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BINGHAMTON 8, NEW BRITAIN 1: Zack Wheeler allowed one run over a career-high eight innings. The righty allowed two hits and struck out seven in his fourth straight victory. Wheeler's perfect first inning was a preview of the seven stellar innings that would follow. He struck out the first two hitters of the game and fanned three of the first four he faced. Wheeler opened the game by retiring 10 Rock Cats in a row before issuing a walk in the fourth. He worked around the free pass by inducing Deibinson Romero to bounce into a double play. New Britain starter David Bromberg struggled to match Wheeler early. After failing to score with the bases loaded in the first, the B-Mets cashed in with the bases loaded in the second. A wild pitch allowed Juan Centeno to score the first run. Wheeler (4-2) made the lead stand until the fifth, when the Rock Cats collected their first hit. Aaron Hicks walked and stole second. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored when Nate Hanson singled. Bromberg settled down after his first two shaky innings and posted four scoreless frames to cap his day. Reliever Blake Martin took over and posted a scoreless seventh before allowing a leadoff single to Raul Reyes in the eighth. Luis Perdomo entered and walked Eric Campbell to put two aboard. After Reese Havens sacrificed both runners ahead, Juan Lagares shot a groundball to second with the infield drawn in. Reyes, breaking home on initial contact, beat the throw from Shawn Roof, giving the B-Mets a 2-1 lead. Campbell scored later in the inning on a botched pickoff throw from catcher Danny Lehmann. Given a two-run advantage, Wheeler closed out an impressive day with a scoreless eighth. He allowed only four runners in the longest start for any B-Met this season. Binghamton scored five runs in the ninth against reliever Brett Jacobson. The righty walked five, hit a batter and served up a three-run homer to Reyes. Adrian Rosario replaced Wheeler for the ninth and posted a perfect frame. Jenrry Mejia makes his second Double-A start, and his fourth overall in the minors since returning from Tommy John surgery, at 10:35 a.m. Thursday opposite right-hander B.J. Hermsen. Box

ST. LUCIE 8, DAYTONA 7: Pedro Beato tossed a scoreless relief inning in his third rehab appearance in the Florida State League. St. Lucie rallied with three eighth-inning runs. Cory Vaughn (3-for-5) opened the frame with a single and scored on Francisco Pena's double. Blake Forsythe and Wilfredo Tovar added RBI singles. Vaughn and Pena also contributed back-to-back solo homers in the fourth inning. Box

SAVANNAH 6, CHARLESTON 3: The Gnats (28-17) took a 3-2 lead with three runs in the bottom of the first. With one out and the bases loaded, Aderlin Rodriguez doubled to tie the score. Brian Harrison followed with a groundball double play that brought home a run. Savannah tacked on a single run in the second inning and two more in the fourth to build a 6-2 advantage. Gilbert Gomez, in his first game in the leadoff spot, drove in a run in both innings. He finished the game 3-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Rodriguez was 2-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs. Gnats starter Domingo Tapia (4-2) tossed six innings. He allowed three earned runs on seven hits. He walked two and struck out six. Jared West retired the final six batters, striking out two to pick up his first save as a Gnat. Charleston scored the game’s first two runs in the top of the first on a two-run single by Ben Gamel. Box

Compiled from team reports

INDIANAPOLIS 4, BUFFALO 1: The Herd, which had a four-game winning streak snapped, scored its lone run against Rick VandenHurk in the first inning, when Corey Wimberly successfully had a delayed straight steal of home with Valentino Pascucci batting. "I basically told Corey, 'If you think you can steal home, go for it,'" manager Wally Backman said. "It was a success due to the position of the third baseman." It is the first time a Bison has stolen home since Chris Clapinski on May 16, 2004 at Columbus. Said Wimberley: "I told Wally if the pitcher lobs the ball back, I'm going home. I caught them sleeping, so I went for it." Jack Egbert, who started in place of Jeremy Hefner, who was called up to the Mets, allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits in two innings. In relief of Egbert, Chuck James tossed three scoreless innings. Backman was ejected in the third inning for arguing a caught stealing call by the third base umpire. The Bisons activated reliever Jeff Stevens and welcomed Edgar Ramirez to the club's roster. In his first Triple-A action since 2009, Ramirez allowed two runs (one earned) in three innings. Chris Schwinden was recalled by the Mets. Infielder Michael Fisher was demoted to Double-A Binghamton. Box

BINGHAMTON 11, PORTLAND 7: The B-Mets collected 12 hits and scored in all but one inning. The rubber-game victory secured Binghamton’s third straight series win and kicked their record above .500 for the first time in May. Binghamton grabbed the lead three batters into the game against Sea Dogs starter Chris Balcom-Miller. Matt den Dekker extended his hitting streak to a career-best 15 games with an infield single. After advancing to second on a throwing error by third baseman Kolbrin Vitek, the first of four errors for Portland, den Dekker moved to third on a sac bunt and scored on Reese Havens’ groundout. The B-Mets added two runs in the second, when Juan Lagares scored on a wild pitch and Pedro Zapata supplied a sac fly. Raul Reyes lashed an RBI double in the third and den Dekker drove in a run with a single in the fourth, Balcom-Miller’s final inning. The righty was tagged for five runs (three earned) on four hits and walked five in four innings. Binghamton kept the offense rolling against reliever Jeremy Kehrt. Lagares ripped an RBI double in the fifth and Sean Kazmar drove in two with a double in the sixth. Kazmar scored later in the three-run inning on a fielding error by Reynaldo Rodriguez at first. The frame gave Binghamton a 9-2 lead. Portland's Jeremy Hazelbaker got the Sea Dogs on the board in third with a solo homer against starter Greg Peavey and Derrik Gibson added a sac fly in the fourth. Down by seven in the sixth, Portland chased Peavey by getting the first four to reach safely. Ronald Bermudez’s RBI single with the bases loaded ended Peavey’s day. The righty allowed three runs on eight hits over five innings. With the bases loaded and no outs, Kevin Mulvey entered and induced Gibson to bounce back to the mound, starting a double play. Heiker Meneses struck out to end the threat. The seventh was not as smooth for Mulvey. He walked one and hit a batter before serving up a three-run homer to Rodriguez, cutting Binghamton’s lead to three. Jeff Kaplan took over and allowed the first four he faced to reach safely. Gibson ripped an RBI single to center with the bases loaded to make it 9-7. However, Kaplan retired the next two batters to end the inning. He posted a perfect eighth. The B-Mets added runs in the eighth and ninth, highlighted by Jefry Marte's solo homer. Adrian Rosario navigated around two walks to post a scoreless ninth. Peavey (3-1) snapped a five-start winless streak. Box

LAKELAND 2, ST. LUCIE 1: Ryan Fraser allowed two runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings of relief to get tagged with the loss. Starter Angel Cuan limited Lakeland to one hit and two walks while striking out three in 6 1/3 scoreless innings. St. Lucie mustered three hits. The lone run came in the sixth when Cory Vaughn, Richard Lucas and Blake Forsythe all walked, and Vaughn scored on a subsequent Lakeland error. Box

SAVANNAH 5, AUGUSTA 3: Savannah had a comfortable 5-0 lead heading to the ninth, but the GreenJackets scored three times and had the tying run at second with two outs when reliever T.J. Chism induced a comebacker to end the game. The Gnats lost the first two games of the series, each by one run, while stranding the tying run at second. On Sunday, Savannah scored the game’s opening run in the second. Dustin Lawley walked and scored on Brian Harrison’s RBI double over the head of center fielder Carlos Willoughby. Savannah added two runs apiece in the sixth and seventh innings. Lawley began the sixth by lining a homer just to the right side of the batter’s eye. Travis Taijeron followed with a triple up the right-center gap and came home on Aderlin Rodriguez’s hustle double on a pop fly into shallow center to put the Gnats up 3-0. T.J. Rivera added a two-run homer in the seventh. In the ninth, making his first Savannah appearance, reliever Randy Fontanez walked two batters and hit one to load the bases. A sacrifice fly trimmed the Gnats’ lead to 5-1. A single reloaded the bases and chased Fontanez. With the tying run at the plate, Chism struck out pinch-hitter Kelby Tomlinson. However, Willoughby dumped a double down the left-field line to drive in two. He raced to second as the tying run. Chism then induced a chopper back to the mound to end the threat and game. Gnats starter Rafael Montero allowed one infield hit in six innings. He faced one over the minimum through five innings. Box

