DENVER — Max Scherzer joined the Mile High Club on Friday.
None of Scherzer’s 204 wins at Coors Field before he pitched the first pitch that night. Things changed after the Mets’ co-ace (yes, he can reclaim that title) dominated with seven excellent innings to lead his team to a 5-2 victory over the Rockies.
Despite starting just three games in the sample since returning from the neck cramp that caused him to sit out — he’s also battled discomfort all season — Scherzer has performed well for most of last season. He seems to have regained his condition. He was one of the top pitchers in the National League.
His most powerful remark was uttered over 102 balls at high altitude.
Scherzer allowed one earned run on six hits and eight strikeouts in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 3.54. This was the lowest at the start of the season.
Scherzer has allowed one earned run or less in each of his last three starts.
The Mets (27-25) established the offense they needed early on and rode the coattails of Scherzer and the bullpen to their second straight win.
David Robertson, who hadn’t pitched since Sunday, allowed a homer to Charlie Blackmon to take the lead until he had three outs in the eighth inning.
Brooks Larry put down two runners in the ninth inning and urged manager Buck Showalter to call in Adam Ottavino, who recorded the save with the final two outs.
One half of the Mets’ dynamic duo, Justin Verlander, is scheduled to face the Rockies on Saturday.
Back in his hometown (he grew up an hour and a half away in Cheyenne, Wyoming), Brandon Nimo was an offensive star.
On a night when the Mets only allowed seven hits, Nemo hit two triples and got on base five times.
The Mets took an early 2-0 lead over Conor Seabold on a home run by Francisco Lindor in the first inning.
Nemo led the walks before Lindall hit a 439-foot slider over the right-center fence for his eighth home run of the season.
It was his first since hitting a game-winning homer in Sunday’s Game 2 Mets-Guardians doubleheader.
Ryan McMahon’s home run in the second inning gave the Rockies a 2-1 lead.
The outburst was the first Scherzer allowed in his last three starts.
McMahon’s shot flew 430 feet and left the bat at 165 mph.
The Mets loaded the bases with one out in the third inning, but Pete Alonso and Brett Batty stopped the threat with back-to-back strikeouts, leaving frustration behind.
Siebold began threatening Francisco Alvarez with a drill, and Nemo chose to walk.
After Lindall retired, Jeff McNeill hit a ground ball to first base and Nolan Jones threw to second base.
The throw hit Nemo and McNeil reached first.
In the fifth inning, Nemo tripled for a 2-run homer, extending the Mets’ lead to 4-1.
Lindor singled to Nemo for his third RBI of the night before the Rockies’ sloppy defense contributed to the run.
McNeil hit a ground ball to third base that could have made it an inning-ending double play, but Alan Trejo erroneously made the throw an error. Batty’s two-out single brought in an earned run.
Scherzer has an 11-hitter streak after allowing McMahon to hit a home run.
Trejo’s two-out double ended the streak in the fifth inning, but Scherzer struck out Ezekiel Tovar to keep the Mets’ 3-point lead intact.
Nemo made a two-out walk in the 6th inning and got on base for the fourth time, but the Mets’ two-out rally, which started with Alvarez’s single, stalled with Lindor retiring at runners 1 and 2.
Nemo hit a triple in the ninth and scored the game-winning RBI for the Mets on Lindor’s long sacrifice fly to left field.
