04/19 22 SF Giants vs NY Mets game #2 #21 Max cherzer pitches in the 5th inning Neil Miller
Perfect Day For Mets With Two Wins After Washout By Matt Blittner, The New York Extra/TheNYExtra.com
Let’s Play Two!
After a Monday night rainout the Mets hosted the Giants for a single admission doubleheader Tuesday afternoon at Citi Field. Tylor Megill and Max Scherzer toed the slab for the Mets in Games One and Two respectively. They were opposed by Alex Cobb and Logan Webb for the Giants. In the first game, New York reigned supreme with a come-from-behind, 5-4 walk-off victory in 10-innings. And in the nightcap, it was New York who walked out of Citi Field with a 3-1 victory.
Megill entered Game One with a 2-0 record and 10.1 shutout innings on his early season ledger. He paired that with 11 strikeouts and a 0.58 WHIP to help the Mets weather the early injury losses of Jacob DeGrom and Taijuan Walker. On the other hand, Scherzer came into the day sporting a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings; although he too was 2-0.
For Cobb and the Giants, his one previous start of the season resulted in a five-inning, two-run, 10-strikeout win. And Webb entered the twin bill with one win in his two starts. Webb had also allowed just two runs on the season, in 14-innings and recorded 10-strikeouts.
In Game One, Megill gutted out a six-inning, seven-hit, four-run, two-walk, four-strikeout performance. It was a rough go early as the Giants hitters attacked Megill right out of the gate.
“It didn’t take long to figure out they were in fastball ambush mode early,” said Mets’ Manager Buck Showalter. “Looked like the last day of Spring Training – getaway day.” “It’s definitely a lot more difficult,” said Megill. “They were trying to ambush in so many ways, so I guess I got to nitpick at the edges and just tried to throw offspeed for strikes. I obviously didn’t have my best stuff today.”
And in Game Two, it was Scherzer who came through when it mattered most. Scherzer attempted to make a run at history as he had a No-Hitter going for the first 5.2 innings. While he eventually allowed a two-out single to Darin Ruf to end his No-No bid he did finish the game with seven-innings pitched and 10-strikeouts to help his team finish off the twin bill sweep. Scherzer was backed up by some timely Mets offense in the third inning as they tallied all three of their runs in the frame.
“For our team to be able to go out there and respond and be able to scratch some runs across against Webb, providing some breathing room,” said Scherzer. “I knew coming into this game we really only had a couple guys down in the pen, so I really needed to get as deep as possible into the game today for us.”
Aside from the starting pitchers, the difference in Game One was Francisco Lindor and Showalter. Lindor had the game-tying double in the fifth-inning and the walk-off single in the tenth. And Showalter deserves credit for not one, but two different, successful Managerial Challenges that helped the Mets immensely. He also made an astute double-switch at the end of the ninth/beginning of the tenth that eventually led to their win in the bottom of the tenth.
Here are the Game One highlights, broken down by inning.
FIRST INNING
Megill attacked the Giants hitters with fastballs in the top of the first inning, requiring just five-pitches to retire Mike Yastrzemski, Brandon Belt and Wilmer Flores in succession. Yaz and Belt lined out to right and left respectively, while Flores grounded to third. Of Megill’s five-pitches, four were fastballs in the 94-95mph range as the Giants hitters clearly had a game plan to attack early in the count.
Cobb wasn’t as lucky as Megill in the bottom of the first. While Jeff McNeil flied out to center to start the inning, Starling Marte lined a single up the middle to get things going the Mets’ way. Then, Marte picked up on a hitch in Cobb’s delivery, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Giants Catcher Joey Bart. Francisco Lindor struckout but a wild pitch to Pete Alonso allowed Marte to slide home safely with the game’s first run. (1-0 Mets). Alonso then lined to right to end the frame.
SECOND INNING
Joc Pederson jumped on a second pitch changeup for a game-tying homer to start the visitor’s portion of the second. The home run ended Megill’s 17.1 scoreless inning streak. Brandon Crawford then popped out, foul, to third. Then, three-straight singles from Thairo Estrada, Steven Duggar and Jason Vosler, plated a second Giants’ run. (2-1 Giants).
All three singles were hit off fastballs that were about two ticks below Megill’s season average of 96.4mph. A two mph drop in velocity, when you don’t have your best stuff, can be a dangerous thing for a pitcher to overcome. However, a strikeout of Bart led to a strike ‘em out-throw ‘em out double-play as Vosler was caught stealing to end the inning. The fastball that struck out Vosler registered 96mph.
