Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets (34-39) are over two and a half months into the season, yet it has seemed as if the starting rotation has been lagging behind all along. A multitude of concerns have led to the team’s poor record, including a 4.62 ERA, which ranks 25th in all of baseball. Much of the scrutiny has been put on the shoulders of Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, who are both making over $43 million this season. The two veterans stepped up to begin their three-game series with the Houston Astros, giving the Mets bullpen a much-needed rest.
In Monday’s 11-1 victory, Scherzer gave up one run on four hits in eight innings, the longest start for any Mets pitcher this season. The team was hopeful that Verlander could provide a similar amount of length in his return to Houston on Tuesday, which he certainly did. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner gave up a two-run home run to Alex Bregman in the bottom of the third, but the right-hander was able to battle for most of the night. Verlander threw seven innings in a 4-2 loss, surrendering four runs on eight hits over 94 pitches.
Verlander’s outing gave the Mets bullpen another important rest, but the bigger story was that Framber Valdez was the better performer on the night. It was clear that the 40-year-old was not happy with his outing. “The last one bugs me. Trying to salvage a decent outing, go seven [innings] and three [runs], you give your team a good chance,” Verlander said.
The Mets will look to win the series with Tylor Megill facing off against Cristian Javier later this afternoon, with the hope that he [Megill] can have another strong performance on the mound. Over the last five games, Buck Showalter‘s team has gotten six innings or more from that day’s starter on four occasions.
If the team is going to make up ground in the National Wild Card race, the starting rotation will need counting pitching deep into games. Without the services of Edwin Díaz available, more responsibility has been put on the shoulders of Adam Ottavino and, more specifically, David Robertson. Starters throwing six innings or more will keep the bullpen fresh, something that has not been prevalent through 73 games.
