The amazing Max Scherzer, the hot deadline acquisition hitters and playing chess with roster moves

As Mets fans, we’ve watched Max Scherzer compete against us for a number of years and we saw one of his finest outings, when he threw a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts, missing out on a perfect game only due to an error, back in 2015. Also as Mets fans, we’ve seen a player have a fantastic year in his age-37 season, as R.A. Dickey won the CY Award in 2012. But it’s one thing for a knuckleball pitcher to succeed this much as a baseball senior citizen. It’s another thing entirely to see Scherzer do it at this advanced age.

Knowing that the team needed a big outing from him, all Scherzer did was throw seven shutout innings against one of the top run-scoring teams in the league. The outing lowered his ERA to 1.98 for the year, the exact same number he put up last year for the Dodgers, the one he wasn’t supposed to be able to come anywhere near this year with the Mets.

None of the preseason forecasts had Scherzer with an ERA below 3.00 and after 15 starts he has one below 2.00 – which is remarkable for any pitcher. The only pitcher who qualifies for the leaderboard in the NL with a sub-2.00 ERA is Sandy Alcantara. Scherzer does not qualify because of the time he was sidelined. But he has an outside shot of qualifying by the end of the year.

You need 162 innings to qualify and Scherzer has 95.2 IP so far this season. The Mets have 54 games remaining, so it’s possible Scherzer gets 10 more starts. If he averages seven innings per start, that would give him 165.2 innings. It’s a giant ask for 70 more innings in the regular season from Scherzer. But given what we’ve seen from him on the mound this season, one should bet against him at your own risk. He’s been absolutely incredible.

DEADLINE DEAL HITTERS PRODUCING EARLY – It seems most everyone was disappointed that the Mets didn’t do more than they did at the trading deadline. The most optimistic grade gave the Mets a “C” for their performance while there were much more favorable grades for the Padres, Braves and Phillies, among other squads. But the hitters the Mets brought in right before and at the deadline are off to great starts.

Daniel Vogelbach – .324/.477/.559 in 44 PA
Tyler Naquin – .348/.348/.739 in 23 PA
Darin Ruf – .333/.333/.444 in 9 PA

Combined, the trio has a .333/.421/.606 line in 76 PA. It’s easy to overreact to a small sample size such as this. But this goes to show what looked like good pickups on paper has performed even better in reality so far. Now if only Mychal Givens would pitch to his lifetime numbers…

PLAYING CHESS WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL RELIEVERS – The Mets needed to make multiple roster moves prior to the doubleheader. They had one free move, with the 27th man. So, they put Tommy Hunter on the IL with a back injury (wink, wink) and called up David Peterson. Then for the 27th man, they added Yoan Lopez. In between games, they called up Adonis Medina and sent Peterson back to the minors. This way, Peterson can remain stretched out as a starter and be ready for the Mets’ next doubleheader. And with Lopez around, they can demote him when Drew Smith is ready to return from the IL. Hopefully, Medina gets some chances to prove to Showalter that he deserves a legitimate shot.

HEATING UP SOME SQUIRREL – Jeff McNeil got off to a terrific start but then fell off considerably. At the end of June, he still had a nifty .328 AVG. But it fell all the way to .287 by July 29. However, McNeil seems to be back to his April form. He’s riding a 9-game hitting streak, and in that span, he has an 1.139 OPS and he’s raised his AVG back to .304, a nice 17-point jump. Obviously, the hits are falling in for McNeil. But it’s not just singles, as he has five doubles and two homers in his last 41 PA.

CHECKING IN ON THE NEW PLAYOFF FORMAT – If things remain the way they are now, the Mets will have the second-best record in the NL and receive a first-round bye. While the time off alone is a good thing, the second spot looks like it will be the preferred avenue. The opening round will see the NL Central winner square off against the bottom Wild Card, with the winner of that series facing the Mets. The other opening series would be the Braves-Padres, with the winner going up against the Dodgers. While any team that makes the playoffs will be a good one, the path that the runners up in the East and West will have to face will be daunting. To get to the World Series, the Braves would have to defeat the Padres, Dodgers and (likely) Mets. If all goes right for the Mets, they will only have to face one of the top-three teams.