Extra Inning Heroics Push Mets To Victory Behind Strong Scherzer Performance

It was the most unlikeliest of heroes in an unusual circumstance for the New York Mets (43-50) on Sunday afternoon at Citi Field. Another low-scoring affair saw the Los Angeles Dodgers and Mets go to 10 innings before Luis Guillorme played hero. Guillorme, who was called upon to bunt the free runner over to third base, swung away with two strikes and poked the ball down the first base line. As a result, the Mets snapped their four-game losing streak via the 2-1 victory in the series finale.

Although he was not credited with the win, the ending to the game was well deserved given the effort that the Mets’ ace put forth on Sunday. Max Scherzer, who ranked 13th in the league (among 104 qualified) in the difference between expected ERA (3.63) and actual ERA (4.31) entering the contest, pitched a gem and once again proved he has the capabilities to be the pitcher everyone thought he was going to be entering the season. As Showalter stated after the game, he was the difference in this ball game.

Max threw seven one-hit innings striking out six batters. He did walk three, but was effective the whole game holding the Dodgers to a team xBA of .124. This is a Dodgers’ team that ranked fourth in the major leagues in OPS entering the day. It was a vintage performance from a future Hall of Fame pitcher that showed he is still very capable.

Unfortunately, as mentioned, Scherzer was not credited with the win despite the Mets holding a 1-0 lead at his departure. In a very interesting managerial decision, instead of opting for his star closer, Buck Showalter went with new acquisition Trevor Gott in hopes of a clean eighth inning that would get the Mets to the ninth.

Gott, who had been fantastic since the trade, was roughed up and New York found themselves back in a tied ball game. David Robertson, who hadn’t pitched since July 7, pitched the ninth and 10th innings, each scoreless, further raising the question as to why he did not get the eighth and ninth innings. Certainly another puzzling bullpen decision by Buck Showalter.

Lost in the chaos was another solid, and vital, performance by reliever Brooks Raley. Raley was called upon in the eighth inning to clean up Gott’s and Showalter’s mess. With one out, and two on, Raley got Freddie Freeman to ground into a fielder’s choice and Max Muncy to pop up. Raley kept the game scoreless and bailed out both Gott and Showalter. His season ERA now stands at 2.18 and he has 11-straight scoreless appearances under his belt (last run given up was June 17 against the Cardinals).

Thankfully, that eighth inning snafu was all for not as the Mets showed some resiliency and walked it off in the 10th inning with Robertson getting credited for the win. It is still a huge up-hill climb for New York, who are seven games under .500 and 8.5 games back of the final Wild Card spot. However, it is always nice to see an exciting win, especially when every single game is so important down the stretch.

Hopefully, the team can finally build some sustained momentum after this big win and go on a run. Showalter shared this hope after the game saying, “Every time we win, I hope it’s a starting point of consistent good baseball and it starts with pitching.”

Player of the Game: Max Scherzer

As the above mentions, Scherzer was electric on Sunday. Unfortunately, his big-time performance may be overshadowed by the walk-off heroics. He may have been the best he has been all season long on Sunday.

As a result of his seven inning, on-hit performance, his ERA on the season has dipped below 4.00 to 3.99. He is still a very capable starting pitcher and will be extremely important to the franchise for the next half-season-plus.

Coincidentally, after the game, he was indirectly dubbed the player of the game by his manager, as Buck Showalter said, “Max was a difference in the game today and that won’t be forgotten by me.”

Statistic of the Game: First Career Walk-Off

Luis Guillorme, like many other Mets, has not had the season he’d hope. The utility infielder played hero in Sunday’s contest, resulting in the first walk-off hit of his career. It’s always nice to see a team’s depth player come up big, especially when it’s a guy like Guillorme who has done so much well for the Mets over the years.

After the game, Guillorme echoed how great it was to contribute amidst a rough season. “It was great. Especially after I haven’t had the best year that I wanted to have, especially at the plate. It was a great, great feeling.”

On Deck

The Mets have Monday off before returning to action Tuesday once again at Citi Field. The Chicago White Sox (40-55) come to town for Game 1 of a three-game set which is scheduled for a 7:10 pm ET first pitch. The probable pitching matchup for that game is Lucas Giolito (3.45 ERA) versus Carlos Carrasco (5.16 ERA).