Guys might get a little bit better in the outfield. They get better with routes and jumps. But there are limitations in terms of how much better they can get. Hitting is tough. There are limitations with how much better a guy is going to get. But infield defense, there are just a lot of stories of guys who made 30, 40, even 50 errors in the minor leagues and went on to become very solid defensive infielders in the major leagues.”

I had just heard the range, the foot speed and first step weren’t where it would need to be for shortstop.

“And that could be. I think that’s probably a question. I don’t think the question right now is with the hands or with the arm. It’s an untraditional arm stroke, but he gets it over there and it’s accurate for the most part. I think you’re right. I think that’s a fair point about whether or not he stays there. I think that will be probably the defining question in terms of whether or not he stays there.”

People have visions of a rotation in two or three years of Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jenrry Mejia and Jeurys Familia. As a development person, I’m sure you want to go 4-for-4. But if you hit on two of those four in the rotation, would you be thrilled? What’s good return on that type of inventory?

“I think that’s probably fair. If we hit one out of every two, I think we’d be thrilled. We feel it’s a very good group. We’re going to try to add to the group. Maybe this time next year we’ll be talking about (second-round pick) Cory Mazzoni in that group or (44^th overall pick Michael) Fulmer right behind those guys. Who knows?

“We’ve actually got a lot of good arms in short season that were here before I got here that are young, young kids, but with power arms and have a chance to come quickly. Guys like (U.S. Virgin Islands native) Akeel Morris, Miller Diaz, Domingo Tapia, there are a handful of them. These are guys who are consistently throwing in the mid-90s, some of them touching high-90s. Tapia is throwing 100 mph this year. Every outing has been in the upper 90s.

“One thing you can be sure of is we’re going to continue to try to stockpile them, sort of knowing that we’re not going to be 100 percent on these guys. I use this in a much broader context than just those four that you mentioned that are at the upper levels, or close to the upper levels, but shoot, I think we’d be killing it if we hit at 50 percent.”

Was there anyone signed internationally this year, even if it was a low signing bonus, that you were particularly pleased you got?

“There are a handful actually. There’s one who is already over here in the States and has moved past the GCL and is into Kingsport. Rafael Montero is a right-handed pitcher. He’s a little older. He’s 20 already and I think was just about 20 or already 20 when we signed him. But he has a good arm, a good feel and it’s a legitimate three-pitch mix. It’s low- to mid-90s. Good body. Good command. He’s an interesting package.

“I was just down in the Dominican last week and saw some of the kids we had signed. Pedro Perez, who we signed, is technically a shortstop. He’s playing third base. A switch-hitter. He’s a good-looking young hitter. And there’s an outfielder named Vicente Lupo -- the kid who got really sick last fall. Really, really sick. He’s an outfielder from Venezuela. He was the one who had malignant hypothermia. He’s back and playing. He’s swinging the bat well. There’s another pitcher named Luis Mateo, who is also a little older. He’s 21. He has really good power stuff. He’s actually still in the Dominican. All those guys were signed this year.

“I believe there’s an outfielder name Mikais de la Cruz, who is in the Dominican, that I believe was signed in this cycle but before I got here. The international market, the fiscal year is July 2 to July 2. So I’m not counting anybody we have signed in the last month. It’s everybody we signed pre-July 2. There are a handful of them, but Montero has certainly been the quickest mover.

“There’s also a Cuban second baseman we signed named Jorge Rivero, who we’ve already brought over. He’s playing in the GCL and is swinging the bat pretty well. He’s also older. He’s 21, I think. He’s a good-looking hitter.”

"In-depth" appears Tuesdays during the regular season

Josh Satin’s natural position is second base. In recent seasons, however, he has started to get more exposure to first base and even third base, in part because other prospects received priority at his customary spot.

But with Jordany Valdespin restored full time to shortstop in Double-A and 2008 first-round pick Reese Havens only now appearing in extended spring training games because of injury woes, Satin again primarily is playing second base. He also is continuing to hit, which never has fluctuated.

