NEW YORK — In the first inning, Nationals stud Max Scherzer threw 29 pitches.
Through two innings, he had thrown 60.
The Mets, however, could not land the tone-setting, game-changing blow on the right-hander. He still held them scoreless after those two innings — and in check for the rest of his outing — in what became another frustrating night for a Mets lineup that has experienced many to this point.
Once again, failing to collect the timely hits defined a Mets loss. New York (7-11) lost to the Nationals, 2-1, at Citi Field, dropping yet another winnable game.
"We didn’t get the big hit, and that’s something that’s happened to us throughout the season," manager Luis Rojas said. "With runners in scoring position, our struggles, they’ve been real so far in the first 18 games. That’s something we must get better (at). For us to win games, we’ve got to drive in runs."
In the first inning, the Mets loaded the bases on Scherzer with two outs before Wilson Ramos struck out swinging. An inning later, with runners on first and second, Jeff McNeil struck out swinging to end the frame.
The Mets applied pressure, but Scherzer held firm. They worked to grind him out of the game but he lasted six innings and only allowed a run. Scherzer, who threw 105 pitches, struck out seven batters.
"The guys were able to get deep in counts and create some traffic, draw some walks," Rojas said. "We weren’t able to get that big hit and start scoring early. But I thought the guys brought a good approach to start the game against Scherzer. Just couldn’t get that big hit."
One play that summed up the Mets night: With a man on first, Dominic Smith ripped a low line drive to the right side, only to have first baseman Eric Thames react quickly, snag it and touch first to end the inning.
Immediately after, Smith had a certain look on his face, one that said: “Are you kidding me?”
The Giménez-Guillorme game
Raise your hand if you had Andrés Giménez and Luis Guillorme leading the Mets in this game — or any, for that matter.
Yet, that's exactly what occurred. The middle infield combo of Giménez (shortstop) and Guillorme (second base) dazzled defensively and provided the only offense for the Mets.
To start, the duo turned two 4-6-3 double plays on the speedy Trea Turner. One helped Porcello escape the fifth, the other helped Jared Hughes pitch a scoreless eighth.
On the fifth-inning one, Guillorme quickly flipped it to Giménez, who immediately gathered and flung it to first base.
"I don’t think I’ve ever seen a double play turned that quick in the big leagues," Porcello said. "They were lightning fast on that."
Before Tuesday, Turner had never grounded into multiple double plays in a game.
"We always know who’s running, and especially when we see Turner, everything has got to be perfect," Guillorme said. "You’ve got to be quick, the flip has got to be good, the throw has got to be good."
Even before both of the Turner double plays, Giménez and Guillorme turned a 6-4-3 double play to get Porcello out of the fourth inning.
The duo has looked good in both games it has played together — both against the Nationals, behind Porcello.
"It’s always fun to play with somebody that plays defense similar to you," Guillorme said of he and Giménez. "We both have fun out there, we’re both loose and we both try to do the best we can behind our guys.”
You cannot overlook defense. In a game of home runs and strikeouts, made or missed plays can win or lose games.
More: In recovery from COVID-19, Mets' Brad Brach realized there are 'bigger things than baseball'
Porcello pitches to contact, meaning it is advantageous to have a solid defensive group out there. It worked in Porcello's last start, too — which was probably New York's best defensive performance of the season. This one comes close, though.
‘It’s huge," Porcello said. "It gives you a lot of confidence to attack the zone, induce contact, induce weak contact. You’re not worried about pitching for the swing and miss because these guys are gobbling everything up behind you."
You expect Giménez and Guillorme to provide a defensive boost to the lineup, but offense?
They added that, too.
In the fourth inning, Giménez — struck out by Scherzer in his first at-bat — launched a ball off the wall and slid into third for a triple. He barely missed his first big-league home run, but it did not matter as Guillorme scored him on a sacrifice fly to make it 2-1, Nationals.
With New York still down a run, Guillorme doubled to begin the bottom of the seventh. Scherzer was out of the game, and this represented the Mets' best chance to rally.
After Guillorme's double:
- Pinch-hitter Pete Alonso flew out
- Brandon Nimmo, who has a 32-game on-base streak, walked
- McNeil ground into an inning-ending double play
Even in a loss, Giménez and Guillorme provided a positive.
"Those two guys play really good up the middle," Rojas said. "It definitely gets you thinking of more playing time for those guys in that combination."
Porcello’s boost to the rotation
How did it come to this?
The Mets were poised to field one of baseball’s elite starting rotations. From Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman to the depth at the back end, they felt it was baseball’s best.
Since: Noah Syndergaard underwent Tommy John surgery. Marcus Stroman tore a muscle in his calf, then opted out of the remainder of the season due to COVID-19-related concerns. Michael Wacha hit the injured list (he doesn’t feel it’s serious).
The Mets’ rotation faces many questions. With the exception of Jacob deGrom and now David Peterson, New York’s starting pitching has been inconsistent.
An encouraging development: Rick Porcello, who is from Chester, has turned in consecutive quality starts. It could provide stability to this rotation.
“It’s important right now," Porcello said of the rotation coming around. "It’s one of those years where it’s early but it’s not. We’re creeping up on almost the halfway point of the season. We really need to get going as a staff and be consistent and give our guys a chance to win every night."
Porcello on Tuesday allowed two runs on eight hits over six innings. He struck out five. This came after Porcello tossed seven innings of one-run baseball in Washington.
“Unfortunately, we came up a little short," he said. "Those two runs early, they came back to haunt us.”
Turner homered on the second pitch of Tuesday’s game, which might have caused fans to cringe after Washington’s home run party here a night ago. But Porcello retired the next three batters.
He allowed another run — on a blooper down the left field line — but nothing else. He settled in and provided his team length.
He’s finding his groove when the rotation needs it most.
“A rotation can gain momentum," Porcello said. "One guy throws the ball well, the next guy carries off the bat and you can kind of get on a roll when guys are feeding off one another."
Justin Toscano is the Mets beat writer for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to all Mets analysis, news, trades and more, please subscribe today and download our app.
Email: toscanoj@northjersey.com Twitter: @justinctoscano
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