AP Baseball Preview: IronPigs at Mets

SYRACUSE, N.Y. (Interstat) — The Lehigh Valley IronPigs visit the Syracuse Mets on Friday at NBT Bank Stadium, with first pitch set for a cloudy 50-degree evening.

Lehigh Valley (15-13) will start Chuck King (1-1) and right-hander Bryce Conley (0-1). Syracuse (14-13) has not yet announced its starter.

The Mets have taken two of the last three meetings, including a 7-0 seven-inning victory Thursday in which left-hander Jack Wenninger tossed 5.2 scoreless innings, allowing four hits and striking out seven. Wenninger is a player to watch for Syracuse in the series; in his last four starts, he has a 2.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 17.2 innings.

Lehigh Valley will counter with reliever Génesis Cabrera, who has not allowed an earned run in his past three appearances (3.1 innings, two strikeouts). Cabrera has been effective against Syracuse, earning a hold Thursday with a scoreless inning.

The IronPigs are coming off consecutive losses to the Mets after winning four of their previous six games against Durham. Syracuse is 3-1 in its last four games.

Lehigh Valley’s offense has struggled against Syracuse pitching, scoring three runs in the past three games. The IronPigs will look to right fielder Caleb Ricketts, who went 1-for-3 in Thursday’s loss.

The series continues Saturday and Sunday, both at NBT Bank Stadium. The IronPigs return home Tuesday to host Buffalo for six games, while Syracuse remains home for a six-game set against Rochester.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 6-5 Lehigh Valley victory.