MMO Spring Training Game Thread: Cardinals vs Mets, 1:10 PM

We have seen plenty of deGrom vs Scherzer matchups in our lifetime. Today is the first time we see deGrom and Scherzer pitch on the same day, for the same team! Mets fans have been anticipating this game since it was announced earlier in the week that deGrom’s and Scherzer’s next spring outing would fall on the same day.

The Mets head into deGrom/Scherzer day coming off of a win against the Nationals. Spring training results generally don’t matter, but sometimes when the results start looking extreme, they can tell a story. We knew things were going to be rough for Washington this year and they already are 1-7 over their first 8 games this year.

The Mets offense had nine hits on the day, including two-hit performances by Brandon Nimmo (raising his spring OPS to .368) and Jeff McNeil (.885). Eduardo Escobar continued his strong spring by hitting his first homer and somehow lowered his batting average to an absurd .556. Dominic Smith hit a double and maintained his 1.286 OPS. All around good day with the bats.

Taijuan Walker made his spring debut and he looked good, holding the Nationals to one hit over two innings. Peterson came in behind him and allowed two runs from 2 hits over 3 2/3 innings (but still struck out 5). The rest of the bullpen (Stephen Nogosek, Chasen Shreve, Sean Reid-Foley) combined for 3 1/3 innings, allowing one hit and striking out three.

What We are Watching For Today

The pitching. The only thing that matters today is the pitching.

Jacob deGrom pitched two innings in his first spring training game of the year and allowed one hit while striking out five batters. It was the first time we saw deGrom since his season shut down on July 7 due to forearm soreness. He looked like himself, with his easy-flowing fastball and he even mixed in a rare-for-him curveball as the first pitch to a batter. He looked like he had fun out there.

Max Scherzer had a dominating first spring training game as a New York Met, too. He allowed one run on three hits over five innings while striking out five batters. He needed only 72 pitches to get through the five innings. I know spring is skewed more than normal this year due to the lockout and the late start, but it’s remarkable when a pitcher goes five innings in the middle of March.

Buck Showalter also revealed that Starling Marte would either play Sunday (moved up from his Tuesday timeline), making his Mets debut, or he will take live batting practice. Turns out, he’ll hit ninth and play right field. So on top of Scherzer and deGrom, Mets fans will get to see Marte play, too.