“Really, at the end of last year, I wasn’t playing much second at all. I went to instructional league and I pretty much didn’t play at all at second,” Satin said. “One of the reasons I went there was to work at the corner positions. Obviously, I can see what’s going on and I would like to be a second baseman. But if that’s not the case, that’s OK.”

Satin hit .308 with seven homers and 39 RBIs in 79 games during the second half of last season with Double-A Binghamton after a promotion. He then worked on the corner infield positions in the organization’s fall instructional league in Fort Myers, Fla. Late in that stint, farm director Adam Wogan informed Satin he was being rewarded with a spot in the prestigious Arizona Fall League as a taxi-squad member -- meaning he was only eligible to play twice a week. But an injury to a prospect from another organization opened the door for Satin to be transferred to a full roster spot. Satin went on to hit .390, with a .479 on-base percentage, in 12 games in the AFL.

He has continued that level of success this season in a return to the B-Mets. In 126 at-bats, Satin is hitting .310 with three homers and 17 RBIs. He has a .425 on-base percentage. Satin has logged 21 games at second base and eight games at first base and five at DH.

There were rumblings in recent days he might be moved to Triple-A Buffalo, but that did not materialize.

“The main thing I want to improve here in my offensive game is being able to hit earlier in the count successfully,” Satin said. “I have always, and especially this year, walked and struck out a lot because when I get in the box I like to get deep into counts. I don’t like to swing early. I’m more comfortable seeing a few pitches. But this year I’ve tried -- actually I’ve failed a little more than I’d like to -- at trying to swing earlier. Because once you get to the big league level, you can’t just take pitches. If that’s the one pitch you’re going to get to hit, you’ve got to hit it. That’s really the main thing I’d like to improve, being able to hit that first-pitch breaking ball that’s just hanging there that they’re trying to get over instead of taking it.”

The 26-year-old Satin is a sixth-round pick in 2008 from Cal-Berkeley. That’s the draft that yielded Ike Davis and Havens in the first round.

Satin’s Pac-10 baseball program recently was poised to be eliminated, but donors stepped forward and have come through with roughly $8 million of the $10 million needed to keep the program afloat for the next three years, according to Satin.

Jeff Kent is the program’s most prestigious baseball product. Satin played with Tigers outfielder Brennan Boesch, Blue Jays right-hander Brandon Morrow, St. Cardinals outfielder Allen Craig and A’s right-hander Tyson Ross while at Cal. Their success at the major league level gives Satin confidence he ultimately can succeed at the highest level, too.

“I still talk to all of those guys,” Satin said. “I played with those guys for a couple of years and know exactly what they can do. I was the guy hitting third on the team.”

Organization leaders

Average: Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, .354; Cory Vaughn, Savannah, .349; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, .320; Josh Satin, Binghamton, .310; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Buffalo, .306; Jefry Marte, St. Lucie, .302; Juan Lagares, St. Lucie, .293; Mike Fisher, Buffalo, .283; Robbie Shields, Savannah, .280; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .277.

Homers: Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 9; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 7; Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Buffalo, 6.

RBI: Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 26; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 25; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 23; Sam Honeck, Savannah, 23; Brahiam Maldonado, Binghamton, 23.

Steals: Jordany Valdespin, Binghamton, 10; Pedro Zapata, St. Lucie, 9; Matt den Dekker, St. Lucie, 7; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 7; Robbie Shields, Savannah, 7.

ERA: Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 1.25; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 1.69; Taylor Whitenton, Savannah, 2.35; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 2.61; Mark Cohoon, Binghamton, 2.74; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 3.00; Scott Moviel, St. Lucie, 3.02; Ryan Fraser, Savannah, 3.05; Brad Holt, Binghamton, 3.12; Erik Goeddel, Savannah, 3.16.

Wins: Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 5; Scott Moviel, St. Lucie, 4.

