DENVER – Max Scherzer joined the Mile High Club on Friday.
Of Scherzer’s 204 career victories before throwing his first pitch on this night, none had occurred at Coors Field. That changed after the Mets’ co-ace (yes, he can take that designation back) dominated with seven brilliant innings to lead his team to a 5-2 victory over the Rockies.
The sample size is only three starts since he returned from a neck spasm that caused him to miss one start — he’s also battled discomfort throughout the season — but Scherzer has regained the form he showed for most of last season. seems to have done, when he was one of the top pitchers in the NL.
His strongest ever pitch came at 102 pitches.
Scherzer allowed one earned run on six hits with eight strikeouts in seven innings and lowered his ERA to 3.54 — his lowest in a start completed this season.
Scherzer has allowed one earned run or fewer in each of his last three starts.
The Mets (27-25) got the offense they needed early and then rode the coattails of Scherzer and the bullpen to their second straight win.
David Robertson, who had not pitched since Sunday, allowed a homer to Charlie Blackmon in the top of the eighth before striking out three.
A Brooks rally drove in two runners in the ninth, prompting manager Buck Showalter to call on Adam Ottavino, who recorded the final two outs for the save.
Justin Verlander, the other half of the Mets’ dynamic duo, is slated to face the Rockies on Saturday.
Brandon Nimmo, in his homecoming (he grew up 1 ½ hours away in Cheyenne, Wyo.), was the offensive star.
Nimmo smashed two triples and reached base five times on a night the Mets managed just seven hits.
Francisco Lindor’s homer in the first inning gave the Mets a quick 2-0 lead against Connor Seibold.
After Nimmo led off the game, Linder launched a slider 439 feet over the fence in right-center for his eighth homer of the season.
It was his first since hitting a go-ahead homer Sunday in the second game of the Mets’ doubleheader sweep against the Guardians.
Ryan McMahon’s homer leading off the second pulled the Rockies within 2-1.
The hit was the first allowed by Scherzer in his last three starts.
McMahon’s shot traveled 430 feet and left the bat at 105 mph.
The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the third inning, but were frustrated as Pete Alonso and Brett Baty struck out consecutively to end the threat.
Seibold drilled Francisco Alvarez to start the threat and Nimmo walked.
After Lindor retired, Jeff McNeil hit a grounder to first base, which Nolan Jones threw to second.
The throw hit Nimmo and McNeil reached first.
Nimmo’s triple in the fifth started a two-run inning that gave the Mets a 4-1 lead.
Lindor knocked in Nimmo with a single for his third RBI of the night before sloppy Rockies defense contributed a run.
McNeil hit a grounder to third that could have been an inning-ending double play, but Allen Trejo mishandled the throw for an error. Betty’s two-out single provided an unearned run.
After allowing the homer to McMahon, Scherzer retired 11 straight batters.
The streak was snapped by Trejo’s two-out double in the fifth, but Scherzer struck out Ezequiel Tovar to preserve the Mets’ three-run lead.
Nimmo drew a two-out walk in the sixth to reach base for the fourth time, but the Mets’ two-out rally — which started with Alvarez’s single — stalled as Linder was retired with runners on first and second.
Nimmo tripled in the ninth and scored the Mets’ final run on Lindor’s long sacrifice fly to left field.
