Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
After struggling in Monday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers, Tuesday allowed the Mets and Max Scherzer to turn a new leaf. Instead, it was more of the same for New York and its 38-year-old ace, who was plagued by the same issues during Tuesday’s 9-0 loss that saw his first start of the season end on a sour note.
The veteran right-hander took the mound on Tuesday, looking to bounce back in his second start of the season. However, the Brewers had other ideas, as they jumped on Scherzer early. Five of Milwaukee’s first six batters hit balls with exit velocities of at least 96 mph, which was capped off by Brian Anderson’s two-run double (104.9 mph), giving the Brewers an early 2-0 lead.
From there, Scherzer was able to settle in, despite New York’s bats going quiet for the second game in a row. For the next four innings, he allowed just three base runners (a walk and two singles) and kept the Brewers in check.
Unfortunately for Scherzer, for the second start in a row, the sixth inning provided him great trouble. In New York’s Opening Day win over the Miami Marlins, Scherzer received the win for his efforts but faded late. In the sixth inning of that game, he surrendered doubles to both Jacob Stallings and Luis Arraez before Garrett Cooper hit a two-run home run to tie the game at 3.
Rather than giving up one home run on Tuesday, Scherzer gave up three. In the sixth inning of Tuesday’s game against Milwaukee, Scherzer recorded a loud first out before Rowdy Tellez tagged him for a home run on a lazy curveball. Then, Anderson and Garrett Mitchell followed suit to hit back-to-back-to-back home runs, with all three baseballs leaving American Family Field in a hurry.
After a meeting at the mound with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, Scherzer surrendered a walk to Victor Caratini and his night was done. Recently called-up right-hander Denyi Reyes was able to strand Cartatini, so the book was officially closed on Scherzer: 5 ⅓ innings, eight hits, five runs, five earned runs, two walks, two strikeouts and three home runs.
After two starts, Scherzer’s ERA now sits at 6.35. The three-time Cy Young winner didn’t make any excuses after the game, stating simply that he needed to “pitch better.”
Max Scherzer: "I just gotta pitch better. That’s it. There’s no other quote, no other way to do it. Be accountable for what you are. And get the outs when you need to get outs, especially when you got two strikes."
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) April 5, 2023
Against the Marlins, Scherzer ran into trouble when he was unable to locate his fastball, which was sitting around 93 mph. That seemed to beleaguer him again on Tuesday, as Scherzer leaned heavily on his off-speed pitches in the sixth inning, with Tellez and Anderson teeing off on his curveball and slider, respectively.
Of course, Scherzer’s struggles on Tuesday night were magnified because of the Mets’ inability to produce runs, but the same troubles affecting him two starts in a row may signal that it’s time to go back to the drawing board.
With Justin Verlander and José Quintana already on the injured list, the Mets need Scherzer to be the best version of himself. There have been glimpses of Scherzer’s brilliance through his first two starts, but the Mets need him to figure out those sixth-inning struggles, preferably before his next scheduled start, which right now lines up to be sometime early next week against the San Diego Padres.
