Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
The New York Mets have won five consecutive games for the first time since mid April, securing a series sweep against the Cleveland Guardians over the weekend. Much of the conversation around this team has focused on the improvements offensively, but the starting rotation deserves some credit as well for their recent success. Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander were remarkable in Sunday’s doubleheader sweep, consistently keeping the Guardians lineup off-balance.
Scherzer threw six scoreless innings in the opener, despite pitching with a callus on his thumb. His fastball velocity was down, so he decided to utilize more of his breaking stuff. Of his 86 pitches, only 27 of them were four-seam fastballs. The right-hander did a great job of mixing in his slider, curveball and changeup, not allowing a single Guardian to get into scoring position against him. Scherzer would not factor in the decision, though that should not take away from what he was able to do individually.
“Really good. Really good. He’s obviously fighting through some things. He had a little cut on his finger, but he worked his way through it. He was the difference in the game,” Buck Showlater said about the 38-year-old’s performance.
Max Scherzer’s final line against Cleveland was 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K.
Verlander had a tough act to follow up in the nightcap, but he certainly did that. Guardians star third baseman José Ramírez greeted the veteran with a home run to deep right field in the top of the first inning. That would be all for Cleveland, as Verlander would shut them down for the rest of the game. His curveball and slider really played off his four-seam fastball, which he threw 52 times. Verlander allowed just two hits after Ramírez’s home run, helping him throw eight innings to earn the victory.
His final line was 8.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K.
“I think we all know what Max [Scherzer] is capable of and I’m hoping to hit my groove. That’s how you would draw it up on a day like today,” Verlander said about his dominance along Scherzer.
The duo combined for 14.0 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K across the two victories Sunday. Those two outings show what they are capable of when things are going right. If Scherzer and Verlander are able to stay on the field and continue performing like this, the Mets rotation will quickly climb up the rankings in due time.