Saves: Jeffrey Kaplan, St. Lucie, 8; Josh Edgin, Savannah, 6; John Lujan, Buffalo, 4; Ronny Morla, St. Lucie, 4.

Strikeouts: Jeurys Familia, Binghamton, 48; Matt Harvey, St. Lucie, 46; Darin Gorski, St. Lucie, 44; Greg Peavey, Savannah, 42; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 40.

Short hops

• First baseman/outfielder Lucas Duda (back) and corner infielder Zach Lutz (broken ring finger) remain sidelined with Buffalo. Duda is expected to begin light swings in a cage to see if his troublesome back will loosen. Wogan believes a weekend return to the lineup is possible. Duda (.241, 3 HR, 9 RBI, 83 AB) has not appeared in a game since May 8. Lutz, who broke the ring finger on his non-throwing hand when struck with a foul ball while already out with a hamstring injury, is currently back in Port St. Lucie. He was due to have the swollen finger drained to see if gripping a bat would be a hindrance.

• Nick Evans had a five-game hitting streak, during which he was 9-for-20 with four multi-hit games, before his promotion with David Wright landing on the disabled list. Because the out-of-options Evans was outrighted when he did not make the Mets out of spring training, he can declare free agency if the Mets again try to send him to the minors and he clears waivers. Evans should be a limited righty-hitting complement to Daniel Murphy at first base.

• The Mets added outfielder Bubba Bell and infielder Luis Figueroa to provide bodies to depleted Buffalo. Figueroa, 37, actually had a tour with the Mets in the minors before being sent to the Expos in the April 2002 trade that brought reliever Scott Strickland to New York. Wogan knew Figueroa from those Montreal days. He had been released from Milwaukee’s Triple-A Nashville affiliate after hitting .296 with three RBIs in 41 at-bats. Wogan describes him as a hard worker who can play defense and will be a positive influence. Bell, 28, recently has been traded twice -- from Boston to Cleveland and then to the Mets. Bell was lost in a numbers game at Triple-A Columbus in the Indians organization, where he had appeared in only eight games. In his first start with Buffalo, Bell had a go-ahead two-run double in the eighth inning Sunday for a 4-3 win at Louisville. Figueroa is hitting .389 through five games with the Herd.

• Technically on a rehab assignment, Bobby Parnell allowed five inherited runners to score over a two-appearance stretch. In four relief appearances with the Bisons, he has allowed three runs -- including a homer to Yankees catching prospect Jesus Montero -- on four hits while striking out five and walking none in 3 2/3 innings. Terry Collins has indicated Parnell will remain with Buffalo until he demonstrates command of his upper-90s mph fastball. One observer said Parnell’s slider has lacked bite, too.

• Jenrry Mejia underwent Tommy John surgery Monday. The recovery time is generally at least 12 months.

• Chin-lung Hu went through outright waivers while still on the Mets’ active roster, so the team was able to send him to Buffalo after Monday’s game without interruption. With Ruben Tejada’s promotion, Hu joins Luis Hernandez and Figueroa as Buffalo’s primary middle infielders.

• Right-hander Chris Schwinden has continued a remarkable string of performances with the Bisons that has even caught Mets staffers off-guard. An outing after taking a no-hit bid into the sixth inning, Schwinden tossed seven scoreless innings at Louisville on Monday. Schwinden’s 1.82 ERA in seven starts ranks second in the International League, trailing only Durham’s Alex Cobb (1.31 ERA).

• Ryota Igarashi returns to Triple-A, where the bullpen has been highlighted by left-hander Justin Hampson. The southpaw, who turns 31 next Tuesday, is 1-0 with a save and 2.04 ERA in 13 relief appearances spanning 17 2/3 innings. The success has come against left-handed and right-handed batters (.174 and .167 opponent batting average, respectively). Hampson pitched for the York Revolution and Long Island Ducks in the independent Atlantic League last season. He had undergone shoulder capsule surgery after appearing in 74 games for the San Diego Padres between 2007 and ’08.

