Chris Bassitt Bounces Back in 4-0 Mets Win Over Brewers

The New York Mets returned to Citi Field following a 10-game west coast trip on Tuesday evening. Hosting the Milwaukee Brewers, it was the first time these two teams met this season.

Chris Bassitt bounced back extremely well for the Mets during the game after allowing a combined 18 earned runs in his last 19 2/3 innings pitched in his last four starts. His efforts, combined with early runs, paved the way for the Mets to beat the Brewers 4-0.

The Mets’ offense looked well-rested after a day off. They came out firing in the bottom of the first inning.

Brandon Nimmo led it off by lining a double into the right-field gap for two bases. After Starling Marte singled, Pete Alonso ripped an RBI single to left, bringing Nimmo in to score. One batter later, Jeff McNeil chopped a grounder off the glove of starter Adrian Houser. The ball kicked out past second baseman Luis Urías for the rare infield double, allowing Marte to cross the plate. The next batter, Eduardo Escobar, hit a deep enough fly ball for Alonso to tag up and score.

The Mets jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one.

Bassitt found himself in a rhythm early and often. It may have been his best start with the Mets since he was brought in via trade this past offseason. His eight innings pitched marked his season-high as he threw 18 first-pitch strikes out of the 25 batters faced. Bassitt mixed his pitches–especially his curveball–to keep Brewers hitters off-balance and proved to get out of trouble all night. It was a dominant performance for an important part of the Mets rotation.

After scoring three in the first inning, the Mets were able to add an insurance run in the fifth. Nimmo led off with a base hit to center field before becoming the force out at second on a fielder’s choice on a Marte grounder. Marte then tagged from first to second on a Lindor fly ball to left. The Polar Bear added his second RBI single of the night in the next at-bat with two outs, pushing the Mets’ lead to 4-0. Alonso leads the MLB with 59 RBI through 63 games in 2022.

The Brewers lineup accounted for a total of three hits, all singles, and no runs. After they had a nice start to their season and led the NL Central for most of the first portion of the regular season, they have fallen out of the lead behind the St. Louis Cardinals. Milwaukee has now lost nine of their last eleven games.

Drew Smith checked into the game in the ninth. It was not a save opportunity, but he tossed a scoreless 1-2-3 inning to end the ballgame. Smith shut the door and struck out Willy Adames to end the game.

Player of the Game: Chris Bassitt

Bassitt had his best stuff so far in his 13th start of the year. He was one pitch shy of tying is season-high in pitches, finishing the game by throwing 77 out of 109 total pitches for strikes. His season-high came against the Dodgers earlier in June. His final line: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K.

On Deck

The Mets will host the second game of their three-game series with the Brewers on Wednesday night at 7:10 P.M.

David Peterson (3-0. 3.00 ERA, 32 SO) matches up with Brewers ace Corbin Burnes (3-4, 2.48 ER, 92 SO). The Mets still hold their 5.5-game lead over the Atlanta Braves after play on Tuesday.