Compiled from team reports

BUFFALO 14, GWINNETT 7: Matt Tuiasosopo highlighted a 17-hit attack with a first-inning inside-the-park homer as the Bisons roughed up demoted Braves starter Jair Jurrjens. Jurrjens was charged with 11 runs (10 earned) in 4 2/3 innings. Tuaisosopo became the first Bison to produce the feat since Mike Jacobs on June 9, 2010, and the first to do it in Buffalo since Karim Garcia on June 6, 2001. In that inning, Vinny Rottino had a two-out infield single. Valentino Pascucci followed with a walk, which brought Tuiasosopo to the plate. He hit a fly ball to Braves right fielder Felix Pie that drifted out of his reach. As the ball skipped away, Tuiasosopo motored around the bases and slid headfirst into home. "I think it's my first inside-the-park home run in my career," Tuiasosopo said. After Tuiasosopo's feat, the Herd piled on. On the next pitch, Brad Emaus homered the conventional way for his first long ball as a Bison. The onslaught continued in the third, with Omar Quintanilla hitting a three-run triple for an 8-1 lead. The offense benefited Bisons starter Garrett Olson, who picked up his first 2012 win. The southpaw allowed three runs while striking out six in five innings. In his previous seven starts, three losses and four no-decisions, Olson received 17 total runs of support. Rottino (2-for-4) extended his hitting streak to 19 games. Box

BINGHAMTON 1, TRENTON 0: Jefry Marte ripped a bases-loaded single to right to give Binghamton a walk-off win. It was the B-Mets’ second walk-off win of the season and first 1-0 victory since they defeated New Hampshire in the second game of a doubleheader on July 14, 2011. Collin McHugh struck out six over seven scoreless innings, retiring the final nine Thunder he faced. Matt den Dekker set the table in the ninth by doubling against reliever Preston Claiborne to extend his hitting streak to 11 games, the longest for any B-Met in 2012. Josh Rodriguez followed by bunting up the third-base line. He reached safely when Claiborne failed to handle the tough bouncer. A walk to Reese Havens loaded the bases and set the stage for Marte. McHugh walked one and allowed six hits. It was his longest scoreless start since he tossed seven shutout frames as a Brooklyn Cyclone on Aug. 8, 2009. Brett Marshall was just as good for the Thunder. The 22-year-old matched McHugh with seven scoreless frames, retiring 14 straight B-Mets at one point. Brad Holt (1-0) entered in relief for Binghamton in the eighth and worked around a two-out walk to post a scoreless frame. He worked around another two-out walk in a scoreless ninth. Zack Wheeler pitches Thursday's rubber game opposite right-hander Cory Arbiso. Box

ST. LUCIE 6, BREVARD COUNTY 3
ST. LUCIE 4, BREVARD COUNTY 0: St. Lucie left fielder Rafael Fernandez hit two homers and drove in seven runs in a doubleheader sweep. The Mets used a three-run eighth inning to come away with a Game 1 victory. Blake Forsythe hit a go-ahead RBI triple. Fernandez then ripped a two-run homer. Chris Young pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits with two strikeouts. He received a no-decision for his second straight Florida State League start. Adrian Rosario pitched 1 1/3 innings and picked up the win in relief. He struck out the side in the seventh. Fernandez hit a two-run double in the fourth to give the Mets a 3-1 lead. Wilmer Flores launched a solo blast in the second for his sixth homer. In Game 2, Erik Goeddel pitched six shutout innings. Fernandez had a sacrifice fly RBI in the first inning. The Mets then scored three runs in the third. Robbie Shields drilled a leadoff homer. Fernandez crushed a two-run homer to make it 4-0. Goeddel (2-1) allowed five hits and struck out two over six innings. Adam Kolarek pitched a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts. Box 1, Box 2

CHARLESTON 14, SAVANNAH 5: Starter Alex Panteliodis was charged with eight runs in 3 1/3 innings. Relief Carlos Vazquez allowed five runs in 1 2/3 innings. Aderlin Rodriguez had a two-out, three-run homer in the ninth to cap the scoring. Box

Compiled from team reports

CHARLOTTE 3, BUFFALO 2 (10 innings): With two outs in the bottom of the 10th, Jack Egbert relieved Josh Edgin. Hector Gimenez singled to score Greg Golson, and Charlotte knocked off the Bisons. Edgin had replaced Dylan Owen heading into the 10th, and Golson took advantage with a leadoff double. A sacrifice bunt sent Golson to third, giving Gimenez the opportunity to display his late heroics. The Bisons had a chance of their own in the top of the 10th, but could not capitalize. Lucas May opened the extra frame with a double, but Knights pitcher Gregory Infante was able to retire the next three Bisons batters in order. Down 2-1 entering the top of the ninth, Valentino Pascucci opened the frame with a double. Michael Fisher pinch ran. Josh Satin then ripped a single, scoring Fisher and tying the score. The Knights had opened the scoring with a first-inning Dan Johnson single that scored Golson. It took the Bisons seven innings to produce any runs. Trailing 1-0 through six, Matt Tuiasosopo produced a double that scored Pascucci. The Knights responded with a run in the eighth. Garrett Olson started for the Bisons and produced a quality start, allowing four hits in 6 2/3 innings. Olson had 10 strikeouts and one walk. He received a no-decision. Edgin was charged with the loss. Box

BINGHAMTON 11, NEW HAMPSHIRE 4: The B-Mets pounded out 13 hits, including three home runs, and starter Gonzalez Germen fired seven innings. Matt den Dekker started the attack in a five-run first with a leadoff single off Deck McGuire. After a wild pitch moved him to second, Josh Rodriguez gave the B-Mets the lead for good with an RBI single. Raul Reyes followed with a hit, and Jefry Marte doubled Binghamton’s lead with a run-scoring single. After McGuire walked Reese Havens to load the bases, Juan Lagares produced another run with a groundout. Eric Campbell ended McGuire’s night with a two-run double. The righty recorded only one out, his shortest career outing. By the time Fernando Hernandez struck out Pedro Zapata to end the frame, the B-Mets held a 5-0 lead. Given a five-run edge, Germen got off to a bumpy start. The right-hander allowed two runs on three hits while walking two in the bottom half. He escaped further damage by inducing Brad McElroy to fly out with the bases loaded to end the inning. Den Dekker kicked the lead back to five with a long-overdue homer in the fourth. The center fielder crushed the first pitch he saw from Matt Daly to right for a two-run shot. It was Binghamton’s first homer since May 3 -- a drought of 67 innings and 277 plate appearances. Rodriguez kept the offense rolling with another homer in the sixth, a three-run shot. Campbell added a solo blast off Aaron Loup in the eighth. It was Binghamton’s first multi-homer game since it hit three against Portland on April 15. Germen settled down after his spotty first inning, facing the minimum from the second through the sixth. He surrendered one run on three consecutive hits in the seventh before inducing A.J. Jimenez to bounce into a fielder’s choice to end his night. Germen (1-1) allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out three in seven frames to earn his first Double-A victory. Edgar Ramirez took over in the eighth and wrapped up the game, allowing one run on three hits in two innings. Mike McDade tagged him for a solo home run. The B-Mets (16-17) look to secure the series win Saturday. Left-hander Darin Gorski opposes right-hander Yohan Pino. Box

ST. LUCIE 11, BREVARD COUNTY 2: Richard Lucas had three hits and Danny Muno, Robbie Shields and Francisco Pena drove in two runs apiece. Ryan Fraser tossed 3 2/3 scoreless, no-hit relief innings. Box

HICKORY 3, SAVANNAH 1: Tyler Pill struck out 10 while limiting Hickory to two runs in six innings but suffered the loss. T.J. Rivera homered to account for the Gnats' lone run. Box