• Jeurys Familia justified a promotion from Class A St. Lucie to Binghamton. Familia was still registering 95-97 mph with his fastball in the seventh inning on Sunday at Trenton, when he limited the Yankees’ Double-A affiliate to three hits, three walks and a hit batter in seven scoreless innings. Through two Eastern League starts, the 21-year-old right-hander has allowed two runs (one earned) in 14 innings, although he is still seeking his first B-Mets win. Familia also throws a hard curveball that resembles a slider and has made progress with a changeup.

• First baseman Allan Dykstra, the player acquired from the Padres late in spring training for reliever Eddie Kunz, delivered a game-winning homer Saturday and has raised his offensive game. Dykstra opened the season 1-for-13, but now has a .267 average with three homers and nine RBIs in 75 at-bats. He also has a .411 on-base percentage. Kunz is 1-0 with a 5.93 ERA at Double-A San Antonio. He has allowed 15 hits, 11 walks and hit three batters in 13 2/3 innings.

• The free-swinging Valdespin isn’t walking much (eight times, once intentionally), but he’s hitting his way on base at Binghamton. The shortstop is hitting .269 with two homers and 10 steals in 12 attempts in 35 games.

• Brad Holt had a brief flashback to his 2010 control woes with Binghamton. He walked four and threw two pitches to the backstop in a meltdown inning last Friday against Trenton. Holt, who had limited opponents to 10 walks through his first five starts, has walked another 10 in 7 1/3 innings over his past two appearances.

• Binghamton right-hander Edgar Ramirez received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball for testing positive for Methylhexaneamine, the commissioner’s office announced.

• 2010 first-round pick Matt Harvey rebounded from his roughest professional outing (eight runs in 3 2/3 innings on May 10) by tossing five scoreless innings against Brevard County. Wogan indicated Harvey’s next start again will be with St. Lucie.

• St. Lucie left fielder Juan Lagares homered three times in a doubleheader Sunday at Brevard County. An athletic player, the 22-year-old Lagares already was playing full-season minor league baseball at age 17 and battled through injuries early in his pro career.

• Havens, who has been tormented by oblique issues that led to surgery to remove an inch of a rib last offseason, has started swinging a bat while playing in extended spring training games. Wogan said Havens’ current activity is akin to March spring training for other players.

• The Mets signed 21-year-old Dominican right-hander Luis Mateo for $150,000, Baseball America reported. He reportedly originally signed with the Giants in 2008 for $625,000, but the contract was voided over elbow concerns related to bone chips. The Padres, then operated by Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta, got involved. Writes Baseball America:

That November, the Padres agreed to a $300,000 deal with Mateo, though that contract also never became official. Major League Baseball's investigation into Mateo's background turned up "inconclusive," MLB's way of saying that it feels it lacks sufficient evidence to either confirm or reject the accuracy of a player's age and identity. MLB finally suspended Mateo in March 2010 for one year for lying about his age, and his date of birth changed from March 17, 1992, to March 22, 1990.

• Armando Rodriguez, who went 8-9 with a 3.08 ERA in 27 starts for Savannah last season, is pitching in extended spring training games. He had been out since the start of the season with a strained oblique.

• St. Lucie right-hander Kyle Allen, a 24th-round pick out of high school in Florida in 2008, drew compliments for attacking the strike zone in his most-recent outing. Allen, who had walked 18 in 23 2/3 innings over his first six appearances, tossed a season-high seven innings while allowing two hits and no walks Monday.

• Tobi Stoner returned from a shoulder impingement with mixed results for St. Lucie. He tossed five scoreless innings in his first Florida State League appearance, but followed that up by allowing eight runs on 10 hits in five innings Tuesday in his second start.

