PHILADELPHIA – Ultimately, Max Scherzer would lose. Eventually his team would end up with him on the hill at the short end.
In 24 straight starts, his teams — the Nationals, Dodgers, and this season the Mets — found ways to victory. Fifteen direct decisions had gone his way. That run, which dates back to May 30 last year, concluded Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
“Heckuva run,” said the three-time Cy Young Award winner after the 3-2 setback against the Phillies in Game 1 of a single-admission doubleheader. “Of course it takes your teammates to be able to do that, I always say that. But it’s also kind of cool to be a part of. You have to go out there and give your team a chance to win. That is your job as a starting pitcher.”
It was unlucky in that rare loss for Scherzer, who played six innings and conceded three earned runs. Of the Phillies’ 10 hits against him, five were of the soft variety, hit at less than 80 miles per hour, according to Baseball Savant. However, Scherzer was not at his best in stormy conditions. The 10 allowed hits was a season high from six starts. His seven strikeouts equaled his second fewest. He described the day he played against the Phillies for the third time this season as a “grind”.
Max Scherzer reacts during the Mets’ loss to the Phillies. Getty Images
He relied mostly on a fastball/cut fastball combo without much sensitivity to his off-speed stuff. He didn’t apologize or attribute his free afternoon to the windy and cold weather.
“They had to deal with that, too,” Scherzer said. “I don’t sit here and complain about conditions when the other team has to do it. Just something to contend with.”
Scherzer didn’t let that spoil the afternoon. He kept the damage to a minimum despite the heavy traffic. Scherzer recorded just a 1-2-3 inning – his last inning of work. He hit big outs on Nick Castellanos in the third and Kyle Schwarber in the fourth, stranding two runners on board each time.
In the end it wasn’t enough. The Mets failed to rally. Scherzer lost for the first time in almost a year. He had some tweaks in mind to move forward, but felt he could also take positives from his outing, such as not being able to run a batter in a start for the first time this season.
“If you always beat yourself up when you lose and don’t try to take anything good away, that’s not productive,” said Scherzer. “I thought I did some things well but I definitely need to serve better.”