Compiled from team reports

GWINNETT 5, BUFFALO 3 (10 innings): A comeback and sweep fell short courtesy of a walk-off two-run homer from reigning International League Batter of the Week Stefan Gatrell against Fernando Cabrera. Buffalo allowed nine total runs in the four-game series. The Bisons trailed 3-1 in the ninth. After Lucas May was hit with a pitch with one out, Omar Quintanilla plated the Buffalo catcher with a double that rolled to the center-field wall. Pinch hitter Bobby Scales followed with a single to score Quintanilla and tie the score. Buffalo had a pair of runners on in the top of the 10th, but Josh Satin and Zach Lutz were left stranded after drawing walks. In the bottom half, Cabrera nearly worked around a one-out single by Jose Constanza. But after striking out Luis Durango, the righty gave up his first homer of the season, to Gartrell. Bisons starter Jeremy Hefner matched a season-high by tossing 7 2/3 innings. It was the fifth time in Hefner's six starts that he has at least completed seven innings. He allowed two runs on six hits to keep his season ERA to a league-best 1.77. Trailing 1-0 early, Buffalo scored its first run in the sixth inning on Valentino Pascucci's team-best 19th RBI, but his first in nine games. Fred Lewis batted in the lead off spot for the first time this season and went 2-for-5. Box

BINGHAMTON 9, NEW HAMPSHIRE 2: Trailing by a run in the sixth, Juan Lagares laced a two-run, bases-loaded single to center to give the B-Mets the lead for good and make a winner of Zack Wheeler in his return from the disabled list. The B-Mets produced 14 hits and pitching staff racked up a season-high 15 strikeouts. The Fisher Cats had opened the scoring, plating a run in the fourth on a sac fly against Wheeler. The righty was activated from the disabled list before the game after missing one start with a right middle fingernail tear. The B-Mets answered with a run in the fifth. Lagares shot a seeing-eye single to center and advanced to third when Mark Sobolewski uncorked a throwing error on Eric Campbell's groundball. Juan Centeno bounced a groundout to shortstop to plate Lagares, tying the score at 1. After the Fisher Cats grabbed the lead with another sac fly in the fifth, the B-Mets pieced together a two-out rally to take the lead in the sixth. Raul Reyes and Jefry Marte started the charge with consecutive singles. After Reese Havens walked to load the bases, Lagares chased Jenkins from the game by lining a two-run single into center. It was Binghamton’s first hit with the bases loaded since April 28. They had been 0-for-11. Wheeler (2-2) allowed two runs on six hits over five innings. Armando Rodriguez took over and struck out five over two scoreless innings. Binghamton added to its lead with more two-out hitting in the seventh. Josh Rodriguez doubled with two out and Reyes hammered an RBI single, giving the B-Mets a 4-2 lead. The B-Mets had a five-run ninth, pounding reliever Clint Everts for five hits and adding another against Matt Wright. After throwing a perfect eighth, Jeff Kaplan returned for the ninth. He loaded the bases to start the frame, but retired three straight to collect his first career Double-A save. The B-Mets (15-17) continue their four-game series against the Fisher Cats on Friday. Right-hander Gonzalez Germen makes his second Double-A start, against right-hander Deck McGuire. Box

ST. LUCIE 4, BREVARD COUNTY 3: Chris Young, in his first minor league start since shoulder surgery last May, tossed five scoreless innings. Ronny Cedeno, on the DL with a side-muscle strain and hoping to be activated this weekend, played a full game at shortstop and went 0-for-4. Danny Muno's solo homer in the top of the ninth gave St. Lucie a 4-1 lead, and the Mets needed that run to hold on. In the bottom half, Adam Kolarek left two runners in scoring position with two out for Adrian Rosario. Rosario issued a walk to load the bases, then surrendered a two-run single before notching his 10th save by retiring Nick Shaw on a groundout. Cory Vaughn returned to the lineup after missing two games with a glute bruise suffered while sliding. Box

SAVANNAH 7, HICKORY 2: Domingo Tapia and Marcos Camarena combined to take a no-hit bid into the seventh inning and the Gnats overcame five errors. Brian Harrison went 2-for-3 with three RBIs. Dustin Lawley had three hits and scored twice. The Crawdads were hitless until Jeremy Williams' leadoff single in the seventh against Camarena. Tapia was charged with one unearned runs on no hits and three walks while striking out six in 5 2/3 innings. Second baseman T.J. Rivera had two of Savannah's five errors. The Mets' last minor league no-hitter came on Aug. 23, 2009, by Brandon Moore with the Brooklyn Cyclones in a seven-inning game. Box

Compiled from team reports

BUFFALO 3, GWINNETT 0: Matt Harvey tossed six scoreless innings in the latest in a string of solid starts for the 2010 first-round pick. Coupled with a Pawtucket loss in Rochester, the Bisons are now a half-game back of first place in the International League North Division. Harvey allowed four singles and a double. He walked three, but balanced those out with five strikeouts and a pair of double plays. He also had two wild pitches. Gwinnett failed to push a runner to third base until the seventh inning, after Harvey's outing was complete. With his third win in four starts, Harvey has now posted a 1.96 ERA since April 20. He had a no-decision in the other outing because of a rain delay after four innings of work. Over the four-game span, Harvey has allowed 16 hits in 23 innings. The Bisons gave Harvey early run support as Zach Lutz singled home Fred Lewis in the first. Omar Quintanilla hit his fifth home run in the second for a 2-0 Bisons lead. Buffalo scored a third run the next inning on a fielding error by Braves second baseman Drew Sutton. That lead held up for the Bisons' second shutout of the season. Jack Egbert tossed a pair of scoreless innings and Fernando Cabrera set the Braves down 1-2-3 in the ninth for his International League-leading eighth save. Before the game, the Mets selected the contract of Bisons catcher Rob Johnson. Oswaldo Navarro was promoted from Binghamton. He made his Bisons debut as a defensive replacement at third base in the ninth. Quintanilla's five homers are second on the team to Valentino Pascucci's six. Box

NEW BRITAIN 4, BINGHAMTON 3: The Rock Cats scored three runs with two outs in the top of the ninth, highlighted by Nate Hanson’s pinch-hit, two-run double, to defeat the B-Mets. Binghamton committed two costly errors in the game, resulting in all four runs being unearned. With a 3-1 lead, reliever Robert Carson took the mound in the ninth looking for his first career save. He walked Chris Colabello to start the inning before inducing Aaron Hicks to fly out. Deibinson Romero then sent a slow chopper to third and reached safely when Jefry Marte’s throw to first pulled Eric Campbell off the bag. The error proved costly for Binghamton. Following a popout, Estarlin De Los Santos blooped an RBI single to right, just out of Juan Lagares' reach. With the tying run at third, Hanson shot a sinking line drive to left. Pedro Zapata could not make the difficult catch, allowing two runs to score.

The loss was Binghamton’s second of the season when leading after eight innings. The shaky defense overshadowed a strong pitching performance from starter Mark Cohoon. The southpaw allowed one unearned run and four hits over six innings. Binghamton owned a three-run lead after three innings by pounding Rock Cats starter Andrew Albers for a career-high nine hits. Lagares led off the second by doubling. He scored two batters later on Rylan Sandoval’s single. The B-Mets added two more in the third. Matt den Dekker started with a bunt single, advanced on a wild pitch, scampered to third on a flyout and scored on a passed ball by Chris Herrmann. Reese Havens doubled later in the inning and came home three batters later on Lagares' single. New Britain’s first run came in the sixth thanks to a B-Mets error. With a runner on first and one out, Herrmann rolled a potential double-play ball to Havens. The second baseman fielded it cleanly, but bobbled the transfer to his throwing hand, allowing all runners to reach safely. Chris Colabello cashed in with an RBI single. After amassing a three-run lead off Albers, the B-Mets went quietly against the New Britain bullpen. In all, the B-Mets mustered one hit against three relievers.