• 2010 New York-Penn League batting champ Darrell Ceciliani, who missed early time with Savannah with a hamstring injury, has started to heat up at the plate. Ceciliani has a six-game hitting streak and has lifted his average from .190 to .265 during that span. The spurt included a 5-for-5 performance Saturday at Rome. Teammate Cory Vaughn (eight-game hitting streak) also had a big week that has lifted his average to .349, which ranks ninth in the South Atlantic League.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the season

BUFFALO 5, SCRANTON/WILKES-BARRE 3: After a pitchers' duel through six innings, the Bisons unloaded on the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Yankees' bullpen for a four-run seventh inning. Reliever Andrew Sisco walked in the go-ahead run before Luis Hernandez dealt the big blow with a two-out, two-run single. Chris Schwinden carried a no-hit bid into the sixth inning, when the righty allowed his first three hits of the night and two walks to give the Yankees a 2-0 lead. Jesus Montero's single scored Doug Bernier, who worked a leadoff walk, for the first run. Justin Maxwell's single then scored Leo Nunez from third. Manager Tim Teufel said it felt great to get Schwinden off the hook for a loss he didn't deserve. "I think he just moves the ball in and out of the strike zone effectively," Teufel said. "He looks like he belongs out there. He's not timid. He's very aggressive." Schwinden exited the game with six strikeouts, three walks and two earned runs on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. The Yankees had the tying run on base in the ninth, but Dale Thayer held on for the save, striking out two and causing Chris Dickerson to fly out to center for the final out. After his six-RBI outburst Tuesday, Valentino Pascucci drove in two more runs, putting the Bisons on the board with a single that scored Ruben Tejada and walking in the third run. Tejada went 2-for-3, scoring twice. Thayer recorded his second save of the season. Justin Hampson picked up his first win. Rehabbing Bobby Parnell relieved Schwinden for his first appearance with the Bisons and struck out Brandon Laird to end the sixth. Box

NEW BRITAIN 10, BINGHAMTON 8: A late rally was the not enough as Binghamton dropped the rubber match to the New Britain Rock Cats. Nine pitchers combined to allow 31 hits. The Rock Cats jumped out to any early lead off B-Mets starter Brandon Moore with a six-run second inning. The first three batters of the inning got aboard and came around to score against the right-hander. With a runner at third and two outs, Michael Hollimon roped a groundball to first base that went under the glove of Eric Campbell and skipped into right field for an error. New Britain capitalized on the misplay as Chris Herrmann tripled to right to bring home Hollimon and Joe Benson stroked a two-run homer. After a B-Mets run in the bottom of the second, New Britain pounded out three more runs in the third off Moore. For the second straight inning, the first three batters reached safely. With two runners aboard and one out, Wally Backman brought in Roy Merritt to stop the bleeding. The left-hander struck out Hollimon, but allowed a two-run double to Herrmann, giving the Rock Cats a 9-1 lead. The B-Mets would not go down without a fight, though. In the third, Binghamton used three walks by starter Liam Hendricks and a double by Josh Satin to produce two runs and trim the deficit to six. New Britain extended its lead with a run in the fourth. Trailing 10-3 late, Carlos Guzman doubled off Santos Arias to kick off a one-out rally as six straight reached safely against two Rock Cats relievers. Raul Reyes and Jean Luc Blaquiere followed with singles to center, with Blaquiere’s hit bringing Guzman home with the first run of the inning. Stepping to the plate with two runners on and a new reliever on the mound in Michael Tarsi, Jordany Valdespin grounded a ball to second that Yangervis Solarte fielded cleanly and accurately threw to second. Hollimon, the shortstop, was there in time, but never held onto the ball. Blaquiere slid in safely on the error. The B-Mets cashed in on the miscue as Mike Fisher and Satin contributed back-to-back run-scoring singles. With the bases loaded and the deficit at four, Campbell made up for his earlier error by stroking a groundball down the left-field line. The hit, Campbell’s fourth of the night, brought home two runs and cut the deficit to 10-8. That would be all the offense the B-Mets could muster. Tyler Robertson entered in the eighth and worked around a one-out single to post a scoreless eighth. The tall left-hander walked Fisher to lead off the ninth, but bounced back to retire the next three B-Mets and nail down his fifth save. Hendriks labored through five innings for his third win of the year. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits and four walks. Moore took the loss, his first of the season. The B-Mets (12-18) start a four-game series against the Trenton Thunder (17-16) Thursday night in New Jersey, with the first pitch set for 7:05 p.m. Left-hander Mark Cohoon (1-2, 2.70) will face right-hander Craig Heyer (3-2, 3.03). Box

