Andrew Painter’s final appearance of the 2025 season lasted only four innings.
The 22-year-old allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks with six strikeouts in the IronPigs’ 4-3 loss Wednesday night to the Syracuse Mets in front of 6,575 fans at Coca-Cola Park.
All three runs on four hits and both walks came in a 30-pitch fourth inning. A leadoff, line-drive home run by Mets’ top prospect Carson Benge, who was in a 2 for 34 slump, was the only hard-hit ball in the fourth.
Jose Azocar then hit a broken-bat, bloop single. Kevin Parada walked and Luke Ritter’s bleeder past the infield scored Azocar. Gilberto Celestino’s infield chopper single scored Parada.
“A lot of weak contact,” Painter said. “That’s just the way the game goes sometimes.”
Painter escaped further damage by getting a strikeout with the bases loaded.
The right-hander threw 53 of 86 pitches for strikes, but only nine of 21 first-pitch strikes. He finishes the year 5-6 with a 5.40 ERA in 22 Triple-A starts.
“I felt like I won the battle to two strikes a lot,” Painter added. “I might not have gotten ahead right away, but got myself back in the zone.”
Syracuse’s three-run fourth gave it a 3-2 lead. It looked like Lehigh Valley would respond right away by loading the bases in the home fourth on singles by Felix Reyes and Oscar Mercado and a walk to Rodolfo Castro. But Josh Breaux and Paul McIntosh struck out and Erick Brito lined out to deep left.
The IronPigs got a one-out single by Aidan Miller followed by a double off the right-field wall from Christian Arroyo in the fifth, but Reyes grounded back to the mound and Mercado struck out.
Lehigh Valley was 3 for 11 with runners in scoring position in the game, 3 for 18 in the first two games of the series.
Miller reached base three more times on two singles and a walk. He has eight hits, eight walks, was hit by a pitch once and has stolen six bases in seven Triple-A games.
How they scored
Bottom 1: Johan Rojas singled, took second on Aidan Miller’s infield single and scored on Christian Arroyo’s double down the left-field line. Miller scored on Oscar Mercado’s grounder. IronPigs 2-0
Top 4: Carson Benge lined an 82-mph curveball just over the right-field wall for his second homer of the year to lead off. Jose Azocar hit a broken-bat, bloop single, took second in Kevin Parada’s walk, third on Yonny Hernandez’s fly ball and scored on Luke Ritter’s bleeder through the right side of the infield. Gilberto Celestino’s infield chopper scored Parada. Mets 3-2
Top 7: Jared Young and Benge walked against Andrew Walling. Azocar singled in Young. Mets 4-2
Bottom 7: Miller walked with one out, stole second and scored on Arroyo’s third hit, a single to left. Mets 4-3
Up next
RHP Griff McGarry makes his 2025 Triple-A debut vs. Syracuse RHP Kodai Senga (1-0, 1.50 ERA) in a 6:45 p.m. start from Coca-Cola Park. McGarry was 2-1 with one save and a 4.70 ERA in 29 relief appearances last season with the IronPigs. He was 1-4 with a 3.25 ERA in 17 starts this year with Double-A Reading.
Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com
