 tried to do - pitch to contact and throw to my strengths and have a good mix,"
In Thursday's win, Lannan allowed just one hit through five innings and retired 13 straight during one stretch.
He lost his shutout in the seventh on Erie catcher Steve Torrealba's two-out, RBI double.
"I had my two-seam fastball working and it was really getting to the lefties," Lannan said. "The ball starts out in the middle and looks like a good pitch, then rides in on their hands. I broke two of (Erie right fielder) Matt Joyce's bats, so I'm pretty sure he thought those balls were right down the middle, and then the ball just creeped up on him."
In his loss to Erie on May 21, Lannan threw well during a seven-inning outing, giving up three runs and five hits.
"He's pitched well against us for two outings and we have yet to figure him out," Erie manager Matt Walbeck said. "He pitches to contact and does all the things you want a starting pitcher to do."
"He's a pretty polished pitcher," Erie second baseman Michael Hollimon said. "He keeps the ball down and mixes it up well. He threw the changeup and curve ball for strikes in hitters' counts. That kept us off-balance."
An atypical shoddy defensive performance by the SeaWolves (they committed four errors) and another subpar start from Eulogio De La Cruz put Erie in a 6-0 deficit in the first four innings.
De La Cruz got roughed up for six runs and six hits in four innings. The right-hander dropped to 4-5 and has gone 0-3 with a no-decision in his last four starts.
"I don't think he had his natural feel," Walbeck said. "He was fighting himself and it showed. It seems like hitters are taking real good swings off him and he might be telegraphing his fastball, which hitters can jump all over. He's just not locating like he was previously. He hasn't quite got his feel back and we're hoping that he can find it."
Despite Thursday's loss, the second-place SeaWolves remained 2 ½ games behind first-place Akron, which lost 5-4 at Altoona Thursday afternoon.
Notes: Erie's 18-8 home record remains the best in the Southern Division.... Erie is 5-1 against Harrisburg at home, but only 2-6 at Harrisburg.... The SeaWolves are 23-22 against Southern Division opponents.... Erie has yet to lose a home series this season, winning seven series and splitting one at Uht Park.... Joyce was ejected by home plate umpire Chris Bakke in the eighth inning after taking a called third strike.... Erie first baseman Jeff Larish had a ninth-inning RBI grounder, increasing his league-leading RBI total to 42.... Center fielder Clete Thomas is the only SeaWolves player to play in all 51 games this season.
Today-Saturday, 7:05 p.m.
NYSEG Stadium, Binghamton, N.Y.
Erie notes: The SeaWolves are 9-16 on the road entering their first and only series at Binghamton this season.... Erie opened its season by winning two of three games against the B-Mets April 9-11 at Jerry Uht Park.... The SeaWolves have a 4-2 record against Northern Division opponents - 2-1 against the B-Mets and 2-1 against Trenton. Erie has yet to play Connecticut, New Britain, New Hampshire and Portland.... The SeaWolves on Thursday were second in the league in team pitching with a 3.36 ERA behind Trenton (2.21).... Right-hander Trahern leads the league in wins with seven and has been ranked among the top 10 in ERA all season.... Lefty Miller has been superb for Erie in his three starts, limiting opponents to two runs and 15 hits in 23 innings. Miller earned his first SeaWolves win on Tuesday, throwing seven innings and allowing one run in an 8-1 home win over Harrisburg.
Binghamton notes: The B-Mets have been the league's hottest team over the past two weeks, winning 11 of their past 15.... Binghamton is 10-4 in its past 14 road games after losing 12 of its first 15 road games.... First baseman Brett Harper had a 21-game hitting streak end Thursday....Eight Binghamton players are ranked among the New York Mets' top 30 prospects by Baseball America: outfielder Fernando Martinez (2), right-hander Kevin Mulvey (6), first baseman Mike Carp (8), Harper (14), shortstop Jose Coronado (16), right-hander Mike Devaney (25), catcher Mike Nickeas (27) and outfielder Corey Coles (30).... In the seventh inning of a 5-2 win over Connecticut on May 23, the B-Mets turned a triple play and hit a grand slam.... The B-Mets are 11-10 at home.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Erie relief pitcher Jon Connolly allowed only one hit in four innings of relief against Binghamton on Friday.
It was one hit too many.
Mets third baseman Mark Kiger hit a solo home run off Connolly with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning. Kiger's second homer of the season was the difference in Binghamton's 8-7 victory before 6,327 at NYSEG Stadium.
Erie played its first game without Matt Walbeck in the dugout. The 'Wolves manager flew home to California to be with his wife, who was due to deliver their third child today.
Kiger crushed the first pitch he saw from Connolly in the eighth for the decisive run. It was the only hit Connolly (2-3) allowed after he took over for Erie starter Eddie Bonine.
Kiger's homer was the last of three that were hit in the game.
Erie rallied from an early 5-0 deficit in the top of the third. The 'Wolves batted around for six runs, highlighted by Mike Hollimon's three-run homer and Jeff Larish's two-run homer off Binghamton starter Jose Sanchez.
Larish's homer was his 10th of the season.
Mets reliever Tim McNab (5-0) allowed Erie to tie the score at 7-all in the top of the seventh on Hollimon's RBI single, but picked up the victory thanks to Kiger's homer. Carlos Muniz retired the side in the ninth for his eighth save.
While the 'Wolves and Mets combined for 15 runs and 22 hits, Bowie Baysox right-hander Radhames Liz no-hit the visiting Harrisburg Senators. Liz walked three and struck out eight in Bowie's 5-0 victory.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- Stephenie Walbeck, the wife of Erie SeaWolves manager Matt Walbeck, gave birth to the couple's third child Saturday. That announcement was made during the seventh inning of Erie's game at Binghamton.
An inning later, it was Mike Hollimon's turn to deliver.
Hollimon hit a two-run home run with two outs in the top of the eighth inning. His second homer of the series was the difference in Erie's 3-1 victory over the Mets before 3,332 at NYSEG Stadium.
The game ended when Erie catcher Steve Torrealba picked off the Mets' Fernando Martinez at second base. Martinez and Caleb Stewart reached to open the bottom of the ninth, but Torrealba caught Martinez straying with two outs and the winning run at the plate.
Eighth-inning homers have determined the first two games of the three-game series. Mark Kiger won it for the Mets with a solo homer in Friday's game.
It was Erie's turn Saturday.
With the game tied at 1-1, the 'Wolves' Pedro Cotto singled with two outs off Binghamton reliever Joseph Serfass (3-1). Hollimon followed with a drive that just cleared the right-field fence.
Hollimon finished with two hits and scored twice.
Erie's Matt Rusch pitched the ninth for his third save. Rush came on for Dallas Trahern (8-1), who went the first eight innings for the 'Wolves.
Trahern became the Eastern League's first eight-game winner.
The right-hander walked one, struck out six and allowed six hits, including the Mets' lone run.
Binghamton tied the score in the sixth on Wilson Batista's RBI single.
Erie took a 1-0 lead in its first at-bat when Hollimon led off with a single and scored on Jeff Larish's double. Larish doubled twice and finished with three hits.
Really nice. Enjoy 'em Erie, while you have them all.
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- As his run support grew, Andrew Miller's earned-run average continued to shrink.
Miller, the Detroit Tigers' top draft pick last year, pitched 72/3 innings of shutout ball for the Erie SeaWolves on Sunday. He combined with Anthony Tomey to blank the Mets 6-0 before 3,011 at NYSEG Stadium.
The 'Wolves won