On Wednesday night, Max Scherzer left his start due to left side pain, and the Mets went on to beat the St. Louis Cardinals 11-4.
Pete Alonso hit a home run and drove in four runs to help the Mets (25-14) extend their winning streak to 13 games. The weekend of April 10-11 was the only stretch this season in which they lost two in a row.
Max Scherzer Leaves Early With Discomfort in Mets Win
Off rookie reliever Jake Walsh (0-1), Jeff McNeil started the fifth inning off with a two-run single, then Alonso broke a 2-all tie with an RBI single. During the outburst, Dominic Smith drove in a run with a single, and Luis Guillorme knocked in another with a well-executed safety squeeze.
The Mets now lead the major leagues with 28 batters hit by pitches after being hit three times. Included in that total are eight by Cardinals pitchers over the course of six games, as the teams engaged in a bench-clearing brawl in St. Louis earlier this month.
Mark Canha was struck by a 98 mph fastball from Cardinals starter Jordan Hicks in the third inning on Wednesday night, prompting a warning to both benches.
Mets starter Max Scherzer blamed “general tiredness” for the discomfort in his left side that forced him to abandon the game after five innings. He said this was a “precautionary” measure after suffering an oblique injury in May.
Max Scherzer departed Wednesday’s start for the Washington Nationals against the St. Louis Cardinals due to an ailment.
With two outs in the sixth inning, the New York Mets pitcher gestured to the dugout to let them know he was finished. After a brief conversation with manager Buck Showalter and the Mets’ coaching and training staff on the mound, he left the field. After throwing an 85 mph slider in the dirt with Albert Pujols at the plate and runners on first and second, he looked to realise immediately that he could not pitch any more.
Last Words
In his 87 pitches, 61 were strikes before Scherzer was pulled. He grabbed the win for the Mets (11-4) despite allowing seven hits and two runs (one earned) while striking out four batters and walking none.