While all three runs on his tab were unearned, Carson (0-1) suffered his first career blown save. Brad Holt allowed one hit over two scoreless innings in his return to Binghamton after pitching in six games with Buffalo. The B-Mets (14-16) complete their rain-shortened series with New Britain on Wednesday. Right-hander Collin McHugh opposes right-hander Steve Hirschfeld. Box

BREVARD COUNTY 3, ST. LUCIE 2: Wilmer Flores went 3-for-4 and drove in both runs -- his 21st and 22nd RBIs of the season -- in the loss. Starter Erik Goeddel allowed three runs in five innings. Randy Fontanez contributed three scoreless relief innings. Box

SAVANNAH 6, LAKEWOOD 1: The Gnats finished their seven-game homestand with a 6-1 record while the teams’ pitching allowed 10 runs over the span. The Gnats (20-12) jumped ahead with a four-run second. After DH Travis Taijeron singled and Brian Harrison doubled, Luis Nieves, Tillman Pugh and Brandon Brown all contributed RBI singles. Cam Maron completed the inning’s scoring with a groundout to first. Taijeron, the reigning South Atlantic League Player of the Week, reached base in all four of his plate appearances. He went 2-for-2 with a double and two runs scored. The BlueClaws (10-20) scored their only run in the fourth, against Savannah starter Alex Panteliodis. Panteliodis, who was not involved in the decision, finished four innings, yielding a run on five hits and two walks while striking out five. Relievers Jeff Walters, Jack Leathersich and Estarlin Morel combined on five scoreless, hitless innings behind Panteliodis. Walters earned the win, his second of the season, for working the fifth and sixth innings. Harrison launched a two-run homer, his second long ball, in the eighth to complete the scoring. The Gnats are off Wednesday. They then begin a seven-game trip to Hickory and Southern Division-leading Charleston. Box

Compiled from team reports

BUFFALO 6, SYRACUSE 5: Buffalo (16-11) scored two runs in the sixth inning and two more in the eighth for its sixth win in the last seven games. Eleven of the Herd's wins have come in games in which it has trailed. On Thursday, Syracuse took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth before the Herd rallied. Rob Johnson homered to lead off the frame and pinch hitter Michael Fisher scored all the way from first on Dustin Martin's double to tie the score. In the eighth, Bisons manager Wally Backman went to the bench three times to scratch across a pair of runs. A single from Brad Emaus and a double from Johnson had the Herd set up at second and third with no outs. Pinch hitter No. 1 Valentino Pascucci struck out and pinch hitter No. 2 Bobby Scales was intentionally walked. Pinch hitter No. 3 Lucas May then beat out a potential inning-ending double play to allow a run to score. Vinny Rottino added much-needed insurance with an RBI single. It proved to be the game-deciding run. Rottino had two hits, extending his hitting streak to a Bisons season-high 14 games. The win for Buffalo went to reliever Jack Egbert, who got the Herd out of a jam in the seventh. Fernando Cabrera pitched the ninth for his sixth save. Jeurys Familia started for the Bisons and allowed three runs (two earned) in five innings. He also had an RBI double in the second inning -- the sixth RBI by a Bisons pitcher this season, matching last year's total. In two games since being activated from the DL, Johnson is 5-for-7 with double, triple, homer and two RBIs. Mets right-hander D.J. Carrasco joined the Bisons on his rehab assignment and allowed a sixth-inning homer to Carlos Maldonado. He also picked up a strikeout in one inning. Box

BINGHAMTON 7, AKRON 3: Collin McHugh tossed 7 1/3 strong innings and Raul Reyes ripped a three-run homer as the B-Mets avoided getting swept in the four-game series. Facing spot starter Mason Radeke, the B-Mets took advantage of a rare Akron error in the first. A two-out walk to Reese Havens started the rally and shortstop Juan Diaz’s fielding error on Jefry Marte’s groundball set the table for Reyes. It was Akron’s 14th error as team, fewest in the Eastern League. Reyes cashed in by ripping his first long ball of the season. Binghamton doubled its lead in the fourth against former B-Met Jose De La Torre. Juan Lagares greeted the reliever by doubling. Travis Ozga brought him home by banging a double. Juan Centeno pushed Ozga to third my dribbling a single to the pitcher’s mound. Matt den Dekker plated Ozga with a sac fly. Josh Rodriguez gave Binghamton a six-run edge my lacing a double. Pedro Zapata and den Dekker laced back-to-back doubles to tack on another run in the sixth. It was all McHugh needed to rack up his team-leading fourth win. After side-stepping trouble in the first two innings, the righty cruised from the third onward. He retired 18 of 19 Aeros before Michel Hernandez doubled in the eighth. McHugh’s night was done after allowing run-scoring hits to Tim Fedroff and Juan Diaz. McHugh’s 7 1/3 innings were the most by any B-Met starter this year. He allowed three runs on six hits and struck out five while walking one. Erik Turgeon took over and allowed an RBI single to Jared Goedert before getting two outs to end the frame. Robert Carson tossed a perfect ninth to cap the victory. Box

JUPITER 6, ST. LUCIE 1: St. Lucie's seven-game winning streak was snapped despite Cory Vaughn delivering his team-leading seventh homer in the fourth inning. Vaughn drilled Matt Neil's offering over the left-center fence to cut the deficit to 3-1. Mets left-hander Angel Cuan (2-1) was dealt the loss, despite tossing six innings and allowing three runs on six hits with five strikeouts. Ryan Fraser allowed one run on three hits in two relief innings. John Church pitched the ninth and gave up two runs on one hit. Jupiter took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning on home runs by Marcell Ozuna and J.T. Realmuto. The Hammerheads picked up a run in the fifth after a balk was issued to Cuan to allow Yeison Hernandez to score from third. Hernandez delivered an RBI single in the seventh off Fraser to extend the lead to 4-1. Jupiter loaded the bases with one out in the ninth. Third baseman Wilmer Flores' throw toward second base on a potential double-play chance sailed into right field. The error allowed two runs to score. Box

SAVANNAH 3, DELMARVA 1: Domingo Tapia was dominant over 7 1/3 innings, in the longest start this season by a Gnats pitcher. The Gnats (16-11) won their fourth straight. Tapia gave up a pair of singles in the first inning, but escaped trouble with the help of third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez, who threw out a runner at the plate for the inning’s second out. That began a stretch during which Tapia (2-1) set down 14 batters in a row through the end of the fifth. The Gnats opened the scoring in the bottom of the first. Brandon Brown led off with a double and scored on DH Travis Taijeron’s single. Albert Cordero gave the Gnats a 2-0 advantage with a solo homer in the second. It was his first longball this season. Savannah made it 3-0 in the sixth. Taijeron reached on an infield single and scored on Charley Thurber’s triple. The Shorebirds (13-13) scored their only run in the eighth. After Tapia recorded the first out of the frame, a single and walk chased him. Reliever Estarlin Morel walked No. 9 hitter Mychal Givens to load the bases. He then gave up a sacrifice fly to Glynn Davis. With the tying run at first base, Gnats left fielder Gregory Pron made a diving catch to take a base hit away from the subsequent batter, Sammie Starr, to end the frame and preserve a two-run lead. Morel worked an uneventful ninth to wrap up his second save. The Gnats look for the sweep Friday when right-hander Tyler Pill (2-1, 2.11) opposes right-hander Tyler Wilson (3-1, 2.45). Box

Compiled from team reports

As a 12-year-old, T.J. Rivera pitched for his Little League team in the district-championship game in which it was eliminated by Danny Almonte’s squad. A half-dozen years later, Rivera went on to play junior college baseball for ex-Met Mackey Sasser.

Now, the 23-year-old middle infielder is making a name for himself in the Mets minor league system.

Signed as an undrafted free agent last summer, Rivera -- a product of Lehman High School in the Bronx -- is the reigning South Atlantic League Player of the Week.

He completed April hitting .389 with four homers and 16 RBIs in 95 at-bats. He also has walked 15 times and been hit by pitches twice, giving him a .478 on-base percentage. Rivera’s average ranks third in the SAL behind West Virginia’s Alen Hanson (.410) and Hickory’s Christopher Grayson (.400). Rivera’s OBP ranks second to Grayson’s .500.

Rivera was signed last July 4 after going undrafted out of Troy (Ala.) University, where his team won the Sun Belt Conference title and beat Oklahoma State in the opening game of an NCAA regional at Vanderbilt last year.

“Once the draft was over, my coaches told me that I should get an opportunity to play and sign as a free agent,” Rivera said. “I was just really sitting around in Troy waiting for someone to give me a call, just give me an opportunity. My coach from Troy told me he was at a showcase or something and he saw [Mets area supervisor] Tommy Jackson, I think, and talked to him. That’s when I got a call about two days later that they needed an infielder at Kingsport, so I got my opportunity.”