THIRD INNING
Megill labored in the top of the third, throwing 24 pitches. More importantly, of the 11 fastballs he threw, only five were 95+mph. The drop in his fastball velocity allowed San Francisco’s hitter to square up his pitches and to wait out the diet of off-speed and breaking pitchers he offered up. Yaz Singled and Belt walked to start the inning.
Flores lined to right but a wild pitch to Pederson allowed the runners to advance to second and third with only one out. Pederson popped to short, bringing Crawford to the plate. Crawford plated both runners with a sharp single to center to make it 4-1 Giants. Estrada grounded to second to end the inning but the damage was done.
FOURTH INNING
The top of the fourth brought a different philosophy for Megill. The righty seemingly understood his fastball was a little short so he went away from it; only throwing six heaters in the inning. Considering he threw close to 20 pitches in the inning, that’s a very small number of fastballs. And of the fastballs he did throw, only two had their usual oomph at 95+mph.
The problem with going away from his fastball is that Megill’s secondary pitches, especially his changeup, don’t have much velocity separation from his heater. His changeup was consistently 88-89mph. So, when his fastball is closer to 92-93mph, an 88-89mph changeup isn’t going to fool many hitters. That said, his guts and guile allowed Megill to escape the inning allowing only a double to Vosler while getting groundouts from Duggar and Yaz. He also struck out Bart swinging.
FIFTH INNING
J.D. Davis started the bottom of the fifth with a single off Cobb. Travis Jankowski appeared to hit into a 3-6-1 double-play but the call was overturned after a successful challenge by Mets’ Manager Buck Showalter. That put Jankowski on first with one out. James McCann followed with a double to put runners at second and third. Then, a double down the right-field line by Jeff McNeil brought in both runners to bring the Mets within 4-3. That also knocked Cobb from the game as he signaled to the dugout that he suffered an injury. (During the bottom of the seventh it was announced he injured his right groin.)
Dominic Leone came in and the first batter he faced, Marte, was robbed of a double by a diving Belt, who turned the play into a ground ball out at first. (McNeil advanced to third). Lindor then roped a hustle double to right field that brought in McNeil to tie the game 4-4.
The Mets then wasted Lindor’s steal of third as Pete Alonso struckout to end the threat.
(Skipping ahead to the ninth…)
NINTH INNING
Buck Showalter brought in Edwin Díaz to start the ninth since there was no longer any way to have a save situation in the game. Díaz walked the leadoff hitter Bart before striking out Austin Slater looking. A 4-6-3 double-play off the bat of Belt ended the top of the inning and gave the Mets a chance for a walk-off in the bottom of the frame.
Camilo Doval was the sixth Giants pitcher of the afternoon and he started the ninth by walking Eduardo Escobar. It was the first walk drawn by a Mets batter in the game and it put the potential winning-run on base. Robinson Cano followed with a walk of his own to put the winning-run in scoring position as Doval struggled with his command. Luis Guillorme pinch-hit for Davis and laid down a sacrifice bunt to put Escobar 90-feet away from winning the game. Unfortunately, Doval struckout Jankowski and pinch-hitter Dominic Smith – both looking – to escape the jam and send the game to extra-innings.
TENTH INNING
Adam Ottavino was on for the first extra inning and he got Flores to flyout to deep right field; which allowed ghost runner Belt to take third with only one out. A semi-intentional walk to Ruf, who stayed in the game after pinch-hitting for Pederson in the eighth, put runners on the corners with one out. Crawford lined out to Cano, who almost dropped it. Then Estrada grounded to Lindor at short, who threw wide of Alonso at first. However, Alonso just barely managed to keep his foot on the bag to secure the final out – after another Managerial Challenge overturned the initial safe call.
Jarlín García pitched the bottom of the tenth for the Giants. Brandon Nimmo served as the Mets ghost runner after being double-switched into the game at the top of the inning and advanced to third on Jeff McNeil’s leadoff grounder to first. Starling Marte followed with a walk and then Lindor hit a walk-off single to win the game 5-4 in ten innings. It was the Mets’ eighth win of the season, which tied them for the MLB lead. (They got their ninth win in the second game of the double-header).
Here are the Game Two highlights, broken down by inning.
FIRST INNING
Max Scherzer struck out the first two batters – Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Belt – he faced in the nightcap of the double-header. He then retired Darin Ruf on an easy ground ball to short to end the top of the first.
