Max Scherzer delivered his second straight quality start as the Mets snapped their three-game losing streak with a 4-2 win over the Phillies on Saturday afternoon.
Here are the takeaways…
– Starling Marte gave the Mets an early 1-0 lead after his one-out solo shot, his first homer since June 4 against the Blue Jays. He entered Saturday with a .387 average and five home runs. He finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored.
Luis Guillormestarting for Jeff McNeil who is sidelined with a wrist sprain, led off the third inning with a triple, his first of the season. Danny Mendickcalled up to fill the recently-traded Eduardo Escobar‘s roster spot and starting at third against the lefty, hit it sharply to third but couldn’t drive in Guillorme. Brandon Nimmo took the ball the other way to drive in the Mets’ second run with a single. Guillorme went 2-for-3 with a run scored while Mendick went hitless in three at-bats.
– Max Scherzer, who came into Saturday’s start with a 9-2 record and a 2.36 ERA in 14 career games at Citizens Bank Park, cruised in the early going. After getting out of a first and second jam in the first, Scherzer breezed through the next two innings, including retiring seven straight batters. Nick Castellanos got a hold of a fastball over the middle of the plate to get the Phils on the board, 2-1.
Scherzer gave up the lead on a Trea Turner single in the fifth but got out of further damage. After the fifth, the SNY broadcast caught Buck Showalter and Scherzer speaking in the dugout and it looked like he would be taken out — but he came out for the sixth. He would get the Phillies out in order, inducing a double play to eliminate a one-out single to go six strong.
Scherzer’s final line: six innings pitched (107 pitches/70 strikes), seven hits, two runs, one walk, eight strikeouts.
– The Mets offense was largely held in check by the starter Christopher Sanchez but they broke through in the sixth. Nimmo, Marte and Francisco Lindor hit back-to-back-to-back singles to start the inning. Pete Alonso hit a grounder but beat out the double play, putting the Mets up 3-2. Tommy Pham shot a single to the right side to score Marte and give the Mets a 4-2 lead. Francisco Alvarez grounded into a double play to stop the Mets from getting any more, but the two scored in the sixth were enough.
– In relief of Scherzer, Brooks Raley was the first one out of the pen. He got two outs but left with a man on first before Showalter brought in Adam Ottavino. With Castellanos on deck, Ottavino got Turner to strike out swinging to end the inning.
Ottavino started the eighth but would walk two batters and got just one before Showalter brought in his closer David Robertson for the five-out save. After a six-pitch at-bat, Robertson got Bryson Stott to ground into an inning-ending double play. Robertson retired the three Phillies hitters with another double play ending the game with the Mets on top, 4-2.
Highlights
What’s next
The Mets wrap up their three-game series against the Phillies on Sunday at 1:35 pm
Carlos Carrasco (2-3, 6.34 ERA) will be on the mound for the Mets and he’ll go up against RHP Zack Wheeler (6-4, 3.48 ERA).