Out of high school in the Bronx, Rivera wanted to play for a junior-college program in Florida or Alabama because of the quality of baseball and the weather. His summer-league coach sent him, as well as George Washington High School products Viosergy Rosa (now with Marlins system) and George Isabel (Yankees), who were summer-league teammates, to Sasser’s JUCO program in Dothan, Ala.

“We all went down together,” Rivera said. “So it was a little easier to get used to Alabama with a couple of guys out of New York.”

Rivera was unfamiliar with Sasser’s Mets history, including the ex-catcher’s noted throwing issues, until after joining the program.

“No idea,” Rivera said. “It’s funny. I’ve heard some stories now. Especially now that I’m with the Mets, everybody knows him. But I didn’t know who he was. I knew he played in the bigs for, I think, it was nine years with the Mets. But I didn’t know anything about him until I got down there, actually.”

Truth be told, Rivera grew up a Yankees fan. In fact, the lone Mets fan in his family is his father. Still, Rivera went to a fair amount of games at both Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium growing up -- more Mets games, in fact. The insurance company for which his mother worked would give tickets to its employees when they were not distributed to clients.

“I grew up a Yankee fan all my life,” Rivera said. “Everybody in my family is except my dad. My dad was the only Mets fan, believe it or not. I was actually pretty close. I was right in Throgs Neck, which is about 10 minutes away from Yankee Stadium. And if we took the train, it would be a little longer -- 15 minutes maybe. We’d just hop on the 4 train and be right there.”

While Rivera initially played for Kingsport last year after signing, he finished the regular season with Brooklyn, where he hit .326 in 15 games. He lived in team-sponsored housing, not with his family, because the subway commute was too lengthy from the Bronx and his car was still in Alabama. Regardless, the experience playing in New York City as a professional was a particular thrill given his roots.

“That was the best part of my career so far,” Rivera said. “I had a lot of family and friends that were able to come visit. Being in Alabama for four years, my parents really didn’t get to see me too much, or my friends. When I got to Brooklyn, that was a great opportunity for them to come see me. It was nice, too. We had 9,000 fans a game -- crazy fans, too, I’ll tell you.”

Organization leaders

Average: Bobby Scales, Buffalo, .397; T.J. Rivera, Savannah, .389; Jefry Marte, Binghamton, .347; Zach Lutz, Buffalo, .333; Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, .318; Vinny Rottino, Buffalo, .316; Wilfredo Tovar, St. Lucie, .312; Josh Rodriguez, Binghamton, .308; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, .295; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, .292.

Homers: Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 6; Travis Taijeron, Savannah, 6; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, 6.

RBI: Wilmer Flores, St. Lucie, 19; Valentino Pascucci, Buffalo, 18; Aderlin Rodriguez, Savannah, 18; Cory Vaughn, St. Lucie, 17.

Steals: Luis Nieves, Savannah, 7; Cesar Puello, St. Lucie, 7; Danny Muno, St. Lucie, 5.

ERA: Alex Panteliodis, Savannah, 0.89; Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 1.32; Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 1.75; Chris Schwinden, Buffalo, 2.05; Jeremy Hefner, Buffalo, 2.08; Tyler Pill, Savannah, 2.11; Mark Cohoon, Binghamton, 2.25; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 2.33; Darin Gorski, Binghamton, 2.45; Angel Cuan, St. Lucie, 2.78.

Wins: Chase Huchingson, St. Lucie, 4; Gonzalez Germen, St. Lucie, 3; Jeff Kaplan, Binghamton, 3; Cory Mazzoni, St. Lucie, 3; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 3.

Saves: Adrian Rosario, St. Lucie, 5; Fernando Cabrera, Buffalo, 4; Adam Kolarek, St. Lucie, 4.

Strikeouts: Zack Wheeler, Binghamton, 30; Jeurys Familia, Buffalo, 26; Collin McHugh, Binghamton, 26; Matt Harvey, Buffalo, 24; Jack Leathersich, Savannah, 24.

Short hops

• The Mets system owned the top collective record in minor league baseball in April. Fueled by Class A St. Lucie’s 20-4 record during the month, Mets affiliates went a combined 60-36. That .625 winning percentage was tops in baseball, exceeding runner-up Colorado’s system (59-38, .608). The Mets were the only franchise to have a winning record at the major league level as well as with each of its full-season affiliates. St. Lucie’s .833 winning percentage topped Fresno for the best April record in minor league baseball. The San Francisco Giants’ Triple-A affiliate went 19-6 (.760). The 20 wins broke St. Lucie’s record for victories in any month.

The success was fueled in large part by pitching. The Mets had the lowest collective minor league ERA in April, at 2.89, as well as the lowest opponent batting average against (.234) and on-base percentage (.307).

After another long ball Tuesday night, St. Lucie outfielder Cory Vaughn leads the Florida State League in homers with six.

Wilmer Flores, who has made the transition to third base this season, is having a bounceback year at the plate as well. The 20-year-old Venezuelan ranks second in the FSL in RBIs with 19, trailing only Daytona’s Greg Rohan (28). Flores had an 11-game hitting streak snapped Friday.

As for Flores’ adjustment to third base -- which he has played exclusively this season after previously playing shortstop -- that’s going decently. His footwork needs work, and he has bobbled a couple of balls. But Flores largely has managed to stay with those plays and complete the out. Flores committed only two errors in April. The arm is no issue at third base.

• Matt Harvey enters Wednesday’s start for Triple-A Buffalo coming off his most effective outing this season. Harvey tossed seven scoreless innings last Wednesday at Lehigh Valley, allowing four hits while striking out five and walking none. Harvey sliced his International League ERA from 6.63 to 4.85 and has now won two straight starts. He also became the second pitcher in a three-day span for Buffalo to homer, joining Dylan Owen. No Buffalo pitcher had homered for 18 years before the pair of long balls last week. Harvey’s outing last week included improvement in throwing strikes (66 of 90 pitches) and more crispness with his fastball. He indicated after that start that his mechanics felt more comfortable than in any of his previous four starts.

• With Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Jordany Valdespin and temporarily Zach Lutz at the major league level, and with outfielder Adam Loewen lost to a stress fracture of the second metatarsal in his right foot, the Mets signed a trio of players for Buffalo. 2011 Opening Day second baseball Brad Emaus returns, as does outfielder Dustin Martin. The Mets also signed former San Francisco Giants outfielder Fred Lewis.

Emaus, a favorite of J.P. Ricciardi’s while both were employed by the Toronto Blue Jays, was a Rule 5 pick by the Mets in December 2010, along with Pedro Beato. But after hitting .162 in 14 games with the Mets, he was returned to Toronto in mid-April, then immediately flipped in a trade to the Colorado Rockies. In January, he was acquired by the Red Sox. He went to camp with Boston, but was released. Emaus was planning to play for Laredo in independent baseball before the Mets called him while he was at home in Louisiana. Emaus so far has started one game, at third place, and may now just be a bench player with Lutz’s return.

Martin, 28, originally was drafted by the Mets in the 26^th round in 2006 out of Sam Houston State. A favorite of former Mets VP Tony Bernazard, Martin nonetheless was traded with catcher Drew Butera to the Minnesota Twins on July 30, 2007 for Luis Castillo. Martin hit .259 with 31 homers and 189 RBIs over the past three seasons with Triple-A Rochester, which plays in a big ballpark. He was released from Twins minor league camp because of a crowded group of outfield prospects that includes Darin Mastroianni, Joe Benson, Ben Revere and Rene Tosoni.

Martin’s lone start so far came Saturday against his former club, in right field. After lightheartedly tweeting pregame to the opposing catcher Butera, “I need a bunch of fastballs today,” Martin went 2-for-4 and homered for the first time with the Mets organization since playing for St. Lucie in 2007.

Lewis, 31, appeared in 81 games for the Cincinnati Reds last season. He hit .230 with three homers and 19 RBIs in 183 at-bats. Lewis had been in camp with the Cleveland Indians during spring training.

• Lutz, who was returned to Triple-A when the Mets activated Andres Torres from the disabled list, started at third base Tuesday in his first game back. That’s his natural position, but Lutz now should see plenty of first-base exposure.