SECOND INNING
Scherzer recorded his third and fourth strikeouts of the night in the top of the second. The third came courtesy of a cutter that Brandon Crawford swung through. And the fourth came when Thairo Estrada couldn’t hold up on a slider in the dirt. (The strikeouts followed a flyout to center by Joc Pederson).
THIRD INNING
Other than a two-out walk to Curt Casali, Scherzer made quick work of the Giants in the top of the third. Steven Duggar lined out to center. Jason Vosler became Scherzer’s fifth strikeout victim when he swung through a low cutter. And Mike Yastrzemski flew out to left.
Webb wasn’t as lucky in the bottom of the bottom of the inning. Brandon Nimmo grounded out to first but then it all went downhill for the Giants. Lindor doubled. McNeil briefly gave the Giants hope when he flew out to left. Then Alonso walked. During his plate appearance Webb threw a wild pitch that allowed Lindor to go to third. Escobar brought them both home with a double to right. 2-0 Mets.
Then, Smith singled to drive in Escobar. 3-0 Mets.
The inning was finally brought to an end when Marte grounded into a 6-4 fielder’s choice.
FOURTH INNING
Mad Max continued to mow down the Giants hitters in the fourth as he set down Belt, Ruf and Pederson in order. Plus, he added his sixth strikeout of the night when he punched out Ruf (swinging) on a changeup. Through four, Scherzer faced just one over the minimum; on just 57-pitches.
“I was trying to pitch deep into the game,” Scherzer explained. “I knew I needed to control my pitch count so I can pitch as deep as possible. The deeper I can go, it saves bullpen arms. It not only matters for today, but it also shows up for the next three or four days.”
Logan Webb’s night was done after three-and-two-thirds innings. But, first, he gave up a leadoff single to Luis Guillorme to start the bottom of the fourth. Guillorme was erased on a 6-4-3 double-play by Tomas Nido. Brandon Nimmo reached on a walk to knock out Webb and then Sam Long came in to retire Lindor on a foul pop behind the plate to end the inning.
FIFTH INNING
Scherzer continued to roll in the top of the fifth with the outs coming quickly. Mad Max required just 10-pitches to retire the side in the fifth. A ground ball up the middle by Brandon Crawford was grabbed by Robinson Cano and thrown to first for the out. Thairo Estrada followed with a flyout to deep left and Steven Duggar struck out swinging. He was Scherzer’s seventh strikeout victim of the night.
SIXTH INNING
With Citi Field buzzing about a potential Max Scherzer No-Hitter, the Mets’ ace went out and struckout Jason Vosler (looking) and Curt Casali (swinging) to begin the sixth. Then…he ran into trouble. Consecutive walks to Mike Yastrzemski and Brandon Belt put runners on first and second with two-outs and the Mets leading by three. Darin Ruf stepped to the plate and ended Scherzer’s no-hit bid and his shutout with an RBI-run single that brought the Giants within 3-1. Scherzer then got Joc Pederson to pop out to third to end the inning.
SEVENTH INNING
Buck Showalter allowed Scherzer to start the top of the seventh having already thrown 94-pitches on the night. After the first game of the double-header saw the Mets go to the bullpen four times, Showalter wanted to squeeze one more inning out of his ace. He got it and it only took eight pitches.
“I’ve gotten a feel for what he wants,” said Showalter. “We had a conversation with our eyes a bit.”
Brandon Crawford flew out to left. Thairo Estrada grounded to short. And Steven Duggar became Scherzer’s 10th strikeout – his season-high – victim when he was punched out looking to end the frame.
EIGHTH INNING
The Mets finally went to the bullpen to start the eighth and brought in Drew Smith to face the eight, nine and one hitters in the Giants lineup. Jason Vosler grounded the ball to short-right field where it was gobbled up by Luis Guillorme and thrown to Dominic Smith for the first out of the inning. Curt Casali followed with a line drive single to left before Mike Yastrzemski launched a deep fly ball to right field.
Any other night that ball would have been gone for a game-tying two-run homer. But because the temperature dropped significantly since the afternoon, it died at the wall and landed in Starling Marte’s glove for the second out. Brandon Belt then mimicked Vosler’s at-bat and the top of the inning was over.
NINTH INNING
Trevor May came on to try and close out the Mets 3-1 victory and finish off the Twin Bill sweep of the Giants. First he faced Darin Ruf, who grounded out to third. Joc Pederson followed with a grounder to short and then Brandon Crawford struck out to end the game and give the Mets the double-header sweep.