ST. LUCIE 6, LAKELAND 0: Kyle Allen tossed five scoreless innings despite issuing six walks to pick up his first win in six appearances (five starts) this season. John Church and Jeffrey Kaplan tossed two scoreless innings apiece. Matt den Dekker went 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs to lift his average to .339. Jefry Marte also drove in two runs. The Mets opened the scoring in the first inning when Marte’s double scored Cesar Puello. St. Lucie tacked on another run in the third on a sacrifice fly by Stefan Welch, which scored den Dekker. Marte and Pedro Zapata drove in runs in the seventh. A two-run triple by den Dekker in the eighth capped the scoring. Allen danced around trouble throughout his start, but allowed only two hits with two strikeouts. Puello, Marte and Juan Centeno chipped in with two hits apiece. The Mets and Flying Tigers square off in Game 3 of their four-game series Thursday night at Digital Domain Park. Box

SAVANNAH 2, HICKORY 0: Four Savannah hurlers combined on a five-hit shutout. The Gnats (15-17) have now won three games in a row and eight of their last 11. Savannah pitching has given up two runs, only one of which was earned, in the first 27 innings of its series against the Hickory Crawdads. The Crawdads (19-13) have lost five straight games. Starter Taylor Whitenton worked around four hits, two walks and a hit batsman to keep the Crawdads off the scoreboard for the first 4 2/3 innings. He struck out five. Whitenton was relieved in a scoreless game in the top of the fifth by Gabriel Zavala, who did not allow a hit in his 2 1/3 innings. The final two relievers, Luis Rojas in the eighth and Josh Edgin in the ninth, induced double plays to end their innings. Zavala earned his first win of the year and Edgin his sixth save. The Gnats scored the opening run in the fifth inning when Albert Cordero lifted a sacrifice fly to center, bringing home left fielder Rafael Fernandez, who rejoined Savannah Wednesday. Savannah added an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth. With two outs, shortstop Robbie Shields tripled to deep right-center. Fernandez then singled off the right-field wall to bring home Shields for a 2-0 lead. The Gnats will look for their first sweep of 2011 when right-hander Ryan Fraser (2-3, 3.34) takes on Hickory right-hander Justin Grimm (2-0, 3.44) Thursday in the finale of this four-game series. Box

Compiled from team reports

• The Mets signed 21-year-old Dominican right-hander Luis Mateo for $150,000, Baseball America reported. He reportedly originally signed with the Giants in 2008 for $625,000, but the contract was voided over elbow concerns related to bone chips. The Padres, then operated by Sandy Alderson and Paul DePodesta, got involved. Writes Baseball America:

That November, the Padres agreed to a $300,000 deal with Mateo, though that contract also never became official. Major League Baseball's investigation into Mateo's background turned up "inconclusive," MLB's way of saying that it feels it lacks sufficient evidence to either confirm or reject the accuracy of a player's age and identity. MLB finally suspended Mateo in March 2010 for one year for lying about his age, and his date of birth changed from March 17, 1992, to March 22, 1990. The Mets stayed on Mateo and struck a deal with him last week.

• The Mets signed infielder Luis Figueroa to a minor league deal, SI.com reports. Figueroa, 37, appeared in 18 major league games from 2001 to 2007.