• Second baseman Reese Havens’ ability to produce at the plate has never been questioned. And, sure enough, after opening the season on the disabled list with a left upper-back strain, Havens joined Binghamton and demonstrated that proficiency with his first official 2012 swing. After taking a first-pitch strike Sunday in his first at-bat, Havens launched the second offering over the right-field wall at Jerry Uht Park in Erie. Since being selected four slots after Ike Davis when the Mets had two first-round picks in 2008, Havens has been limited to 215 professional games because of assorted upper-body injuries. He underwent surgery two offseasons ago to remove an inch of a rib that was believed to be irritating an oblique muscle.

• The hurried trade of Francisco Rodriguez to the Milwaukee Brewers during last year’s All-Star break was a clear-cut dump to avoid his vesting option kicking in for 2012 with 55 games finished. And the players returned were not the motivation for the deal. Yet maybe the Mets did get a modest return for K-Rod. Right-hander Adrian Rosario, who came with Daniel Herrera as players to be named in the trade, has limited opponents to one run and three hits while striking out 17 in 13 1/3 relief innings with St. Lucie. A converted starter, the 22-year-old Rosario throws a low-90s fastball and also features a slider, which he uses with two strikes. He has five saves this season, including one of the six-out variety.

• Top prospect Zack Wheeler continues to be unhittable, despite command issues with his fastball. Wheeler’s 1.75 ERA ranks fifth in the Eastern League. His 30 strikeouts rank third, trailing Harrisburg’s Robert Gilliam (35) and Reading’s Trevor May (33). Wheeler also has walked 14 and hit four batters in 25 2/3 innings.

• At Buffalo, fellow highly regarded right-hander Jeurys Familia’s control issues continue. Familia walked seven while requiring 90 pitches to log three innings Friday against Rochester. He did record eight strikeouts the previous outing against Syracuse, but the Chiefs are light hitting. Observers believe a better offensive club would have taken advantage of balls up in the zone.

• Former Cub Bobby Scales leads the International League with a .397 average with Buffalo.

• Binghamton infielder Eric Campbell has returned after missing a week with a right shoulder strain.

• Savannah reliever Jack Leathersich, a fifth-round pick out of UMass-Lowell last June, continues to put up gaudy strikeout totals. He has fanned 24 in 15 innings.

• Vinny Rottino might have been the call-up if the Mets needed a catcher because of Mike Nickeas’ flu, but the utility player actually has not squatted behind the plate this season while hitting .316 with a homer and 13 RBIs in 95 at-bats with Buffalo. Rottino has been confined to left field because of outfield shortages. Rottino was slated to catch his first game this season on Monday, but it was rained out.

• Right-hander Jeff Kaplan, who picked up two wins and two saves in six appearances with St. Lucie, has shifted to a long-relief role with a promotion to Binghamton. Elvin Ramirez has taken over as B-Mets closer with Josh Edgin moving to Triple-A.

Adam Rubin’s farm report appears Wednesdays during the regular season

Johan Santana tossed six scoreless innings. Yet the southpaw was saddled with a no-decision because Todd Helton belted a grand slam in the eighth off Tim Byrdak. Frank Francisco blew his first save as a Met by also surrendering a game-tying homer, on a solo shot by Carlos Gonzalez in the 10th. But the Mets ultimately prevailed on Ike Davis' RBI single in the 11th to win Sunday's rubber game at Coors Field, 6-5.

Monday's news reports:

• Santana remained winless this season, despite having allowed one run or fewer in all but one of his starts. It marks the first time since his rookie season in 2000 with the Minnesota Twins that Santana has failed to be credited with a victory in any of his opening five starts of a season. Terry Collins had a logical explanation for pulling Santana at 90 pitches after six scoreless innings. Santana was working on standard rest for the first time in the regular season since undergoing Sept. 14, 2010 surgery to repair a torn anterior capsule in his left shoulder. Santana also was coming off his highest pitch count since his comeback. He had tossed 105 pitches against the Miami Marlins on Tuesday.

• After completing a rehab assignment Saturday with Triple-A Buffalo, Andres Torres is due to be activated from the disabled list Monday in Houston. Assistant GM John Ricco announced righty-hitting corner infielder Zach Lutz would be demoted over Jordany Valdespin to create roster room. The biggest curiosity is the outfield alignment with Torres back. Collins announced pregame that Kirk Nieuwenhuis would move to left field, a position he has never played. After the game, and after Nieuwenhuis had a highlight-reel diving catch in left-center to keep Santana's outing scoreless in the fifth, Collins wavered slightly. Torres has started 30 major league games in left field. Still, Collins indicated, Nieuwenhuis is more likely than Torres to be in left field on Monday when the Mets face Astros right-hander Bud Norris at Minute Maid Park.

Andy McCullough in the Star-Ledger suggests the perception among a segment of fans that Torres is an inferior center fielder to Nieuwenhuis is misguided. Writes McCullough:

Torres is the more accomplished fielder. From 2009 to 2011, he ranked seventh among center fielders in Ultimate Zone Rating, an advanced metric that attempts to quantify how many runs a defender saves. During that time period, Torres saved 19.4 runs while with San Francisco. Heading into the season, scouts questioned Nieuwenhuis’ ability to handle center field full-time. But he’s performed a series of high-wire catches since becoming the team’s regular there the second game of the season.

Read more in the Post, Daily News and Newsday.

• In part to build team chemistry, Mets veterans suggested in spring training that players and staff wear western apparel during the trip from Denver to Houston. R.A. Dickey had an elaborate sheriff's outfit complete with fake gun, holster and badge. Daniel Murphy introduced pink to his cowboy ensemble. David Wright, Mike Nickeas and bullpen catcher Dave Racaniello dressed as the colorful "Three Amigos," complete with sombreros and fake mustaches. Mets players similarly plan a hockey-themed attire day for the May 18-20 interleague series at Toronto, during a trip that continues in Pittsburgh. See dress-up photos here.

• Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning visited Coors Field on Sunday. He attended the University of Tennessee along with Dickey and Helton, and is particularly friendly with the Rockies first baseman. Wright, while wearing his sombrero and fake mustache, bumped into Manning while entering the stadium in the morning, which amused the older brother of Eli. Read more in Newsday.

• Davis confessed to thinking back to his season-ending ankle injury in Denver last May 10 as he fielded a 10th-inning popup Sunday. Wright stayed out of the way this time.

• Ruben Tejada had 10 hits in the three-game series and is now hitting .310. The last Met to have 10 hits in a three games series? That was Edgardo Alfonzo in 2000, also against Colorado. If Tejada has another three-hit game Monday in Houston, he will match the franchise record for consecutive three-plus-hit games. Brett Butler accomplished the feat in four straight games in 1995. Read more in Newsday.

• Read game recaps from Sunday's seesaw affair in the Post, Star-Ledger, Times, Daily News, Record, Journal and Newsday.

• Zack Wheeler -- who had been the victim of a lack of run support -- finally picked up his first Double-A win, and 2008 first-round pick Reese Havens returned from injury with a homer in his first 2012 at-bat, as Binghamton beat Erie, 7-1, Sunday. Read the full minor league recap here.

• Broadcaster Howie Rose, who skipped the weekend series in Denver, was inducted into the Nationals Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum at Commack, Long Island, on Sunday. Wrote Steven Marcus in Newsday:

When he and his friends went to Shea and the Mets won, Rose recalled one of his chums yelling, "Put it in the books!'' It became Rose's signature line. Rose, who lives in Woodbury, also calls Islanders games on TV but is famously known for calling Stephane Matteau's winning goal in the second overtime for the Rangers against the Devils in the Eastern Conference finals during the 1994 run to the Stanley Cup. "I'm amazed 18 years later at how the Matteau call has endured,'' Rose said. "There are very few days when I'm in a public setting where somebody doesn't yell out 'Matteau! Matteau! Matteau!' " Rose, 58, also thanked Marv Albert for being an early mentor.

TRIVIA: Who did the Mets receive when they traded Mike Scott to the Astros on Dec. 10, 1982?

Sunday's answer: Larry Dierker won 14 career games against the Mets, the most of any Houston pitcher. Joe Niekro and Don Wilson rank second on that list with 12 career wins apiece against the Mets.

