Mandatory Credit: Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Marcus Stroman has not received great run support for the bulk of this season. In fact, he’s started 15 games in 2021 in which the Mets offense produced two runs or less. But in keeping up with his typical upbeat personality, Stroman remained positive, holding out hope that the offense would find its groove once again.

On Friday, Stroman tweeted in response to the statistic that he’s been unlucky when it comes to receiving run support:

As it turns, out, Marcus’ tweet proved to be accurate. The Mets scored their most runs since August 10 in a 7-2 win over the Dodgers on Sunday afternoon. Perhaps the most important key to this vital victory? A gem from Stroman.

The Duke alum tossed six innings, allowing four hits and two earned runs, while walking two batters and striking out six.

Through two innings, Stroman allowed just one base runner, when Chris Taylor walked. Taylor would then steal second base, but the side was retired when Stroman struck out AJ Pollock. All three outs in the second inning occured via the strikeout.

Los Angeles did not record until a hit until David Price – of all people, singled on a ground ball to right.

The fourth inning finally saw the Dodgers get to Stroman, although the inning ended before the damage became excessive. Singles by Corey Seager and Taylor, and a walk by Pollock loaded the bases for Cody Bellinger. The former MVP, who is batting a mere .174 this season, lined a sharp line drive to right, scoring both Seager and Taylor. Pollock advanced to third on the base hit, but the inning would soon end when Bellinger was caught stealing in a rundown.

For the rest of the ballgame, Stroman was perfect. He ended the fifth by striking out Max Muncy in a 1-2-3 frame, and ended the sixth, as well as his day on the mound, with a strikeout of Will Smith.

Outside of that shaky fourth inning, which Stroman escaped after allowing those two runs, the Mets starter produced one of his best outings since the All-Star break. His season ERA now sits at 2.85, which ranks eighth among National League qualifying pitchers.

After the game, Stroman offered praise for catcher Patrick Mazeika, who caught Stroman in a game for the first time earlier this week in San Francisco. Stroman spoke highly of Mazeika’s ability to adapt to his pitching style on short notice.

“The camaraderie and the relationship is usually developed over time, so for him to just come in and pick up and be great, that just says a lot to his character and his commitment to his work.”

In earning the win, Stroman improved to 7-0 this season when the Mets offense scores three or more runs on his behalf, as pointed out by Wayne Randazzo on Twitter. The right-hander mixed his pitch types well on Sunday. The slider, sinker, splitter, and cutter each made up at least 19% of his overall pitch arsenal. Similarly, each of these four pitches produced at least two whiffs, with only the slider (three whiffs) producing more.

His fastest pitch in this start was a 93.3 mile-per-hour sinker, while it was his cutter that had the greatest improvement in velocity compared to his annual average (90.2 MPH on Sunday vs. 89.8 MPH year average).