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After surrendering a total of 11 runs in his previous two starts, Max Scherzer made a dominant comeback on Monday evening in Houston. He went eight innings and allowed just one run. With this stellar display, Mad Max propelled the Mets to a resounding 11-1 victory to kick off a three-game series against the reigning World Series champion Astros. Francisco Lindor also played a key role in the victory, driving in five of the Mets’ 11 runs. Following a disappointing weekend where the team lost two of three games to the Cardinals, this win was a much-needed boost for the team.

(Box Score)

Scherzer tossed just 91 pitches through eight innings, with his only run allowed coming on a solo homer by Yainer Díaz in the seventh inning. It was the first time the starter has ever pitched into the eighth for New York.

“Alvy did a great job of sequencing the curveball, sequencing the changeup. When I can pitch with all my pitches, that’s when I’m at my best and we can go through lineups multiple times through, especially third time through,” Scherzer told SNY.

Scherzer struck out three of the first six batters he faced. He allowed a pair of singles in the sixth but escaped the jam with a strikeout. He walked one and struck out eight in picking up his sixth win of the year. With the Mets bullpen overworked and short a man due to Drew Smith‘s suspension, the deep outing could not have come at a better time.

“It was big for the team,” Mets manager Buck Showalter told SNY. “The satisfaction he’s going to get out of that is what it did for our bullpen. We’re in a real need to get deep in that game, and for him to go eight innings – that was pretty special.”

Early on, New York’s offense was in full swing and headed toward the victory. The Mets put up a five-spot in the third inning, including a solo home run by Daniel Vogelbach and a three-run blast by Lindor. Vogelbach’s homer was his fourth of the year and second in four games. Lindor’s marked his 14th, to tie him with Bo Bichette for the most home runs by a short stop this season.

New York picked up another run in the sixth, as Tommy Pham scored on a Jeff McNeil RBI single that snapped his 0-for-9 streak at the plate.

The club continued to pester the Astros staff and piled on another five runs to open up an 11-1 lead in the ninth. Lindor drove in his fourth and fifth runs of the game on a two-run double that scored Marte and Baty. Lindor now leads the Mets with 50 RBIs this season and ranks third in the National League. Pham added an RBI hit, and Vogelbach knocked a two-run single to cap off the win.

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“My teammates did an amazing job of getting on base for me, and I was just fortunate enough to put the ball in play,” Lindor told SNY. “It’s been tough to do it from the left side. It’s been an uphill fight, I just have to continue to grind, put my head down, and work as hard as I can.”

With an 11-run lead, Grant Hartwig made his major league debut out of the bullpen for New York. The Detroit native walked one and allowed one hit in a scoreless frame to solidify the victory.

It was an overall team breakout as the club notched 14 hits on the evening. Vogelbach followed closely behind Lindor with a 2-for-5 appearance at the plate, including three RBIs. Pete Alonso knocked a leadoff double in the eighth for his first hit since returning from a 10-day hiatus on the injured list. In Brett Baty‘s Texas homecoming, the third baseman went 2-for-4 with a run scored.

Catcher Francisco Álvarez left the game after eight innings. The rookie took a foul ball directly off his wrist. Preliminary X-rays on his hand came back negative.

Player of the Game

Scherzer earns Monday’s honor with just one run allowed over eight innings and 91 pitches.

On Deck

Justin Verlander takes the mound for New York on Tuesday. In his last start, the right-hander tossed six innings, allowing one run on three hits. He struck out six and walked none in the 4-3 triumph over the Yankees. Framber Valdez gets the start for Houston. In his last time out, he tossed seven innings and allowed one run on five hits with six strikeouts.

First pitch for Tuesday night’s game is set for 8:10 p.m. ET. The game will be available to watch on SNY  and on the radio on WCBS 880.