BUFFALO 8, ROCHESTER 2: In his second start since entering the rotation, Dylan Owen dominated as Buffalo won its fourth straight and ninth in its past 12 games. Owen needed 78 pitches to complete seven innings. He retired the first seven batters he faced and 11 straight from the fourth inning into his final frame. Owen required only six pitches to retire the Red Wings in the second inning. In the sixth, he struck out former Mets farmhand Drew Butera looking on three pitches, fanned Ben Revere swinging on three pitches and induced Darin Mastroianni into a weak pop out on four pitches. Owen reached a three-ball count only twice. In the seventh inning, the Red Wings finally got a run when Aaron Bates followed Joe Benson's two-out triple with a single. Owen then retired Rene Rivera on a popout to end his outing. Overall, Owen allowed four hits without issuing a walk. He lowered his season ERA from 4.02 to 3.18. The top of the Bisons batting order did the heavy lifting. Bobby Scales, Vinny Rottino and Valentino Pascucci combined to go 8-for-15 with four doubles, four RBIs and four runs scored. Rottino and Pascucci got aboard in the fourth inning to set up RBI hits from Matt Tuiasosopo and Brad Emaus. Scales and Rottino drove in two more runs for a 4-0 lead in the fifth. Pascucci hit a two-rocket off the wall in center field to drive in two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Omar Quintanilla added his third homer in four games with a solo shot in the eighth. Emaus, signed last week, went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles and a walk in his Bisons debut. Pascucci (13 games), Rottino (11 games), Scales (7 games) and Josh Satin (6 games) all extended their season-high hitting streaks. The Bisons will go for the four-game sweep Monday. Box

BINGHAMTON 7, ERIE 1: In his first game this season, Reese Havens collected three hits, including a two-run home run. The B-Mets pounded out 10 hits, five for extra bases, to make a winner of Zack Wheeler (1-2) for the first time in his Double-A career. Binghamton jumped on Erie starter Mark Sorensen in the first. Matt den Dekker started the attack with a double. Havens, activated from the disabled list before the game, ripped a two-run homer to right field on his first swing of the season. Havens launched six home runs in 58 games with Binghamton last year. An inning later, Pedro Zapata dumped a single to center and was quickly brought home when den Dekker tripled. Rodriguez followed by with a walk to put runners at the corners. With Havens at the plate, Rodriguez forced himself into a rundown and stayed alive long enough for den Dekker to score. Sorensen could not reach the third. Patrick Cooper took over and put up a scoreless frame before allowing a leadoff triple to Zapata in the fourth. The speedy outfielder scored one batter later on den Dekker’s sac fly. Cooper allowed two more runs in the fifth. Eric Campbell singled and moved to third on a pair of wild pitches. Travis Ozga brought him home with a single. Juan Centeno scored later in the frame when Zapata beat out a potential double play. The offensive support was long overdue for Wheeler. In his first four starts, the B-Mets had scored a total of four runs. Eventually working with a seven-run cushion, Wheeler did not allow a hit until the fourth. He surrendered two over his 5 2/3 innings. In the sixth, Wheeler allowed a double to Brandon Douglas before inducing Rob Brantly to fly out. With two outs, manager Pedro Lopez replaced Wheeler with Jeff Kaplan. Wheeler finished with six strikeouts. Jordan Lennerton greeted Kaplan by pounding an RBI double, with the run charged to Wheeler. Kaplan then forced Ben Guez to ground out to end the inning. He worked around a two-out single to put up a scoreless seventh. Armando Rodriguez followed with two scoreless innings. The B-Mets (12-10) head to Akron to start a four-game series Monday. Left-hander Darin Gorski opposes right-hander Steven Wright. Box

ST. LUCIE 5, FORT MYERS 1: Gonzalez Germen limited the Miracle to one run in seven innings. Adrian Rosario entered with two runners on base in the ninth and secured his fifth save by producing a strikeout, then inducing a double play. Cory Vaughn and Juan Torres homered for St. Lucie. Torres was playing his first game this season with St. Lucie. Box

SAVANNAH 9, LEXINGTON 3: Marcos Camarena tossed five scoreless innings to improve to 2-0. Dustin Lawley went 3-for-3 with two walks. Brandon Brown and Aderlin Rodriguez drove in two runs apiece. Box

Compiled from team reports

The austerity-fueled Mets now are focused on the farm system as their primary vehicle to supply the major league team. And while it will take a few years for the Sandy Alderson/Paul DePodesta emphasis to kick in, several prospects from the former regime may have an impact at Citi Field in 2012.

Here’s a look at 13 farmhands who will start in the minors but may appear in a Mets uniform this season.

Starting pitchers

MATT HARVEY, rhp
13-5, 3.32 ERA at St. Lucie/Binghamton
Ticketed for: Buffalo
Background: Part of the next wave of pitching prospects, along with fellow right-handers Zack Wheeler and Jeurys Familia, Harvey is a 2010 first-round pick out of the University of North Carolina. He posted only a 4.53 ERA in 12 starts after a midseason promotion to Double-A. Eastern League batters were able to square up his four-seam fastball up in the zone, so Harvey worked this offseason to hone the sinker that he threw as a Tar Heel. Aside from a woeful Grapefruit League appearance, when he allowed an estimated 492-foot homer to Jayson Werth, Harvey continued to impress in spring training. Team officials maintain they won’t hesitate to insert him into the Mets rotation this season if he’s the best starter available at Triple-A when the need arises.
Scouts view: “He’s got a lot of potential. Scouts like him, myself included. He just needs to go pitch. He needs to go get more experience, to refine his command, especially his fastball command. He’s right where he needs to be.”

JEURYS FAMILIA, rhp
5-5, 2.90 ERA at St. Lucie/Binghamton
Ticketed for: Buffalo
Background: Familia, 22, ranked fifth among Mets farmhands with 132 strikeouts last season. After posting a 1.49 ERA in six starts with Class A St. Lucie last season, during which he held opponents to 21 hits, eight walks and one homer in 36 1/3 innings, Familia joined Double-A Binghamton for the remainder of the season. “He’s got an electric fastball -- 95, to 97 mph at times,” minor league pitching coach Marc Valdes said. “And his changeup and curveball have come a long way the last couple of years as far as development.” Said catcher Kai Gronauer, who caught Familia at multiple levels of the minors: “A lot of guys throw 96 mph. I think what makes him hard to hit is his deception when he throws the ball. It’s hard to find a rhythm off of him. You see it very late. It has some kind of run where it’s very heavy. It’s hard to time it out of his hand." Some scouts see Famila as a major league reliever.
Scouts view: “I like Familia as a reliever. He’s got good stuff. I think it will play better coming out of the bullpen than it will every five days as a starter, just because I think he’s got two real pitches, and my experience watching him is the second and third time through the lineup, he’s not as effective.”

CHRIS SCHWINDEN, rhp
0-2, 4.71 ERA with Mets/8-8, 3.87 ERA at Binghamton/Buffalo
Ticketed for: Buffalo
Background: Schwinden made his major league debut last Sept. 8 against the Atlanta Braves, allowing five runs in five innings. He ultimately made four major league starts during the final month of the season, going 0-2 with a 4.71 ERA while allowing 23 hits and six walks and striking out 17 in 21 innings. Schwinden is slated to start this season in Triple-A Buffalo’s rotation, along with Harvey, Familia, Garrett Olson and Jeremy Hefner. Schwinden actually opened last season in Binghamton’s bullpen, and even surprised himself by quickly landing a starting assignment in Triple-A and succeeding.
Scout’s view: “I have not seen him this spring. I’ve just got to go off of what I saw last year. I like Dillon Gee more. I think Gee’s got better movement down in the zone. I think Schwinden pitches too much up in the zone. I think that’s going to get him in trouble.”

COLLIN McHUGH, rhp
9-4, 3.84 ERA at St. Lucie/Binghamton
Ticketed for: Binghamton
Background: The longest shot on this list to reach the majors this season, McHugh has worked as a starting pitcher in the minors, but probably would work out of a major league bullpen. Last season, B-Mets manager Wally Backman said McHugh had the best control of any of his pitchers. After opening the season at Class A St. Lucie, McHugh was promoted to Binghamton and went 8-2 with a 2.89 ERA in 18 Double-A appearances (16 starts).
Scout’s view: “I just think the stuff is too ‘light.’ But I like him as a nice Triple-A pitcher. He might get a chance to pitch in the big leagues. I don’t think it’s going to go over too well.”

