Scherz-sational

The top three hitters of the Mets lineup carried the show for them this afternoon, with Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor combining to go 6-12, with three runs scored and two RBI.

Starling Marte got the Mets started early, hitting a solo home run in the top of the first inning. The Mets would add their second run of the game in the third inning after Luis Guillorme (who had a strong game in Jeff McNeil’s stead, who sat with a sore wrist) led off the frame with a triple, and Nimmo singled him home.

Scherzer cruised through the first three frames, allowing just a single base runner through them. He ran into some trouble in the fourth, when Nick Castellanos hit a Home Run with a capital H and capital R, taking a poorly placed Scherzer fastball 444 ft. to dead center field. Scherzer got into some more trouble in the fifth, allowing a lead off double to Perennial Wet Guy Brandon Marsh. He got the next two batters out, but Trea Turner tied the game with a single. Castellanos — who was excellent today on both sides of the ball — singled him to third, and put Scherzer on a real sticky wicket. He unstuck himself, however, by dicing up one Bryce Harper to put the threat to a close.

It looked like Scherzer would be done after five, as he had 90 some odd pitches under his belt, but the Mets offense gave their ace some rope. Back-to-back-to-back singles by Nimmo, Marte and Lindor loaded the bases with none away, setting the Mets up for success (or, you know, catastrophic failure). Success would win the day, however, as Pete Alonso chased home a run with a fielder’s choice to Bryson Stott. Analytics darling Tommy Pham came up with a huge insurance run, smoking a ball between the first and second baseman to make it 4-2.

Scherzer would come out for the sixth, a rather risky decision by Buck Showalter considering the Phillies got to the righty in the previous two innings, but he put the inning away with ease, striking out J.T. Realmuto and forcing Alec Bohm to ground into a double play following a Stott single.

The Mets offense returned to dormancy for the final three frames, but the four runs they provided were more than enough for the back end of the Mets bullpen on this day. Brooks Raley came in for the seventh and got two outs with a Josh Harrison single sandwiched in-between. Adam Ottavino came in for the final out of the inning and promptly struck out Turner.

Ottavino would stay in for the eighth but was much shakier than his one batter in the seventh. He walked Castellanos to lead off the inning, got Harper to softly ground out to himself (there was no play at second), and walked Realmuto, which forced David Robertson into the game. Robertson got Stott to bounce into a double play after six pitches.

Robertson, naturally, came back out for the ninth, and got Bohm to pop out on the first pitch. Marsh singled, which set up scary hours, but Robertson quickly forced his second double play of his outing (the first time he ever did that, according to the man himself), to put a W in the win column.

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What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: David Robertson, +27.2% WPA
Big Mets loser: Francisco Alvarez, -8.1% WPA
Mets pitchers: +36.6% WPA
Mets hitters: +13.4% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Starling Marte’s first inning solo home run, +9.9% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Trea Turner’s fifth inning RBI single, -14.2% WPA