The fireworks went off after the Brooklyn Cyclones snapped a four-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over the Mahoning Valley Scrappers at MCU Park on Tuesday night.
Mets’ catching prospect Anthony Dimino’s RBI single in the bottom of the 11th inning scored Jay Jabs with the walk-off win for Brooklyn. It was Dimino’s first game in Coney Island, his third with the Cyclones since coming over from Kingsport in the Appalachian League.
The win for the Cyclones improved their record to 32-31 on the season. They’re three and a half games behind the Staten Island Yankees in the wild card standings, with 13 games remaining on their short-season schedule.
The chances of the Cyclones securing a playoff spot are slim. Brooklyn’s upcoming stretch includes two more games against Mahoning Valley and then three at one of the teams currently ahead of them in the wild card standings, the Williamsport Crosscutters.
If the Cyclones are going to make a push for the playoffs, their offense must improve from what it’s shown in recent weeks.
Brooklyn came into their three-game series versus Mahoning Valley on pace for all-time lows in hitting. The Cyclones are hitting .215 as a team this season, only the Batavia Muckdogs are worst with a .209 average.
Mets’ second-round draft pick Pete Alonso broke his finger earlier this summer and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Brooklyn has gone 5-6 without Alonso’s bat in the middle of the lineup.
The Cyclones are built on pitching and defense, however what does a team do when their strengths become added weaknesses?
In their last eight games, Brooklyn’s defense has committed at least one error. The pitching staff, which features Mets’ 2016 first-round draft pick Justin Dunn and the impressive Thomas Szapucki, is currently on pace for the highest team ERA in franchise history.
Last night’s win in extra innings could be an emotional boost for the Cyclones, however, they’ll have their work cut out for them.
Brooklyn’s bats will need to begin coming to life In order to make one last push for some postseason fireworks