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Andres Torres received treatment and rode an exercise bicycle Saturday as he works back from a left calf strain. Regarding the severity of the injury, Torres said: "It's not that bad."

Torres was injured in Tuesday night's game against the Washington Nationals.

• Jon Heyman reported the Mets are shopping Mike Pelfrey. A team official said, however, that letting it be known to other teams that Pelfrey is available is more of a spring-training ritual of seeing what certain players might command as opposed to something that would be expected to result in a deal.

• Infielder Reese Havens (back) is working outdoors with teammates and is a few days from playing in games on the minor league side.

Scott Hairston, who has been sidelined since Grapefruit League play began with a strained left oblique muscle, is not out for Opening Day just yet.

Hairston plans to seriously upgrade his workload Tuesday. He will take groundballs and fly balls for the first time since suffering the injury this afternoon. When his teammates take batting practice before tonight's game against the Washington Nationals, Hairston plans to try to run the bases.

Hairston finished last season on the disabled list with the same injury.

The Mets would like to carry a righty-hitting backup outfielder on the Opening Day roster. So if Hairston was not available, Vinny Rottino might claim that spot.

• Second baseman Reese Havens, who was sidelined nearly all of his time in major league camp with a back issue, has started taking grounders on the minor league side.

• Retired Carlos Delgado visited the Mets clubhouse Tuesday afternoon and had lengthy chats with David Wright and Johan Santana.

Johan Santana, who threw 44 pitches over 2 2/3 innings Sunday, is scheduled to make his third Grapefruit League start today, against the Detroit Tigers in Port St. Lucie. Santana now will get into more serious pitch counts -- potentially four innings and roughly 60-65 pitches this time -- as he tries to continue to demonstrate he can handle an every-five-days pitching assignment.

Also scheduled to work Friday: Bobby Parnell (who has logged four scoreless Grapefruit League innings and will be pitching on a second straight day), Jeremy Hefner, Frank Francisco, Ramon Ramirez and Jon Rauch. Rick Porcello starts for the Tigers.

Friday's news reports:

• Jose Reyes faced his former employer for the first time Thursday, although it wasn't much of a reunion. Reyes hit a comebacker to R.A. Dickey on the second pitch he saw, leading off the bottom of the first, and ended up departing following a 54-minute rain delay in the middle of the third. Reyes spoke with New York reporters afterward and suggested there was no real emotion involved in the Grapefruit League matchup. Reyes said he figures the real first matchup will be when the Miami Marlins visit Citi Field for a three-game series beginning April 24. Reyes seemed particularly concerned about David Wright's abdominal issue. He quizzed reporters about Wright's status and separately asked Terry Collins about the shortstop's longtime teammate. Read more in the Journal, Post, Star-Ledger, Record, Daily News, Times and Newsday.

Reyes tells columnist Kevin Kernan in the Post: "I think this year I'm going to play a full season. I've prepared myself to do that. Right now there is nothing to worry about and all my focus is on the field." Said new teammate Logan Morrison: "When I'm tired, I just look at him. He's like a cup of coffee for the eyes."

• Dickey retired all six batters he faced, but the Mets lost to the Marlins, 3-1. Adam Loewen's two-out dropped fly ball in left field allowed two unearned runs to score. Jason Bay went 2-for-2 against Josh Johnson. Ike Davis drove in the Mets' lone run with a ground-rule double. Collins was ejected for arguing a batter interference call against Jordany Valdespin following a bunt by the prospect.

• Top pitching prospects Matt Harvey, Jeurys Familia and Jenrry Mejia were among 13 players dispatched to minor league camp Thursday, although Collins said Harvey still would be borrowed for Grapefruit League duty. The Mets now have 42 players in camp. The other cuts, which officially came in morning and afternoon waves: center-field prospects Kirk Nieuwenhuis and Matt den Dekker, reliever Josh Stinson, as well as Robert Carson, Wilmer Flores, Reese Havens, Juan Lagares, Zach Lutz, Valentino Pascucci and Armando Rodriguez. Read more in Newsday, the Star-Ledger, Daily News, Post and Record.

• The final witness trustee Irving Picard plans to call in the $386 million lawsuit against Fred Wilpon and family that goes to trial next week is Noreen Harrington. She was the person overseeing due diligence for Sterling Stamos, the Wilpon-owned investment company set up to try to match Bernard Madoff's returns. Harrington allegedly raised concerns about Madoff to Wilpon's brother-in-law, Saul Katz. Harrington's skepticism about Madoff allegedly angered Katz and money was invested with Madoff anyway over her objections, leading her to quit. In courtroom filings, the Wilpons' lawyers have said Katz does not recall receiving any stern warning from Harrington, and certainly there was nothing presented to the family by her concretely demonstrating Madoff was a fraud.

Harrington has a track record of being a whistleblower, Richard Sandomir notes in the Times. Sandomir discusses how she alerted then-New York attorney general Eliot Spitzer to irregular trading by a Secaucus, N.J., hedge fund in 2003. Writes Sandomir:

When Harrington first called the New York attorney general's office in 2003, she said that she had heard traders bragging about the practice of “late trading” and that she had tried to alert executives at the firm to the practice. Investigators rely heavily on whistle-blowers, Spitzer said, calling tips like Harrington's the lifeblood of his office. Harrington, he said, was a striking truth-teller. "She not only had a level of credibility in her résumé," Spitzer said. "Everything she said came back with precise corroboration."

• Jared Diamond in the Journal visits the Mets' weekly bowling night, which Collins started in his first spring training as manager and continued this year. Wrote Diamond:

One team that included Bay and Dillon Gee came in matching Molson Canadian T-shirts. Bench coach Bob Geren brought two of his own bowling balls, including one decorated to look like a giant baseball. Daniel Herrera, sidelined at the time with a back injury, bought a child-sized Razor scooter at a local Walmart and rode it throughout the evening. The next morning, he cruised into the clubhouse on the scooter, still reveling in his team's success. "Our team is called the Scooters, and I'm the mascot," said Herrera, who stands 5 feet 6. "I have to bring something to the table."

• Tony La Russa says Carlos Beltran is getting a raw deal for taking that infamous curveball from Adam Wainwright that ended the Mets' 2006 season in Game 7 of the NLCS.

"The pitch that he took from Wainwright, you talk about the greatest hitters in our game, they all would have," La Russa said, according to the Post. "That ball was way up here and everyone that ever comes to bat would have seen that pitch and taken it. All of a sudden it drops in the strike zone, and this guy's gotten criticized for taking strike three.

"There isn’t anybody who is going to swing at that pitch. Except for Yogi Berra, who swings at everything."

TRIVIA: Which player(s) did the Mets receive in their most-recent trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates?

Thursday's answer: Reyes has the franchise record for homers in a single season by a Mets shortstop. He hit 19 in 2006.

Highly regarded pitching prospects Matt Harvey and Jeurys Familia headlined the first round of cuts at Mets camp.

Also reassigned to the minors Thursday morning: Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Matt den Dekker, Josh Stinson, Jenrry Mejia, Juan Lagares, Reese Havens, Wilmer Flores, Armando Rodriguez and Robert Carson.

The Mets now have 44 players in camp. More cuts will follow today's Grapefruit League game.

"It's not my call. I can't make the decision," Harvey said. "No matter how much I wanted to try and prove that I could, it's never going to be my call. So I can only do what I can do. ... You know, I'm not happy about it. But I can't make the decision, so I'm going to go out there wherever I'm throwing and do the best I can and keep working and try to get to the level I want to be at."

Harvey said he feels like he's ready for the majors.

"I'd like to think so," Harvey said. "Whenever they feel like I'm ready is when I'm ready."

Familia said he appreciated the experience, and especially the tutelage from 41-year-old Miguel Batista.

"I threw with him every day and did my stuff with him," Familia said. "He taught me how to finish my changeup, my slider, my fastball."